Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-02-13


can walk up the steps, though you
will hardly wish to try this more
than once. OF all the public build
ings in Washington the new Library
Building, uot yet quite completed
on the inside, is the finest, and ex-
perts in architecture pronounce it
the finest building of the kind in the
world. 1t is built Of grey granite
and the inside finishings are all white
marble, except in the rotunda, which
is finished from floor to dome with
the finest and most beautiful varie-
gated yellow marble, the effect of
which is simply indescribable. We
have seen nothing comparable to it
in any building, public or private.
Whilst in Washington, we called
on our friend. E. 1. Renick, ESQ,
and found him holding an important
and responsible position as Chief
Clerk in the Department of State
where he occupies comfortable and
handsomely furnished office COM
Inanding fine view of the city, the
Washington monument and the Pc.
tomac. We also called on Mr.. S. A,
M. Syme, Esq, at his elegant home
on Washington Circle. He holds ar
important position as clerk in the
Treasury Department and having
made an A record for the accuracy
and general excellence of his work,
is, according to the rule of the de-
partment, in the line of promotion
His son, Conrad III. Syme, whilst
still holding his position as the pri-
vate secretary of Senator Faulconer,
is also engaged in the practice of
law in partnership with Mr.. Stewart
w. Walker of Martinsburg.
On the evening of our arrival in
Washington we had the pleasure of
hearing the celebrated English dra-
matists, Henry Irving and Ellen
Terry, in the play of King Arthur,
dramatized from Tennyson's "Idylls
of the King" We are almost
ashamed to say that we could not
rave of Sir Henry's acting, duo pos
sibly to our inability to appreciate
high art. We were more pleased
with the performance Of the beauti-
full Miss Terry. 1t is possible, too,
that Irving was not at his best in
this play. The scenic display was
magnificent and beautiful beyond
description and singularly appropri-
ate to the character of the drama.
BY noon of the 18th all the dele
gates to the N. E. A., composing
what was known as the Eastern con.
tingent, had arrived in Washington
and our train of four palace cars,
chartered for the trip, being ready
at the Pennsylvania depot, We
went aboard about 4 p. M, and
started on our journey South-our
first objective point in Florida being
Tampa Bay. Here we will say, by
way of parenthesis, that in walking
around through tn spacious waiting
rooms of the depot above men toned
we noticed brass star fixed in the
floor, and learned that it was placed
there to mark the spot where Presi-
kent Garfield stood when he was
shot by the assassin Guiteau.
One car in our train was occupied
by the delegates from New England,
another by the delegates from New
York, another by those from Penn
sylvania, and ours by the delegates
from Maryland, Virginia, and West
Virginia, with few scattering dele
gates from other States. In the
West Virginia party were Col. G. l..
Smith and wife, of Fairmont; w.
s. Wiley, Executive Committee
many of New Martinsville, with
Mrs. Evans, of Morgantown J. E.
Fleming, of Morgantown, with Mrs.
Lazzelle, of the same town; j. F.
Thompson and wife of Martinsburg
j. Slidell Brown, of Kingwood; ].
o. Thompson, of Keyser; NJ. G.
Sperry, Of Clarksburg Jas. X. Hall,
Of Wheeling, and the writer, with
his wife-a very pleasant and congo
nial party. The Maryland delegates,
four in number, were all elegant gen.
tlemen, and most agreeable travel
ing companions. They had one
charming young lady in their party
whom we dubbed the " Daughter Of
the Regiment" Mr.. Barclay, of
Lexington, was the only Virginian
in our car, and we found him very
congenial and sociable gentleman
for such an outing,
Our train was taken by the Penn
sylvania Road to Quantico, Va, 80
miles from Washington, then by the
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Poto-
mac to Richmond, then by the Allan
tic Coast Line to Charleston, s. c.,
after which the Plant System took
charge of US and hauled our train
through Southern Georgia, and
Florida back to it's connection with
the Coast Line at Charleston. In
consideration of this service by the
various roads mentioned, the editors
agreed to do such reasonable adver-