Evening Star Newspaper, September 18, 1893, Page 7

THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1893—TWELVE PAGES. | = HE CAPITOL OF THE PRESENT. FREEDOM'S TEMPLE, The Capitol Building a Monument of the Nation’s Growth. STORY OF ITS CONSTRUCTION. Designed Not by One But by Many Architects. Ifs GRADUAL EVOLUTION. — HE BUILDING OF * |] the Capitol has mark- ‘Sed the growth of the nation. Though it is @ complete building, it fs not finished and probably never will be. The last new work on it has been practically finished, but the building will undoubtedly be added to and changed from time to time in the future, as it has been fn the past. The history of its construction, the development of its srandeur, has been on @ parallel with the history of the coun- try. During the time of vicissitude, in the young days of the republic, our legislators had no home, but the laying of the corner stone of the Capitol building at Washing- ‘The Capitol After the Burning by the British. ton began their permanent abode, and was like laying the corner stone of the perm: Rent and never-to-be-destroyed republic. ‘The ups and downs, mosily ups, which have marked the growth of the building since have typified the progress of the country. It Is the nation’s monument. Consequent- ly It is the most interesting as well as the grandest public building in the country, and its history and its features are well worthy of study. The Capitol in 1414, From Pennsylva- min Avenue. ‘The original designers of the building aimed to make it an imposing structure to stand for all time, but in their grandest dreams they probably never conceived a building of such magnificence as that now ‘on the hill. It could not fall to the lot of any one man to be the designer of this building. but it is the work of many, and the building has undergone many changes from time to time. It will probably rest now foz a while in its present state of completion, but @ or later it must undergo more ch: to keep up with the growth of the country, and Tetain its typical character. Todzy it stands a magniicent example of architec- tural grandeur. From every point of view it 1s impressive and noble. It ts the cb- jective point of the patriotic pt few look upon it for the fir: a feeling of awe. or fail to r. an inspiration of noble sentiments. In the minds of the American citizen it stands for the wealth, power, independence, and | glory of the country. Its great white dome, on which stands the emblem of freedom, is the first thing that greets the eye of the traveler as he epproaches Washington, and he who has been long abroad from his na- tive land, returns to the seat of govern- Ment. may exclaim: “Now, indeed, am I ome!” when this building grows upon his The Capitol ax Completed tn 1827. vision, a3 out of the clouds. Begun in pov- erty, with a slow and uncertain progress, and almost destroyed by an invading foc before its completion, {ts construction, in nished at the close of the liar signifi- | igure of Freedom » dome during the very | . Tt is a re- ation of the stability of the | ament, the sturdy faith of our| people, that during the four years that the | battle sounds of internal strife were h the work w CJ soctations, | t treads of | ntry passing with | the American the | © passing temple of liberty The Original Designs. ‘The building hi: Sth of 2 in mind when on the September, 17%, George Washing- 1 the corner stone, amid pomp and as nothing Ike that of the ss at Philadelphia in- and thre to s buildi ers appointed by him { a suitable publi tive at th ha shamber: a Senate roo ‘saa. a Hbby and + of 1, m feet each for committees’ and clerks’ rooms. Many designs were submitted, but none of them Were finally adopted as a whole, and the original designs have not been’ pre- served. They were all, however, crude. One submitted by George Turner contained the first suggestion of a dome. This idea pleased Washington, and was incorporated into the designs adopted and developed. A plan presented by William Thornton of Philadelphia was awarded the first prize, and the second prize, which, on account of the merit of the plan, was made of equal Yalue with the first prize, was awarded to Stephen Hallette, also of Philadelphia ‘Thornton not being an architect, his draw- ing was meréjy a rough ideal design, and it was valuable only for the general idea of the building it presented. The drawing was therefore turned over to Hallette by Mr. Jefferson, then Secretary of State, to be THE GREAT DOME. The Central Ornament of the Capi- tol Building. CONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY OF IRON. The Rotunda and Its Interesting Works of Art. THE GRACEFUL BALCONIES. EFORE THE NEW dome of the Capitol was constructed the two marble wings had been completed. With these great wings spreading out to the north and south, the old dome was completely dwarfed by the size of the building and it appeared a very in- significant affair. ‘This old dome rested Of the central part of ‘nown as the dome today is really more than a dome; it is @ dome resting on a cylindrical structure. ‘The great drum or cylinder is built from the main floor up, resting upon the columns and intersecting arches known as the crypt. It rises to a height which would corres- bond to four stories, when it is surmounted with a smaller cylinder, which rises to a considerable height and ‘is then topped off with immense brackets, from which rises the elliptical arch of the dome proper. It 13 practically @ terraced drum surmounted directly on the roof o: the