Laus Deo. Two words displayed on the top of the Washington Monument. Let us dig into what those two words mean in the study of Christianity in American history. How interesting! And … no doubt … intended to carry a meaning for those who bother to notice. One interesting feature is the interior iron stairway with 50 landings and stone steps. These donated stones come from every state in the Union, as well as Native American nations and foreign countries.
While the stairwell has been closed since the s, visitors can gain access to the top observation area via elevator. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message. On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs , Luke and Proverbs When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society.
Such was the discipline, the moral direction, the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy.. Have you never read it? Well now is your opportunity … read on! And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.
Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Origins: This item contains a good deal of information about the Washington Monument in Washington, D. Actually, all four sides of the point bear inscriptions, as follows:. Act of August 2, The result was a system of intersecting diagonal avenues superimposed over a grid system.
The avenues radiated from the two most significant building sites that were to be occupied by houses for Congress and the President. He specified that each reservation would feature statues and memorials to honor worthy citizens.
The Washington Monument was later erected in place of the equestrian statue, although poor soil conditions made it necessary to construct the monument slightly out of alignment with the intersection of the axes:. In , sixty-four years after Congress had made the first proposal for a memorial to the first President, it granted a acre site for it to the Washington National Monument Society.
It was the same site, Reservation No. Soil tests, however, showed the intended spot due south of the White House and due West of the Capital to be too marshy.
The proposed equestrian statue of Washington was not completed until and was placed near the present location of George Washington University. Moreover, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials were not conceived until the 20th century, and decisions about where to locate them were not reached without some debate. As the Park Service notes of the Lincoln Memorial:. While an early design was made, there was no financial support behind it. The project stopped momentarily, but the idea did not fade away.
Members of Congress kept the dream live. By February, , a bill was passed establishing the Lincoln Memorial Commission. Two million dollars was set aside for the memorial. With such solid backing, the Lincoln Memorial would finally get started. The next critical issue facing the committee was the location for the new memorial. At one time, an idea was discussed that a memorial highway should link Washington with Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The bill, however, determined that [the memorial] would be in Washington, D. Many locations were discussed within the city. One suggestion was Potomac Park, newly created as a result of filling in the swampy area along the Potomac River.
Although it was hard to imagine this as an ideal setting for a new memorial, some saw the potential. Example: [Collected via e-mail, October ]. The National Park Service, a branch of the federal government, has joined the Veterans Administration in establishing anti-Christian bigotry as public policy. Since the actual inscription on the cap is unviewable atop the foot stone column, the NPS created a replica which is on display in the white-colored obelisk of marble, granite and sandstone.
In the plaque read:. The builders searched for an appropriate metal for the apex that would not tarnish and would act as a lightning rod. They chose one of the rarest metals of the time, aluminum.
The casting was inscribed with the phrase, Laus Deo, Praise be to God. The builders searched for appropriate metal for the cap that would not tarnish and would act as a lightning rod. They chose one of the rarest metals of the time — aluminum. With all the up! This is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this historical information. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less.
Once you know Laus Deo's history, you will want to share this with everyone you know. But these words have been there for many years; they are feet, 5.
Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, un-noticed words.
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