The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-07
OUR Playful STATUES.
Some Amusing Suggestions by a Contem-
porary's Office Cat.

Some Amusing Suggestions by Contem-
porary's Office Cat.
From Yesterdays Journal.
When the mighty current of modern munich
pal reform shall invade the National Capital it
is to be hoped that its waves will not recede
without vouchsafing to Washington the bless
ings of much-needed reform in the heretofore
aimless arrangement of monuments and statues
to the great men of the nation. Otherwise we
shall witness frequent recurrence of such q
game of "tug of war'' between two heroes of
stone or bronze as that which is being carried on
now between Lafayette and Jackson. 1t were
timely reform, if the future of those great
men could be made secure who have been COM
PEELED for years past to play ''puss-in- -the-cor-
ner' with each other in public places Not
every one of them can fare so we'll as GeE
Kawiins, who: from his hiding place in the
shrubbery in front of the Centre Market, may
play "peek-a-boo'' with all the pretty girls
Should such plan of permanent retirement
be adopted for these our heroes, perhaps few
suggestions from the artistic offlce.cat of the
Journal may find favorable consideration The
proper place for the Lafayette Monument,
then, is the park named after him, If for no
other reason because he was one of the "great
guns" of the Revolutionary war, while jackson
won fame and laurels long after him. His
claims, therefore, antedate those of Jackson
For Jackson a splendid site would be the tri-
angle in front of the National Theatre All
passers-by would feel battered by his courtesy
for everybody could imagine that the old war
rior was taking off his hat to him Cor her, His
horse would certainly feel at home in that
neighborhood, in view of the proximity of sew
eral livery stables. And how fast the gallant
old soldiers heart would pulsate as during
the theatrical season he kept sharp lookout
on the stage entrance of the theatre watching
the beauties of the ballet pass muster as they
proceed to the scene of their trumphs or left
late at night
The half-nude "Father of his Country,u
Greenough's marble Washington, east of the
Capitol, which already shows the effect of the
weather, these suggestions would place in the
interior of the Washington Monument upon a
movable pedestal, so that during the warm sea-
son Washington could be given the benefit of
open-air exercise and rolled back again into his
snug home during incement weather.
The Peace Monument at the foot of the Capt.
tol, having, in view of the recent 'onpleasant-
ness' in the House of Representatives ap-
parently failed in its mission, should be re-
moved to Franklin Square or to the Soldiers
Home.
Garfield's statue should be removed to Market
Space, where the many-sidedness of both origi-
nal and brazen image could be better admired.
The thin, slender Lincoln shaft and the long
lean figure of the martyr President, now appear
ing still more attenuated by the cutting down of
the street level in front of the court building on
judiciary Square, should be removed to Mt.
Vernon Square, where it could serve as an apt
illustration to the slender appropriations for the
establishment of that neighborhood.
The proposed Columbus Monument, in con-
elusion should be placed in front of the Capitol,
and our esteemed legislators might occasionally
pront little from recollection OF the we'll
known story of the great diseoyerer's egg trick.
%sS~s~
DIR. j. e. Walsh has resigned from the medi-
cal stan of the Washington Asylum.