mbers. The death of General Scott, so long the illustrious chief of
the military establishment of the nation, was regarded with due
solemnity and honor by Congress, who deputized a large committee to
attend the funeral obsequies at West Point. An equestrian statue of
the distinguished General was voted by Congress to adorn the public
grounds of the national capital.

The name of Abraham Lincoln, the nation's martyred President, was
always pronounced with profoundest respect and sincerest gratitude in
the halls of Congress. His birthday, February 12th, was celebrated by
the adjournment of Congress, and such an assembly as the hall of
Representatives has rarely witnessed, to hear a eulogy pronounced by
Mr. Bancroft, the American historian. An appropriation of ten thousand
dollars was made to pay a young artist, Miss Minnie Ream, to model a
statue of Abraham Lincoln. This proposition elicited an animated
discussion, and was the occasion of a most interesting address by Mr.
Sumner on Art in the Capitol. "Surely this edifice," said he, "so
beautiful and interesting, should not be opened to the experiments of
untried talent. Only the finished artists should be invited to its
ornamentation.

"Sir, I doubt if you consider enough the character of this edifice in
which we are now assembled. Possessing the advantage of an
incomparable situation, it is one of the first-class structures in the
world. Surrounded by an amphitheater of hills, with the Potomac at its
feet, it resembles the capitol in Rome, surrounded by the Alban hills,
with the Tiber at its feet. But the situation is grander than that of
the Roman capitol. The edifice itself is worthy of the situation. It
has beauty of form and sublimity in proportions, even if it lacks
originality in conception. In itself it is a work of art. It ought not
to receive in the way of ornamentation any thing which is not a work
of art. Unhappily this rule has not always prevailed, or there would
not be so few pictures and marbles about us worthy of the place they
occupy. But bad pictures and ordinary marbles should warn us against
adding to their number."

Perhaps no Congress in the history of the country presents fewer
disagreeable incidents of a personal nature than this. The Democrats
in Congress being in such a small minority as to be unable to _do_ any
thing effectual either to impede or advance legislation, could only
present their vain protests in words. Chafing under the difficu