Evening star., 1939-10-08
Capital SideIi9hts
By Wul P. Kennedy

High up under the dome Of the Capt.
tol Building an artist is now restoring II
oil paintings of historic forts for the
House Committee on Military Affairs.
These paintings are Is by 36 inches and
are the work of Gen. George Eastman,
who had been an art teacher at West
Point Military Academy. After his re-
tirement on the pay of colonel he was
commissioned to paint these historic
forts and nine other pictures, which are
now In the rooms of the Committee on
Indian Affairs. being allowed 500
month additional. They were all painted
between 1867 and 1873 They include
three paintings of Fort Sumter, before
the war, after bombardment and after
the war; West Point. Fort Knox on the
Maine coast, Forts Scannell and George
at Portland, Forts Lafayette and Wads-
worth, New York City; Fort Delaware
Delaware: Fort Mackinaw, Michigan;
Fort Trumbull, Connecticut; Forts Jeffer-
son and Taylor, Florida Fort Defiance,
New Mexico; Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania,
and Fort Smelling, Minnesota. L. Sigsbee
Gilham, the Alexandria artist, has been
working on this restoration for the past
two months. Mr.. Gillian, with his wife.
who is a noted portrait artist, and in
cooperation with Col. j. T. Ashton, is
conducting an arts and crafts school for
poor children in the old Alexandria
Academy, to which George Washington
left a considerable sum of money-"for
hn nf al nry,Io -,
children and other poor or INDECENT
persons as are unable to accomplish it
with their own means" Col. Ashtons
forebears included the original Alex
anders for whom the city was named.
The old academy building was recently
restored by Mr.. Gillian, working with
boys assigned for this work by the Ma
tional Youth Administration in Wash
ington. The building belongs to the city
and the school is operated under the
auspices of the Alexandria Society of
Arts and Crafts. headed by Col. Ashton
There has just been started, this week,
for the poor children in the public schools
of Alexandria, course of two afternoons
a week Of training in the arts and crafts
in this academy building. Credits for
these branches are given just the same
as for other public school studies.
Representative Edward T. Taylor Of
Colorado, 81 years old, chairman of the
Appropriations Committee and the Oldest
House member, calls attention to one of
the most picturesque characters who
served in Congress-Henry Wilson, born
in Pennington, N. H., Wilson served as
Senator from Massachusetts, and was
elected Vice President in 1872 and died
in the Capitol, November %, 1875. Will
sons fathers name was Goliath and he
himself was jeremiah Jones Goliath
until he was II and had 1t changed by
the Legislature. A shoemaker by trade,
he taught school and later became q
shoe manufacturer. Representative Tay-
lor says that the State Of Colorado owes
when the territory of Colorado was being
formed from portions of the territories
of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New
Mexico, offered an amendment to call
it Colorado instead of Idaho. He em-
phasized that the Colorado River had
its source in that new territory and that
Colorado" was the most beautiful name
that could be given to any territory or
State. Colorado was admitted to the
Union as the Centennial State" August
l, 1876. Representative Taylor also re-
called that the capital city Of Denver
was named after the distinguished father
-Gen. James w. Denver-of a former
colleague Of his in the House-Repre-
sentative Matthew r. Denver of Will
mineton, Ohio. Gen. Denver was
Virginian by birth. He was Governor Of
the territory Of Kansas, when the present
capital city Of Denver was founded as
. little settlement On the bank Of Cherry
Greek IN 0et0heP fn6a