Finding Faith in Boston I
We took some wrong turns, but Ray and I finally did find a parking spot so we could visit the Massachusetts State House. We parked in the garage beneath Boston Common, the oldest public park in America, founded in 1634.
As we walked toward the State House, we passed the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which honors those who fought in the Civil War. When it was dedicated in 1877, the entire Massachusetts militia paraded in Boston while President Rutherford B. Hayes reviewed the troops. The monument’s four bronze statues include:
- A sailor who looks toward the sea.
- A soldier who stands at ease.
- AÂ female figure who represents peace as she bears an olive branch and looks to the South.
- Another female figure who represents history as she holds a tablet and stylus and looks upward.
The view of the State House is pretty from the Common.
The air was brisk, but the sun shone beautifully on the brilliant gold dome.
We have learned that though state capitols often have many entrances, visitors sometimes have to seek out the one they are allowed to enter. Unsure where to go, Ray and I decided to do something we don’t usually like to do–we followed the crowd. This time that was a good idea, since they led us to the General Hooker entrance (Hooker was a Union general from Massachusetts)–just the one we needed.
One of the many things I enjoy about traveling to conventions in the spring is the opportunity to see spring flowers again and again as they bloom earlier in the South and later in the North. Tennessee daffodils usually bloom in February, so it was fun to see them in late April in Massachusetts. Perhaps these are particularly late this year; New England has had an extremely cold winter. A homechooling mom at the MassHOPE convention told me that trains were stopped in at least one area for about three weeks because there was so much snow!
When we found the tour desk, the lady told us to follow the Boy Scouts who had just started their tour. At first I was disappointed, thinking I would rather be in the front of a new tour than behind a big group that had already started. I was pleasantly surprised. For one thing, the children were perfectly behaved and accompanied by several attentive mothers, many wearing scouting uniforms themselves. As it turned out though, they had three tour guides–the regular one, plus their state senator and their state representative. We were in for a treat and got to go places we wouldn’t have gotten to go on a regular tour.
An early destination was the chamber of the state senate. Its ceiling is what is under that beautiful gold dome.
The room has several busts, including this one of Benjamin Franklin.
A treasured artifact kept here is this musket belonging to Captain John Parker who fought at the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. Our guide said that we don’t know who fired the “shot heard ’round the world,” but it could have come from this very gun.
Massachusetts state senators sit in a circle, round-table style. A current leader has introduced the idea that each senator should be at the same eye level, so the chairs have been adjusted so that taller people sit lower and shorter people sit higher. If you look very closely, you can see that the chair height varies in this photo that shows a few of those chairs. It’s more obvious in person.
 At the front of Massachusetts state senate chamber is this banner.
I am always thankful to see the Name of God mentioned in an honoring way in a public place. As homeschooling parents you have the opportunity to train your children to honor His Name, to speak His Name with respect, and to praise the Name of our Holy God.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He.
Psalm 99:3