The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-29

doubt remains that it Will eventually be
decided upon. Nothing could be more
appropriate. and when the work shall
have been finished there will be no finer
cartoon in the series than that designed
4 to show the meeting en- the shores of the
inland sea, in the very center Of our
wonderful western civilization, not only
of the nations Of the world in the rivalry
of peace, but descendants of Ferdinand
and Isabella, who sent Columbus forth
on his voyage of discovery, and the de-
scendants of Columbus himself.
With sketches of the beautiful archi-
lecture of the White City at Chicago for
background, and with figures repre-
senting the assemblage of the nations
and the descendants of the discoverer
and of Aragon and CASTLE for the fore
ground, this picture should be a success
not only from the artistic but from the
allegorical point of view. What is bet
ter than this selection of topic is the
probability that the great frieze begun
by one Italian a quarter of a century ago,
and continued by another Italian after
the death of the first, may now be COM
pleted by the hand Of an American artist.
The series commences Immediately
above the west or library door of the ro-
tunda. There is group which repro
sents America armed with spear and
shield. At her feet the eagle, at her
right the American Indian with bot
and arrow, at her left the Genius OF
History sketching events. With this
group as the starting point, the frieze
runs to the north and around the great
chamber. While list of the cartoons
composing the series will read somewhat
like an extract from one of the guide
books, want you to see how history has
been sketched in this commemorative
circle.
The first scene is s'The Landing Of Co.
lumbus"
The second, "Cortez Entering the
Temple of the Sun In Mexico"
The third, "Pizarro, With the Horse,
Progressing In the Conquest Of Peru"
The fourth, 'sThe Burial of De Soto In
the Mississippi River"
u6 bAy AO 1eCCSuQ VI ShpPudAAi
John Smith by Pocahontas."
The sixth, s'The Disemb arkation of the
Pilgrim Fathers"
The seventh, "Penn's Treaty With the
Indians and Settlement of Pennsylvania.
The eighth, s'The Industrial Coloniza-
ton of the New England States"
The ninth, General Oglethorpe and
.Muscogee Chief" an incident in the col
onization of Georgia.
The tenth, ssThe Battle of Lexington.
The eleventh, ssThe Declaration Of In
dependence"
The twelfth, 'sThe Surrender of Lord
CORVALLIS"
The thirteenth, ssThe Death Of Tecum-
seh."
The fourteenth, "The American Army
Entering the City of Mexico"
The fifteenth, "Laborers In the Gold
Mines Of California"
With the sixteenth group made to
represent the meeting of the nations at
Chicago, am sure you will agree with
me that remarkable and worthy series
of events have been placed upon the
walls of the rotunda. The reader will
observe that not one of these cartoons
is based upon the late war between the
states or any incident growing out of
that conflict. Such an omission could
not have been made by accident, and of
course the truth is it was by design.
The library committees have discussed
this question from time to time with
great thoroughness, and they have
agreed that the civil conflict which
ragged between the states should not be
embalmed in the historical paintings
within the capitol.
Will the capitol ever be finished?
Probably not. Now that we have the
dome, the wings, the great terrace re-
Gently completed, and now that the dec
Grafton of the rotunda is to be finished,
the next step will be to erect a grand
colonnade along the west facade of tho
building. TINS giving the capitol front
to the west as well as to the east. AS
one of those who love the grand old
building for its memories and associa-