building. What i balcony. The wall from the floor half way to this balcony is divided into a series of curved panels separated by Grecian pilasters, which support the first entabla- ture, into which are interwoven wreaths of olive. These panels are decorated with eight immense historical ofl paintings set into the walls, with a fiat surface, and framed in heavy moldings. Each of ‘these contains from twenty to a hundred life-size figures, which are portraits of historical characters taking part in the scenes repre- sented. Four of these paintings—The Sign- ing of the Declaration of Independence, The Surrender of Burgoyne, The Surrender of Cornwallis and Gen. Washington Resigaing His Commission—were painted by Trum- bull, aid-de-eamp to Gen. Washington. The other four are The Landing of Columbus, by John Vanderlyn; The Discovery of th Mississippi River, by W. H. Powell; The and ‘The Emparkation of the Plignsse ty and The mn of the ims, Robert W. Wier. of ‘There are four entrances to the rotunda, one from each of the four points of the compass. Over each entrance is a basso- Felievo, representing a scene in American history. Over the northern door leading to the Senate wing is a representation of Will- tam Penn engaged in making a treaty with Indiaris; hanging over the heads of the group are the branches of a spreading elm. ‘This sculpture is by Gezelot, a Frenchman. Over the southern door 1s a representation of Dantel Boone, the pioneer of Kentucky, battling with two Indians. This is the work of Causici. The landing of the pilgrim fathers on Plymouth Rock is sculptured over the east- ern door, and over the western door 1s the scene of the rescue of Capt. Smith from the Indians by Pocahontas, by Cappalano. ‘The Bramidi Frieze. Above the panels and bas reliefs ts a rich entablature, and over that the famous frieze by Brumidi and Costiggini, of which eighteen of the nineteen parts have been finished, one section of the space being left bare for the reason that American history furnished no more suitable subjects, and for which events must yet develop ghe de- sign. This frieze, which ts painted to rep- resent bas relief, is generally greatly od- mired. It represents in bold design Amer- ica and history, landing of Columbus, Cor- with a dome, and with all the rest of the building torn away it would stand there a | complete structure, not entirely without | grace and beauty. To the general view from without the structure is presented ‘in | perfected and put into practical form, and the plan finally produced was the sole work of no particular man, but was a composite work, in which almost all had a hand. Hal- iette was appointed architect of the Capitol, and was the first of the line of those who have held that position. The others, in succession, have been George Hailfield, James Hoban, Benjamin Latrobe, Charles Bullfineh, Thomas U. Walter and Edward SS ans PEN. SSE SOs CAPITOL FROM VIRGINIA tez and Montezuma, Pizarro invading Peru, burial of De Soto in the Mississippi river, rescue of John Smith by Pocahontas, land- ing of the pilgrims, Penn's treaty, coloniza- tion of New England, Oglethorpe and Mus- cogee Indians, battle of Lexington, readtag SIDE OF THE POTOMAC. ‘The Capitol in 1830. ‘The work of construction was begun un- der Hadfield in 17%. In 1800 the rooms now occupied by the Supreme Court and the law Ubrary were fitted up for the use of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the walls of the south wing were begun three years later. From that time until 1817 the work was conducted under the di- rection of Latrobe. By 1X11 the two wings of the original building were completed, and they were ready to begin the cot struction of the dome, when the work was stopped by the war with Great Britain. The building then consisted of two de- tached wings, standing far apart, the euter walls and the pillars being of free stone from the Aquia creek quarries. Leading from one wing to the other for shelter from the weather was a wooden shed or covered alleyway. The space between the two structures was designed to be occu- pled by the dome. When the British Came. It was in this condition the British found the building when, in 181, they set fire to it. They designed to make the destruction of the building complete. They piled inside of it a quantity of wood and other inflammable material and kindled it into a great blaze. The damage to the building by reason of the fire was, how- ever, nothing like as great as might have been expected. A greater part of the build- ing escaped almost without injury, and the restoration was not difficult. In’ the re- construction of the building the free stone pillars in the old hall of Representatives in the south wing, which had been badly damaged, were replaced with the pillars now in that hall, composed of a curious conglomerate marble from the breccia beds of Virginia and Maryland. Charles Bul- finch succeeded Latrobe as architect of the four parts, divided in graceful proportion. Above the roof of the main building rises the base of the external construction of the dome, in the form of a massive moldini Above this rises a drum of tron pillar encircling an open gallery and supporting a balcony above, encircling the base of the minor cylinder. ‘This minor cylinder forms the third external division of the structure and is plerced with long slender windows. ‘Then resting on the brackets which crown this section rises the ellipse of the dome to the foot of the cluster of columns which surround the lantern and support the pedes- tal of the