The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-05-03

Biggs' store one way, and from your
house to the school house (the building)
the other way. This big building stands
on a hill 88 feet above the level of the
Potomac river. When President Wash
ington made his plans for the Capital
City, he thought to have the Capitol
building face east and toward the prin-
cipal part of the city, but real estate
"hogs" got possession of the land lying
to the east and raised the prices so
high that that section was killed off and
business was diverted to the westward,
where lay the swamps spoken of by Mr..
Cotton Smith. Consequently the main
business portion of the city and the
finest residential portions are now west
of the Capitol and look in at what is
really it's back door.
In 1855 the old wooden and brick
dome over the building was torn down
and the present one of iron, painted
white, to resemble the rest of the build
ling was begun. 1t was finished in 1864,
work having been continued on it dur
ing the war. 1t is 2S7 feet high, 1876
feet wide at the base, and cost S1,047,-
29l.S0. Its weight is 100000 pounds,
which is somewhat beyond the compre-
hensibility of small girl like you.
Can you picture in your mind the half
of an eggshell 1876 feet wide, covering
more than the width of your yard, and
towering 2S7 feet in the air? The 36
columns at the base represent the
states then in the Union, and the 10
around the lantern at the top rep. esent
the original 13 states. The lantern it
self is "a feet across and 80 feet in
height. Its light notifies the city and
surrounding country when Congress is
in session at night. There are 365 steps
to the top of the dome--one for each
day in the year-and if fat man like
myself were really bright, he would
take just that many days to do the
climb. was fool enough to do the
stunt about eleven years ago, when l
swore that would never again attempt
it. At that time l could see Leon very
plainly, but when | forgot my swear-off
the other Sunday and went to the top
again, Tor some reason | couldn't dis
tinguish the town at all, but could get
an excellent view of some place beyond
there that looked something like Deca-
tur City. | wonder! On the very top
of the dome is bronze lady called the
Goddess of Freedom or the Goddess of
Libert This buxom girl is 49, feet
high and weighs 1885 pounds. She was
designed by Thomas Crawford, father
of the novelist +. Marion Crawford
Entering the Capitol at the center,
you come first to what is known as the
Rotunda, which is round room under
the dome, 81 feet in diameter and 1sO
feet from top to bottom. Looking up,
and through great hole in the top of
the egg shell asked you to imagine,
you see a blue canopy, on which is
painted in fresco beatification of
Washington. Viewed from the bottom
it looks just like the sky would if some
long-legged painter should reach up
and painta picture there. This canopy
is like great saucer, G5 feet across
and q feet deep, turned upside down
over the hole in the top of the egg shell.
1t is made Of copper, covered with
plaster, and the painting is done on the
plaster. Fresco, you know, is the Italian
word for fresh, and means that the
colors are put on the fresh plaster.
You certainly have to stretch the rub
ber in your neck to sec this painting
from the floor, unless you lie flat O. your
back which is not at all dignified
thing for person of my embonpoint to
do. Immediately beneath the canopy is
a circular landing around the top of the
dome. The space across this is just the
'AN>oiA NJ o'iC StAiioPJ Noc lSSU)DuU YOU Call
hear whispers from the other side, the
sound coming to you as if the speaker
were right behind you. From here you
can look down at the people crossing
the Rotunda; but they are funny look
ing people indeed-look like pancakes
strutting around. About half way up
the dome is series of pictures encir-
cling it. These are allegorica', if you
know what that means, representing
various scenes from the history of our
country. am told that the painter
(BrumidD was engaged 80 years in the
work OF painting these pictures and
those on the Saucer" at the top. In
order to paint the pictures Oh the canopy
it was necessary to erect scaffold
from the bottom clear up to the top.
The artist died in 1880, suffering from
shock received from partial fall from
!, the scaffold. Thirty-nine years is a
long time to work at one job of painting
isn't it? But then when you consider
how long it takes some of the Leon
painters to give barn three coats or
some OF the girls to paint their cheeks,
1T isn't SO very surprising after all that
, it took the painter so long in this case
[ In the Rotunda are eight large oil
} paintings as big as the side of your barn
ID by IS feet--and cost $4,000. These
| represent the signing of the Declaration
f of independence; the surrender of Bur-
goyne; the surrender of Corvallis;
Washington resigning his commission;
f the embarkation of the Pilgrims; the
| landing of Columbus; the discovery Of
5 the Mississippi by DeSoto; the baptism
, of Pocahontas. In the painting of the
discovery of the Mississippi the artist
t either made very curious mistake or
f was rather more intimately acquainted
> with his subject than most people would
5 have cared to be. He has given one Of
the indians six toes on one foot. One Of
5 the signers of the Declara tion of Inde-
pendence is shown as wearing his hat
' upon this solemn occasion. This, how
ever, was not through ignorance or dis
respect on his part. 1t was Mr.. Stephen
! Hopkins, of Rhode Island, who was a
= Quaker. The Quakers, you know, are a
5 religious people, who wear their hats in
2 church; refuse to fight, say "thee" and