Evening star., 1896-12-12
CASES OF VANDALISM
Injury That Has Been Done to Pub
lie Buildings.
STATUES AND FURNITURE NOT EXEMPT
Fears for the New Congressional
Library Building.


All persons who are familiar with public
buildings in this city and the enormous
expense that is yearly incurred in order to
keep them in repair, especially to mark out
the destructi ton of vandalism, are becoming
more and more concerned over the great
danger they fear is in store for that most
beautiful of all public buildings at the cap
ital, constructed as permanent home for
the Library cf Congress.
If any one believes that vandalism is a
mere myth and that dangers from this sort
to the library building exist only in the
minds Of imagir ative persons they should
take a walk through the Capitol building.
Go to the dome and the walls along the
sprinkled with the names of people who
have found no better way to make them
selves conspicuous. At the top of the dome
John Jones of Ohio Henry Smith of
New York." tom Brown Of Massachu-
setts," are examples of this form of van
dalism, which is strewn everywhere over
the white surface of the dome wherever 1t
can be reached by the hand of visitors.
Every year this style Of vandalism Is
marked out with fresh white paint. Every
year the government expends considerable
were not for this style of vandalism.
The Halls of the Capitol.
Walking through the halls Of the Capitol
down in the region of the crypt, the van
dals do not even have a desire to make
their names immortal to urge them to de-
face the walls. Between the center of the
Capitol and the House wing any one can
see long, jagged thick lire apparently
drawn with piece of coal, a couple Of feet
above the stone flooring. 1t was marked
there for pure cussedness, serving no pur-
pose except to please the fellow who did 1t.
Again, the possessors of diamonds seem to
have an uncomfortable desire to draw lines
and write names en- the finest of plate
glass. remarkable example of this kind
can be seen in the Senate waiting room,
which is perhaps in decoration the most
beautiful apartment in any public build
ing in this city and perhaps not less beau
tiful than any in the world. On one of the
thick French plate-glass windows there are
Inscribed words with but little meaning
with thousand fourishes which cover the
entire window. This vandalism Is at a
Point more frequented by the public than
almost any in the building. 1t Is just
where a watchman would be likely to see
the vandalism committed, but no one did
see it, and no one knows who did 1t except
the vandal himself. He had gloried in a
ging deeply into the glass to show how
good diamond 1t was.
The Bronze Doors Not Exempt.
The most wonderful pair Of doors in the
United States are those hung at the east
entrance Of the Capitol. 1t would seem to
be very risky business for any one to
tamper with the delicate and artistic orna-
ments giving sculptured history of the
country from its earliest settlements which
adorn these remarkable doors of bronze.
These doors were secured at immense cost
n he Sfcyht o,o1x, -
the Capitol building, but of the city Of
Washington. The vandals have not over
looked them. The stirrups of soldiers, the
swords Of the miniature warriors and va
rfous delicate parts of the ornamentation
nave been knocked off and carried away
to the homes Of the vandals in various
parts Of the country, in order that they
might have relic of the great building
These relics are exceedingly costly to the
government, as to considerable extent
they mar the beauty of works of art that
nave required the expenditure of large
sums OF money in order to procure them
The statuary that adorns either side of
the east entrance, which, from its prorni-
nent position, would seem to be compara-
lively safe from the barbarous relic hunt
ers, have not escaped injury The sculn.
turers have been called upon a num1er Of
times since those statues were put in place
to patch on fingers and toes as neatly as
possible to cover up the injurious work of
the vandals.
me DestrOy1nE Penknife.
While the lead pencil and the cane are
favorite tools of the vandals, the penknife
Is not without use among them, Wherever
there Is costly lace curtain, an elegant
carpet, or beautiful upholstery the pen-
knife is made to do it's injurious work. In
many cases highly polished pieces of furni
ture nave large chips cut from them to he
carried away as mementoes of a visit to
the Capitol.
Of course by considerable expenditure
OF money every year the ugliness of this
pairs removed so that they are not highly
conspicuous. But If the Capitol build;ny
could go for ten years without having one
piece OF the vandalism occurring dI,r;ne
Inat perioa removed from sight. 1t would be
an exceedingly ugly memento to the de-
structiveness that seems to dwell in certain
classes Of visitors.
Many people think that this vandalism ia
- tne work OF the ras-tag. 1t may be so, but
II SO the rag-tag is as likely to be fonnd
wearing silk hats and patent leather sboes
attred IN sealskin coat and accomnanv
ing eiegancies. as 1t is to be found dressed
IN IN snapoy CORNING: 1t IS not the poor nor
the rich that do this work of destruetion
but the vandals at heart, in what sfa rin,,
they may be found.
Opportunity During a Crowd.
People who are thoroughly acquainted
with these dangers understand that thew
are most likely to occur on occa sions Of
great crowds, and for this reason thev fear
the crowding of the library building, which
is now gem of architectural design and
mechanical construction, will lose some
thing Of its beauty by the holding of the
inaugural ball within its marble halls.
where much Of the sculptured work is in
more delicate design than In any other
public building In this city. The grand
statrcases, which would be crowded on s,,ch
an occasion, are covered with most delica to
carving in marble, the beauty Of which
largely consists Of its perfection ana
freedom from any defect The marble
work in the new library building is ali Of a
highly polished character and decidedly sns-
ceptible to injury from scratches. There
IS comparatively little danger to this deli
cate work in the use of the building for the
purpose for which it was constructed as IT
Is not likely at any time to be overcrowded
on ordinary occasions.
Some other Objections
II the Inaugural bali should be held In the
library building 1t is well understood bv
those who are acquainted with the cana city.
OF the structure that not more than per-s
haps 5000 people could be accommodates
within It. while the demand for adnissinn
would probably be twice II not three times