Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-21

nOMORROW is Wasfington's
~ Day in ..l1e Morning. The
editorial writer Of the Inter
Mountain. the other day,
said that according to the
old style, Washington was born on Feb
quarry IL, 1872. Now, to a man up a tree,
this would appear as if the Father of
His Country got hold of the nursing
bottle eleven days before he was born.
But the editor calls the man off the tree,
and explains that there is difference
OF just thirteen days in the present year
and century between the old style and
tn new, and the anniversary of WASH
tngton's birth, therefore, falls upon Feb
ruary "A instead of February %, al
though, with one exception, every state
in the Union has designated the latter
date as "a holiday. During the century
just closed the difference between the
two styles was twelve days. but from
the beginning of the present century up
to 200. thirteen days must be added to
the old style to bring the dates up to the
new STYLE"
This presentation of facts by the edi-
tor takes the readers attention from the
cherry tree and Georges little hatchet,
and directs it to matter more profound
and certainly more accurate from a sell
entific standpoint Many. many years
ago that cherry tree incident did good
service in primary school books and
Sunday school lessons. Then along
about Andy Jackson's time came the
skeptic, who said there was absolutely
no truth in the story. and really more
merit attached TO the song describing
Old Hickory feas1ing on pork and beans
before the battle Of New Orleans.
After the civil war, the admiration of
Americans turned to Grant, and Sher-
man, and Sheridan. The good little
story of the cherry tree. young George
washington and the Ratchet was
omitted from the pages OF school books
N'Shermans March to. the Sea" put
Oackson's pork and beans story entirely
In the shade. At this time also began
to flourish galaxy of humorists like
Mark Twain, Artemus Ward and Bob
Burdette, and they turned patriotic ira
ditions into comedy. Mark Twain made
everybody laugh over a description of
his visit to the grave of Adam, our first
parent. Bob Burdette knocked the VEN
GRAFTON of the cherry tree story into a
cooked hat in his dialogue with a 6-year>
old boy. So it is that only the old men
among us tomorrow will recall the
fables of WashingtOn's childhood alons
with the ma gnificent military achieves
anents of the man who wrested liberty
dor America from, one of the greatest
powers in the world In all the schools
OF the city today exercises took place
appropriate to the days observance.
Federal and municipal Offices and banks
were closed.
There are many Americans in this
camp today, native and foreign born,
who never read the life of George WASH
angton. Content with the knowledge
ha N nj Of
independence against tremendous odds
and afterwards became the first presi-
dent OF the republic. multitudes leave
MS biography TO their children who at
tend the schools of the city. Nothing
is to blame for the miners poverty OF
historical knowledge but poverty of
means-the poverty which compelled
him to hustle for bread at a time when
youths of his age, more fortunate. were
at school. Many parents have not time
to read volumes about a single individual
and his exploits. They do find time to
read a newspaper. So the Integ Noun