University of South Carolina Libraries
pip-' ti'J i WASHINGTON'S TOME ljfc TH^FU ? |^?_J| GEORGE/ > fe' T is so common to celebrate the B birthdays of great men, and so S-Vv I rare to hold ceremonies.in commemoration of their deaths, that f-p ?he memorial exercises which took it place under Masonic auspices in vari?as parts of the country on Decemp; her 14, 1899, the centenary of the I I;;.. death of George wasnmgton, atu-act& ed wide attention, Curiously enough, the original suggestion of the observance came from the Grand Lodge of Freemasons for the State of Colorado, a part of this continent whose existence was known to Washington only vaguely as a piece of the great onexplored Spanish Southwest. It is trait* as odd that, after leading Free-, masons in the United States had jaken the plan in hand and invited the craft in other lands to co-operate, the first acceptance shonld have oome, with every manifestation of enthusiasm, from New Zealand, which in Washington's day was a savage dominion lately discovered and salted by Captain Cook in the same of King George of England. Nothing could mark the world's progress in the intervening century more clearly than these circumstances. "Many accounts of Washington's death, differing in detail, have been published by the standard historic .tuts, and many theories have been ^T/tadvanced as to the cause of it. That j?V ho caught a severe cold, and that pi: this nan into the disease of the |p throat which was then known as ||,vr Uuinsy, are among the settled facts; piy bttt whether his me mignt not nave I' been prolonged but for the copious "bleeding to which lie was subjected Is still open to debate. The only official Tecord we have, perhaps, is that .kept by his secretary, Tobias lae&v, In a letter to John Adams, 1m refers to the fatal ending to the disease and not to the treatment. Ibis letter runs as follows: Mount Tern on, December 15, 1799. Tfc Is with inexpressible grief that I have to announce to yon the death of the great and good General Washington. He died ewentng between 10 and 11 o'clock, after a short illness of about twenty-four hours. His disorder was an inflammatory sore throat, which proceeded from a cola, of'which he made out little complaint on J&icbiy, Oa Saturday morning about 3 Vciock he became ill. Dr. Dick attended If: ; him "in the morninr. and Dr. Craik, of Al0 exandria* and Dr. Drown, of Port Tobacco. ';'.;au sacta after called in. Every medical awsusitoee was offered, without the desired S&o&efc. Hts last scene corresponded with w v the whete tenor of his life. Xot a groan . or escaped him in extreme dis1 tress. With perfect resignation and in If: possession of his senses he closed his & xwjwjient He. |pV/ -Another contemporary letter tells ||? ns that Washington informed Dr. P(?!??? "that lie had no Iear 01 aeatn, that his affairs were in good order, that he had made his will, and that pis public business was but two days behindhand." He was buried at Mount Yemon on Wednesday, December IS. On the coffin plate was inscribed, "General George Washingtin, Departed this life on the 14 th of December, 1799, Aet 68." Above the plate were the words, "Surge ad Judicium," and below it, "Gloria Deo." From a local newspaper ac? count of the day we learn that a vessel was anchored in the Potomac Hirer, firing minute guns while the f;' funeral procession formed at the manor-house and mored in this order to the family tomb at the botr torn of the lawn: & / \ ' Cavalry, \ Guard, Vwiih arms reversed. Infrntir,) . i Music. Clergy. The General's horse, with his saddle, hols ? ters and pistols. Colonels Colonels *3 : Sims, ss B I Gilpin, I o'J ? 1 ^ f5 l *r i -o " Ramsey, f j? : 2 I Aiarsieiiar, Si-' - j n ! : ^ ! Payne, J ? . [Little. Mourners. Masonic Brethren. ^ Citizens. The cavalry halting, the Infantry marched toward the tomb and N formed their lines; the clergy, the Freemasons, and the citizens descended to the vanlt, and the burial service of the Protestant Episcopal Church was performed. The infantry and cavalry each fired a volley, eleven pieces of artillery on the riyer-bank 6ent forth a roar, and the ceremony was concluded. When the project for a centen- i nial commemoration first took shape j it was proposed to re-enact this en- j v tire scene, even to the extreme of j having a catafalque borne to the site h: ' ^ i - : ; :/ . . : ... ? J AT MT. VERNON. NE^LOF ||| WASHINGTON [Wj of the old tomb; but against that A ? 