Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-20
A MONUMENTAL EXPOSITION.
A Suggestion ms to a National TWEEN
tieth Century Celebration.

tieth Century Celebration.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The light of your Star has reached ne
in the form of a most suggestive article in
the columns of one of your issues of last
month, and while 1 Jay no claim to original
ity in the thought which has been SO in
geniously conceived by your correspondent.
''Geofra" in his article entitled Washing
ton the Place. will venture, if 1 may, to
elaborate his idea and give it more prac-
teal and practicable bearing than it now
presents.
Your correspondent suggests the begin
ming of a new century with a great national
exposition" This is well! 1t might, how
ever, have been more suggestive to have
added the word monumental" distin-
gushing 1t from the ordinary expositions
which have become SO prevalent amongst
Us, and which, in passing, have left little or
nothing historic in their path.
A great national monumental exposition.
then. What shall it be in detail? and how
shall it be accomplished? The answer to
these two questions will proceed to give as
briefly as l may, but will premise what I
have to say with the suggestion of its emil
nent propriety and fitness to the time and
the occasion. OF course. Washington is the
place for such an exposition. No other place
would be appropriate to carry out what your
CORE spondent has partially outlined. shall
follow, however, the general trend Of his
L
detail than he has done
In the first place, he suggests that I'm the
year 1900 there should be held national
exposition at Washington, and that each
state and territory be represented by
building somewhat after the plan of the
Chicago exposition" This is, in part, a good
suggestion. We should, however, leave Chi
cagos and every other exposition yet held
out of view, while with great national I'M
dertaking which is designed to stand for all
time, in monumental grandeur, the expo
nent of republican form of government, our
history to be handed down to coming CEN
turtles in enduring marble. To be brief, let
each and every state appropriate, through
its legislature, such an amount for the erec-
ton of its state building at Washington as
will be commensurate with the greatness OF
the occasion and the dignity and honor OF
the state to be represented, and to be APP
propriately represented, let each state FUR
nish, as far as practicable, its own native
material, each state to be the architect OF
its own building, and appointing its own
custodian of its archives and exhibits.
There can be no doubt but that there
would spring up a generous rivalry between
these sister states with the result that all
that art and science, decorative taste and
state pride could suggest, would be brought
to bear to create such grouping of monu-
ments as the world has never yet seen.
These buildings should illustrate our history
from the foundation of our government I'M
til the present time, and to that end the
thirteen original states might be grouped to-
gether, then the rest in the order in which
they were admitted into the Union. These
representative structures should contain
everything historic and instructive pertain
ing to the state represented. Specimens OF
its natural products, its minerals, cereals,
native growths of wood, together with all
the products of its soil, while its walls might
be adorned with paintings OF its natural re-
markable scenery and the portraits of the
representative men who, from time to time,
have figured in its history.
Let it be remembered that this exposition
tl.zl zr~t 80.
TONS history, written in stone" We shall
then appreciate that the millions it will cost
should be no bar to its full and satisfactory
accomplishment, and the inputation of for
egn nations that America has no history"
will be forever wiped away.
If found necessary, Congress might be
asked to appropriate such an amount as
would cover one-third of the cost, thereby
securing a national as well as individual
state interest in the exposition.
The city of Washington has, fortunately,
an abundance of room. and is in every re-
spect adapted for such an exposition. Its
mali would give ample accommodate
for every state and territorial structure, and
all within the very shadow OF that monu-
ment which commentaries for the ages to
come the name and fame of him who was
first in war first in peace, and first in the
hearts Of his countrymen."
We have now more than four years for
the accomplishment of this grand design.
Let US greet the coming century with a
spectacle such as the nations of the old
world have never witnessed. and our
rational day, the Fourth of july. in the
year 1900, we will say to the old world,
Come, view the monuments Of the new"
Much more might be said in detail, but
" i'll close with the suggestion that no more
enduring bond of union between these
states no surer safeguard against inter-
necine strife or foreign invasion could be
devised than that these monumental struc-
lures should stand, sentinels as 1t were,
around the Capitol OF our nation.
w. Y. PAGE,
2031 Druid Hill avenue
Baltimore, Nd