The Portland daily press., 1885-02-23
THE MONUMENT.
Dedicating the Obelisk to the
First President of the
United States.
Bitter Cold Weather Interferes with
the Exercises.

was an old gentleman with long white hair, whose
nrm, clear-cut features betrayed possible relations
slip to the Father of bis Country 1t was Eb'
enezer Burgess Ball of London county. virginia.
wh,se grandmother he said was George Washing
tons niece
1he military arrived betimes, rhe brass bands
were marshal ed to tIer places and the troops came
to rest. The Marine b and then played a selec-
tion which was rendered almost insudible by the
continued stamping of the snivering open-ar audi
enee.
Prayer was offered BY Rev. Mr.. Suter of Christ
church, Alexandria. Va. aad DIR. j. c. Yelling,
President of Columbia University, thereupon read
the address prepared by w. W. Corcoran, to whom
had been assigned the honor of representing the
part taken IN the iaitiation of the project of
he construction of the monument by the Washing
ton Monument Society, of which he Is the first vice
president.
~ The n,d Masonic ceremonies by the Grand Lodge Of
the District of Columbia were brief. The proper
func ionaiss declared thas the square, the level AMI
the plumb had been applied to the obelisk and that
the corners were found to be square, its courses
level its walls skifully erected according to the
paus. Grand Master Myr0n NJ. Parker then scat
tered the corn and poured out the wue, which are
the embems OF nourishment. refreshment and Joy
and in the course of the mystic rites brought into
certain historic relics with which General Wash
ipgton was connected, such the gaVel which was
used by Washington as Grand Master DO TEN in
laying the stone OF the national capitol on
Sept. 2s. 1893 the Bibe belonging to Fredericks-
burg Lodge, No. 4, of Virginia, upon which Wash
ngLon took the iirst of Masonry the Bible be-
longing TO st. Johns Lodge, No. of the city of
New York, upon which on April 1854 he took tba
th of Office first President of the United States:
the great liz ht belonging alexandria Washing on
Lodge No. ~, Of West Virginia, upon which he as
Worshipful Master received the VOWS of Initiates
the apron worn by bim, which rked by Nine
Lafayette golden urn containing lock of his hair
be oDging to the Grand Lodge OF Massachusetts and
Of the three sperm candles borne in his funeral
pIo ,ession.
Col. Casey. U. S. A., presented the monument to
the government.
President Arthur was greeted with round of
hearty cheers and read his speech of acceptance u
a clear. stro voice. to which the audience list
agaaANr rlxstt han 90
speaker. The assemblage broke into cheers at its
conclusion.
The military then wheeled into line, the civic
bodies and distinguished participants sought their
carriages, and the procession, under Command of
General She idan took up its line of march to the
Capitol. The procession turDe nto Pennsylvania
Avenue which presented brilliant sceDe dnrin the
progress of the pageant Thous snds of peope iined
the sidewalks aud occupied the grand stands along
the line OF march. Buildings were decorated with
flags and co ored bunting.
The President was frequently cheered. He rode
in an open baronche with Secretary FreliDghuyssn
AID Marshal McM icbael
Secretaries McCulloch and Lincoln were in one
carriage Secretary Teller and Postmaster General
Hattol in another and Secretary Chandler and the
Attorney General in another Senators Sherman
and Bryant occupied another.
Among the visiting organizations were several
knights Templar bodies. All wore their full gala
and made fine appearance. Bands of music were
distributed through tho division.
The p ocession reached the Capitol at ]. 80 where
it was reviewed by the President, who with his cab
met and members of the diplomatic corps occupied
stand opposite the main entrance facing the Craw
1900 people were prest MT.
The review Continued until 2 O'Clock when the
President and his cabinet repaired the Presidents
room in the CAPITOL where thy took lunch before
n'nceeding to The hall Oh the House of Representa-
dves.
Proceedings i'm the House.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 The hall OF the House of
Representatives this m lrning presented novel an
peafance. The desks Of the members had been re-
moved, aud IN their places were upon rows of
aanq " nf fhaA Ana
1900. EARLY In the day the galleries began to fIl
and by IL O'Clock there few vacant seats to be-
fund At precisely lit O'Clock Speaker Carlisles
gavel called the House to order and Sa urday's
session was opened with prayer by the chaplain
Representatives Dorshemer, Tucker and Cannon
were appointed committee to notify the Senate
that the House ready to receive the Senate and
proceed with the ceremonies. At 2.IO the National
Washington Monument Association was announced
and. headed by W. W. Corcoran, Judge Baneroft
and President Willing of Columbian University IL
marched in and took the seats assigned to it, Short-
ly afterward Gen. Sheridan and his staff entered
amid loud clapping of hands. The President and
hs cabinet next appeared, and the large assemblaoe
rose and heartily appiauded the cnief executive
and his advisers passed down the main aisle and
we're assigned to seats In The space d ectly front
OF the Speakers desk. The supreme court the
Judiciary of the district and the diplomatic coros
followed and hanked the presidential party and at
ESQ the Senate was escorted to the space reserved
for it. MIR. Edmunds proceeded to the speaker's
desk. where the gavel wos courteously hadded to
him by Speaker Carlisle. In calling the assemblaee
10 order, Mr.. Edmunds said: Gentlemen you are
Two houses 10 celebrate the occasion of the comple
ton of the monument to the memory of the arst
President of the United States IL is not only
memorial but inspiration that shall live through
all the generations of posterity, we may hoDe
and winch we this day inaugurate and celebrate BY
ceremonies which have been ordered by the two
houses. Prayer was then offered by Rev. s. a.