figure of Freedom. The column: encircling the dome near the base, forming the great open gallery which first strikes the eye on viewing the structure, are thirty- six in number and of the Corinthiah order, with a balustrade above the capitals. Constructed of Iron. The dome is built entirely of iron above the main building, the tron plates being bolted together, and 1s 2% feet from the ground to the statue and 135 fect in diameter at the base. The inner construction of the dome proper differs from that without, in that the arch springs from the first balcony in the lines of a perfect ellipse to the base of the lantern cupola, and the shape Is like the pointed end of an egg. This elliptical arch is composed of heavy tron braces, to which the outer shell is bolted by a network of tron girders. Within this is the domed ceiling of the rotunda, duplicating the form ot the outer dome. The staircase is con- structed between the inner and outer shell of the dome. The first landing is at the Corinthian gallery of the outer dome, to which there is a corresponding balustraded balcony within the rotunda about half way between the floor and the ceiling. The staircase here pierces the walls of the dome and is partially visible from within until it Capitol in 18I7 and conducted the recon- struction and completion of the old Capi- tol building. ‘The foundation of the central portion of the building was laid in 1818 ard the rotunda and dome and both wings finished and the whole building completed, as then designed, in 1827. There was no further material change in the building from that time until 1851, when it became apparent that more room was necessary and the two new wings were proposed. < The Extensions, In 1950 Jefferson Davis, then In the Sen- ate, wrote to the artist and architect, Rob- ert Mills, asking his opinion as to the ex- tension of the building. In answer to this Mills proposed designs for the extension of the building by two wings and for the erection of a new dome. Congress adopted the proposition and in 181 the work was begun under the direction of Thomas U. Walter, then the architect of the Capitol. ‘The corner stone of the new south wing was laid by President Fillmore on the Fourth of July, 1851, and Webster was the orator of the day. That same year the central part of the old building, occupled by the library of Congress, was partially destroyed by fire and had ‘to be restored. ‘The oid dome was removed in 185 and the work on the present dome was begun. The two new wings were completed in 1961, but that occupied by the House had then been in use since the 4th of January, 159. The work on the dome was in progress during the four years of the civil war. The figure of Liberty was placed in position in 1863 and the building was nearly completed on the new designs when, in 1865, Edward Clark succeeded Walter as architect. Mr. Clark finished placing the columns along the south portico that year, and the build- ing was completed for the time being. Again the growth of the country passed ahead of the accommodations of this building, and in 18% work was begun on the marble terrace, which is intended to add beauty to the west front of the Cap- itol and at the same time to furnish the much-needed rooms for committees and for| other purposes. This terrace was finished in 1891 and the building is now once more completed, as far as any work has been designed. The evolution of the dome of the Capitol was gradual, representing the development of architectural taste. The dome is the distinctive feature of the building. and the suggestion of a dome, before there was any clear idea of what sort of a building was to be had, caught Washington's fancy. It was a very crude sort of a dome then pro- posed, little else than the half of a globe. The dome first constructed flared out a little on joining the roof of the building, and in general shape it was like an in- verted bowl. It was squatty and lacked entirely the grandeur of that which now rises from the central part of the build- ing. The drawings for the new dome among the files of the architect's office show that it was a very profound study to determine pon the proper form for the dome. Sev- eral designs were adopted and rejected again before the present one was finally | ettled on. It was a gradual development| from the lines of a circle to the prolonga-| tion of the ellipse, until the lines of a pure ellipse were decided on. There 1s no room to question that of all the trial drawings the present lofty dome ts vastly the su- perior. The structure is of tron and on the interior fs an immense network of iron beams, girders and braces. r sford ap- for the dissolu- | een him and grate, mantel eet northwest. | was granted \ tempora by Judge Xi the 26th jon being of the Declaration of Independence, eur- render of Cornwallis at Yorktown, death of ‘Tecumseh, Gen. Scott's entree into the City of Mexico, discovery of gold in California, completion of the Pacific railroad, first cen- tennial of independence at Philadelphia. Naval Monument, Now at Annapolis. Above this frieze is another entablature, broken by tall, narrow windows on the outer cfrcumference of the dome, and @ balcony and eeries of pilasters around the full circle of the rotunda. Above this rises the interior concave ceiling, di- vided, by way of ornamentation, ‘into a. ECEMBER, 1857. ——— THE CAPITOL, D 7 Teaches the arch of the ‘ceiling, which it follows from the exterior, between the in- ner and outer shelis of the dome. Here is another balcony surrounding the exterior