Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
CLIMBING THE DOME.
A Trip Up and the Feelings One
Experiences.
PEERING DOWN into THE ROTUNDA.
A Glorious Panorama Spread Out
rom the Outside.
IT IS WORTH THE TRIAL.

1t may be that the dome Of the Capitol
has lost some of its attractiveness for
tourists in Washington. But II this Is so IL
Is because OF the increased height of the
Washington monument and its greater ease
Of ascent
The dome used to be veritable Mecca
Time was when pilgrims to the city climbed
Its tortuous heights as courageously as did
the devouts in other days who visited Rome
Tor the purpose of struggling up the sacred
stair on their penitent knees. And of the
TWO processes 1t Is likely that the climb to
the feet of Liberty was the harder.
Yet even today. in the full glare of the
acu'e opposition of the monument the
dome Is a great drawing card. though its
VISITORS are not so promiscuously Young and
uiu as before Tourists are drawn up into
~ py us very difficulty. Its smooth outlines
idct them. They think 1t ought to be
they try it. i IL is' 90
me chances are that they will repent of
s sneir ambition before they get beyond the
nist iahding- Yet their reward is fun n
they are honest with themselves tho MI
auInit that the game is really worth the
candle. ~" TIC
IL Ii n Great Experiences.
In the nrst place the ascent taxes their
powers OF discovery to the utmost. 1t has
all the elements of adventure about 1t. It
appeals to the imagination, and to the
spirit tnat Is delighted at the thought of
uncovering hidden depths
OF course the start is easy An ,nnra,a,
tlous door opening from the tinv ,ntun1
70 the north OF the great circular room un-
DER the dome itself leads into A son, "a
apartment that holds the first innocent
stairway. A few steps are apt however 10
lead the unwary into a pocket nm f.a,
useless steps. and out of the very crooked
anu arterWard very narrow way
e lnis cul-de-sac once passed, there is
no going astray, though there Is always q
oehghtful sense of cropping and independent
advance Up and up and round and round
circular stairway winds a dizzy way for
nalf a hundred steps, and then suddenIy on
comes the climber into a bewiIderinn 80 ~.
space that shows the very skeleton of tbe
huge bulb. Here he stands within the ver,
skin OF the building. between the outer cas-.
ing or the dome and the more solid hodv of
the main structure A ziC-zae stairy,a w
ieaos TO the point where the outer sheiI
angles In to the principal structure and mar
rows 10 the frst real torment of the ascent.
a narrow little ladder of iron that gives q
premonition of the trials to come
Then light breaks into the personal sky
once more, ana the feet are sure once more
as they rest on level space a bit larger
than the top of a hand satchel This is The
hrst interior gallery, and below is the floor
OF the rotunda. The hurrying people begin
TO be foreshortened. The noise of scurry
ing Ieet and explaining guides and gossip
ing loiterers softens into a hum A series
OF short stairs soon gives access to the nrst
view from the outside.
In former years visitors were permitted
70 go out upon the rooted colonnade just
above the point where the dome sprinps
from the roof of the building This how
ever. has no railing. and is really more of
a part OF the ornamentation Of the dome
than convenience, and, as IL was danger
Gus, especially for the small fry that nsaa
IL as romping ground, 1t was closed per-
manently, and so the first landing is higher
up. on the roof Of this colonnade
A Glorious Panorama.
Here the first view of the city and coun-
try round about is obtained. 1t is a glori-
GUS panorama Directly in front of the
doorway sparkles the gilded dome Of the
new library building Smaller and lower
than Its solemn predecessor and neishbor.
1t has rather new and fiippant air. ms il
seems. to try to make up in brilliancy what
IT lacks In elevation and proportions The
evidences of incompletion jar bit when
tne eye takes In the as yet blurred beauties
or the new structure, but soon the vision is
bathing In the glories of the green lane
leading straight to the east, a strip OF gray
street bordered by foliage
Then the radiation of the avenues comes
to mind. and the density of the trees, and
the cleanliness of things, and the quiet,
marred only by the sounds that
rise from the carpentry work going
DreDar-
alton for the event of the autumn AWAY
beyond, the hills of the eastern edge of the
District stand solemn and secure like
guardians OF the city that nestles to the
westward A sudden drop in the sky line
between two ridges shows the way to BAL |
timore. The smoke of a railroad train fill
tiers up from the mass of leaves and shows
the life that is ebbing and flowing like a
tlde TO and from the political metropolis |
The trees of Kendall Green seem brighter
and more dense than any others. The |
buildings of the institution huddle together
comfortably, and defy the encroachments of
the real estate agent. Farther off in the |
northern sky the granite piles of the Cath |
Ole University tut up into the horizon, a bit |
vague, and less distinct than the whittier and |
holder note of the new tower of the Sol |
diers' Home, which gives a distinct contra st |
with the bank of leaves. Those who know
OF the vista unconsciously wonder IL they |
could see through that beautiful piercing
of the trees If their eyes were strong
enough.
A Swing to the Westward.
Then a swing a bit to the westward
brings into the range of view the dlscor- !
dant note of the great red brick pension
building, line piled on line. angle jutting
from angle, mass, bulk, without harmony |
or meaning. bit beyond a shimmering
patch of white shows the roof of the In |
terror Department, and off toward the |
boundaries of the city the great arch Of the |
Northern Liberty market makes a point |
for the eye. Away off in the bounding hills |
a white spot with here and there a dis |
tinct curve indicates the new naval OBJ |
servatory. Nearer the spire of the Metro |
politan Church shows it's tendency TO lean |
to the northeast more plainly than can be |
noted from the ground. |
A few steps to the left and the srand |
reach of Pennsylvania avenue gladdens the !
eye. weary with the mass. The smooth !
gray of the surface, dotted here and there |
with cars and wagons, with tiny lots chat |
would develop into men and women |
through the lens of a telescope, the soft |
green of the trees and the beautiful picture |
at the western end. over a mile away. all |
for the climb so far. |
The monument stands stiff1y defiant |
proud. conscious of it's superiority as an |
elevation apparently alive in the thought |
of it's meaning. Between 1t and the spec |
tator reaches the dream of verdure that |
makes the mall a thing of wonderful beauty. |
The spots of color in the Botanical Gardens, |
the silent fountain, the grand tixity of |
things, afford strong contrast when the |
next segment of the circle demonstrates |
the inevitability of poverty and suffering. |
The fiat stretch that occupies the entire |
quadrant is so apparently |
sordid and wretched that the eye does not |
rest upon 1t longer than to see that 1t is |
pierced with railroad. and then 1T is lift |
ed until 1t takes in the river, with its fill |
tngS, bOrd0ed by mathematical rows or |