The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1888-06-30
FOURTH OF JULY-l776, 1888.

The recurrence of this National
Anniversary has never failed and
will never fail to carry with it re-
membrance of George Washing
ton, the central figure of the epoch
which gave to us a day treighted
with more infinite goodness than
any other in the calendar. There
is wide difference among theolo-
gians and biblical commentators as
to what day is really the Sabbath,
as to what day, aye, even what cal
endar month, Christ was born on
and in, but there is no difference
as to what day Liberty was born,
and proclaimed tc all the people of
lhY earth from the belfry OF Inde-
penjence Hail, IN Philadelphia,
and there is the closest alliance be-
tween our Natal day and that upon
which God rested from His labors
Of the first week. in that the for.
mer seems to be largely the frui-
ton ot the latter day, and ct the
purpose of the Maker of all days,
for as man, advances in the scale Of
Freedom and power of self-gov-
ernment, 50 much higher and near
er does he approach HIM in whose
image he was made.
There is no man living to-day
who ever saw Washington in the
flesh. tle died December II, '99,
and was laid away on the Goth OF
the same month. John Adams
was then President. There are
still eXtant many copies of the Uls-
ter County Gazette published at
Kingston, n. u, at that PERIOD
which contained the particulars of
the funeral of the Father of his
Country, from Que Of which we
copy the following relative to the
burial
GEORGETOWN, December 90 1799.-On
Wednesday last the mortal part of Wash
ington, the great, the father Of his coun
try and the friend of man, was consigned
TO The tomb with solemn donors and fun
eral pomp.
\ multitude of persons assembled from
many miles around at Mount Vernon the
choice abode and late residence of the il.
lus riOus chief, There were the groves. the
spacious avenues, the beautiful and sub
lime scenes, the noble mansion; but, alas
| the august inhabitant was nov no more.
! That great soul was gone. His mortal
parts were there indeed; but ah, how af
fecting? how awful the spectacle Of such
worth ard greatness, thus to mortal eyes
fallen yes faleu' fallen.
! In the long and lofty portico where last
the hero walked in all his glory, now lay
the shrowded corpse, The countenance
still composed and serene, seemed to cx-
press the dignity of the spirit which lately
| dwelt in that liteless fOrml Then those
who paid the last sad honors to the bene-
factor of his country took an impressive
farwell view.
On the ornament at the head of the cof
fin was the inscription,
Surge ad Judicium;"
about the middle of the coffin
Gloria Deo,"
and on the silver plate,
GENERAL
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
Departed this life on the l4th of Decem-
ber 1893,
Hlt IS.
| Between 3 and 4 clock the sound of
artillery from a vessel in the river firing
minute guns, awoke a fresh and solemn
sorrow-the corpse was remoYed-a band
/ Of music with mournful melody melted the
soul into all the tenderness of woe.
The proce sion was formed and moved
on in the following order. cavalry, infan-
try, gaurd, music, clergy, the general's
horse, with his saddle, holsters and pistols
Colonels Sims, Ramsey, Payne, Gilpin,
ALarsteler Little, pallbearers, escourting
the corpse Mourners Masonic brethren,
citizens.
When the procession had arrived at the
bottom of the elevated lawn, on the bank
of the Potomac, where the family vault is
placed, the cavalry halted, the infantry
marched toward the Mount, and formed
their lines-the clergy, Masonic brothers
and citizens descended to the vault, ane
the funeral services Of the church was per
formed The firing was repeated from tho
vessel in the river, and the sounds echoed
from the woods and hills around.