The Van Buren press., 1894-09-22
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
1t Is Thought to Be One of the Most I'm.
pressive Objects In the World.

A famous living sculptor OF ours has
given us his opinion in condemnation
of the Washington monument 1t is
sometimes called the Obelisk, for the
Comp ~ihtiyely simple reason that it is
one. just us '.they called him Peter,
people said, because it was his name."
With all due respect to the sculptor's
right of Judgment, which is unques-
toned, we may differ with him, and yet
not brand ourselves barbarians. To
the present writer it seems not too
much to say that in certain light the
Ohelisk is the most imposing simple OBJ
ject of great dimensions in the whole
world. Doubtless when seen, as it
always can be seen by day, from dis
tance of two or three miles and from
different parts of the city, cut off by
line of modern roofs across pale sky,
there is nothing remarkable or beauti-
full about it. 1t is then but the top of
an obelisk, and nothing more; slen-
der straight line of stone visible in an
uninteresting atmosphere. Even then
it can hardly be said to be offensive,
for it is too simple to offend.
Go to it at evening, when the sunset
lights have faded and the full moon is
rising. 1t is impossible not to see its
beauty then. Fer sense reason not i'm
mediately apparent the white light is
not reflected from the lower half of it
when the moon is not far above the
horizon. The lines are all there, but
the shaft is only d soft shadow below,
gradually growing clearer as 1t rises,
and sending in blaze of silver against
the dark sky. The enormous proper
tions are touched then with profound
mystery; the solidity of the symbol
disappears, the greatness Of the
thought remains, the unending vast
ness of the idea is overwhelming.
Block upon block, line by line, it was
built up with granite from many into
one simple whole, true symbol of
what we Americans are trying to make
of ourselves, of our country, and of
our belieft. There is the solid founda-
ton, proved and tried, which we
know of and trust in There is the
dark and shadowy present, through
which the grand straight lines are felt
rather than seen. And there, high in
the still air, points the cleaning fu-
ture, perfect at all points, bright at all
points, lofty as all but Heaven itself.
There is the symbol. We may ask of
ourselves whether we are to overtake
the shadows and reach the light, we or
our children, or our children's children;
or whether the half-darkness will creep
up with us always, and with them, for
ages to come, and even to the end.
The Obelisk is beautiful not only by
moonlight, as anyone may see who will
take the trouble to look at it with eyes
human rather than critical-at evening,
for instance, from the terrace of the
capitol, when all the world is sinking
toward its mighty plunge into dark
ness through the foam of the cloud
breakers and the purple wash of nights
rising tide; or at early morning, when
the darkness sinks back. and the
first blush of day warns the
pinnacle of the lonely shaft-as
though it had stabbed night in the
sky and drawn the sweet blood of day
light upon its point. Most notably is
it beautiful at such times when seen
with the whole city from the great
military cemetery on the heights of Ar
lington, than which few points in the
world command more lovely view.
There in the quiet earth the solemn
dead lie side by side, the many who
| fought for us when we were but their
children, and who, for ours, will fight
| their immortal battles again in the
clouds like the warriors of old. Many
of us have heroes of our name and race
lying there in the broad tree-hemmed
meadows, and among the flowers, and
in that chosen rank where the great
generals lie, as they fought in the fore
front of the enemy, facing now not
enemies but friends, the deep sweet
valley with the quiet river at their
feet. And far away, beside the airy
dome of the capitol, the single shaft
rises sunward, and tells in shadow
time for us, the living, the hours OF the
dead mems endless day. Marion Craw-
ford, in Century.