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"The art of Paul Wayland Bartlett (1865-1925) and turn-of-the-century sculpture in general have been attracting increasing attention. A leading American sculptor of international reputation, Bartlett was one of the best-known artists in the United States." "Bartlett's sculptural decoration for the House pediment at the U.S. Capitol Building was his most prestigious public monument and one of the most historically important federal commissions to be awarded in the United States during the early twentieth century. Its installation in the long-vacant House pediment finally brought to completion a project of Capitol expansion that had begun more than a half-century earlier. As such, it provides a valuable opportunity for exploring the early development of government-sponsored public sculpture in the United States. Unveiled just eight months prior to U.S. entry into World war I, the pediment also represents one of the most visible public expressions of the ideals of the late American Renaissance (1876-1917)."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Martha Banta reaches across several disciplines to investigate America's early quest to shape an aesthetic equal to the nation's belief in its cultural worth. Marked by an unusually wide-ranging sweep, the book focuses on three major "testing grounds" where nineteenth-century Americans responded to Ralph Waldo Emerson's call to embrace "everything" in order to uncover the theoretical principles underlying "the idea of creation." The interactions of those who rose to this urgent challenge?artists, architects, writers, politicians, and the technocrats of scientific inquiry?brought about an engrossing tangle of achievements and failures. The first section of the book traces efforts to advance the status of the arts in the face of the aspersion that America lacked an Art Soul as deep as Europe's. Following that is a hard look at heated political debates over how to embellish the architecture of Washington, D.C., with the icons of cherished republican ideals. The concluding section probes novels in which artists' lives are portrayed and aesthetic principles tested.
For architecture aficinados and historians, this comprehensive view of the statues, monuments and architectural plans of Washington DC provides an exciting insight into our federal city. Author Michael Curtis guides this tour of the heart of the District of Columbia's buildings, statues, and monuments. Classical design formed our nation's capital. The soaring Washington Monument, the columns of the Lincoln Memorial and the spectacular dome of the Capitol Building speak to the founders' expansive vision of our federal city. Learn about the L'Enfant and McMillan plans for Washington, D.C., and how those designs are reflected in two hundred years of monuments, museums and representative government. View the statues of our Founding Fathers with the eye of a sculptor and gain insight into the criticism and controversies of modern additions to Washington's monumental structure.
At the turn of the century, Herbert Small, a newspaperman, wrote a guide to the building and its decoration. His text, edited by Henry Hope Reed, is reproduced here. It is preceded by introductory essays by historian and Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel J. Boorstin and noted writer Brendan Gill. The planning and construction of the building are detailed in John Y.
Congress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine its own pay. Prior to 1969, Congress did so by enacting stand-alone legislation. From 1789 through 1968, Congress raised its pay 22 times using this procedure. Members were initially paid per diem. The first annual salaries, in 1815, were $1,500. Per diem pay was reinstituted in 1817. Congress returned to annual salaries, at a rate of $3,000, in 1855. By 1968, pay had risen to $30,000. Stand-alone legislation may still be used to raise Member pay, as it was most recently in 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1991; but two other methods--including an automatic annual adjustment procedure and a commission process--are now also available. The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 established the current formula for automatic annual adjustments, which is based on changes in private sector wages and salaries as measured by the Employment Cost Index. The adjustment goes into effect automatically unless denied statutorily by Congress, although the percentage may not exceed the percentage base pay increase for General Schedule employees. Allowances are available to Representatives and Senators to support them in their official and representational duties as Members. These allowances cover official office expenses, staff, mail, and other goods and services. Despite significant reductions in congressional mail postage costs over the past 20 years, critics continue to raise concerns that the franking privilege is both financially wasteful and gives unfair advantages to incumbents in congressional elections. In particular, mass mailings have come under increased scrutiny as critics argue that the vast majority of franked mail is unsolicited and, in effect, publicly funded campaign literature. Members of Congress first elected in 1984 or later are covered automatically under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), unless they decline this coverage. Those who already were in Congress when Social Security coverage went into effect could either remain in CSRS or change their coverage to FERS. Members are now covered under one of four different retirement arrangements: CSRS and Social Security; The "CSRS Offset" plan, which includes both CSRS and Social Security, but with CSRS contributions and benefits reduced by Social Security contributions and benefits; FERS and Social Security; or Social Security alone. Congressional pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions. All Members pay Social Security payroll taxes equal to 6.2% of the Social Security taxable wage base ($102,000 in 2008 and $106,800 in 2009). Members enrolled in FERS also pay 1.3% of full salary to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. In 2008, Members covered by CSRS Offset pay 1.8% of the first $102,000 of salary, and 8.0% of salary above this amount, into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at age 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. After Members of the House leave office, they are afforded certain courtesies and privileges. Some are derived from House Rules, but many are courtesies that have been extended as a matter of custom. Former Representatives who become lobbyists have limited privileges. See full Table of Contents at https://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/GovernmentSeries/1657_CongressionalPayAndPerks.html