Laus Deo Revisited
A friend asked me about my recent post about Laus Deo. Well, he didn't actually read the post -- I forwarded the mail that I based the post on to him. When I first read the mail I had intended to research the facts presented but my friend's comment "Is that all true?" prompted me to dig into it earlier than I had intended.
Of course, I knew that "Laus Deo" was on the capstone and that there were engravings inside the stairwell, but I didn't recall the details. A quick Google search turned up a bunch of Web pages like this one that seemed to regurgitate -- many word-for-word -- the same information that was in the e-mail I had recieved. Most Web sites were no help so I went to the source.
No, not the monument itself. During visits over the years I learned that the public wasn't allowed to hike up the stairs so I didn't bother with a field trip. Instead, I visited the National Park Service site for the monument. Here's what I found:
This page lists exactly what is on each face of the capstone, including Laus Deo on the east face. There has to be some symbolism to it's placement there -- toward Israel and Mecca and the rising sun. Or maybe a reminder to Congress (also in the east) that God is watching them. Discovering the intent will likely take a bit more research and isn't important at this time, although I would like to know. The same page lists "Holy Bible; presented by the Bible Society, instituted 1816" as being one of the items laid in the cornerstone, as indicated in the post. Incidentally, the list of items accompanying the Bible contains a copy of the "American Anti-mason, No. 1, Vol. 1, Hartford, Conn., 1839, Maine, Free Press." George Washington is one of the most famous Freemasons ever so the inclusion of anti-Masonic literature is a bit surprising and more than a bit rude.
Then this page lists all the memorial stones added during construction. Some of the Bible verse inscriptions mentioned in the post are verified to be from some of the memorial stones, but I didn't check them all. One day I'll get around to it, but so far I'm satisfied. No, you can't believe everything you read on the 'Net, but so far the post seems pretty accurate.
Maybe not the idea that Pierre Charles l'Enfant's design of the district is based on a cross. I'm pretty familiar with the city and it's streets -- I love to walk everywhere when I'm there -- but I don't think that a cross design is really evident. You can see several in a map, but you can also pick out a lot of shapes in the layout. If the Potomac River hadn't been in the way and Virginia hadn't reclaimed it's corner of the city then it might be easier to see a whole cross. The Washington Monument would be at it's vertex, the White House (or Executive Mansion, as it was called at the time) on one arm and the Congress at the base.
Overall, I'm still quite pleased with that friendly spam that came my way. It almost makes up for all the really bad stuff my well-intentioned friends, colleagues, and acquaintances send along.
