Dorothy's Tour Part 20

"Yes, I will go and find one. You stay here till I come back," added Mr. Ludlow, turning to the others. In a few moments he was back, accompanied by a young man in uniform.

The guide showed them where they could hear curious echoes, whispers distinct at a distance, and the ability to hear slight sounds that are inaudible at your elbow. They all tried these experiments. Ruth took her place at one corner of the room and Dorothy in the other corner at the same side of the room. The guide told them that they could converse in a low tone, yet each heard distinctly what the other said.

Ruth started off by saying, "Dorothy, do you believe what this guide is telling us or do you think he is fooling us?"

Dorothy was greatly surprised when she found she could hear quite plainly what Ruth said, and answered, "I am surprised to say I do."

At this ambiguous answer they all laughed. Then, one by one, they tried the experiment, each finding how perfectly it worked out.

Leaving Statuary Hall by the door under the arch, they traversed the corridor to the present Hall of Representatives. It is an oblong room of liberal size. The ceiling is a framework of iron, bronzed and gilded, and inlaid with gla.s.s upon which the coats-of-arms of the States are painted. The light effect is beautiful; the colors are mellowed rather than obscured.

The Speaker's raised desk is against the southern wall and below this are the marble desks of the official reporters. The latter keep a stenographic record of everything done or said, to be published the next morning so that those who are absent or pay little attention to what is going on may still keep posted on the progress of events. The sergeant-at-arms is within easy call. This latter officer is called the Speaker's policeman--the representative of the physical force, and his symbol of authority is the mace, which reposes on a marble pedestal at the right of the speaker.

"The mace was adopted by the House in the first Congress," explained Mr. Ludlow. "It has been in use ever since."

"How do they use it?" questioned Dorothy.

"When it is placed upon its pedestal," he answered, "it signifies that the House is in session, and under the Speaker's authority."

"I suppose I ought to know, but who is the Speaker, and what does he do?" asked Alfaretta.

"The Speaker," continued Mr. Ludlow, "is the head of the House, elected by vote of the members."

"And I have a question," said Ruth. "What is a mace?"

"In this case, the mace is a bundle of black rods fastened with transverse bands of silver. On its top is a silver globe, surmounted by a silver eagle," answered Mr. Ludlow, "and when the sergeant-at-arms is executing the commands of the Speaker, he is required to bear aloft the mace in his hands, unlike the House of Parliament, where there is much form and ceremony, there is little else here than quiet dignity."

Grouped in concentric semi-circles are the desks of the Representatives, all small, uniform and handsome.

"The Republican party all sit on the Speaker's left and the Democrats on the right," volunteered Mr. Dauntrey.

"My, but there are a lot of seats," said Alfy. "Who uses them?"

"In the galleries," said Mr. Ludlow. "Those over the Speaker's head are for the press. The others are for onlookers, some for diplomats, friends of the Congressmen, and some for ladies. They hold more than a thousand people, I think."

Going downstairs they came to the House lobby. This apartment is richly furnished and contains many portraits, most of them being crayon drawings of the Speakers of the past. Pa.s.sing through this room and out, one comes to the committee rooms in one of which is hung a notable collection of paintings of the princ.i.p.al forts of the United States.

From this corridor, the party descended the eastern grand staircase to a bas.e.m.e.nt corridor which extends from end to end of the Capitol on this ground floor. This they traversed till they came to the Senate chamber. The white marble pillars in this at once attracted their attention.

Mr. Ludlow said, "I want you all to examine these marble pillars carefully and notice that though they are of Corinthian mold, their floriated capitals represent leaves of American plants, the one most used being the tobacco leaf."

Pa.s.sing onward, to the right, they saw the old Supreme Court chamber, now used as a law library. All the corridors at this end are bright, and the walls and ceilings are very elaborately decorated with mural designs in the Italian manner, being daintily drawn and brightly colored. Among them are many portraits of early men of note, in medallions, and a long series of charming drawings in colors of American birds and flowers.

The vestibule of the Senate post office is particularly picturesque, having over the post office door a large painting of Fulton, indicating his first steamboat, "The Claremont," pa.s.sing the palisades of the Hudson.

A stairway leads on up to the main floor, where corridors completely extend around the Senate chamber, which occupies the center of its wing. Here the ceiling, in contrast with the one of the House, is flat, with broad panels of gla.s.s, painted with emblems of the army, the navy and the arts. The walls are of marble, paneled, the doors of choice mahogany, the carpet green, which sets off well the mahogany desks of quaint pattern. Each desk bears a silver plate with the occupant's name engraved upon it.

"Do the Republicans sit on the left of the Speaker here, and the Democrats on the right, as in the House?" questioned Alfaretta, very proud of herself for having remembered what had been told her in the other room.

