Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-01-04

tional capital is the "fairest city OF
the land" with delightful climate
at least six months of the year,
there are the best opportunities Of.
fered for education and social adj
vantages and pleasures. If one
has any special taste or talent
literary, musical, artistic or sclen-
tific--it may be gratifed and cult
waited, and at a small cost. The
Washington Art League has evening
classes in free-hand drawing and
water-colors and afternoon classes
in sketching from Nature, where
one may feel the delight which Art
accords to even the humblest wor-
shippers at her shrine. While the
Corcoran Gallery does not rank
equal to the Metropolitan OF New
York, or in the number of really
great works with the private gal
lery of Mr.. Walters, of Baltimore,
nevertheless some of the pictures
are really fne-tor instance,
Church's "Niagara Falls" Re-
noul's "Helping Hand" and the
original "Charlotte Corday in Pris-
on" these being the gems Of the
paintings, as Powers "Greek
Slave is of the statuary. Besides
the gallery, Washington has two
art schools or societies, and several
well-known artists have their stu
dos here. Max Weyl's work has
won recognition beyond the limits
of his home city. The new art
gallery is slowly assuming shape,
and is severely classical in design.
Its location, below the War De-
partment on Seventeenth street,
would seem to be a mistake, if its
convenience to visitors and its gen.
eral accessibility are to be worth
considering. The public buildings
are an attraction, even to old Wash
inetonians. New collections are
added frequently to the National
Museum, the Smithsonian, and the
Art Gallery, and the processes by
which public building is done by
"Uncle Sam makes a visit to the
several Departments interesting,
even to one somewhat familiar with
its details. The new Library and
new City Postoffice are beautiful
buildings, and, with their outside
walls sufficiently complete to show
architectural designs. The grand
stairway in the Library and the ro'
tunda are deliberately decorated in
colored marbles, exquisitely carved
and in it's coloring a new departure
in public buildings, the heavy
sombre appearance OF the oldel
ones being proverbial. The TUNE
connecting the Library with thu
Capitol is almost complete. and thu
little car to be run therein will sooI
transfer the books from the ole
Congressional Library in the Capt
toll to their new home. The Lib
rary now contains 600, 900 volumes
, and only one corridor of the eigh
) in the new Library has been fin
ished at this time; but as each cor
ridor holds 100000 books, Their
is no lear of lack of room for loni
years in the future.
During the session of Congress
there is the opportunity of hearing
our best orators and statesmen il
parliamentary debate, beside tn
, pleasure derived from the beaut.
of the building itself.
Washington has many fin
: churches, and the acceptance b.
3 T. Dewitt Tallnage of call iron
I the First Presbyterian church @
' this city, will enable many to hea
his sermons instead of readin
: them.
The social life of Washington
! largely official. and, therefore, les
exclusive than in other cities, an
t many of its receptions are avow
e edly public. But in select coterie
: there are dinings and bright peopl
: both as elegant and exclusive as il
: places where political debts are no
paid by an Office and entree int
: "soclety.'
There is enc great charm abou
e Washington which benefits every
f one, though he or she may not b
) directly conscious of it. 1t is raj
y idly becoming literary center, an
!. attracts not only the best procul
S able talent from the great papers
r the country, but, also, the magf
d zine writer. the novelist, and tn
a historian here find fresh materis