Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1898 — Builded Wisely in Building Well. [ARTICLE]

Builded Wisely in Building Well.

It was remarkable how often the strangers who were here at the conventions Wednesday were heard expressing their admiration for our new court house. All of them admired its outward appearance, and those who had time to look through the interior were equally well pleased with the convenience, and commodiousness of its rooms, and with the elegance and durability of its finishing and furnishing. But in all this chorus of admiration, there were none who conceded the superiority of our building, and the wise forethought of its builders, more readily than the men who were here from White county, which itself has a new court house, which, justly enough, is regarded with pride by the citizens of thht county. But, good as their building is, there is probably not a single White County man, of unbiassed judgement, who sees our court house, and learns what it was built for, who does not wish that their commissioners had added 50 or 60 per cent, to what they expended in building and furnishing it, and built it better and larger while they were building. Already, they say, their building is too small for the needs of the county, and they wish that, like our commissioners, they had provided for the future growth of the county by making a larger building. And when they look upon the beautiful but enduring mosaic floors, marble stairs and wainscoting and the polished hardwood finishing of our building they regret once more the false ecomony that finished their building in cheap lumber, and which already shows an old and rusty and battered appearance. In respect also to the heating of the two buildings, the comparison is all in favor of ours, and although ours cost much the most at the start, yet our fires being far removed from the building, and theirs directly within it, we can burn much cheaper coal, than they and also escape the dirt, gas and smoke which their building is subjected to, and therefore ours will be much the cheaper in the long run, as well as much the pleasanter, better and healthier. In short, look at the matter as you will, our commissioners builded wisely in building well.