Year: 1859

The Washington Monument.
A correspondent sends the N. Y. Post the
following plan for monument to Washing.
ton:


First, a square base of white marble, four
feet high above the general surface the
side of the square would be about fifty feet.
This white marble square base would indi
cate the purity and rectitude of the motives
| which prompted the thirteen original states
TO assert their independence. Next above
course having mouldings all around. On
this course would be raised column of
thirteen sides, TO represent The thirteen ori.
ginal states each side would be about
twelve feet broad, and about twenty.four
feet high; in'the centre of each side would
be placed slad OF the purest white marble,
about six feet square, upon which would be
sculptured in alto relieuo the arms of the thir.
teen states. Near the corners of each face
be inches, in which would be placed statues
OF the representatives Of the representative
states who signed the Declaration of Inde.
pendence. The sides would face, as nearly
as possible, the direction of the geographi
cal situation of the states. Next above
would be raised column of twenty sides,
TO represent the twenty new states that have
already sprung from the original thirteen.
In each face would be placed. as before,
white marble slab, on which would be
sculptured, in alto relieuo, the arms of the
new states. These sides would, of course,
be proportionably narrower than the lower,
but would be about thirty feet high, and
would have inches for the reception of stat
ues of other great men who have rendered
signal service to the country. On the top
would be placed one solid block of marble,
of hemispherical form, upon which would
be placed colossal statue of Washington,
just SO large that when seen from the sur
face of the ground, near the base of the
column, the statue would appear Of life
size. Over the statue of Washington would
be erected beautiful temple, with open
doors on each side, SO as not to interfere
much with the view of the statue from the
ground, and above the temple would be
raised richly ornamented spire, about fifty
feet high, surmounted by the American
eagle, with his eyes directed towards heav-
en-, to indicate the noble and lofty aspira-
tions of this great country. Inside the col
umn there would be winding staircase
leading TO sighting projecting gallery near
the bottom OF the hemisphere. The heighth
of the monument 10 the top OF the statue
would be about eighty feet, and to the sum-
nit Of the spire about one hundred and
forty feet.


A good many monuments commemora-
tive of great men and great events have
been suggested, but none possessing the
same features as this For in this design
there is ample room for the display of the
highest artistic genius OF Flaxman, a Thor
waldsen or Powers in embodying in rude
inanimate matter great national ideas. We
have, in the first place, the thirteen original
states bound log gether in national compact
and utility, fitly represented by the lower
part Of the column above these the twenty
new states properly represented, having
been raised and founded by the thirteen
original stales-the whole together faithful
ly embodying the national motto-E phuibus
unum; and above these, raised as it were
by unanimous voice OF the thirty-ihree states
which now compose the nation, we have
the statue of the renowned Washington STAN
ding erect on the new hemisphere, the lib
erty of which he in good part achieved +;
and the eagle looking towards heaven from
the summit of the lofty spire 6guralively
indicating the high and holy ambition of
this great Republic. Besides all this, the
memory of the good men who contributed
so much 10 Washington's success, and 10
our national independence and greatness, is
not forgotten; they are allotted appropriate
places.


If this design be found worthy of adop-
ton by the nation, the subscriber will most
gladly give his time and attention to the
elaboration of the details without fee OF
reward.