The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-06-21

Do cannot outreach the loft
ness of his principles.
Found il upon the massive
and eternal rock: you cannot make 1t
more enduring than his fame! Con
struict IL of the peerless Parian mar
bile; you cannot make it purcr than
his lifel Exhaust upon ii the rules
and principles of ancient and modern
art; you cannot make IL more proper
iionate than his character. From the
speech of Robert G. Winthrop ut the
laying of the corner stone of the
Washington monument July 4. 1S4S.
In the National Geographic Maya
zine three years ago William Howard
Taft wrote of the Washington mOpu-
ment: "Taken by itself, the Washing
lion monument stands not only as one
Of the most stupendOus works of man,
but also as one of the most beautiful
of all human creations. Indeed 1t is
at once 80 great and so simple that II
seems to be almost work of nature.
Dominating the entire District of Co
lumbia, II has taken it's place with the
capitol and the White House as the
three foremost national structures.
with a new character for each new
hour, different aspect for every
change of light and shade, the Wash
ingtOn monument seems to link heaven
and earth In the darkness, to pierce
the sky In the light and to stand an
immOvable mountain peak as the mists
Of every storm go driving by. With n
height " $50 feet. a base of 81 feet
square, and walls taperlng from II
feet at the base 10 Is inches ut the
top; with It's interior lined with memo.
rial stones from the several states
from many famous organizations and
from n number of foreign countries
with its stately simplicity and the
high qualities Of manhood II honOrs
II Is fitting that the aluminium tip that
caps IT should bear the phrase Laus
I Dco.'"
4 the Washington monument one of the
greatest In the world, observes the
Kansas City Star.
4 Original Plan Changed.
Il The original plan Of the designer
Il Robert Mills. was to have as the MAR
feature of the monument large col
a umned pantheon to be used as mu
scum for war relics and statues 81
great men, and the obelisk was Il
arise from Its center and surmoun
81 the whole
The pantheon idea was abandoned
Inter when the monument came To b,
y {, and everyone feels now that |
good thing II was so, because
lding OF any kind at It's base woul,
Jhly detract from its sublimity an,
4 grandeur.
n Washington himself selected the sit
for the monument, but at that tim
the intention was to erect an eques
trian statue. which congress had votec
81 for In 1888. Nothing was done unit
3 1893, when Chief Justice John Mar
stall headed a movement called tn,
washington Monument society" {,
solicit funds to build It. II was thel
"A tht dhNhitNt. utSiSnt'
a an obelisk surmounting colonnade o
d Doric columns.
Some money was collected. but no
n enough to build II as planned. so til
q pantheon feature was abandoned, an
work begun on the obelisk. The col
81 ner stone. weighing twelve tons, wa
4 laid July 4, 1S4S. In the presence o
Il 10000 people.
Tn 1855 the funds ran out and worl
was stopped, and for twenty years tn
partly constructed monument re
maIned an ugly stub. But the center
NAL exposition Of 1915 brought re
vival Of patriotism and there was
4 nationwide demand that the monu
4 ment he finished. Congress took hol
of II. funds were asked for from ever
\ state, as well as contributions of ston
blocks with which to line the interior
In 1880 work on the monument wa
resumed. hut on altered plans. Tn
foundations were enlarged an
strengthened and the shaft increase,
in height. In 1884 1t was finished a
a total cost OF $1.200.0O0.