The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-24

David Ieahy writes Miss Anna Vie
gand. city librarian. from Washington a:
follows:
washington, D c.. Jan. II.
NV Dear Miss Wiegand-Strangely af
fected today by the mural scriptural ano
architectural decorations Of the Library
of Congress, | sought rest, curiously
enough in The Pavilion of the Elements. IS
And while there my mind reverted to
our Own modest little book house at home.
Among other things in the progress of
my musings | charged myself with. and
accused myself of. this offense, that ]
have never adequately expressed or man.
ifested my appreciation of your patience
with me during my explorations of shelf
j. and It's neighbors.
It occurred TO me that 1 might be able
partially to compensate your kindness by
a letter telling you little something,
limited necessarily, concerning the great
temple of knowledge whose gold-covered
dome-real gold, tool now see through
the window of my room.
Often heretofore I have visited the Ii
brary, but 1 never re-enter it without
feeling a sense Of reverence possessing
ne-reverence not only. nor alone for The
genius of the men and women whose
minds live immortal in its shelves. but for
the genius of the men who planned. COM
pleted and adorned an edifice so sublime
~ beautiful.
1t Is an architectural poem from the
outside-a dreamer's idea of the court of
Heaven from within.
Earlier in the day l visited the navy
yard and saw there what would seem to
be. to a mal-focused minds eye, complete
proof and evidence of the power and the
strength of our country-a pile of great
guns that would fill the square space of
Main street from the city building to the
court house and be five feet deep. \ ma
Jority of these guns we're from twenty to
fifty feet long and were in all stages OF
manufacture, none completed / was
shown the cartridge for one of these guns
and was told that when it explodes. and
doesn't hit an enemy, the loss to the :
United States will be more than $50
Think of this-one shot equal in value to
all the books in the city library of Wich- /
ita
The aim of the navy yard-as we'll as of |
its guns-is the destruction of life and |
property, destruction for protection. we |
brary is to lift the human mind to those
I'heaven-kissea' heights of wisdom where
there can be no true worship of the war
god.
Seventy-two residence houses had to be
torn down or moved away to make room
for the library Of congress. The build
ing proper covers three and one-half
acres of ground and has floor space equal
to eight acres. The adjoining ground, ex-
elusive of THAI occupied by Il series of
ornate pavilions equals six acres and are.
In reality, a continuation of the Capitol
grounds. The two majestic buildings face
each other 200 feet apart, nothing inter
vening but the reposafui statue of Wash
ngton. the one which bears The lines:
First In War, First in Peace, and First
IN the Hearts of His Countrymen"
The library building is copied after the
Ityle OF the Italian renaissance, rectangu- 6
ar in shape, with Il cross in the center /
This gives it four beautiful inner courts.
From east 10 west the building is 400 feet ?
md from north to south $40. From the t
ellar to the flaming torch OF knowledge I
hat illumines the gold-roofed dome is h
81 feet.
Ine architect was General THOMAS Ian l
.oln Casey of the army-he who strength I
ned the foundations of the Washington l.
and planned, designed and i
completed the artistic building of the II
ANY, war and state departments. II
To give you an idea of the magnitude I
( this architectural pile / will resort to {
method more comprehensive than ordin- {
ry figures. In its construction We're used e
%. 600 cubic feet of granite. the entire s