Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-11-18

or present ages OF sufficient lame 70 oe
put among the select few celebrated to
ornament q library building?"
Mr.. Spofford replied: "WhT wo-
mans head at all, since the idea was not
to celebrate or memorabilia anybody?
1t was simply the consensus OF opinion
OF conference of such men as ST. eau
dens, j. Q. A. Ward aud others, with
myself, the architect. engineer and as
slstant, that the representation OF the
Nine MUSES. and the Three Fates In the
mural paintings on the interior would
preserve the balance of power as TO
sex. You had better see Mr.. Green.
the supervising architect, on that point,
and also get your bearings about the
new building"
Acting on this advice I sought for Mr..
Green, and not finding him ia his office,
entered upon . further search through
the crowded corridors aud scaffoldings
Of the interior.
When found next day be said on
this point: There was no prejudice
against women taken into the account
First Of all. the idea was to have the
building tremendously decorated ac-
cording to its style Of architecture. the
Italian Renaissance, and not to memo
rialize anybody. man or woman
THE building is Of the same school
Of architecture and In harmony with
the Capitol. and though generally plain
it calls for certain ornaments on the
facade, In the inches inside and key
stones over the twenty-corner windows.
Those ornaments might have been dogs
heads, griffins, or anything Of that sort,
and the inches have been filed with
vases of flowers or; ornamental urns, as
in similar buildings in Italy, but on the
suggestion Of an eminent anthropolo-
gst, we decided to represent the great
divisions OF the races OF men on the
keystones, and thirteen typical heads
were used 10 place OF ornaments. This
also marked an advance in architectural
art or ornamentation.
"Those heads will bear close inspec-
tion, being, even to their head-dresses
most correct, although the Indians
feathers had to lie fat instead OF stand
ing up erect as be would wear them.
But that is kind of poetic artistic IL
cense. which the circumstances COM
PEELED"
The new building is so near COM
petion that one gets very good idea
of the effect Of the whole. The grand
West entrance flight OF stairs and the
fine vestibule within, and the rotunda
or reading room, are about completed,
except the artistic and decorative orna-
mentation. The marble walls and
columns are all In place.
AT the ends OF corridors and on the
ceiling Of the two great salon museums
on either hand, north and south, will be
mural paintings by some OF our most
celebrated artists. not one OF whom,
however, will represent the capital
city.
The rotunda was designed especially
for the reading room. and the walls OF
yellow and cream-clouded Sena and
African marbles produce most charm
ing background for the readers. Above
the alcoves opening ali around-for the
convenience Of those desiring TO secure
more privacy or TO take notes-runs q
gallery or series OF loggias with short
columns and openings between each OF
the series of long, turn supporting col
umns. The light will all be from above.
The noble entrance halls east and
west cross the rotunda, aRd will be or
namented with eight allegorical subjects
and. portrait bnsts:
/. Philosophy, represented by Plato
and Bacon.
2. Law: Herodotus, and Justice
Marcy.
3. Poetry: Homer and Shakespeare.
4. Literature: Dante and Hawthorne
5. Religion and Art: Michael Angelo
and Millais.
6. History: GIbbon and Macaulsy.
z. EIoquence: Demosthenes and
Goethe.
g. Commences: Columbus and Watts.
To the north aud south doors open
from the rotunda or reading room into
bookrack rooms. These book racks are
so arranged there are ten tiers Of them
running through four stories OF the
building, made easily accessible By stair
ways at Intervals from one tier TO an
other, fer each tier is on its own floor
and so arranged that each assistant
librarian-man or woman-cAn reach
the top shelf without the use OF step
ladder.
Windows open into each alcove or tier
furnishing abundant light, and each
window is TO be provided with sta.
tionary seat for the convenience Of the
examiner who may find II necessary TO
sit down for moment while investigat-
ing.
The shelving now In place will ac-
commodate two million books, and the
whole library will when completed
house three times that number, which
is triple the capacity OF the great Ma
tional Library and Museum OF London.
Indeed, the new Congressional Library
building is the largest library building
in the world up to date. This is con-
slstently American, TO Guido the world.
The question OF light has been we'll
considered in this building. -Four OF
the octagon sides OF the rotunda radi-
ate in such a way as to make four en-
closed courts within the walls. and hun
dreds of windows receive light and
ventilation from these spacious court
yards.
The building does not cover quite a.
much ground space as the Capitol.
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