1 s *t-o o I60.LUr6 H JOUU pruicsu nao i ttiuvu, on the ground that it would turn a solemn memorial service into a mere theatrical show. It was decided to give the ceremonies a symbolical rather than an imitative character, though the reproduction was carried up to a certain point. The day chosen was the 14 th of December, but the funeral of the 18th furnished an outline for the incidents. The Freemasons, the representatives of the patriotic societies, and other citizens assembled at the east side of the mansion, and moved in procession to the old vault by the same path, and as nearly as possible in, the order, taken by the procession of a century ago. Here a dirge was played/ by the band, Bishop Randolph, of the southern diocese of Virginia, read a prayer, an octette from the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia sang a hymn, and the Grand Master of Masons for Colorado delivered an address. Then the procession moved to the present ^omb. The Grand Masters of the thirteen original States stood in line in front of the tomb, faced by a semicircle of the Grand Masters of other States and foreign jurisdictions, while the j Grand Lodge of Virginia formed in a circle around the tomb, holding hands. The Grand Master of Virginia called for tributes, first from the original thirteen States, and then ', ; ) ,;. 1 A ' ?' ' '. ' ' THE FUNERAL * from the East, West, North anfl ! South, respectively. After brief responses, the Masonic dignitaries returned to the east side of the mansion, where the whole assemblage listened to an address by President McKinley, who received his initiation j into the Masonic order during the i Civil War, in Virginia, and only a | few miles from the lodge in which J Washington had presided as master, j The evening was spent in memorial | banquets in Washington, George- j town and Alexandria, where the vis- j iting Freemasons were entertained by the local lodges. About fifty foreign lodges attended by delegation. It was hoped at first that the Prince Wiiioo fl-niiifi on.nip aiTionsr the \JL >> dito *? VIIIU ? w British visitors, but he was reluctantly obliged to decline. George Washington became an entered apprentice at the lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia?No. 4? on November 4, 1752, passed to the second degree on March 3, 1753, and was made a master Mason on August 4, 1753. When the Washington Lodge of Alexandria was organized, in 1788, he was one of its charter members, and was elected worshipful master at once.?Harper's Weekly. THE ORIGIN OF WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY. The custom of observing Washington's Birthday had its origin in New York, according to the local histories. Mary Simpson was a negro slave, once owned by Washington, who ultimately freed her. She lived at John and Cliff streets, near the old Fly Market, and sold butter, milk, eggs and cookies. She never forgot Washington's Birthday and tried to see that none of her patrons forgot it either. Regularly on February 22 Mary baked a huge cake of a kind especially liked by the General, and put the cake on a table with a bowl of punch and a pot of steaming coffee for her patrons. On the wall she 4 ?From the Youth's Companion. hung a picture of Washington, and beneath it she put a small leatherbound trunk, displaying the initials G. W. in brass nails. Both the picture and the trunk were gifts General Washington had made to her. It became a custom to pay old Mary a visit on these occasions, partake of her hospitality and talk ?f Washington's deeds. The custom spread and by-and-bye the Tammany Society voted to celebrate the day. It was the first organization to hold public celebration in honor of the anniversary. BE PREPARED FOR WAR. To be prepared for war Is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.?George Washington. &fSf Xi : *<4 v. & X -:r - - m : & ': : ::: A; ? -V* V - V .'" y:. : v : ; :/ / .:: .v?'s,s v...-; ; ;\s, "-1' iftitfr' i ? o> george Washington, dece Silver Plate From the Wooderi* Case Which Inclosed the Leaden Coffin of George Wasliington. This plate was found among the debris in the old tomb at Mount Vernon when Gen. Washington's casket was removed to the new tomb. It was attached to the outer wooden case, which was so decayed that the plate fell off ana was not oDservea until the coffin had been inclosed in a new cedar case and placed in the tomb. It was purchased from the undertaker by Mr. W. F. Havemeyer, of New York, who now owns it, and through whose permission the above is reproduced. * WASHINGTON IN WALL STREET. Sublime, where traffic's billows beat A nation's wealth about his feet, He stands: upon the surging street He looks benignly down. ITe hears the distant, wall-hid sea, The silver chime of Trinity, And, voicing passion, grief or glee, Our million-throated town. And, up and down, our tasks we ply With rapid step and heedless eye, Alert alone to sell and buy; But when the day goes dim. When evening brings its sweet release From toil and care, when tumults cease, When twilight crowns his brow with peace, The children come to him. Rejoicing, free, in careless grace | They climb the massy granite base; j Unawed, they view that noble face, They swarm the brazen knees Whose polished surface now denies The gray of age that artists prize; But more than art is all that lies In love of such as these. V What matters race, or hue, or creed? Though born to \j*calth or born to need, Or sprung of poor plebeian seed Or proud patrician stem, From lowly hut or lordly hall? By these his land shall rise or fall. His hand outstretched above them all, Their father blesses them. ?Arthur Guiterman, in Youth's Com- j panion. * AMUSING PATRIOTIC DISH. Harper's Bazar described an amusing dish for the patriotic table. Have French