Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-06-27
SEEING THE CAPITOL.
Arnold Benefits Experience With
jimmy the Guide.

Arnold Benefits Experience With
jimmy the Guide.
Here. jimmy said briskly a mid
die aged administrative person in easy
attire, who apparently bad dominion
over the whole floor beneath the dome
A younger man. also in easy attire. an
swered the call with an alert smile
The elder pointed sideways with his
head at III! two friends and myself
and commanded. Run them through
In thirty minutes Then. having
reached the center of a cuspidor with
California novel. be added benevolent
~ to Jimmy. Make II a dollar for
them" And Jimmy. consenting, led us
away.
In this episode Europe was having
her revenge ON the United States. and
| bad planned It. How often In half
a hundred cities Of Europe had not
observed the American citizen seeing
the sights thereof at high speed. Yes.
even in front OF the Michelangplo
sculptures In the Medici chapel at
Florence had seen him. watch In
nand. and heard him murmur bully:
to the sculptures and the time Of the
train to bis wife In one breath: Now.
II was impossible for me to see Wash
ington under the normal conditions Of
session And so | took advantage OF
the visit to Washington Of two friends
ON business to see Washington hastily
as an excursionist pure and simple.
said to the United States grimly: THE
most important and the most imposing
thing in all America Is surely the capt
tol at Washington. Well. will see It
IA you see the sacred sights Of Europe
BY me Europe shall be. revenged."
Thus It came about that we had
hired kind Of carriage known as a
''seagoing back" driven BY . negro In
dark blue. who was even more pictur-
esque than the negroes In white who
did the mental work in the classic
botei and had set forth frankly as OK
cursionists into the streets Of Washing
ton and presently through the rrlr
brated Pennsylvania avenue. had
achieved entrance into the capitol
1t was hreathless pilgrimage this
seeing Of the caption. and yet Nm IN
pressive one The capitol n q grt.nt
place was astonishrd and ! I'd
NIT at once | ought not to have been
astonished that the capitol appeals 4"
the historic sense just ~ much aS M,
other vast Legislative palace ct tn.
world and perhaps more intimately
than some. rhe sequence Of its end
less corridors and innutnprahle chain
pers. each associated with event or ira
ditiOn. bpgpt> awe think II was III
the rich senatorial reception room that
| first caught myself i'eing surprised
that the heavy gildrd and marnor-;ii
mptuoxity Of the decorations recalled
the average European palace VII!
should ! have heen expecting the int
rior of the capitol to consist Ut an>trr-
bare walls and unOrnHment floors
Perhaps II was due to some thought "f
Abra ham Lincoln but. whatever Its
cause. the expectation was naive and
derogatOry The young guide. Jimmy
loueed to the universal race OF guides
was there to keep my ideas right and
my eyer open. He was Infinitely pr3"'
cious and after bis own fashion would
nave done honor to any public snonu
nent in the east. Such men are onl!
bred IN the very shadow Of genuine
history.
"See." be aaid. touching a wall paint
I'd BY q celebrated Italian artist to ios'k
like q bas.relief Put put your nand
Hat against It and yon'n see It isn't
carved" One might have been in ltal.
And little later be was saying OF an
other painting. ALTHOUGH painted IN
1865. forty.six years ago. you notice
the 6esh tints are as fresh as II paint
I'd yesterday"
This. think. was the finest remark
l ever heard guide make-until this
same guide stopped In front Of por
trait Of Henry Clay and. after sec
ouds hesitation. threw OF airily, pat.
ronizingly:
Henry Clay-quite good states
man "-Harper's Monthly