I Saw Somewhere A Box Of Plate-Glass Kept For
Contributions For This Purpose, And Looking In Perceived That Two
Half-Dollar Pieces Had Been Given - But Both Of Them Were Bad.
I was
told also that the absolute foundation of the edifice is bad - that
the ground, which is near the river and swampy, would not bear the
weight intended to be imposed on it.
A sad and saddening spot was that marsh, as I wandered down on it
all alone one Sunday afternoon. The ground was frozen and I could
walk dry-shod, but there was not a blade of grass. Around me on all
sides were cattle in great numbers - steers and big oxen - lowing in
their hunger for a meal. They were beef for the army, and never
again, I suppose, would it be allowed to them to fill their big maws
and chew the patient cud. There, on the brown, ugly, undrained
field, within easy sight of the President's house, stood the
useless, shapeless, graceless pile of stones. It was as though I
were looking on the genius of the city. It was vast, pretentious,
bold, boastful with a loud voice, already taller by many heads than
other obelisks, but nevertheless still in its infancy - ugly,
unpromising, and false. The founder of the monument had said, Here
shall be the obelisk of the world! and the founder of the city had
thought of his child somewhat in the same strain. It is still
possible that both city and monument shall be completed; but at the
present moment nobody seems to believe in the one or in the other.
For myself, I have much faith in the American character, but I
cannot believe either in Washington City or in the Washington
Monument.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 26 of 531
Words from 6622 to 6917
of 142339