The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-02-18
f''r"m Hr P,rh,1Dnd Snuih.
MOUNT VERNON ASSOCIATION

IL WIS WIFI cN'Tciil" "'i Prise that we rcld
your anticlc on the 2C''. on the position of
the Mount Vernon 's>ociaton to Mount
Vernon, to Virgins, and to the Ma.
| ton.
We would pass owe; lis inaccuracies. even
as We do its (s"ch y compliments, but for
the effect Oh the opinion, Of the masses, of
cmanations, without reflection, as without
facts. We had not supposed that any
| lryint"n of intellect and cducaliun would
venture such an onslaught on those who are
generously lahorius to obtain money to
make Mount Vernon gW to Nir-inia;
who ohligate thcnlSclvc, in ur lcr to bind
the hearts OF their coun,rvmcn To that sa.
cred spot, to relieve the State from the care
and expense OF its protection who conccn-
trate themselves to take the charge of it.
and to labor for the means to preserve and
acorn it, he, from dciicacy, us well as from
regard for a reputation for the perception of
statcman, would have applied to cGicni
u"thoriiy for the history of the Mount Yer
non Association, and have aSccrtaincd all
concerning its past, rs we'll as its prospects
for the present aud for the future.
| That '0"""n-n"twiths;anliny the peculiar
views Of Mr.. Washington, which induced Il
course SO disastrous to her continuous AMI
successful operations and awakened all the
| prejudice and depression arising there
frpm-Sl"u,l have the power, through the
high au'l holy mission she has taken on
II .rs"lI, to wiring from the heart OF this whole
nalinn an almost unanimous need of aD-
| plau>c, and i'll spite Of the doubt that Vir
gInia would arcc'l: to the ralui>iti"n Of Mr.
Washington Mnt Mc purrh,$r from lin
must he made 10y the Slatc-that she should
induce the muy yici"n Of the nation to give
his time: his cloInencc E. mine of gold for
her holy purpose.!) may, to consccratc his life
to her wvrk-tlat she should cause ladies',
Of the highest position in State after State
to devote their aIl until the end was gained ::
some i'll their self sacrificing patriotism un-
dcr,aiing the charge Of entire States, and
cf cnlisting and arousins every county in
them-that she should enlist gentlemen first
in standing and i'll tel!ect to volunteer to
become her Knights, to aid i'll the rescue
Of Mt. Vernon, and, in emulation Of the en-
ample Of the famous Knights Tcmplar of
old, VOW themselves henccforth to tic
charge OF It's future interests that she
| should have hal the power to do this, is
tribute OF which she may well be proud:
and, more than that, these signs arc guar
amtcc that it needs but time to dcvclopc the
appreciating love and reverence for Wash
ington which is the noble unicr.Srufum OF
| the American character. Woman asks but
for time to hcw out ct this u pedestal for
the most glorious monumcn, 10 manly worth
the world has ever known.
Have You forgotten that "Romc was not
built in day" or .l,a; our glorious Re
public WAS not won i'll "tw"or three wears 2
Nay, not in tivc-thc .,tnc guaranteed to
| the Mount Vernon Association 10y their
character. And perna; us to ask if it
would ever have been . Republic if tile pat
riot Of that day had r.cd to commence a
revolution until aN tie wonry Of its mag.
inaJlr cost hnd been contributed beforehand?
Yet there were doubers then, too, who re-
gardcd the most glorious undertaking of
;, ,l- =
a,m"-a "bubble," mischievous, ifnot "bcau-
tful !" We hope, for the honor and credit
of the Old Dominion that there are none
such in the present General Assembly
guardians IN this matter of her reputation
| for all time. On their decision no,u, in ref
ercnce to the sacred ashes of the Father of
his Country, tie yorld for all time, aciN SIT
IN judgment.
You say that the Mount Vernon Assoei-
alton has "aborcd for two or three years
under the most favorable auspices, aud yet
without raising tenth part of the sum
necessary for this purchase" 1t is presum-
ed that the public will not dispute that ace
are reliable authority 90 these points; and
we state, that the Association from the be.
ginning until now, has encountered an ac-
cumu!alion Of difficulties calculated to appal
evcn-aVomdn not only from causes to
which we have alluded, but from those aris.
ing from individuals not gifted with patriot
hearts or the sagacity Of statemcn to per-
ccive that our enterprise was not "imprac
tcabIc" or was something more than
"vagary," the end of which might 10
"bubble~ The public will certainly never
accuse Mr.. Washington Of "amiabe enllu
siasm" or Of acting from the impulses of
sentiment; vet we had only to place our
views before him to induce him to reconsid-
er his determination "never to give Virgin
in another opportunity to purchase Mount