chops carefully trimmed. Broil them nicely and have ready some rounds of toast or fried bread. Fasten each chop between two of these rounds with wooden toothpicks, or small skewers, and the result is a very close imitation of a cannon. Put a few stoned olives on each plate to represent ammunition. A pretty salad in keeping with the general scheme is made of the choicest canned or preserved cherries to be had. Unless the stones have already bean removed, take them out carefully, and substitute a blanched filbert or hazelnut. Arrange on white lettuce leaves, and serve with a French dressing in which lemon juiw takes the place or vinegar. TRUTHFULNESS. If I had been George Washington?if I had, I never would have told a lie To vex my dear old dad. And yet the people seem to think Because he told the truth. It's something very wonderful; Indeed, my great-aunt Ruth, She sighs and says she wishes that "Our George were such a boy, For then he couldn't fail to be His father's greatest joy." But I can't nelp a thought or two About that other lad? If once before he'd told the truth (Please don't repeat this to Aunt Ruth), Why should there so much praising be About the chopped old cherry tree? ?Olive Preston. ^ ^ >'': ' ^fetr ^''i0^'k}\ % o^Mfx\ "?** ?From Harper" Week!/. MBER 18, 1798. - .' <? '. fT' . >.* . J . ^ '" j-'. >:1 BY BIG MAJORITY House Adopts Conference Report on Immigration Bill. "BiG STICK" IN EVIDENCE Measure, as Adopted, Gives Roosevelt Power and Privilege to Deal With Exclusion of Jap Laborers as He Sees Fit. A Washington special says: Un* der suspension of th-j rules, the house Monday adopted the conference report on the immigration bill, which was agreed to by the senate Saturday, although the Democrats generally made a party issue against the passpoit provision as well as to that requiring air space in vessels. The vote stood ayes 187, noes 301. Four Ii& publicans voted against the bill, and tour Democrats voted for it. Representative Burnett of Alabama i made points of order against the j first provision, which undertakes to tegulate the incoming of Japanese cociies, by giving the president authority to refuse to recognize their passports, and also against the whole of section 42, having relation to the air space in vessels bringing immigrants to the United States. As to the first proposition, Mr. Burnett insisted that the authority conferred by the section cn the president put ;n his hands a "big stick," which he could wield over a state. He declared that it gave the chief execu tive a power which was never con- j templated by the constitution, nor by the enabling act of any sovereign state. As to the second proposition, ?it was Mr. Burnett's contention that the air space provision properly belonged in a bill relating to navigation, ai.d had no part in a bili regulating the immigration of aliens into the United States Mr. Burnett- asked the speaker if the whole Chinese exclusion law could not be repealed by a conference report. "Oh. why does the gentlemen ask about that which might, could, would, or should happen?' replied the speaker, amid laughter. Sir. Williams, of Mississippi, desired to wari. the people of California of something which they already knew, and that was that the views of the president was not their views, j "This man to whom you have ieic! the discretion in tho matter of Japu- j note immigration is one who has al- J ?". Q <* II 1*0 H. I 1 1CV\/1I11UCUUV.U vuv. I tion of the Japanese/' said Mr. Wil-1 liams. *1 am,with the peop'e of California oil the question of separate schools. "And I am with them on another question." continued Mr. Williams. "I want the Pacific coast kept.a white man's country (applause), and I want all this country, as far as it can be, to be a white man's country, not merely because 1 believe the Caucasian is superior to other races, but because this is our land, the land of our traditions and our ideals, and 1 know that the influx of another race means another race problem tor another portion of this republic, and another social warfare. "I want to say that every woe which this country has suffered has resulted from the landing of the first slave ship at ^Jamestown." (Applause.; COTTON EXPERTS ASSURED. Provision for Their Salaries is Finally Agreed Upon. The appropriation of $20,000 for, the employment of experts to work abroad to increase the business in cotton products, which has been in conference for several weeks, has been finally agreed upon. The conference report containing the item was signed Monday afternoon. Thp whole appropriation for extending foreign trade in American manufactures is $50,000. If COTTON DUCK COMPANY* Shows Great Gain in Business Done the Past Year. The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Consolidated Cotton Duck Company was held in Baltimore Monday and largely attended. The statement of earnings for the year, a?i Olof loc.