The entire height has been made slightly greater than ten times the breadth of the base, producing an obelisk that for grace and delicacy of outline is not excelled by any of the larger Egyptian monoliths, while in dignity and grandeur it surpasses any that can be mentioned. The Monument tapers one-fourth of an inch to the foot, being 15 feet thick at the base and 18 inches thick at the top of the shaft. When the capstone was set in place a salute was fired by artillery stationed near the base, while the national flag was unfurled to the breeze in the rigging far above. The cost of the Monument was $1,300,000. To the criticism that the obelisks of old were monoliths, the reply was made that this Monument to Washington will not be less significant or stately because of being made up of many separate stones, for our country has been proud to give examples of both political and material structures which owe their strength to union; and this Monument embodies the idea of our national motto, E Pluribus Unum. [Illustration: THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT] With a view of having the States of the Union properly represented in the Monument the society extended an invitation for each State to furnish for insertion in the interior walls a block of marble or other durable stone--a production of its soil--of the following dimensions: 4 feet long, 2 feet high, and with a bed of from 12 to 18 inches, the name of the State to be cut thereon in large letters, and if desirable to the donor, the State’s coat of arms also. Later, this invitation to contribute memorial blocks of stone was extended to embrace such a gift from a foreign government. In response to these invitations many rich and durable blocks of stone were received which now adorn the interior walls of the shaft (in 1929 the memorial stones numbered 187) from all parts of the world, including one from the Parthenon at Athens, the ruins of ancient Carthage, and the tomb of Napoleon at St. Helena. These memorial stones begin at a height of 30 feet and end at 290 feet.