of the dome, from which a magnificent view of the city and surrounding country may be had. The stairs then lead to an in- terior balcony around the “eye” of the in- ner dome, which is 60 feet in diameter. This balcony looks down into the rotunda and just above it is the great canopy of alle- gorical paintings, which, seen from the floor of the rotunda, completes the concave ceiling. The stairs then take an angle out- ward and pass above and over this canopy to the upper balcony which surrounds the base of the lantern cupola. Still higher up is the lantern loft, where the lights burn during a night session, and above all stands the figure of Freedom. No adequate idea of the grace and beauty of this structure can be given in any de- scription. All. the lines are graceful and the whole appearance ts of massiven Painted white, the whole structure appeat to be of marble. Crowning the dome, the figure of Freedom stands facing the rising sun, to which she slightly inclines her head as the morning or evening rays expand one side or the other of the tron dome. The Rotunda. ‘The grand rotunda within this dome is ninety-seven feet in diameter and the con- cave ceiling at the highest point is 190 feet The Evolution of the Dome. distant. In form it is an immense cylin‘te1 ending in a dome, or rather the concave { terior of a dome. The floor of the rotunda is on a level with the main floor of the building, and the cylinder rises to the height of two stories of the building before ‘it ts interrnpted by the grand encircling spherical polygons inclosing wreaths of oak leaves, diminishing in size as the smaller circle of the concave is approached. The arch of the dome is broken by an amphi- theater in the eye of the dome sixty f et in diameter, surrounded by a balustrade. Through this opening is seen the Bru aldi allegorical fresco painting, which, ike a great inverted saucer, caps the amphithea- ter many feet above, and completes the cetling of the rotunda. ——— THE ANCIENT GAVEL, It is Now in the Possession of Potomac Lodge. The handsome marble gavel used by Pres- {dent George Washington at the laying of the corner stone of the United States Cap-- itol 100 years ago is now in possession of the Potomac Lodge of Masons of Georgetown, by whom it is guarded with care almost amounting to veneration. For fear that it might be stolen or injured it was ordered years ago to place the precious relic in the strong vaults of the Farmers and Me- chanics’ Bank, and from there it has never been removed, except on the order of the lodge. No one man Is allowed to take it in his possession, even for a day. Whenever the lodge is requested to allow the gavel to leave the vaults to be used at some corner stone laying a committee of three is always appointed to bear the relic company until its return. ‘The gavel has been in the possession of the lodge since the day President Washing- ton presented it to Master Valentine Rent- zel of Columbia, No. 19, of Maryland, which later became known as Potomac Lodge, No. 5. The-presentation took place immediate- ly after the ceremonies of the day which is now celebrated had been concluded. ‘The gavel is of a fine quality of marble, slightly yellowish in appearance, and about eight inches long. It once received through an accident a severe fall, which chipped several pieces from one of the faces, but these are now held tn place by bright gold bands. ‘An appropMate inscription is on the mal- let. In the early days of the mallet it was stolen at one of the corner stone layings which took place in Washington, and was recovered some time later way up in Mas- sachusetts, where it had been sold to a junk dealer. — Episcopal Revision Postponed. The commission of bishops, presbyters, and laymen appointed at the last general convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church to revise the constitution and the canons, which was announced to meet at Newport, R. 1, Saturday, will not hold its session tintil November, when it will as- semble in the see house, New York. ——_—_§_+oo___ Lord Aberdeen, the new governor general, arrived on the steamship Sardinian at Que- bee yesterday morning. THE MASONIC PROCESSION, 1793. VOICE OF HISTORY. The Oration Delivered Today by William Wirt Henry, THE GLORY OF THE NATION. A Government Founded on the People’s Virtue and Intelligence. ITS PERMANENCY ASSURED. The oration today was quite appropri- ately delivered by William Wirt Henry of Virginia, a descendant of the great orator whose words fired the patriots of ‘76 to deeds of highest valor. As was expected the oration was a finished production, elo- quent in diction and delivery, but more elo- quent by reason of the grand theme of the orator. The full text of Mr. Henry’s oration is as follows: Address of Wm. Wirt Henry. Fellow Citizens of the United States: ‘The exercises of today are a fitting close of the series of centennial celebrations of the most important events in our revolu- tionary history. Celebrations which have presented vividly to the present generation the courage of our ancestors in winning our liberties, and their wisdom in forming @ system of government which has proved @ safeguard of the invaluable possession. From the skirmish at Lexington on 19th April, 1775, when the immedicabile vulnus was ‘inflicted which finally severed the ligament binding the colonies to the mother country, to the 30th April, 178, when Wash- ington was inaugurated as the first Prest- dent under the federal Constitution, the most important events have been made to bass in panorama