THE CITY OF WASHINGTON. 



155 



dignity even to St. Petcn-'s, or again gushing in the form of cascades 

 from some great work of architect or sculptor, or still again dripping 

 refreshingly over the brim of a beautiful basin that was old when the 

 Christian era began. The Forum is in ruins, basilicas and baths have 

 been transformed into churches, palaces have been turned into mu- 

 seums; but the fountains of Eome are eternal. 



If all the fountains of Washington, instead of being left lifeless 

 and inert as they are during a greater portion of the time, should be 

 set playing at their full capacity, they would not use the amount of 

 water that bursts from the world-famous fountain of Trevi or splashes 

 on the stones of the piazza of St. Peter's. At the Chateau de Vaux- 



ViEw IN Monument Garden, Main Axis, showing Proposed TreaTiMENT of Approaches 

 AND Terraces, forming a setting for the Washington Monument. 



le-Vicomte, near Paris, the great landscape architect Lenotre built 

 cascades, canals, and fountains, using one twelfth of the daily water- 

 supply of the District of Columbia. The fountains at Versailles are 

 one of the most attractive spectacles enjoyed by the people of France. 

 The original plans of Washington show the high appreciation L 'En- 

 fant had for all forms of water decoration; and when the heats of a 

 Washington summer are taken into consideration, further argument is 

 unnecessary to prove that the first and greatest step in the matter of 

 beautifying the District of Columbia is such an increase in the water 

 supply as will make possible the copious and even lavish use of water 

 in fountains. 



