Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-11-11

timonial, and in his speech delivered on
that occasion prophesied that the Amer
lean pilgrim of after days would come
up to that high and holy place as TO n
shrine.
Alas. the pilgrims in the days since
then have been numerous enough. and no
doubt the reverential feeling in the
hearts of most of them was strong. but
the place of their pilgrimage was desc
late enough to have been the scene of
some great national dishonor. The mon
ument was never finished. and the ground
around 1t soon became neglected and for
lorn and SO remained for years. for dec
AIDES. for more than half century. The
shrine of a peoples loving remembrance
had become an abomination of desola-
ton. national disgrace. Students and
bibliophiles of future centuries will sigh
over it if they are animated by the spirit
of true patriotism, for pictures of the
long neglected scene have crept into his
tories, encyclopedias and other books
that are likely to he preserved. Let us
venture to hope that the plain lesson it
will teach will not be needed to urge
them to atonement for some similar Of
Tense.
Our own generation has needed the
lesson at last. y band Of noble women,
approaching the nobility of character of
the mother and mentor of the best and
greatest of Americans, and feeling the
mockery of pretending to honor him aud
his deeds while neglecting the memory
of her 10 whom he repeatedly ascribed
all that was best in his life and conduct,
have devoted the past three years and
more 10 repairing the long neglect and
have called upon their American sisters
to help them purge the nation of its
shameful contempt.
And nobly has their call been answer
ed. On the Esd of October last another
cornerstone. containing some of the rel
les that had been inclosed in the first one
and n few other appropriate tokens, was
laid upon the site of that forlorn grave
AT fredericksburg, Va, and this time
tine monument will be completed. 1t is
10 be dedicated on the LIST of December
with fitting ceremonies, Senator John
W. Daniel of Virginia delivering the
Grafton. y large number of prominent
Washington women have promised to
attend, and many government officials
and other citizens of distinction will be
present.
The celebration is TO be, as il should
he, distinctively 4 womcn's affair. The
! Daughters of tho Revolution and the
Colonial Danes. who are in thorough
sympathy with the undertaking, will
have numerous representatives on the
scene, and of course many Of the
members of the National Mary Wash
ington Memorial association, the ladies
who have carried this noble work to a
successful conclusion. will be on hand TO
see the browning of then achievement.
The monument is ella Ssical monolith,
30 feet in height. severely plain, simple
and honest. like the character of the
woman in whose memory it is reared.
! The association has secured several acres
| of ground around it. and the work OF
| the members will not by any means end
with the dedication. The plot is TO be
beautified and kept in the best possible
| order and the monument carefully looked
after and preserved.
When the present generation of mem
berS shall have passed away. this honor
able task will be bequeathed TO their
| daughters and their daughters daugh-
| tiers. as other patents of nobility in other
| lands descend in the male line from one
| generation To another. This has been
| carefully provided for i'll the constitu
tiun of the association. and so far as hu'
! man provision can see there will never
again be necessity for the nation to re
preach itself with neglecting what is
now indeed a sacred shrine.
H T. WHITE.