before our eyes. The attention of the world has been more close- ly attracted by us, and American history has assumed its proper position in the fore- front, where it is destined to remain as the great teacher of advanced civilizatjon. And now it becomes us to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the laying of the corner stone of this magnificent Capi- tol, the permanent home of the govern- ment of this great nation, and thus to com- plete the roll-call of the’ events which es- tablished us among the nations of the earth. In looking back upon thesé events how insignificant they appeared at the time to the outside world! Our battles were but skirmishes as compared with the engage- ments of the vast armies which had red- dened the soll of Europe and Asia in their conflicts. Our Declaration of Independence was but brutum fulmen unless sustained by force of arms, which was believed to be beyond our power. Our first union was held by a rope of sand, and even our fed- eral Constitution, dependent as it was upon popular will, was an experiment with a di- vided people—divided as to the wisdom of the plan, and divided as to the construc- tion of the instrument. It was confidently Predicted by the enemies of our free insti- tutions that our experiment would prove @ miserable failure, and that but a short distance would intervene between its cradle and its grave. The Scene Today. But how different the scene of today! What grand results have followed from our despised beginnings! For more than a century we have demonstrated, as no other people have ever done before, our capacity for self government. Our federal system has been tested in peace and in war, and by violent forces from without and from within, yet every fiber has stood the strain, and ‘its perfect adaptation to our needs under all circumstances has been demonstrated. Yea, more; already the hope of our fathers as to the effect of our free institutions upon the human race has been wonderfully realized. That hope was ex- pressed by James Wilson in the Pennsyl- vania convention which adopted the Con- stitution, when he sald: “By adopting this system we shall probably lay a foun- dation for erecting temples of liberty in every part of the earth. It has been thought by many that on the success of the struggle America has made for free- dom will depend the exertions of the brave and enlightened of other nations. The ad- vantages resulting from this system will not be confined to the United States, but will draw from Europe many worthy char- acters who pant for the enjoyment of free- dom. It will induce princes, in order to preserve thelr subjects, to restore to them a portion of that lberty of which they have for many ages been deprived. It will be subservient to the great designs of Provi- dence with regard to this globe—the multi- plication of mankind, their improvement in knowledge and their advancement in hap- piness.” It takes but a cursory view of the present condition of the people of Christendom to recognize the liberaltzing effect of our gov- ernment upon their civil institutions. It has been well said by a late writer that “at the close of the American revolution there was in the old world only one free nation and no democracy. In Europe there now remains but two strong monarchies—those of Russia and Prussia—while America, scarcely excepting Brazil and Canada, entirely (at least in name) republican. Since he wrote Brazil has dethroned her king and adopted a republican form of gov- ernment, and there 1s a strong movement in Canada toward union with the United States. But while other nations have fol- lowed more or less closely in our footstep: striving to enjoy our freedom, how wonder- ful has been our progress in all that makes a nation great! When we consider the en- larged extent of our territory, the increase of our population, our progress in the-arts and sciences, In commerce, in wealth and in knowledge, we are forced to exclaim: “God has blessed us, and has made His face to shine upon us.” ‘With the history of this progress this Capitol has been intimately connected. Here the chief executives of the nation have taken the oath of office and made their communications with Congress. Here | the wise men of the nation have discussed and formulated the great measures of inter- nal and external policy which have placed us in the front rank of the nations of the earth. Here treaties with foreign nations have been confirmed. Here territory has been annexed, out of which new states have been constituted, till, instead of fifteen states east of the Mississippi, we have stretched across tne continent, and now number forty-four states, whose eastern and western shores are washed by the great oceans on whose bosoms our commerce is borne to every quarter of the globe. Here our Supreme Court has been seated, the most important tribunal which has ever e: isted, and great jurists have decided grave questions between the states, and have cot strued our system of government, defining and limiting the powers of each department and confining it to its appropriate sphere. Here representatives of foreign nation: have watched the working of our free stitutions and have realized the capacity of man for self-government. When we remember the great men who have shed luster on this Capitol during the Past century, as Presidents, legislators and jurists, we can justly cl for our republic which has not been ex- celled, if ever equaled, by any other nation of this or of any other age. A Fitting Capital. Nor has this