The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-04

cenary. disagreeable men I've ever met.
without one spark Of patriotism in his
soul.
No good cause is Won, however, with
out some trials and tribulations, and
people who are trying to accomplish
any patriotic and historic enterprise
might as well make up their minds
of sympathy and appreciation from
narrow-minded folks who have prof.
ects of their own TO further.
I don't suppose that we ever got up a
single entertainment to preserve that
historic spot hallowed by the presence
of the father of his country" without
being solicited to give the proceeds to
some other object. We never planned
any great or small affair without hav-
ing requests made to us TO share our
receipts with the new hospital or the
orphans home or the starving suf-
ferers" somewhere.
If we had been engaged in any less
important work we might not have re-
scented so much interference with our
plans, but feeling. as we did that our
work was not for ourselves. but for the
nations good and for posterity, we
were obliged to turn a deaf ear to
worthy appeals and special charities
And besides the carpenter who was re-
pairing the building which was to be
kept sacred to the memory of the man
who was first in war and first in
peace" kept demanding his money in
advance.
There had been some talk of putting
up a large new schoolhouse in the
town. as the old one was very incon-
venient and overcrewded. Some of the
women who were not in our society
tried to get everybody to subscribe
for a new schoolhouse, hut SO much
general interest was felt in the old
house where Washington had slept that
it was decided to let the schoolhouse
wait
Some of the people of the Corners
seem to think that a few school chill
dren are of more Importance than the
first president of the United States.
I can tell you Mrs. Bright had a
great deal to contend with, but she Is
q woman who never lets any small
considerations interfere with any really
important object that she has in view.
While that house was being repaired
she used to take her team and drive
out to it nearly every morning just to
superintend the men who were work
ing there; for they just took their
time about wat they were doing,
when they found out that nobody was
going to move right in and that the
house was just being fixed UP because
over night They used to loaf around
and get in all the other jobs that they
could between times, and they did
need a lot of looking after, l can tell
you.
Well, Mrs. Bright was on hand al
most every day to keep those car.
penters up to the mark, and it was not
the easiest thing TO do for her either
because her husband had an attack of
typhoid fever and her three children
had the measles while the repairing
was going on. But Mrs. Bright would
not let anything keep her from her
duty: 1 never saw such patriotism be-
fore in any woman. The day her nus
band was the very sickest she was UP
at the old house the first thing in the
morning to see that those men were not
Sinking.
And when her children were about as
sick with measles as any children could
be, she got old widow Jones to go and
sit with them while she went over to
see that the right kind of shingles were
being put upon the house which once
had sheltered Washington.
Before that houe was half fixed up
we were urged TO raise money for the
Home for Incurables. the fresh air
fund" a new day nursery" and many
other things which we should have been
glad enough to work for at any other
time. but which we were unable to con-
slider when we were trying to preserve
the house where Washington had slept.
We had decided that just as soon rs
the repairing was wholly finished we
would do all we could ourselves to fix
the old house up so that it would look
pretty and attractive inside. in case
we wanted to hold meetings there upon
special occasions, and all the members
went to work to put up draperieS and
to hem muslin curtains for the win
dows Mrs. Joe Wilkin was so en-
thusiastic that she said she should sew
upon these curtains if her children
didn't have a single new thing to put
on for Easter, and Mrs. Thompson said
that though she ought to be at home
darning some stockings, she preferred /
to sacrifice herself for her beloved
country. and I told them that even if l
was expected at the vestry to cut out
undergarments for the heather, l would
give uD going, rather than feel that
had failed TO aid in furnihing the proper
kind of curtains for the historic house /
where Washington had spent the night |
Some of the people who haven't any |