Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1922-07-05
Rich in Noble Memories,

A building of serenity and SYM
metry, of fine amplitude, a gracious,
alluring building, rich in noble mem
cries, yet touched also with a living
sweetness; such Is the beautiful old
State house in Philadelphia, often re-
ferred to as independence hall. And
it stood here, and was even then
building of age and dignity, when Sir
Walter Scott said TO Washington Iry-
ing, with a tolerant condescenSion
which he meant to be 1attering, "The
vast aboriginal trees that have shell
tered the Indians before the intrusion
of the, white man, are the monuments
and antiquities of your country ~
Scott was quite ignorant Of the fact
that America had architecture ito him,
our country had merely trees, al
though this building, and some other
American buildings, were richer in
beauty and in noble association than
quite number Of those in his own
land Of which he wrote with such en-
thusiasm.
Scott was deeply impressed by, the
thought of our illimitable forests. He
longcd to see one, as Dickens longed
to see an American prairie. And had
Scott come over here, and had he seen
not only a forest but this State house.
his Imagination would have been fired,
and he might have written q great
novel about America, rich in details
of the Revolutionary leaders, with the
picturesque John Hancock, in scarlet
- II <>oIr
ade. entering this building to preside
at the signing Of the Declaration. !.
Beautiful in Many Ways.
The State house, Independence
Hail." was planned in 1929 and COM
pleted except as to wing and tower,
five years later; quite old enough, one
sees. to satisfy even Walter Scott |!
But it must not be thought that it Is
beautiful or interesting principally on
account of age. Age adds to beauti-
full building the salt end SAVIOR of time.
the romantic patina, literal or meta
phOrical, that comes with the decades.
But this State house is beautiful in
itself; it was beautiful when it was
young and new; it will remain beauti-
tons growing more interesting with
time. After all, Philadelphia was the
largest and richest Colonial city of
Great Britain, and so it was natural
that a fine administrative structure
should be built here. And 1t was put
up in the same period which saw the
construction of two other admirable
state houses, that of Boston (not the
stately pillared building of the pres
state hOuse), and the charming State
house Of Annapolis. All three are
lessons in good taste, in positive
beauty. And the Philadelphia struc-
ture is the finest of the three. -. !.
The State house is beautiful
building, alike in it's mass effects and
in its smallest details. in the views of
1t from the exterior or in rooms
within. It's facade is exactly conferred,
and similarly winged and arcaded at
right and left. 1t is beautiful and it is
balanced.
Viewed From the Outside.
Seen from Independence square,
which is large open space, stone
paved, with intervening surfaces of
grass and fair-sized trees, it is tow
cred building of time-mellowed brick,
with white window stones, with SMALL
ish pillared doorway beneath a tower
built outside the lines of the main
building, and, over this doorway, a
splendid Palladian window. Above
are cornicings, and a fetching, bulg-
ing, bow-frOnted window, and above
this is a clock-tower. square at the
bottom and rising in eight-sided dimi-
nutions to a six-sided narrow pinnacle
which is topped by a trident-like
weathervane Of gilt.
Enter beneath the triple Palladian
window, with it's heavy muntins, and
passing by the foot of the finest stairs
in America, you enter a broad and
! brick-paved central hall; and there
comes the sense of glory of white
with touches of mahogany and darkish
green
The rooms are serenely beautiful !;
they are dignified large and light !;
there are pillars and pilasters. there
are charming cornices. there are pam
els; in every direction one sees beau
uful corners or vistas or entrance