city, located by Washington and bearing his honored name, failed to realize the expectation of its founder that it would become the fitting capital of a great nation. It is now justly claimed to be one of the most beautiful and attractive of the capitals of the world. Within the century the scoffing lines of the poet have become a splendid reality. Could he who in 1804 wrote of the scattered village, “This embryo capital, where fancy sees Squares in morasses, obelisks in trees; Which second-sighted seers even now adorn With shrines unbuilt and heroes yet un- born,” look upon this city today, with its 250,000 inhabitants, its beautiful streets and squares, bordered with costly residences, its splendid monuments and its magnificent public buildings he would realize that the “fancies of the second-sighted seers” of his day have been more than fulfilled as real prophecies. As I stand here on this commemoration day two periods in the history of this build- ing rise prominent to my view—the first at the ing of the century which ends to- day. I behold a country not yet recovered from the exhaustion of the war which es- tablfshed its independence, with a new sys- tem of government not sufficiently tried to overcome the friction of its machinery nor to insure its stability and its capacity to check the spirit of anarchy which had been so strongly manifested in the nation and had so seriously threatened the dissolution of the Union; with a revenue inadequate to meet its abilities; without sufficient strength to force England to comply with the terms of her treaty and surrender the military posts on the great lakes, and, as a consequence, suffering the cruel effects of an Indian war believed to have been insti- gated by the British commanders; with Spain plotting to get a foothold in the Mis- sissippi valley by refusing to the United States the free navigation of that river, whose mouth she held, and offering it to the inhabitants of the valley as the price of their leaving the Union and casting their Jot with her; with open opposition to the excise law of Congress assuming the form of an insurrection in west Pennsylvant: but, above all, with the almost madden! effect upon the people of the Freneh revo- lution, followed by war between France and England, which was threatening to engulf the newly launched American ship of state in the maelstrom of European wars. I see the calm figure of Washington holding firmly the helm of state as he steers it amidst the storm, and, with that unfalter- ing faith in the future of his country which had nerved him to be her deliverer in her darkest hours of trial, coming to this spot to lay the corner stone of the Capitol of the nation he had created and which he firmly believed would be not only the freest, but one of the greatest which the world had ever known. Behold that majestic form, Im an eminence | the door of Congress for admission, during the session of 1849-50. To admit her was to destroy the equilibrium between the free and slave states, aud therefore a fierce struggle at once arose which threatened the permanency of the Union. Happily, two of the greatest statesmen and purest patriots our country has ever produced were in the eounclis of the nation, Henry Clay of Ken- tugky and Daniel Webiter of Massachu- setts. By their combined efforts the com- Promise measures of 1850 were enacted, which, it was fondly hoped, would settle the sectional strife. The Extension of the Capitol. It was at this period that the growth of the nation demanded an enlargement of its Capitol. The fourth of July, 181, was fixed for the laying of the corner stone of the addition and the great expoinder and defender of the Constitution, the foremost of living statesmen, the matchless orator, Daniel Webster, was selected to make the address. Those who remember him as he lived and moved among men easily recall the massive head, the deep-toned voice, the grand periods, the profound thought, which held his auditors spellbound when- ever he spoke. On this occasion we sep him but lately transferred from the Sen- ate to the foremost seat in he cabinet, the conspicuous mark for the arrows of sectionalism; yet firmiy fixed in the posi- tion he had ‘assumed in his celebrated Speech on the compromise measures, de- livered in the Senate the 7th of March, 180, in which, filled with the patriotism which animated the first continental Ce" gress, he had uttered the memorable words, “I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a northern man, but as an American.” Fit successor of the father of his country in the cere- monies of the day, we see hiy faith in the future of the Union emerging from the cloud which had overshadowed the politi- cal horizon, and while he recounts the un- Precedented happiness and the wonderful Progress of the country under the federal government he appeals to the dissatisfied to exorcise the spirit of disunion, und to cling to the government framed by their forefathers as the sheet-anchor of their Uberties, the ark of their safety, the as- surance, doubly sure, of their ever-incroas- ing greatness. Sectional strife was not, indeed, quelled by the compromise of 1890, but fuel was continually added to the flame, till seces- sion, so long threatened, was at last at tempted by the southern ‘states. In the ter- rible civil war that followed siavery and Secession went down together, clasped in the embrace of eternal death, and the Union survived, more firmly knit by the ef- fort to disrupt it, and blessing a nation of freemen. It remains for us