The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-07
r..E ALLhUED WASHINGTON ALL.c.

metlc, whetner the man and brother was n
witness to possible happenings a possible
score of years before his birth. The Wash
inGton memorial at the Sub-Treasury is another
case and another witness. The reliable
Afro.Amcrican gentleman, however. served
at least one good purpose. He kept down the
demand for Illuminate relics. This is a spon-
taneuu' desire of the human heart. 1t will go
on ever increasing rs long as the world delights
in humbug. 1t is not a pleasant thing. however.
when monuments are fiagrantly raised to COM
memora,e imaginary historical events. We
have an evidence OF concession to n clty's
stupid pride and an evidence Of vanity of
weak men in authority In the fictitious
brown-stone relic of Washington's presence
here as first President. This slab was
cut from the Jews quarry at Second River,
n. j.. IN 1915. 1t is. of course, a matter OF no
consideration to relic makers that the Inaugural
ton ceremonies at Federal Hall had long be-
fore taken place. The fact that Washington
had lain sixteen years within the tomb when
this stone saw tho light does not concern the
genius OF invention. The almshouse bellevue
Hospital, whose building had been delayed by
the war with England. received the stone for a
platform Of the stoop on the river side Of the
institution. This was located near the middle
Of the Bellevue property.
THE Bellevue lots extended from Twenty
third to Thirtieth street, and from the river to
SoConu hNeHut. ING plhtlOrln WAS really COtn-
posed OF two pieces. The one at the Treasury
was two-thirds larger than its companion. The
small portion was destroyed when the building
was raised one story and improvements were
made in 1857. The grounds on either side Of
the building bloom.d like a rose. and were aids
to the sick, not eye-sores to every visitor. The
board Of ten governors of the aims house had
charge for ten years previous, Among them
chant. a contemporary Of Washington: Isaac
Tow nsend and Washington smith, Of we'll
ship: Timothy DAILY. Presidential delegate.
Greeley. which founded The Free Academy CITY
S29llsse, and the opponent OF David dudley
for the legislature: Daniel +. Tieman. who re-
signed his governIrsh,n 20 accent the Alayor-
Washington. with Anthony Dnuro, father OF the
present Judge OF the superior Court.
iron railing. with radiatinE arrows guarding
the stoop, hal been brought from, Federal Hall,
while delivering his address III 1854, To any
of the governors not even the unSubstantiul
pIiotE,'p a p,acr ~ h Ensn Under wn!himsuon's
feet. tnier direction of the governors the
t tom az awni,ins he new new slab. EWil liam Joyce,
f His,, ba'lasr; TnG GIiGrwSrH man erected nst the
9uaintrd, also. with older New York;.
did rot hesitate 10 crush the smaller
the r%o"owav., An economic motive, and no
other. .Iar'u for a time the, precious relic now
OF W all street. IL happened 10 DE OF the width
of thr pathway Ia the river. Here. as ii cross
walk unnrr he sharp hoots and heavy wheels of
a as IN ,T cnf"r y o mn thn II, cd n" may hhiIS S.s,Gons aans
which would on,la~t many years. I was
strange ~ care f"r. nv old piece of iron and mere
hand rail Tor patriot SIN. and cast out u stone
susceptible Of high polish. The great Washing
tons name could have easily ornamented 1t.
while the names of men not above ambition of
stored memory could have been as easily en-
blaz"n'd upon IT.. But III use were all honorable
men; moreover, bright men are never icono-
ciastf; -, administration ouo onor. :,
1860. The ten governors were succeeded by
four Commissioners OF Charities and Correc-
tion. There were no new buildings to receive
tablets. A Rood-ennnGh Morgan, However, lay
in the roadway. The history Of the old rail,
now tixei into the new platform. was public in
and The Iea! Washington iron relic had been
5oinct together forty years and more. No ono
should reasonably dispute that whatever vir-
and !oIaI ned. Rscsuse man had put them
affect this fact. This Intimate identity OF pa
t%rtotism. was. as has been said, IA case OF simple
arithmetic easily determined by a twO-foot rule.
One morning the Commissioners stood around
the stone while laborers turned II over. It was
not ! r 'wn apart or together since Builder joyce
had painted he stone upsidedown in 1857. The
carprnier's rule continued its patriotic measure
ments. Between the supports OF the relic above
the st0ou and the spaces separating the holes OF
breadth. The iron relic had not stretched Its
legs in three years. 1t was not here nor there
part already turned to dust. None OF the on.
fookers could SEQ Washington's footprints, hit
several a. this day declare that they read. III
"1hese measurements were absolutely the
only proof 0f Renuineness offered. The strongest
argument against the truth OF any given his
torical assertion Is the silence of contemporaries,
and IN the absence OF early evidence the testi-
ciple OF English common law demands tho
highest aud rejects hearsay and secondary
foot rule. The eyewitness rs the ,prerogatiye
Instance. This Is the logic OF evidence. The
pipl wick Climb nf RpllRyna WAS not En aimnlA
was prepared. and Il mendacious inscription,
with the commissioners names in solid three
inch letters, gave Washington the privilege Of
self satisfied company In script :lettersona inch
across, Zach, Commissioners was a bigger, man
guard business was completely outdone.
THE stone here In the hospital deceived Its
simple readers until 1852; Al that time the
OF the stone to it, pretended historic place, more
conspicuous than the hospital hall. With due
porous sandstone horizontally. Rcverent feet
and wartOn ones of boys and girls who played
hide-and-sCek about the bronze statue every
night soon made their impression. The lntelli-
gent mechanic came again to the fore. A flexible
EiIe screen was sHfesa over the abused stone
dren, the iron crushed the relic, so called, and
the meshes %gathered moist earth, and
Fhis must be remedied, said tho patient
C~tici6ls, and u wooden cover, such as Is COM
monty over cellar ~gratilgs, held every rain
drop and excluded every drying sunbeam. Seal
sng Rni disiEtegra'ion hurried the fiction to a
state worse than It's former one. Now for the
NTH time the fates decree that this rolling
stone. under ban OF n lie, shall find another local,
ntemnorary, habitailon, Persons s%olieitous for
II lire Or other mlEhap should destroy this cher
!sheI myth. ThS sans, carpenters rule, II APP
tai. and any and every succeeding one, will pro-
duce a new relic on short notice.
u tSsy shall hereafter pcint the finger at foreign