St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-18
A CITY OF MONUMENTS.
HISTORICAL OBJECT LESSONS IN
6R0NZE AND MARBLE.
WASHINGTON FULL OF THEM

The Dedication OF the Destroyer
Is Everywhere Uppermost-
Greeley, Fulton, Boone, Morris
and Longfeiiow Not Remem-
bered-Suggestion as to John
Brown, a Striking Figure.
Special Correspondence of the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Feb. l6.-The theory
of public monuments erected to honor
great men is that they serve as object
lessons in history to each generation Of
the young, and stimulate embryonic
energies toward patriotic ardor and
emulation in paths that are praise
worthy. A monument, no difference
how grand, or beautiful, or expensive.
can do no possible good to the great
man. who is dead. 1t can only provoke
inquiry from those who do not know,
as to what was the inspiring cause of its
creatlOn-what called it into existence?
What virtue or series of eXcellencies
does it commemorate. 1t is the answers
to these questions that make the monu-
ment of value, or its existence void and
of no force and effect.
This article proposes to speak of the
monumental exhibits at the national
capital, and discuss somewhat these
works from the historical. critical and
artistic standpoint; Offering, meantime,
a few modest suggestions (not at all
inspired by the hope that they will do
any good) for their improvement.
Washington Is the city of monuments.
They are scattered abroad with perfect
recklessness, charge on the stranger
from unsupported coverts; gaze upon
him from the intersection OF the wide
streets; strut before him on foot, and
approach him at swinging gallop on
horseback. They are good, bad and
Indifferent-from an artistic standpoint
the last adjective will serve to describe
most of them.
First and foremost among the monu-
ments of the capital city is the super
lative Washington monument This is
the highest stone monoith in the
world = $50 feet, or Whereabouts - of
white stone, hollow from base to pin
nacle. Within the shaft an elevator of
the largest dimensions moves in a most
dignified manner, conveying q per-
petual multitude of strangers and
sightseerS to the top, and returning
them afterwards safely to the surface
of the earth. With remarkable inapt-
ness the people who projected this
memorial Of the father of his
country located it on the low
lands, whence it commands splendid
view of the Potomac marshes. There
is great comfort in remembering, how
ever, that the top of the structure is
entirely inaccessible to malarial bac-
terra, and that even the most reck-
less and venturesome mosquito rarely
essays to reach the top. Hence, while
one is up there, he is entirely safe from
the approaches of two of tue worst pests
of the human race. Doubtless it some
times occurs to casual visitors at the
capital that if the desire of the builders
was to raise their fellow citizens above
the surface of the earth. there were
numerous hills in the vicinity that
would have doubled-or nearly so
- the altitude of Washingtonian
greatness as fundamentally typi-
fed by this marble chimney
to the factory of patriotism. But the
Iocaters preferred a meadow to hill
top, and there the Washington monu-
ment will await its earthquake, with
field on one side and morass on the
other.
When LEnfant surveyed and plated
Washington. the dreaming Frenchman.
in Imagination, saw rising before him
metropolis destined to rival in greatness,
wealth and consequence the capitals of
all times. 1t would vie with Memphis
and Baalbec in luxury, put to shame
the Eternal City in the size and solidity
of its structures, and rival even his be-
loved Paris in becoming the final abid-
ing place of the children of the muses..
This must be understood before the
curious visitor will be able to compre-
bend the municipal plan. The city was
first laid out in rectangular squares
the streets running north and south and
east and west. Then the artist injected
iunumerable avenues, running in all
directions not monopoliZed by the
streets. and cutting those streets at all
sorts of angles. This plan leaves many
circles, squares and breathing places in
every quarter of the city: and these
spots are being gradually beautified
with shade and ornamental trees and
flower beds. Eventually each spot will
hold the effigy of some great or good
American, OF some foreign gentleman
who has made himself an American
reputation.
Lafayette square is across Pennsyl-
vania avenue, north of the White house.
Its southeast corner is graced by mod
ern symbolical statue of our French
American hero - erected because he
came to aid us in achieving our indie
pendeDce. The statue is of heroic size,
lifelike and artistic. The figure
stands Oh pedestal eighteen feet high.
the base of which is surrounded with
emblematic life-siZe figures, chief
among which is that of a symmetrical
female somewhat shy of such clothing
as might seem necessary even in this
comparatively urbane climate. The
woman offers him sword-unsheathed
He looks squarely over her head as
though he did not care to see her in
those clothes.
Being modern. this effort is, more
artistic than most of those which deco
rate the city.
In the center of Lafayette square is