now to cast out the spirit of sectionalism, that bitter fountain of our woes, and henceforth to unite to realize the sentiment of the poet: “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One nation evermore!” In the address of Mr. Webster on the Fourth of July, 181, he gave a ompare- tive table of statistics showing the growth of the nation between 17% and i®l. Ex- tending & few of the items of ‘nis table to the present date, and using reports for 1892 in doing 80, we can realize our growth within the last forty-two years. Z2ZZ222252 BEsassS 2B geaatacsis BEEP E222 appraise ZRan2 8855 FEEES: Ep: ereeniqe +4 z g & § & ofits | F seeses | & Seee2ee is? z e835a | = BEEESSS8 | 8 Se = The Christian churches have more than kept pace with the increase of population, and they have at least 16,000,000 members. Nor are we behind any other nation in our charitable institutions and common schools. ‘The Voice of History. As our wonderful progress as a nation is mainly due to our free institutions, it us approach the task reverently, for in lis- tening to the voice of history we will recog- | nize the voice of God, and in studying the | past aright we must need discover the | Divinity which shapes our ends. It is an ennobling thought that from the day that God said, “Let the waters under | the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear,” He be- fan to prepare this continent for the abode seems appropriate to this occasion that we | review briefly their origin and growth. Let made to blossom as the to sustain @ population world in the progress of civilizat was these favored isles which, in idence of God, were selected for ing of the race worthy of the of North America, Celts and Germans. The Celts, their earliest inhabitants, not of this favored race, nor were conquerors, the Romans. Imperial regarded not her citizens as but as blind, unguestionng mense political machine. | authority upon force, not sent of the governed. Hi jernment, by crushing all lence, crushed all local vigor. | four hundred years the island | was thus held as a province of jempire. During this period | power entered upon its decline | tottered to its fall. In 411 man legfons were withdrawn in the vain effort to defend I the Goths. THey never return it was ordered that the Latin race | to possess that fair isle. After | @rawal of the Roman legions the Bri |were set upon by the Picts of | and the Scots of Ireland, and finally |to their aid the English and Saxons | their home on the peninsula which vides the waters of the Baltic from the North Sea. These came A. D. | chiefs, Hengest and Horsa, and having | first delivered the Britons from their | they then overpowered them and masters of the island. At last had come which was to permanent sess the island. They were of German branch of the Teutonic | <a people who had withstood the Rome for more than five hundred and were now moving from their | homes to the attack and overthrow of | great empire. |The Germans presented a striking trast with the Romans in their appearance, | domestic life and ‘civil dnstitutions. The | Roman historians describe them at the be- | ginning of the second century as follows “A race, pure, unmixed and stamped with sofas he viet toe the oa ness vades the a bers are so great; eyes stern and blue, rud- Tose, and fitted to HL i iii i & 5 ig? sefteaet iftitn i ? FE nana § dy hair, large bodies, powerful in sudden exertions, but impatient of toll and labor: fenced around with chastity, wv Ro seductive spectacles, no con’ incite |ments; supposing somewhat of sanctity and prescience to be inherent in the femsie sex, and therefore neither despising thelr counsels nor disregarding their responses. Almost single among the barbarians, content themselves with one wife. The men take one husband as one body and life, that no thougit, no desire may beyond him; and he may be loved not as their hsuband, but as their marriage. inte >t & |@ vacant space. No |dicted to social entertainment refuse any person whatever admittance der their roof ts accounted flagitious. one according to his ability feasts his They worship Oden as their chief divinity, wettle- [ie An ahah’ aRa ki ; eta r atid ae t He | E of Hengest and Horsa |the United States, lof being di | prinel AJ U. 8. CAPITOL, WITH EXTENSI ON AND ORIGINAL DOME, erect, though burdened with the cares of state and carrying the weight of over three score years, attired with the simple em- blems of Masonry, descending into the trench and laying his hand on the corner stone on which was to be erected the per- manent Capitol of the United States of America; a foreshadowing of the time near at hand, when, divested of all carthly cares, he was to descend into the tomb, laying his hand of faith on the corner stone not laid with hands, on which was to be reared his eternal mansion in the heavens. But the scene changes. More than a half century has passed, during which we have engaged in two wars, one with England, in which we contested her sovereignty of the seas, and the other with Mexico, resulting in a large accession to our western terri- tory, already greatly enlarged by treaty. In the meanwhile portentous questions have arisen between the northern and southern states, threatening a dissolution of the Union. African slavery, that baneful sega- vy of our mother country,had been cast out of the northern states, where it had ceased to be profitable, and had become more deep- ly rooted in the southern states, whose cli- mate and agricultural system were better suited to its existence. A