north america-2-第3章

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　partiality。　　The　same　thing　may　be　said　of　Chicago；　of　Buffalo；　and　of　Baltimore。　　But　the　same　thing　cannot　be　said　in　any　degree　of　Washington。　　They　who　belong　to　it　turn　up　their　noses　at　it。　They　feel　that　they　live　surrounded　by　a　failure。　　Its　grand　names　are　as　yet　false；　and　none　of　the　efforts　made　have　hitherto　been　successful。　　Even　in　winter；　when　Congress　is　sitting；　Washington　is　melancholy；　but　Washington　in　summer　must　surely　be　the　saddest　spot　on　earth。　There　are　six　principal　public　buildings　in　Washington；　as　to　which　no　expense　seems　to　have　been　spared；　and　in　the　construction　of　which　a　certain　amount　of　success　has　been　obtained。　　In　most　of　these　this　success　has　been　more　or　less　marred　by　an　independent　deviation　from　recognized　rules　of　architectural　taste。　　These　are　the　Capitol；　the　Post…office；　the　Patent…office；　the　Treasury；　the　President's　house；　and　the　Smithsonian　Institution。　　The　five　first　are　Grecian；　and　the　last　in　Washington　is　calledRomanesque。　　Had　I　been　left　to　classify　it　by　my　own　unaided　lights；　I　should　have　called　it　bastard　Gothic。　The　Capitol　is　by　far　the　most　imposing；　and　though　there　is　much　about　it　with　which　I　cannot　but　find　fault；　it　certainly　is　imposing。　　The　present　building　was；　I　think；　commenced　in　1815；　the　former　Capitol　having　been　destroyed　by　the　English　in　the　war　of　1812…13。　　It　was　then　finished　according　to　the　original　plan；　with　a　fine　portico　and　well　proportioned　pediment　above　itlooking　to　the　east。　　The　outer　flight　of　steps；　leading　up　to　this　from　the　eastern　approach；　is　good　and　in　excellent　taste。　　The　expanse　of　the　building　to　the　right　and　left；　as　then　arranged；　was　well　proportioned；　and；　as　far　as　we　can　now　judge；　the　then　existing　dome　was　well　proportioned　also。　　As　seen　from　the　east　the　original　building　must　have　been　in　itself　very　fine。　　The　stone　is　beautiful；　being　bright　almost　as　marble；　and　I　do　not　know　that　there　was　any　great　architectural　defect　to　offend　the　eye。　　The　figures　in　the　pediment　are　mean。　　There　is　now　in　the　Capitol　a　group　apparently　prepared　for　a　pediment；　which　is　by　no　means　mean。　I　was　informed　that　they　were　intended　for　this　position；　but　they；　on　the　other　band；　are　too　good　for　such　a　place；　and　are　also　too　numerous。　　This　set　of　statues　is　by　Crawford。　　Most　of　them　are　well　known；　and　they　are　very　fine。　　They　now　stand　within　the　old　chamber　of　the　Representative　House；　and　the　pity　is　that；　if　elevated　to　such　a　position　as　that　indicated；　they　can　never　be　really　seen。　　There　are　models　of　them　all　at　West　Point；　and　some　of　them　I　have　seen　at　other　places　in　marble。　　The　Historical　Society；　at　New　York；　has　one　or　two　of　them。　　In　and　about　the　front　of　the　Capitol　there　are　other　efforts　of　sculptureimposing　in　their　size；　and　assuming；　if　not　affecting；　much　in　the　attitudes　chosen。　　Statuary　at　Washington　runs　too　much　on　two　subjects；　which　are　repeated　perhaps　almost　ad　nauseam：　one　is　that　of　a　stiff；　steady…looking；　healthy；　but　ugly　individual；　with　a　square　jaw　and　big　jowl；　which　represents　the　great　general；　he　does　not　prepossess　the　beholder；　because　he　appears　to　be　thoroughly　ill　natured。　　And　the　other　represents　a　melancholy；　weak　figure　without　any　hair；　but　often　covered　with　feathers；　and　is　intended　to　typify　the　red　Indian。　　The　red　Indian　is　generally　supposed　to　be　receiving　comfort；　but　it　is　manifest　that　he　never　enjoys　the　comfort　ministered　to　him。　　There　is　a　gigantic　statue　of　Washington；　by　Greenough；　out　in　the　grounds　in　front　of　the　building。　　