The age-herald., 1899-07-18
OLD HICKORY TO BE REPLACED BY FOUNTAIN
Plans Are Being Made to Move the Historic Statue of Gen.
 eral Jackson.

and his old home. Every summer they try to beautify this vacant spot by planting flowers, which, beautiful as they become in the fall, have never taken the place of the stately oak that was cut down.
 As Good as the Others
 As ugly as the artists would make one be- lieve the Jackson statue to be, it is as pleasant to look upon as those of Scott, Thomas, McPherson, Hancock and other heroes all mounted on horseback. Jack sons horse may look like a rearing rocky, but if so the others look woodeny and stiff. The last to be erected is that of Hancock, and 1t is the worse of the lot. Don Pyatt used to speak of these equestrian statues as "our ridiculous statues to our heroes of de- feat" That may be going too far in the other direction, but none are very beauti- ful, and if we take the word of any artist save the ones who modelled them, they are as inartistic as the one of Jackson, which was put up when art in this country had scarcely been born, certainly when 1t was not out of it's infancy.
 The statue of General Sherman, now un- der erection in front of the treasury build ing, Is to be really beautiful. It is the work of true artist, MT. Robt. Smith, who got the contract without any political pull. In this work the horse is shown with head dropping as If worn out, while its rider stands his strrups scanning the field In nearly all the others the horses are so interested in the scenes about them that the rider looks, in the language of the bowery, like a two spot" Before Colonel Bing- hams plans are carried out as to Jackson the senate may have something to say in the matter, for that body is jealous of his memory. No suggestion has been made as to where they would place "Old Hickory"
 Famous Tree Cut Down
 Apropos of Jackson, it may be of interest to know that the tree he planted on the an- niversary of his birthday during the first year he was in the white house has just been cut down and hewn up into kitchen wood for the white house. It was one of the most beautiful trees in the white house grounds, being just to the east of the north front of the white house near the walk leading to the treasury It was always known as the Old Hickory tree in spite of the fact that it was an elm and one of the largest in the city of its kind It was struck by lightning two years ago and when spring came this year there was not a leaf to welcome the season.
 One of the most beautiful sights in Wash ington during a storm is the play of light ming on top of the Washington monument. From the point where the monument begins to end in the pyramidal form there are hundreds of fine copper points making a perfect net work of them to the very top. They are connected with rods which run down through the stone work, into the ground at its base. One day last week these wires in some way got crossed with the telephone wires which are all through the great structure and there was pande- monium within the four great walls for a while. One telephone is in the elevator and one on every other landing on the way up. Now they are all burnt out, but In the pro- cess the watchman, the elevator man, and few visitors were frightened half out of their wits.
 The interior of the monument is finished almost in blocks of stone presented from various state personages. lodges and socie- ties and cities. The superintendent in pointing out to me the other day the various stones and giving some interesting gossip with each, said that there was one stone missing which the government would doubtless give good deal to recover.
 It was one sent over by the pope with his inscription upon it. and the date of its blessing. When building, the stones were allowed to lie about the base until suita- ble time for their placement. When the search was made for the Papal stone it was found to be missing and the most diligent search could not reveal any trace of it. Doubts remain whethe it was stolen by Roman Catholic fanatic or by a "Know Nothing" the fanatical antecedents of the A. P. As. A. w B.