Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-01-20

Mrs. J. Il. English of Baraboo, who
rs spending the winter in Washington
-wrote an interesting letter for the
Twelfth Might meeting of the Fort
Nightly Literary club. Mrs. English is
located at 1890 Mckinley street, Chevy
Chase, and writes, in part, as follows
am finding Washington full OF
new beauties and interests this win
Ter AS / was taking my first walk in
the agricultural grounds / observed a
splendid avenue of beautiful trees OF
"a variety I had never before seen.
They are the Japanese gingko trees.
The habit of growth of the trunk and
large branches is somewhat like our
hntternut tree. The branches are
covered with a wonderful quantity of
small twigs, which look as if they had
all been carefully measured and cut
exactly four inches long. On the
ground beneath them lay the fallen
foliage and nuts. / gathered enough
30 you could each have one. You will
notice the leaf has no midrib, that the
ribs all run from the stem to the out
GER edge Of the leaf. The nuts are great
EzvCrites of the Chinese. When one
is masticated thoroughly the flavor
6E very agreeable. Near by in this ser
Ees of parks, which is called the Mall,
my eyes were entranCed by the Pan
american Union building. This is
said TO be the most intellectually per
feet building in this city of beautiful
structure. 1t is an appropriate com
afnation Of the classical with the
Spanish renaissance. The corner
stone was laid in 1908 and it
was occupied and dedicated two
years later, Il is located az the en-
trance Potomac Park in tract of
Five acres and thus has wide and at
aTactive setting which allows good
perspective for the charming lines of
GIT@ building.
The main entrance is through three
monumental doors of bronze and glass
En dhe Spanish style, thanked on the
1aDrfh by group Of statuary repres-
eating North America and on the
south by one representing South
America. On the pylon above the
sEzpGzp is panel or bas relief of the
rgaessfjng of San Martin and Bolivar.
dts counterpart on the northern pylon
represents Washington's farewell to
mis- generals. Over it is the eagle of
North America; over the southern is
the condor of South America. Here is
@hG home Of the union of the Fl
American republics, and it is support
Ghgm, based upon their population. 1t
gS devoted to peace, good understand
ing and friendly intercourse, and the
development and advancement of COM
I1erCe among the countries.
ats affairs are administered by a
director general and assistant di-
rector elected by, and responsible to
II governing board, which is composed
of the secretary of State Of the u. S.
and the diplomatic representatives in
Washington of the other American re-
aublics
&hen one opens the massive bronze
and glass doors he enters a lofty YES
6i5uie Ornamented by four bronzes
Eypical of Enlightenment, Love of
'&Eountry, Law, and Concord. The yes
Gfouls opens in turn upon a typical
Latin American patio or courtyard, in
Gae center Of which is a fountain
designed by Gertrude Vanderlip Whit
ney The flooring is in red tile inlaid
with black figures, reproducing the
GssSIgns from the old Incas and Aztec
temples. About the patio is a wide
$9G1Tter Of tropical plants and flowers.
Here flourish palms. tree ferns, the
sQapai, bread fruit banana, rubber
Anna many other tropical trees; and
Surviving in the crotches of their
branches are many rare orchids. At
gaSNssfsAa