Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-11-28
ANNAPOLIS. Nd TUESDAY. NOVEMBER % 1899.
CHICAGO SKY-SCRAPERS.
THE CIV HAS A RIVAL.
Relics Of Withered Glory-The
Worlds Fair Grounds
The New Public
Library.

Library.
Special Correspondence to the Evening Capital
So many OF your readers have been to
Chicago, and have seen its massive "sky-
scrapers" and public buildings that we
shall not attempt to descnbe It. but only
mention few facts that. perhaps, every
body doesn't know.
Chicago long since has had many imi-
tators OF these multi-storied buildings.
and although one of these is tweniy-three
stories high. New York goes her three
better. and has building twenty-six sto-
ries. Chicago can no longer include
among the things for which she is famous
1.-THE highest buildings in the country"
Once in Chicago one naturally desires
TO visit the Worlds Fair grounds, and
recall the visit Of six years ago. The
grounds are scarcely recognizable. and
save for the few reminders OF its withered
glory, it is hard to believe such beauties
OF lew years back and that have dissolv-
ed into nothingness ever existed. The
park. where once these magnificent pal
aces Of art stood. is visited daily by hum
dreds ef people. and on Sunday by thous-
ands.
The lagoon. or one of them. still nest
les en It's bosom the Nina "Pinta"
ard Santa Maria" Columbus three
shiTs reproduced. They have recently
rad dress Of paint, and look quite fresh
for such an len. models OF navig alton of
the fifteenth century. Then there is the
Iowa State Building standing. at least its
ex elior. for it has been converted into a
resting place for weary travellers. and
seats are provided here.
TIE German Building is in tact along
The Lake shore. and is the only one OF
the foreign buildings remaining in the
grounds. Here lunch is served, and il
is a kind of restaurant. II is difficult
sometimes to come down 10 things oi
earth. and to realize that in the building
where we once saw the Oberamergau
clock in operation and the beautiful stain.
ed glass windows. statuary, &C., that
such beastiy thing as appetite is cater
ed to.
The palace of Fine Arts still remains
but oh, in such a dilapidated condition.
1t is dark with smoke and weather. all Of
its entrances have gone but one. its col
umns are crumbling. It's statuary orna-
meuting the exterior is sorry sight. In.
deed, il has not only seen better days
bnt it has seen its best days. One for
gets the exterior when he enters. and
again sees the relics Of Columbus, pic.
lures of all descriptions, chronological de-
partments of all countries. geological ex.
hibits and many things we saw six years
ago. Guards are stationed here now,
just as they were then.
Many Of the large pieces Of s,a,uary
the owners did not care to move, are
still in the Fine Arts building. the only
one OF all the white city" that remains
to tell IT its existence and recall this mosi
wonderful, and educational enterprise oil
this country in honor OF its discovery and
its discoverer. The Larabede Monastery,
built after the style OF the one in which
Columbus left his little boy while he
made his cruise. is still standing on the
Lake side. In summer it is used as a
sanitarium, and invalids board here tc
get the Lake breeze and sunshine.
Chicagos new library is a magnificent
granite building which occupies block.
Its interior decoration passes description
and some who have seen both, say il
compares favorably with the interior Of
parts Of the great Congressional library
at Washington. The interior of Chica
COS Public Library is of white marble
spotlessly clean, and one marvels that II
can be kept so in dirty Chicago. II is
ornamented with mosaic work in greer
and pearl that glislens in the sunlight
and under the effulgence OF the numer.
Gus incandescent lights. like diamond:
and precious stones.
The effect is most beautiful. At the
entrance are two arches of marble, one
higher than the other, in front of the
broad stairway. On the outer arch are
names Of ancient poets and writers o
Greece and Rome. among them Plato
Horace. Virgil. Homer. Livy. On the
inner arch are modern poets and writer's
Longfcllow, Whittier. Byron, Irving
Shakespeare and others. Various appro
pirate quotations adorn the inches. One
Of these from Milton is: "A good bool
is the precious life blood Of master
spirit. embalmed and treasured up or
purpose to life beyond" One from
Bacon says: "The real use Of all knowl
edge is this, That we should delicate tina
reason which was given US by God, fol
the use and advantage of man"
Another from Isaac Barrow says: "H,
that loveth a book will never want Z
faithful friend; wholesome counsellor
. cheerful companion; an effectual com
iorter." and a quotation on the walls
from Victor Hugo. says: "A library i'm
plies an act of faith which generation
still in darkness hid. sign in their night
in witness of the dawn" In all the let
tering of old fashioned way of using
the q for is adopted. and which, unit
one grows accustomed to this new style
makes it difficult to read readily. In tn,
Chicago Public Library there are Is .oot
volumes.
Continued.