Evening star., 1901-12-21

An admirable piece of work has been done
by Mr.. Clark in the preparation of this vol
ume. He has assembled from scattered
sources facts which enable him to give
clear and interesting account not only of
James Greeneaf and Thomas Law, but of
many of their contemporaries associated
with them In the pioneer days of the scat
tering village that has now become the
beautiful capital of great nation. In order
to accomplish this Mr.. Clark has been
obliged to search among the musty records
of a long past and much neglected period.
He has discovered and made excellent use
of family letters and he is the first to lay
before the public the result Of an examina-
ton of the letter books Of Robert Morris,
which have only recently come into the
possession of the Library Of Congress.
These manuscripts were up to that time in
private hands and not accessible to the
student of history. In the case of the Nor
ris letters, as well as of other manuscript
sources which Mr.. Clark has so patiently
sought out, he has, in important instances,
printed the letters entire If there was no
other merit In the work this intelligent use
of the rare original materials which an
indefatigable industry has collected gives 1t
a great historic value to those who wish to
know about the early period Of Washing
toms growth.
Important Letters Reprinted.
Mr.. Clark has had access to manuscript
letters of Thomas Law and from Mrs.
Henry A. Willard Of this city, a great.
granddaughter Of General Stephen R. Brad
ley, senator from Vermont and the counsel
of Thomas Law in the proceedings for
separation from the latter's wife, he Sc
cured the correspondence on this subject
The Importance Of Mr.. Clarks contribu-
1T l>s1 ogS se- g., tI,at
augmented by the insertion of selections
fl ON the correspondence of Judge William
Cranch, who was the legal representative
in this city of Morris and Nicholson, and
also the brother-ln-laW of James Greenleaf,
the first large purchaser of lots from the
city commissioners.
While the Information which these and
other letters supply is both new and inter-
other original material found in the files of
contemporary newspapers. From the court
records, which are especially voluminous in
the case of such persistent litigant as
James Greenleaf. and which contain much
of the history of the achievements Of the
great operators in real estate of that period,
he has obtained much that throws light
upon the perplexing and intricate tangle
of the Morris Nicholson and .Greenleaf In
vestments in Washington city property.
A Notable Production.
AS giving the result of original research
line of books that have been written about
the nations capital since Tobias Lear, the
pioneer in that field issued a thin duo
decimo in the year 1893. The field of local
history has been much neglected. At times
inspected by the descriptive writer
careless of facts but eager for the startling
and the picturesque, it Is only in recent
treated from the genuine historic stand
point. The publications of the Columbia
Historical Society have done much to clear
away the clouds Of tradition and to correct
many errors. Mr.. Clarks book Is ami
mated by this modern spirit. which seeks
the facts, and is not content with a mere
superficial examination and an indo-
lent acceptance of statements of others.
He has gone to the original sources and
has drawn in true outlines the figures of
men who are recognized as entitled to the
honor of ranking not as mere spectators
but as the promoters of the nations capt.
tai.
Pioneers of Washington.
The gossip of men whose relations with
the city are thus for the first time it may
be said, SO fully and accurately described
includes Robert Norris the financier of the
revolution; James Greenleaf, John Nichol-
son. Thomas Law, William Wayne Dun
canson and Judge William Cranch With
the exception of the last named they were
all men of means and invested their money
largely in Washington real estate. It is
estimated by Mr.. Clark that without the
money contributed to the resources of the
city by Greenleaf and his associates it
would have been impossible to erect the
public buildings from the funds derived
from the city property, and without the
emanating from the same
source there would not have been accom-
modations in the new city for the members
of Congress upon their coming to the first
session OF Congress in this city in the fall
Of 1900.
Financial disaster, however. befell them
ALL and Morris and Nicholson went to
debtors prison. 1t is only within a COM
parauvely recent period that any adequate
biography has appeared of Robert Morris,
who died in poverty after a long and bril- |
liant service for his country. Whether this |
neglect can be attributed or not to the mis- |
fortunes and obscurity Of his last days, |
certain 1t is that those of his associates and
who came to this city have
suffered the same fate at the hands of the |
succeeding generations and Of their work
and their lives but little has been known.
What has been written Is mostly inaccu-
rate.
Light at Last
In telling the story OF the lives Of these
men they were connected with the be-
ginnings Of the nations capital and its de-
velopment In later years Mr.. Clark has |
performed service Of real value. He Is to |
be commended for doing it at all, but he de-
serves special distinction for the intelligent |
research which he has given to the subject
and for the industry which has brought to- |
gether from such divers sources so much |
Of value and for the historical spirit which !
led him to permit the actors as far as pos
sible to contribute to the narrative.
The broad treatment adopted by Mr. Clark
further enhances the excellence Of this per-
formance. He has CLEANED from books of
travels descriptions Of the city in its early
years. His book shows wide acquaintance
with the literature that relates distinctively
to the city. Careful attention has been
given to details in reference to buildings,
so that 1t is possible from this book to To-
cate many of the structures here that are
historic. Handsome half-tone portraits of
the persons referred to, many of them re-
produced from rare likenesses in the pos
session of individuals, and pictures Of the
more notable buildings mentioned, add to
the attractiveness Of a volume that is a
beautiful product Of the craft Of the printer
and hoo hinder.