The Republican journal., 1900-05-31

that case it would pay him to buy
Gunner of his own, and if he should
take as great a liking to the craft as |
have, he might bring her to New York
by the inside passage (or outside it be
preferred, she being 'putfickly safe) and
sail her the rest of the season on Long
Island Sound"
| had the same idea, or rather
thought of shipping Gunner north
for use on Penobscot Bay. c. A. Z.
A VISIT TO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
MANY of us looked forward to the day set
apart for our visit to Arlington with much
trepidation. There had not been one drop
of rain to interfere with any plans since
our departure from home, and when we
looked for starry sky the might previous
to our going we had found instead an arch
of inky blackness. However, fortune fav-
ored us, and the morning broke as beautiful
and bright as one could wish. Our little
Journey was to be made by carriage drive.
MI Kimball, our genial cOmmander-in-chief,
planned that we should first drive to the
National Museum, thence to Arlington, a
distance of six or eight miles, and on our
return take in as much outdoor sight-see-
ing in Washington as our time. and the
temper of our driver, would allow. In the
National Museum one stands face to face
with the realities of the things and scenes
with which, from books. he has been familiar
his whole life. One feels that he must have
been born in 1882, at least, and is quite sur
prised at finding himself hale and hearty in
the year of our Lord 1900. Over yonder
hangs the dress in which Martha Washing
ton tripped the light fantastic toe one hun
bred years and more ago. Here, beside us.
the loving cup which grateful people gave
last year to its whilom idol. On distant
corner case of mllmmies, and besides it a
guide droning that old chestnut OF Mark
Twains, himself only little liyelier than
the ancient corpse. Huge meteoric stones.
that have sometimes played their part on
distant planets, skeletons of reptiles, birds
and animals of all ages of time-but it is
useless to attempt an enumeration of the
objects of interest. from every part of this
great round globe which we call the world,
that have here found d resting place. Days.
not hours in this, the Nations great educa
tional storehouse. To contemplate, to com
pare. to contrast the evolution of the cassi-
fled objects that meet the eye on every hand
must of necessity be work of time
The drive out TO Arlington was very fine
Many objects OF interest were pointed out
to us. The elders of the party realized that
they We're nearing, yes traverSing. conSecrat-
ed ground. The broad Potomac rippled along
in the characteristic SLOW southern fashion
keeping us company the whole distance,
and when the great cemetery was reached
it could still be seen glittering in the sun
shine as it circled around the base of the
hill whereon stands the old Lee mansion
oh the pity of it all. No place seemed so
sad to me as this grand old home, with d
horde Of northern eXcursiGnists dawdling
through the rooms that had been the holy
of HOLES to the old family with no earthly
reason for so doing, only that of Unsuitable
curiosity. The master riding out from this
home to do battle against his country; the
failure of his hearts dearest hopes; the
conliscation of the estate by the Government :;
the Old homestead, the burial place of the
foe against whom he fought-again repeat,
oh the pity of it all. Coming back again
to Washington we were taken past the resi-
dence of the different legatons-Russia,
If, ..l,. +I,,
Dewey House, the Blaine Mansion that was,
and the house where Ben Butler lived and
died. Evening found us ready to rest with
out more sightseeing, and we gathered in
the parlor to make plans for the coming day.
Again the land is deluged in sunshine and
we are of for Mount Vernon, via Alex
andria. We did this trip by electrics. To
those in our party who lived their lives
from 1861 10 1861, this ground over which we
are passing means much If we experienced
feelings Of reverence the day before ON our
journey to Arlington at the close proximity
to historic grounds. how much more we
felt as we neared old Alexandria, where
our friends and neighbors had marched to
the music OF fife and drum: and where,
near by, not few laid down their lives for
the cause of home and country. Here
was shown the house where Ellsworth was
shot, and as the conductor announced the
fact, pointing it out, there came to my mind
a stanZa of that once famous battle-song:
''See him fall, oh God, they've shot him,
Ellsworth is no more
What a strange gift is memory. Like a
flash of light on the retna of the eve, so
the recollection of that song flashed back to
me on the lips of the singers who sang it,
across space of more than a third of a
century. How had it lain dormant all these
years to be awakened in distant Alexandria
at the sound of Ellsworth's name The
house is now an old, tumble-dOwn affair. 1t
is two stories in height, and like all else in
Alexandria is in state of decay. Progress
has surely passed this city by on the other
side, and as nothing is ever at stand-stll,
Alexandria has fallen, is steadily falling
far away from her former estate The san
ltatlon here is something dreadful to North
ern vision one of our party was a trained
nurse from the Maine General Hospital
Portland, and much free advice was given her
in regard to locating here, as it seemed so
good a field for her chosen vocation. The
little colored boys gathered about the car
when we stopped in King street A shower