Wallis of Pohick Church, lear Mt Vernon Va
Prayer being ended, the Marine band stationed in
the members lobby played Hail Columbia and
then Mr.. Edmnnds, expressing his regret that Mr.
Winthrop was necessarily absent, introduced Repre-
sentative John ID. Long of Massachusetts, who
having been loadly applauded proceeded to read
Mr. Winthr0p's Grafton.
The Grafton.
Mr.. Winthrop referred to the address at the law
ing of the corner stone of the monument, SO years
ago when he was in his prime and the great change
tnat has come over him since then. He gave his-
tory of the onument association from its inst,tu
t0n Ia 1888 and glanced at the prominent events IN
Washngton's life. He considered the STYLE of the
monumental single column-most appropriate.
Does not" said he,, docs not, 1 repeat, that
IDLY than any arch statue could do that there ia
one name in American history above all other
names ons character more exalted than all other
characters, one example to bs studied and revsr-
enced beyond all other examples, one bright par
ocular star In the clear upper SKY of frmament
whose guiding light ami peerless lustrs for all
men and for all ages never TO be lost sight of never
to be unheeded? OF that name, of that Character
hes oh ina example Oh thas glorious guiding light our
ipgton himself for monument to the American
revolution, and on the site which marks our ma
'AOnaA Will W d uulqu0 momOrlAl ana
symbol fore ever"
Mr.. winthrop quoted as truly applicable to Wash.
lnston, this epigram-the e. eatest of good men and
the best OF great men,. In his per ration, he said:
Dur matchless obeisk stands pr udly before us to-
day, and we hail it with the exutations of unitei
and glorious nation. 1t may may not be- proof
against the cavils of critics but nothing of human
cti0n is proof against the casualties of time
The storms Of winter must blow and beat upon il.
The action of the elements must soil and disc0or it,
The lishtnings of Heaven may scar and blacken
lt. An earthquake may shake its foundations.
Some mighty tornado or resistless cyclone NAV rend
its massive blocks asunder, and hurl huge trag-
ments TO the ground. But the character which It
commentaries and illustrates is 1t will re-
main unchanged and interchangeable in all its con.
submate purity and splendor, and will more and
more command the homage of succeeding ages in
all regioLs of the EARTH
Mr. Long spoke from the clerks desk in an i'm.
pressive manner. and in a voice which, though not
ioud, was 80 clear as to reach every corner Of the
were delivered with fervor which elected FREQUENT
bursts Cf applause. and Mr.. Long finished the
peroration. the multitude broke into storm of
applause.
On the right of the speaker were seated the chap
aims OF the Senate and House AMI Rev. Mr.. wallis
while on his let sat Hon. John W. Daniel of Vir-
gInia and Senator SheTm IN chairman OF the Con-
gressional Dint commission.
AS Mr. Long ceased, the band struck up, "Coun-
the ar ended, Mr.. Edmuuds introduced Hon. John
W. Daniel who Was greeeed with long-continued
ciapplng OF hands. MIR: Daniel delivered most
eloquent tribute 10 the unerring pathfinder of the
people,. Many times was he Interrupted by rounds
of applause. eliciCed by his clean cut aud welbal-
anced periods and BY his eloquent sty of utterng
them. Az he closed. Senators imunds and Sher-
man, Speaker Carlisle and Repre- entative Long
congrat ulated him, while once more the audience
testhed their appreciation of the orators elo-
quence.
Af;er benediction by the chaplain of the House,
the dis lug Iished guests departed, an the speaker
called the House to order. The House at 5.45 sd-
jpurhed to Monday.
The ceremonies we're concluded by fine display
OF fireworks at night in the monument grounds
which attracted an immense crowd. Many promi-
nent persons we're in attendance. The President
aud number Of invited guests which included sew
erat cabinet officers viewed the scene from the
windows of the White House. The display closed
with Representation of the Temple OF Liberty, iu-
uding An equestrian statue of General Washington
and ngures representing Columbia and the q ID
dess OF Liberty. Telescope rockets were exploded
at an altitude Of $50 feet and discharged showers
OF smaller rockets over the apex of the monument
making It appear as though the shaft was robed
with fire.
XLVIIIth Congress-2d Session
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Feb 81.
The Senate met at o'clock. The chair laid be-
fha