The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-10-20

ted Oct JlCoCulCu W hlS. w dSlllIlSlO
by the officers of the French fleet in
1902 /; this room also has the famous
carved mantelpiece of Carrara marble,
with Sienna marble columns, said to
be the work of Canova. It's waved
and polished floors, its fire irons, its
old mirrors, Mrs. Washington's sit
ting room, the library, with its am
pie bookcases, its old carved mantel
and clock, its leathern chairs, and its
many closets for silver, are interest
ing.
These beautiful old rooms had been
neglected and fallen into decay until
some few years ago, when Miss Cum
ningham conceived the idea that the
home and tomb of Washington should
be given to the women of the Union.
She wrote articles under the nom de
plume of "The Southern Matron, )"
and succeeded in arousing the enthu-
Slasm OF many ladies OF refinement
and culture. She organized the La
dies Mount Vernon Association of
the Union" and called to her aid
vice regents from many of the States.
To each State was given the restora-
ton and care of room, so they have
resumed their quiet elegance, their
look of comfort and refinement.
The stairway is plain and simple,
though broad. On the first landing
is high, old-fashioned clock. On
the second floor are the bedrooms, six
in number, quaint and elegant in their
furnishing and arrangement. Chief
in point of interest are the Lafayette
and river rooms. The former was oc-
cupied by the Marquis on each of his
visits to Mount Vernon, and contains
the bureau placed there when the
room was fitted up for its distinguish
ed occupant. The latter apartment,
belonging to Pennsylvania, and fitted
up by Mrs. Laughton, the late Re-
gent, is by far the most beautiful
the view of the lawn, the deer park,
the river, and the wooded hills of
Maryland make a picture.
On this floor is the room in which
Washington died, with its square
bedstead, its large fireplace surmount-
ed by the family coat-of-arms, the
secretary, the trunk with brass nails
and plate marked TITO, G. W." A
narrow stairway leads to the room
above, to which Mrs. Washington re-
tired after her husbands death, and
which she never left for seventeen
months, when she also died.
Then there is the cupola, from
which is most magnificent view-to
the west the hills of Virginia the
smooth waters of the Potomac, or
Pedhammock (they are coming, as
the Indians named this beautiful
stream, seem to curve here and en-
brace the acres of this noble estate.
We descend to the lawn and an in
spection of the buildings at the ends
of the colonnades, where Washing
toms care for the comfort of his SER
vents is shown. To the left of these
buildings is the greenhouse.
With a long sigh of WEAKNESS we
sink down under a wide-spreading
oak, but by the tolling bell we are
soon apprised of the approach of the
steamer. We gather up our belong
ings, and with them Our connection
with the outside world, and quietly
wend our way down the hill, past the
mansion and the tomb, where, in the
simplicity in which he lived, lies the
founder of Our country's greatness
of whom, in the recent war with
Spain, we feel that though dead he
yet speaketh, and whose noblest
epitaph, pronounced by Edward Ev-
erett, is, 1.-The greatest of good men,
and the best of great men. "a. r.
E. w., IN NeuOt0aOm (Pa.) Enterprise.