The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-11-14
ABSOLUTELY PURE
MOUNT VERNON AND ARLINGTON.
BY PROF. G. Nj. HAMMBLL,


MOUNT VERNON AND ARLINGTON.
BY PROF. G. Nj. HAMMBLL,
Fourteen miles from Washington. on
the West bank of that superb tidal
stream to which the Indians with fine
poetic feeling gave the name, River
of Swans" is Mount Vernon, whittier,
after q day in the streets of the Capt.
tai and the Halls OF Congress, l pill
grimed on a day of indispensable blue
of sky and charm of sunshine. The
contrast was genial n recuperative.
| needed to get away for a time from
that new CITY whose history dates only
from 1871, to some quiet place.. sacred
with accumulated historic associa-
tions. / went, therefore, to the tomb
and home of the first President but
instead of going by boat, which per-
haps is the ideal mode OF making tho
trip, l took passage on the ferry to
Alexandria,, and thence by the new
electric railway through woods and by
anticipated by the founders OF the
Republic. Leaving the Seventh Street
wharf at 9:3O, | reached my destination
at 1850 the cost of ride and admis-
sion being only sixty cents. Passing
the porter's lodge, l faced tho white
front of hat "mansion +" to which, at
the close of the Revolution, Washing
ton returned from Annapolis, hoping,
as he said, =" to move gently down the
stream OF life until he should sleep
with his fathers AT right and left,
curved colonnades, are various annexes
family and state kitchen, houses of
butler and gardener, smokehouse and
spinning house, and the barn built of
brick brought as ballast from England
in 1888. Entering the hall, / passed
from room to room, rapidly surveying
those RESERVATIONS and relics that make
the old house SO fascinating to lovers
of history. Here are seen the black
key of the Bastile, presented by La
fayette; Washington's swords and
Nellie Custis-besides scores of other
articles, large and little, identified
with the life of Washington and his
family.
The music room, banqueting hall,
West parlor, Mrs. Washington's sitting
room, the family dining room, the
library containing a proof of the
Farewell Address," with revisions
in Washington's OWL hand), the river
Don or guest-chamber, the room of
Nellie Custis, and the chamber in
"1lCll olSu III >pSIlSTtl dIu llS WHO
each has its peculiar interest and
individuality. From the mansion
(Which, without it's portico, is a rather
plain frame building) l went to the
original family vault, where the Cen
erals remains, after lying in state.
were first deposited and then to the
red brick m%ausoleum to which they
were removed in 1881. Both tombs
have been restored, " and therefore
have only a secondary historic value,
dependent upon the eXactness of repro
duction. Standing at the iron gate
way of the Enclosure IN which moldcrs
tho formless dust, it was difficult to
realize that, after thirty years, | vas
actually on that sacred spot, of which,
as a boy, [ had read and heard-the
Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon.
There-there is the sarcophagus of
marble bearing the immortal name and
the emblematic coat Of arms and
there. on the wall, are the sacred
words of the Lord of Life: 81 am the
Resurrection and the Life he that be-
lieveth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live tho perpetual testi-
ing a pencil sketch, l returned to the
lawn and sketched the : river-front
from the viewpoint usually selected
by artists, and later in the afternoon,
sitting on the South porch, painted in
pater-cOlOr (using water from Wash
ington's welD the view of lawn, wood
land, river and distant hill. A work
man engaged in making repairs on the
house voluntarily expressed his opin-
ion hat l had got it )" but | fear
that there is an element in the Gene
which my pencil cannot reproduce, II
subt. beauty of atmosphere and com
lt,n ~, ~ nD1N, al inh ,D NnlAtf m, -,
express. AT 1884 p. m. | returned to
the city, bearing with me as mementos
two cups turned from Mount Vernon
trees, a piece of wood cut from the
Southeast 4 post of tho house,
and a handmade lath-nail, given me
by the appreciative mechanic to whom
[ nave referred. The wood has been half
eaten by borer-wo:m ms, and the nail is
badly rusted buS wood and nail were
once a part OF that historic house in
which the great Washington lived and
died.
1t seemed fitting that Arlington
should succeed Mount Vernon in my
plan of Acknowledgements the home of
John Custis, father-in-law of that
belle of williamsburg" who subse-
quently became Martha Washing
ton and later, the home Of Robert
f.. Lee. 1t lies Immediately opposite
the city, but is only reached by a cir
cuitous route through Georgetown,
over the aqueduct above Analostan
Island, and by n winding road among
the hills. Instructed by a metropolitan
policeman, l rode by cablc-train to
Georgetown, expecting to cross the
a%queduct and take an electric car at
Rosslyn but on reaching the Western
end of the bridge [ saw only Il number
of dead cars in a shed THE track was
blocked, half buried in weed and
brown with rust. However. having
the requisite amount of grace and two
good feet, I followed the course of the
railway that is to be, to Fort Myer,
and came by t%ortuous ways TO Airing
ton Cemetery, passing the parade
ground. where four companies OF
"Indian fighters" we're drilling. ] re-
viewed them from u convenient point
in tho shade of IL sapling, and entered
the welcome shade OF that great grave
yard, the resting place of sixteen regi-
ments of Union soldiers. / cannot
hope to impurt by pen or voice all the
Impressions received at historic Ar
! lington, as / walked alone through
the Of the dead, stood in the
deserted halls of the manor-housc,
traced the course of the vine-embower-
! cd circle where G.. a.. II. posts are
won't to assemble, listened to the
sonorous nO0n-strokc on the big iron
triangle at the water tower. So much
thas happened here The beauty Of
the place cannot conceal it's tragedy.
The light of the August sun cannot