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North Wing – North Hearing Room and the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Memorial Hearing Room – Pediment by Attilio Piccirilli's “Wisdom and Learning of the World” -- The central figure holding a tablet on which is written the inscription "Sapientia," or wisdom, represents enlightenment. The character of this enlightenment is indicated in the other figures of the group. The female figure leaning on the rake symbolizes agriculture, man's first and mightiest task, subduing the earth and changing the wilderness into fruitful fields. The mother and child symbolize maternity, the home or family, which is the foundation of society and the strength of a nation. She is approaching the shrine of Wisdom, seeking knowledge to instruct and guide her child, the child in which lies the hope of the future of the race. The tremendous responsibility involved in this task, the seriousness and conscientiousness with which the mother is applying herself, is strikingly brought out by the artist in the pose of the figure. Her personal interest in the progress of her husband, who typifies labor, and whom she is guiding toward Enlightenment for wisdom, is finely suggested by her hand resting on his shoulder. On the extreme right are two figures, male and female, symbolizing the fine arts, music, poetry, and the arts of design. The group of two figures on the extreme left, male and female, represent philosophy, geometry, and the sciences in general. The group immediately to the left of the central figure symbolizes the idea of mechanics or physics. Electricity is the female figure, leading the engineer, who, in turn, is guiding and supporting the mechanic to "Sapientia." The group also illustrates comradeship, brotherly love, and the religious principle.