The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-06-07
4 VISIT 70 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
III.

Ill.
All along the way from Alexandria to
Nmnt Vernon still linger the old-time great
honses of plantation life, and clustered to-
gether at little distance stand the negro
quarters, battered and leaning as though
the hand of time and circumstances still lay
heavily upon them. Verify, just here it
seems A land of ruin. Mount Vernon,
like Independence Hall, must be seen to be
appreciated. 1t was in all its glory of spring
and sunshine and flowers. We stood quiet
! ly and reyereutly beside the tomb of Wash
ineton. Song-birds overhead, the murmur
of the Potomac at our feet, and Gods bles-
| sed sunshine over all, pronounced for us a
| benediction whose sweet and lasting MEM
ory is enshrined in the hearts of all. About
the mansion itself are many points of in
terest The rooms are we'll cared Tor, and
| in many respects remain as they were dur
| ING their occupancy by Washington and his
! wife. Several cushions were on the chairs
IN the room where Washington died which
were said to be the handiwork of Martha
| Washington | think it is generally known
that the rooms at Mount Mernon have been
adopted bv the Mount Vernon Womans
Associations in the different States. That is
| to say, the Maine Association cares Tor one
| ROOM Massachusetts for another. and so on.
There probably are not enough to go round !;
| but Maine is there at all events. AS Maine
| people we asked to be shown the Maine
room, but the custodian fatty refused the
request. ! believe that was the only time
during our whole trip that we found our
selves ''sat upon If all Maine people have
| a like experience fear me that the furnish
| ing and the interest in the Maine room at
! Mount Vernon will suffer. The peach trees
are in full bloom and we pass orchard after
orchard on our way back to the city.
| Wednesday. and the last day of our so
iourn in this beautiful city. Tomorrow
morning we are to turn our faces toward
home. 1t is a go-as-you- please day and we
| separate and go by tWOS and threes to pick
up few of the many, many things that we
| have left undone. The COrcOran Art Gal
lery and the Congressional Library are for
u.s. In the galleries of the former we linger
long over the beautiful paintings. The
Helping Hand is our favOrite picture, and
the Return of the Mountaineer our second
choice In the statuary we find two subjects
appeal deeply to us. One is the ''Forced
Prayer y the other Wearing Home" 1t is
a bust of an old woman. Her wrinkled
hands clasp her Bible closely to her breast ::
her glasses are lying folded on the closed
volume; her dim eyes peering into the flu
ture. Oh. it is glorious work. The for
mer is a life-size statue of a little boy who
| evidently has been having his religion
spanked into him. His little hands are de-
voutly clasped, his eyes dutifully raised to
Heaven; but the marble tears are on the
marble cheeks and his expression is any
thing but sanity.
The interior of the Congressional Library
is fairy land indeed. 1t is said to be of
the most beautiful interior in America
The heights, depths and spaces are vast.
The allegorca illustrations with which the
walls and ceilings are adorned make of ii
one great study-room. The mosaic work
which makes up the floors teach us lessons
while we walk. The gigantic marble col
umns in white and tints give to the vestibule
the likeness of a forest of mighty tree
trunks, shorn of all their limbs. The light
tiltering through the stained glass windows
sleeps the whole in a subdued radiance that
is at once pleasing and restful. The whole
place is one vast animated picture. The de
signer of all this connected beauty must in
deed possess Il wonderful brain. The APP
proach to the building prepares one in :
measure for the sublimity of the interior. Ii
is set apart from other buildings and enjoys
a dignity all its own. The granite from
which this building is constructed was cu
in Maine quarries. We reluctantly left here
to make few calls on Belfast people who
reside in Washington, then to the hotel tt
pack our grips for an early morning start
for Maine by the way of New York.
III. l.. b.