^ w'hnijr^H t'UUfcJU L/CtClllUCl 14131, IttiSL, Kiuunvu the gross income to be $10,024,824.29, an increase of $666,867.46 as compared with 1905, and net earnings ol $1,201,881.39f an increase of $384,709.31, as compared with the previous year. ENJOYED BRIEF FREEDOM. Three Prisoners Released from Atlanta Pen to Face Other Charges. Out of the federal prison at Atlanta where they had done live years for postoffice robbery in South Carolina, three men, with charges of bank < robbery against then;, stepped into the arms of Carolina officers .Monday, 1 who were in Atlanta awaiting their 1 discharges. - .... ' SCHOOLS OPEN TO JAPS. 'Frisco Authorities Will Admit Yelicv* Youngsters Under 16 Years, and Who Speak English. Japanese children are to be admitted V) white schools ot San Francisco under certain restrictions; skilled and unskilled laborers coming from Japan barred from the mainland ot! the United States and American laborers* skilled and unskilled, are to be-excluded from Japan. This is the basis of the agreement between President Roosevelt, Secretary 1-Lcct, Mayor, Schmiiz and the San Francisco school board, as an adjustment of .the antiJapanese agitation brought about by the segregation cf Japanese children. v. in the schools of San Francisco. The. agreement means that schools of San. Francisco will be conducted in the same manner as they were before tire board of education adopted the resolution, last October providing* tor the segregation ct the Japanese, excepting that adult Japanese, who are in primary grades must continue to attend the Oriental schools, and that Japanese children under 16 year's of age will be admitted to classes with, white children oi their own ages. While the resolution of the school board, as amended, reads ''children of alien birth." it is freely admitted by. Mayor Schmitz and his associate^ I that the resolution will apply only . J to the Japanese children, and that ;i the changing of the wording was to make it plain to the Tokio govern- ; mont that no discrimination was in- | tended against Japanese children. . Mayor Schmitz is quoted as saying: ' "This is only a temporary agree- ..% ment President Roosevelt has given us direct aiid positive assurances , . that he will at once begin negotiations with Japan for the purpose of bringing about a new treaty that will exclude Japanese laborers, skilled and /; 'i unskilled, from continental United 'jjt States. Shortly before midnight Monday 1,^ night the following statement was given out at the White House: . ' A typewritten copy pf Mayor. Schmitz's statement was submitted fo , President Roosevelt and Secretary Roor, and the statement is entirely satisfactory to them." In reference to modifying the order excluding Japanese children from 'th? ' ^ white schools, the representatives of San Francisco said: "As a condition of the modification. ^ o? said resolution, we respectfully insist that the legal proceedings hereto- V;f fore instituted be dismissed forthr Jfh with, and that it is expressly under- .'^$p stood that we have not conceded and do not concede, or intend to concede? that our action was in violation of any of the stipulations of the treaty ?0 between the United States and ja!><>n, but on the contrary we do claim and assert that if any 'stipulation in - ' said treaty contained is inconsistent ' or conflicts with the power and auihoriry given, by section No. 1662- o? . the penal code of the state of Oaii- ^ fomia, then so far as said treaty At- " tempts to circumscribe or prevent the board of education from, regulating its own scraool affairs as an exercise V 4i of locral police power, such provision in said treaty are negatory and void.'' > ^ contradictory testimony. ;,p Versions of Black and White Soldier* Do Not Agree. Witnesses in the Brownsville Jhearing at Washington Monday testified *. that the shooting lieg;m in the rear of the commissary; away from the " town, and continued around the road and into the town while the call to arms was being sounded. The corn- )$, mittee heard a great^ deal of contradictory testimony. As to certain inci- 13 dents it was white soldier against ne- .'|jj gro soldier. . y ; -? RAILROADS ARE EXEMPT /r;; From Paying Occupation Tax . ir* : Georgia Towns. Authority is vested in no municipality to levy and collect an occupation, tax upon a commercial railroad doing: ; business in such municipalities. That was the decision of the Georgia supreme court Monday morulas in the case of the town of Arlington against the Central railroad. The authorities levied an occupation tax of * $10 on a? warehouse owned -by the Centra1. ( GARRETT TO SUCCEED WALTERAs Head of the Seaboard Air Lino "vf; , is Current Report. The New York Herald prints the > -J following: "It is understood that William Vsrf Garrett., first vice president oi> ine_ Seaboard Air Line, will succeed the late Alfred Walter, as president ojt that road. . . "_v. ______ X BAR PASSES AND FRANKS. ? Tc Accept Either is Made a Criminal Offense in Oklahoma. _ . j The Oklahoma constitutional con- >,: vention Monday passed the Section 6t -7' the railroad report making it a crimin:il offense to accept a railroad' pass or a telegraph frank. A railroad com- ;1 mission to be elected by direct vote of the people was created and the consolidation of railroad, companies* :Si was prohibited. ^ ^ :p- O ^