The　figure　is　seated　and　holding　up　one　of　its　arms　toward　the　city。　　There　is　about　it　a　kind　of　weighty　magnificence；　but　it　is　stiff；　ungainly；　and　altogether　without　life。　But　the　front　of　the　original　building　is　certainly　grand。　　The　architect　who　designed　it　must　have　had　skill；　taste；　and　nobility　of　conception；　but　even　this　is　spoiled；　or　rather　wasted；　by　the　fact　that　the　front　is　made　to　look　upon　nothing；　and　is　turned　from　the　city。　　It　is　as　though；　the　facade　of　the　London　Post…office　had　been　made　to　face　the　Goldsmiths'　Hall。　　The　Capitol　stands　upon　the　side　of　a　hill；　the　front　occupying　a　much　higher　position　than　the　back；　consequently　they　who　enter　it　from　the　backand　everybody　does　so　enter　itare　first　called　on　to　rise　to　the　level　of　the　lower　floor　by　a　stiff　ascent　of　exterior　steps；　which　are　in　no　way　grand　or　imposing；　and　then；　having　entered　by　a　mean　back　door；　are　instantly　obliged　to　ascend　again　by　another　flightby　stairs　sufficiently　appropriate　to　a　back　entrance；　but　altogether　unfitted　for　the　chief　approach　to　such　a　building。　　It　may；　of　course；　be　said　that　persons　who　are　particular　in　such　matters　should　go　in　at　the　front　door　and　not　at　the　back；　but　one　must　take　these　things　as　one　finds　them。　　The　entrance　by　which　the　Capitol　is　approached　is　such　as　I　have　described。　　There　are　mean　little　brick　chimneys　at　the　left　hand　as　one　walks　in；　attached　to　modern　bakeries；　which　have　been　constructed　in　the　basement　for　the　use　of　the　soldiers；　and　there　is　on　the　other　hand　the　road　by　which　wagons　find　their　way　to　the　underground　region　with　fuel；　stationery；　and　other　matters　desired　by　Senators　and　Representatives；　and　at　present　by　bakers　also。　In　speaking　of　the　front　I　have　spoken　of　it　as　it　was　originally　designed　and　built。　　Since　that　period　very　heavy　wings　have　been　added　to　the　pilewings　so　heavy　that　they　are　or　seem　to　be　much　larger　than　the　original　structure　itself。　　This；　to　my　thinking；　has　destroyed　the　symmetry　of　the　whole。　　The　wings；　which　in　themselves　are　by　no　means　devoid　of　beauty；　are　joined　to　the　center　by　passages　so　narrow　that　from　exterior　points　of　view　the　light　can　be　seen　through　them。　　This　robs　the　mass　of　all　oneness；　of　all　entirety　as　a　whole；　and　gives　a　scattered；　straggling　appearance；　where　there　should　be　a　look　of　massiveness　and　integrity。　　The　dome　also　has　been　raiseda　double　drum　having　been　given　to　it。　　This　is　unfinished；　and　should　not　therefore　yet　be　judged；　but　I　cannot　think　that　the　increased　height　will　be　an　improvement。　　This；　again；　to　my　eyes；　appears　to　be　straggling　rather　than　massive。　　At　a　distance　it　commands　attention；　and　to　one　journeying　through　the　desert　places　of　the　city　gives　that　idea　of　Palmyra　which　I　have　before　mentioned。　Nevertheless；　and　in　spite　of　all　that　I　have　said；　I　have　had　pleasure　in　walking　backward　and　forward；　and　through　the　grounds　which　lie　before　the　eastern　front　of　the　Capitol。　　The　space　for　the　view　is　ample；　and　the　thing　to　be　seen　has　points　which　are　very　grand。　　If　the　Capitol　were　finished　and　all　Washington　were　built　around　it；　no　man　would　say　that　the　house　in　which　Congress　sat　disgraced　the　city。　Going　west；　but　not　due　west；　from　the　Capitol；　Pennsylvania　Avenue　stretches　in　a　right　line　to　the　Treasury　chambers。　　The　distance　is　beyond　a　mile；　and　men　say　scornfully　that　the　two　buildings　have　been　put　so　far　apart　in　order　to　save　the　secretaries　who　sit　in　the　bureaus　from　a　too　rapid　influx　of　members　of　Congress。　　This　statement　I　by　no　means　indorse；　but　it　is　undoubtedly　the　fact　that　both　Senators　and　Representatives　are　very　dilige