Carolyn Bauer, Age 12, Of Louisville, Ky., for her question:

What does the statue on the capitol building represent?

Our magnificent capitol building in Washington, D.C., covers four acres, and the top of its white dome arches up 272 feet. At the peak of the dome stands a figure, too far away to be distinguished from the ground. Actually the lofty figure is 192 feet tall, and if we stood beside it we would think it immense.

The figure on the capitol dome represents freedom, the ideal of freedom upon which our nation was founded. It is made of bronze and weighs almost seven and a half tons. At its base are the familiar words e pluribus unum   meaning: out of many, one. This nob1e message also has a deep meaning in the American form of democratic government.