Evening star., 1946-03-17
Fifty Years Ago

A1iC 1Ildl Ulc cL1By VI feTe jacques
Marquette in the portion of the Capitol
known as Statu-
Marquette Stotue ary Hall was put
lnstolIed in place just half
century ago. In
The Star of March 4, 1896, the story
Of its installation was told in detail. A
Jesuit missionary Of sweet and sanity
nature" the subject of the monument
was the first explorer to trace the Mis-
sissippi and manage to preserve a record
Of his proceedings. Cities, counties, a
river, university and a railroad are
among the memorials of his life and
achievements. The statue in the old
meeting place of the House of Repre-
sentatives was given by the State of
Wisconsin and is the work of the sculp-
tor Gaetano Trentanove. who. also was
responsible for monuments to Daniel
Webster and Gen. Albert Pike in WASH
tngton. Pere Marquettes companion in
the wilderness, Louis Joliet, has no
conmemoration here.
A letter to The Star for March 6, 1896.
signed Fuller Walker" deplored "the
present 'eye-de-
Better Notionol tracting,' unat-
Museum Buildino tractive, undigni-
ned, un W rthy
railway or drill shed Building known as
the National Museum" and called for
the erection of a new structure, "at
least several stories high, with handsome
halls and galleries" and accommodations
for the new District Library. Wash
ington," the author Of the communica-
ton insisted, cannot afford to indulge
in such another freak as the existing
National Museum Building" Undoubt-
edly, these critical references were
to the so-called Arts and Industries
Museum, still standing and still func-
tioning 50 years later. The new and
improved building for which Fuller
Walker" contended, however, was raised
on Constitution avenue at Tenth street
and inaugurated in service in 1910.
Though designated for natural history,
1t necessarily has been used as a de-
pository for many objects in no way
related to natural history as a separate
science or group of sciences.
The Battle Abbey of the South at
Richmond once might have been built
in Washington. An
Bottle Abbey article in The Star of
Plan March 7, 1896, told how
Confederate veterans,
meeting here, had discussed a proposal
for memorial temple to keep alive
the names Of all who bravely had fought
for "the lost cause" in the bitter years
between 1861 and 1866. The total sum
Of $75o,oo0, it was understood. would
need to be raised to pay for the pro-
jected building. To that end National
Committee, consisting Of one individual
for each Of the 48 States and one from
the District of Columbia, was to be
organized. About 100000 already had
been paid or pledged by subscribers
holding membership in the Veterans
Association and afiliated bodies.
Ground was broken for the first
building Of the new American Uni
versity on the
American University Loushborough
Ceremonies road on Satur-
day, March 8,
1895, and The Star for that date
chronicled the event at considerable
length, illustrating the story with q
portrait drawing Of Bishop John r.
Hurst, an important sponsor of the in
stitution and one of the principal
speakers of the occasion. Two-thirds
Of the Board of Trustees, it was ex-
planned, we're adherents of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, but several
other denominations were supporting
the enterprise and their help was per-
sonified by the Rev. DR.. Mackay Smith
rector q st. Johns Protestant Episco-
pal Church; Rev. DR.. T. s. Hamlin
minister Of the Presbyterian Church OF
the Covenant, and other clergy who
attended the rites. The presiding OH
Ger was former Mayor M. q. Emery. II