The herald., 1894-05-11
MARY,
THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON.

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The monument was made possible by
the persistent efforts of the two patri-
otic women--Mrs. Amelia @. Waite,
widow of the late chief justice of the
supreme court, and Mrs. Margaret Het-
eel of Clifton Station, Va. 1t was paid
for by contributions from almost every
state in the union.
The idea of building the monument
has existed ever since 1880. In 1888
Mr.. Silas E. Burroughs. a prominent
merchant of New York, offered to con-
struct in Fredericksburg, at his own
expense, memorial to the mother OF
Washington. The work was begun, but
Mr.. Burroughs met financial reverses
and died before he was able to resume
the work. In 1890 the Mary Washing
ton Memorial association was formed,
with Mrs. Waite and Mrs. Hetzel at the
! head, and the work of raising money
for the monument commenced in earn
est. ALI the work had to be done over
again, the stone work done under the
direction of Mr.. Burroughs having by
this time crum bled away.
Tie monument does not stand upon
the site of the house in which George
Wa5nIngJun WIS born. He was born
near the village OF Wakefield on the
bank of the Potomac river, 65 miles be-
low Washington. The monument hae
been raised over his rnother's long neg
lected grave, q quarter oil mfto- or M ore
beyond the city of Fredericks burg, on
what was once the farm of Col. Fielding
Lewis, husband of her daughter Betty.
Fredericksburg lodge, No. 4. Free
Masons, in which George Washington
was made Mason, gave banquet st
the opera house after the ceremonies
around the monument. Covers were
laid for $50 people. VicePreaident Ste
venson was at the head of the right
hand table; Chief Justice Fuller presided
over the LETT, and the place of honor at
the center table Was vacant when the
banquet commenced.
During the banquet President Cleve.
land entered the hall and was standing
in the center of the stage with members
OF the cabinet and their ladies before he
was recognized. Tue house shook with
yels when Judge James B Sener intro
ducsd the president, pointing to the por-
traits Of Washington and Andrew jack
son above the proscenium arch, aud al
luding TO Mr.. Cleveland as the legitimate
successor of both. The president re-
sponded:
barrassed by the mention of my two dis
tinguished predecessors and by the fact
that they were both members of the 80
ciety under whose auspices this banquet
ia given. congratulate the members OF
the fraternity represented here. l am
obliged to acknowledge my own short
coming in not being member of it.
Perhaps it ia my fault; ceftainly it 10
my misfortune. Those in fault seek COM
penNaton. |, too, have the honor to be-
long to great fraternity, one of which
George Washington and Andrew jack
con were prominent members. A fra
ternity whose grip means a united
whose password is The Peoples
cause under all circumstances whose
temple is not as old as tue temple of
Solomon, nut as old as American insti-
tutions; fraternity that Can never die
for it's fruits will always be before the
world. Would you know the name OF
this fraternity? 1t is the Brotherhood
of Free and Accepted Patriotic American
Citizens.
Judge Sener presided. introducing
first the we'll known journalist George
Alfred Townsend, who read poem.
Vice-Presldent Stevenson followed
with response to George Washington,
the Master " orkman of His Age.
Associate Justice Harlan OF the gu.
preme court responded to Our Diatin-
guished Guests.