The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-05-27
It has been long time since The Re-

1t has been long time since The Re-
porter had the pleasure of publishing
one of those very interesting letters
written from Washington, d. c., by MIR.
g. A. Wood, formerly of this city, who
is now employed in the Office of the
secretary of war as a stenographer.
Mr.. Wood has written us number of
letters since he went to Washington
and we know that our readers have
read them with interest. This time he
tells something about the National
Museum and it will prove most interest
ing to both our old and young readers.
Come on, kids; get your bonnets, and
we'll all go over to the National Mus
cum and see what we can see. | guess
we'd better take that dictionary along,
because we are liable to meet a whole
flock of strange words over there. By
ms, you'll find that museum" is pro-
nounced "mu zee um", instead of ''muzy
um' as some folks have it. No, it isn't
SO far that we young people can't walk
it. l don't like the street. cars, any
way, do you?-they jerk fellow
around so and turn his dinner over, and
then, besides, I'd l have to pay four
and sixth cents each way for each of
us. Oh, suppose we'll just have to
take these women along. This one here
is from Missouri and naturally has to
be SHOWED"
This way. children; we'll go down
through the Capitol grounds. You'd
better save some of those peanuts for
the squirrels. There are about sixty
of them in the Capitol grounds besides
a whole lot more over in the Mall, and
they are real cross when kids pass
through without peanuts. Now, there's
a funny word-"Mall." The dictionary
says it is pronounced incl" or email,
when anyone with common sense knows
it spells "maul''.
% This enclosure here west of the
Capitol is the Botanical Gardens, where
all kinds of strange and rare plants are
raised and kept. Well jast pass right
on through now and stop some other
time to take it in. Now, miss, you mustn't
raise a rumpus just because that
Siphonia stares at you, it's rubber
plant and just can't help it.
This way; we'll go up here and cross
the street by the bridge. The Pennsyl-
vania railroad formerly entered the
city through, this street, but when the
new station was built the tracks were
torn up.
See that building up there to the
left? That's the Fisheries Building
where Uncle Sam has his headquarters
for supplying the streams of the coun-
try with young fish. If you wanted a
carload of fish to put in Magruder OF
Little River, all you'd have to do
would be to sit down and write to Uncle
Sam, and the fish would be there by the
first train-maybe.
That building Just ahead is the Army
Medical Museum. Well not go in, be-
cause the things in there are not in
teresting to us kids, to say nothing OF
some of them spelling our appetites
OF course, any of those other fellows at
Leon that make their living by carving
people, would break their necks getting
to that building; but we'll calmly pass
it by and be able to cat our lunch.
Yes, that big, low, red-brick building
is the National Museum. Pm having a
new one built down there to the right
which will soon be ready for occupancy
Now, look at that I'm mighty glad we
brought that dictionary See that
thing out in front-looks like dry
goods box made of stone. That's a
sarcophagus, and sarcophagus is a
receptacle for the dead, and receptacle
is-well, it's receptacle. l hesitate
to tell you how many thousand years
ago it was that some noble Assyriar
was packed away in that box, there tc
rest in peace for ages until disturbed
by the sacrilegious hand of some I'm.
godly curiosity hunter Who knows but
the poor fellow in that box WAS not one
of the very same Assyriaus that "come
down like the wolf on the fold and their
cohorts were cleaning with silver and
gold? Idon't.
Well, let's leave the coffin and go in.
side. Hold on second Before we
enter, want each one of you kids tc
promise that, no matter what may tel
you, you'll take it as the gospel truth
and, on my side, I'll agree to stick as
close to the truth as ever do.
Now that we're in and got our UNI.
brellas checked so we can't punch holes
in the exhibits, we'll try to take in the
show section by section and keep
together. But [ know from exper.
fence that we'll miss lots and lots Of
objects as we go through the first time
Every time come here see something
UudU i Olu v 600 U0lCEcs LII lOUf Ull0fe
we're exactly 5,s94,62O different objects
in the museum, SO you see that weo
have to have a good eye to see every
thing in one short day. suppose per.
haps the eyes Of the eight or ten million
people who have visited the museum
since it was started in 1881 shave seer
most Of the things, but dunno.
That boat in the glass case is model
of the "Mayfower," in which about
'steen million people came to America
and alongside of it is model of the old
"Constitution."
In the cases along this side of the
aisle are collections of heirlooms of the
colonial period. See that easy-chair;
Well, many's the time George Washing
ton has warmed the cushions in thai
old relic. Here are also some of his
dishes, lamps, cooking utensils, writing
desk, and SO forth, and here is an ole
uniform which he used to wear.
Gaze on this chair with all reverence
and respect, for in it rested the "Fathel
of Democracy Thomas Jefferson.