"Yes, but there is no Speaker in the Senate," answered Mr. Ludlow.

"Who is it, then, that uses that beautifully carved high backed chair on that little platform there?" asked Dorothy.

"The president of the Senate is the Vice-President of the United States," said Mrs. Calvert, smiling and thinking that the girls ought to know more about these things, for they were shockingly lacking in knowledge of all the fundamental principles of the workings of the government.

"Who are all these statues of?" asked Alfaretta, pointing to the niches in the walls.

"These are statues of all the vice-presidents," answered Mrs. Calvert again.

"Outside here are many interesting things that you will all like to see," said Mr. Ludlow. "To the right here is the famous portrait of Washington, and opposite, one of John Adams."

"Is that Benjamin Franklin?" inquired Ruth, looking at a large marble statue at the foot of the eastern staircase, when they had pa.s.sed through the door situated between the two portraits.

"Yes, and the picture on the wall of the stair landing is a very famous one. It is of Commander Perry at the battle of Lake Erie. Perry is seen transferring himself and his flag from his sinking flagship 'Lawrence' to the 'Niagara,' when he won that great victory. This transfer was made under fire. Perry's younger brother, Matthew, then a midshipman, is depicted here as entreating his brother and commander not to expose himself too recklessly," said Mr. Ludlow in the way of explaining this picture.

"And the faces of the sailors are drawn from once well-known employes about the Capitol," added Aunt Betty. "My guide book tells me that."

"This vestibule opens at its inner end into the Senate reception room.

The one thing of interest in this room," said Mr. Ludlow, when they had entered, "is the picture on the south wall. It is of Washington, in conference with Jefferson and Hamilton."

"Isn't the room pretty! What luxurious chairs, soft sofas, beautiful rugs, and those cream colored curtains!" exclaimed Ruth.

"Whose room is this?" asked Dorothy, who was becoming tired, and, wanting to move on more rapidly, had gone ahead.

"This next room is the President's room," answered Aunt Betty. "It is the custom of the President to sit here during the last day of a Congressional session in order to be ready to sign bills requiring immediate attention. The portraits are those of Washington and his first cabinet members."

From here they ascended to the gallery floor by way of the western grand staircase, at the foot of which stands the statue of John Hanc.o.c.k. In the wall of the landing is Walker's painting, "The Storming of Chepultepec." The scene is during the Mexican War, when it was captured by Scott's army.

The rooms here in the gallery are numerous committee rooms not open to the public, so they all pa.s.sed on down the corridor to the interesting rooms that contain Morau's celebrated pictures of the canyons of the Colorado and of the Yellowstone, which were painted by actual study of the scenes. Those familiar with these marvelous regions of the country recognize that the coloring is by no means overly vivid, and that the drawings are most accurate and natural.

In the adjoining hall is the painting of the encounter between the Monitor and the Merrimac. This picture is the only exception to the rule that no reminder of the Civil War should be placed in the Capitol; an exception due to the fact that this was in reality a drawn battle, where the courage of the contestants was conspicuously equal, and where the naval methods of old found their grave. Its historic interest is, therefore, world-wide.

"The bust, there, Dorothy," said Aunty Betty, "is of John A. Dix, afterward a major general. It was he, who, when he was Secretary of the Treasury early in the uncivil war, sent to one of his special representatives in a Southern State the famous order containing the words, 'If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot,' which so thrilled patriotic hearts."

"From here let us go to the Supreme Court," said Mr. Ludlow. "That will finish our tour of the Capitol."

A small elevator took them down to the main floor, where they walked along the corridor, viewing the portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry.

The Supreme Court of the United States now uses the chamber in the old Capitol which was originally designed for the Senate. The background is a row of columns of variegated gray Potomac marble, with white Ionic capitals. In the centre is the chair of the chief justice, behind which are draped crimson curtains surmounted by a hovering eagle. On the dias below is the long "bench" of the most august court in the land.

"One formal custom here will be of interest," said Mr. Dauntrey. "On court days the justices enter the room in procession precisely at noon. They wear voluminous black silk gowns, and sit in a prescribed order with the chief justice, of course, in the centre."

"There. I think we have made a very careful tour of the Capitol. I think we have missed nothing at all of importance," said Mr. Ludlow.

"But I guess by now, you are all tired and anxious to be back to the hotel."

"What time is it, I wonder?" said Dorothy to herself, and turning to Mr. Ludlow said, "Mr. Ludlow, I feel as if it were time for lunch."

"Why, it's one-thirty o'clock," said Mr. Ludlow. "I am surprised that the time has gone so quickly, so let's hurry back to the hotel, for we are already late."