bitter contest had consequently sprung up between the sections over the balance of power in the administration of the federal government. This was made the more alarming by the radical difference in the constructions given to the federal system. By the one party it was held to be a government of a nation, and that by the adoption of the federal Con- stitution each state had merged a part of its sovereignty into that of the whole,which could not be recalled except by successful revolution. By the other party the federal Constitution was held to be a compact be- tween sovereign states, each of which had the right to pass upon the legality of fed- eral acts, to nullify their operation,if deem- ed an infraction of the compact, and as a last resort, to secede from the Union, With such a view of the federal system, it is no wonder that many threats of secession had been made by parties, north and south, dis- satisfied with federal laws. Calffornia had been acquired from Mexico, and, rich in gold, it had soon filled with a population sufficient to form a state. A convention of its people framed a constitution which ex- cluded ‘slavery from its borders, and with this Instrument fn hand. they knockel at of our race, as the most worthy of the hu- man family. He brought forth the moun- tains, and filled them with all the mineral Wealth needed by the most civilized of men. He placed the mountain ranges as sentinels along the shores, charging them to arrest the clouds which arise from the seas, and force them to water and enrich the earth. He placed the great valleys between, and |caused them “to bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yleld- ing fruit after his kind,” suited for the sus- tenance of a great nation. He caused deep rivers to flow from the mountains, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. He placed the gulf in the south | ana the lakes in the north and made them, | with the rivers, convenient highways for | the commerce of a great end prosperous people, and He threw over the whole the | temperate zone. Having fitted this conti- | nent for the ‘abode of a people advanced to | the highest point of human progress, He | hid it from the eyes of civilized man, and | consigned it to the keeping of a savage | race. Ignorant of its wealth, they knew no | use of its grand forests, except to hunt in | them; of its broad rivers and lakes, except to tish in them; nor of its productive soil, | except to soak it with the blood of contend- | ing tribes. ‘Thus this rich continent, best | fitted of all for the abode of civilized man, | was guarded and kept undisturbed for ages, | til in the fullness of time God had trained | Up a people worthy to enjoy it. The wonderful training of that people is one of the grandest lessons of history. England's Debt to America. We have been taught that America is indebted to Great Britain for her greatness, but in truth Great Britain ts indebted to America for its existence among the na- | tions of the earth. The gulf stream, rising in the torrid zone, after issuing from the Gulf of Mexico takes its course northward along the northeastern shore of North | America, by which it ts deflected till it | British Isles, rescuing them from the em- | brace of the frigid zone, giving them a temperate climate suited to the development of the highest type of manhood, and fur- @ rich vegetation. Through this silent, un- recognized influence, exe-ted through un- numbered years, these isles have been turns across the Atlantic and reaches the | | nishing them with the moisture needed for | social life, and administrative mained Roman, and the conquerors assimilated with the conqi was es dominated by But in England the ent; there the Roman ernment and society disappeared people that used it, and nation rose in its stead; a nation tality was sufficient to absord and late the Danes and the succession conquered the island. than one thousand years before the ery of America this people civilization in their isolated Within a century and a halt ing of Hengest, upon the the coast of England, Ai band of monks, landed and introduced Christian! supplanted the worship of @ new and powerful impulse to ment of the nation. In the Sfteenth tury, when the light of the new broke upon the darkness of the middle it shone on no land with greater than on England, nor with greater cal effects. One of the results of the tal activity which this revival of stirred in Europe was the daring of Columbus in search of a new to the Indies, which led to the America. The sovereigns of Spain, new of | da FE THI , fey ine ne | Lng i § rt fitted out his fleet, claimed the as their possession. The pope claimed the right to divide tt between and Portugal. For one hundred years Spanish race were allowed to settle and apy it at will, and during that time they demonstrated their unfitness to be its pos« sessors. The same sovereigns who equipped the fleet of Columbus instituted that most cruel of all instruments of torture and ra pacity, the Spanish inquisition, and under its malign, influence Spain attempted te | stamp out Protestantism in Europe. Tt with the same heartless cruelty and the Spaniards murdered and robbed atives of America, but their thirst for reacted on thelr own land, in the t of the industries which He at the basis of a nation’s prosperity. At the end of the century the population of Spain had de- creased four millions, while the great agri- cultural and commercial Interests of the nation were In a visible decay. It was evi sable | (Continved on Ninth Pere)