The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-07
A N bic NIOnument.

| The outer aspect of the monument is
| one of majestic simplicity, one of imm2cd-
late purity and lofty classical conceptions;
| it is SymbOlical Of Washington's charaC-
teristics. Its gloomy, ill-lighted interior
and its damp and chilly atmosphere are
apt TO precipitously dethrone patriotic ar
dor and pride which swell the bosom of
every free man, on beholding the tribute
of esteem of the entire world to WASH
ingtOn. the great, the good and the just,
into a feeling Of bitter disappointment
and injured Veneratio1. The quest ion
which the visitor invountarily propounds
! himself is: why does not Congress see
fit 10 appropriate sufficient means TO put
the interior OF the monument into a state
Of fitful harmony with the outer appear
ahce Of the same-cheerful, bright invit-
ing?
Washington was great. not only on the
| surface-he was grand TO the very core;
| not only his pubic, but also his private
life, was one of Immaculate purity and
nObleness. His Heart was the fountain
spring of his lofty ideals and grand con-
eeptions, and SO should be the tribute of
a grateful, revering people. II must be
great not only On its surface, but it must
be grand 10 its very core.
The commission which was in charge of
! the erection OF the monument and dedi-
Gated the same should revive and finish
its grand task, ard not rest or res.gs
until justice, in the fullest sense of the
word, Is done 10 the memory of George
| Washington. Immediate measures should
| be taken TO arrest the decay Of the me-
mortal stones. which is mainly due to,
and caused by. the water trickling down
the inside walls over the surface of the
! tablets, and by the damp, foul atmos-
phere. A system Of better ventilation.
| better illumination. and heating in winter
should be introduced. Something should
! be done to check the dissertations of The
vandal; something 10 at least save a
shadow of its interior interest to pos
| terity; something more effective than the
simple posting up Of printed warnings. if
LETT in its present condition, the interior of
/ the monument will nave lost most if not
ali, Of its Importance. meaning and al
trdctlveness IN less than twenty years:
all traces and outlines OF the stone auto
graphs will have vanished. due to the in
attention of its trustees and guardians.
and 10 the indifference OF Congress.
The monument stands close TO the JEFF
fersonian meridian line OF 1892, passing
through the center of the Executive Man
sion, north and south, with line run
nirg due east and west, through the CEN
ter of the Capitol Building. and had there
| been no recession of that part Of the Dis
trict of Columbia lying in Virginia, would
have stood in about the center
Capped by Aluminium.
The shaft was declared finished on the
sth day OF December. 1884 It's cap-stone
is crowned by a small pyramid OF alumni
Inn, weighing 100 ounces. The total
height Of the monument above floor is
555 feet ) is inches. or 593 feet inches
above mean low water in the Potomac,
or $50 feet 9.Se inches above the mean
level Of the Atlantic at Sandy Hook, "
( y. The estimated number OF stones In
the shaft is 23.ooo, apd its total weight,
including foundation and earth upon IL,
is 81, 10 tons.
On ali average. so visitors daily ascend
10 the top OF the monument by elevator
or a circular iron stairway OF go steps
standing army Of l2.009 men. divided ss
follows, can be comfortably accommo-
dated in its interior.