Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-12

Quotation From omc;al Letter From
the Father of His Country TO
Thomas Beall.
| At meeting of citizens held July II last
| it was unanimously decided that an ex-
preston Of views should be given in OPPOSE
| ton to the use of the old national observa-
| tory grounds a site for a hospital. Hence
| the following statement was prepared as
ernbodying the objections OF the partici-
| pants in that meeting:
In the earlier days of the republic the
Use of astronomy was appreciated and
| Congress established national observatory
under the naval branch of the administra-
| ton For geographical reasons. TO bring
| 1t into automatically convenient relations
| to the prevailing English system OF dividing
| up the globe. starting from the Greenwich
| observatory. certain hill in the District
/ Of Columbia was selected which fitted this
requirement and which Is officially known
reservation No. f.
| This particular place happens to be OF
surprising beauty. rising over 100 feet IN
commanding steep grades from the low
also evertops considerably the adjoining
high ground toward the city. which Is be-
tween seventy and eighty feet above the
river. Although its area Is much smaller
than the Capitoline Hill it must have been
close competitor for that honor in the
| minds Of the father Of the country and
founder Of the city named after him. 1t
has all the Inducements which would have
made 1t the choice in the old country for
the Roman castrum. the palace of me
diaeval king or duke or the combined milf
tary and religious establishment Of fight
| Ing bishop Of those days of blood and iron
in which the best sites were thus taken by
the most powerful.
1t Is indeed fine strategic point for a
military chief of smaller radius of arm
as they were in the olden days of chiva1ry.
and even later. as is exemplffied by the fact
that General BraddOck pitched on 1t as the
base for his expedition, and the traces of
his earthworks are still in evidence to this
day. However, the selection of the site of
the Capitoline Hill. on the other hand,
shows the prophetic and intuitive foresight
OF Washington, who could see In the dim
future the forecast development in glory
and grandeur of the infant republic and its
capital "a 10
The place is not much visited NOWADAYS.
being somewhat remote from the PRINCIPAL
artery OF the cityss travel, PENNSYLVANIA
avenue. but of late the F and G street
branches of the Capital Traction Company
bring one within a couple of blocks of It,
trouble, here is enjoyed a view which
is more within the compass of mans usual
levels Of observation, more beautiful and
enhancing, being more normal 1t COM
mands from its different points more than
three-quarters of the circle of the vtstas
formed by theiestuary of the Potomac from
its entrance into the ba sin in which Wash
ington is located to the westward and
commanded by the Georgetown group. tax
Ing in Fort Myer, Arlington. Alexandra
the Maryland heights, with st. EIizabeth
down the river to Fort Foote all of south
Washington Analostan Island and George
town with the broad Potomac at its very
feet as foreground. 80.
An Enjoyable Site.
The naval officers and professors of
| astronomy, if they were lovers of nature
must have enjoyed this site, and 1t is a
wonder that they became tired Of it. Per-
haps the music of the celestial spheres
dulled their visual apprehension of terres-
trial beauties so lavishfy spread before
them: anyway. they became suddenly an
prekenSive of the encroaching vibrations NJ
| the growing city's traffic and sought out
Il more sequestered spot, where Congress-
built them a new establishment bacl, of
Oak Hill cemetery, where it should be uuiet
enough. and will be, unless the vibrations
of the irrepressfble combinat ton of traffic
considered be or more paramount import.
ance.
| The navy people thus having been given
| a "quid pro quo for their tenure of this
public reservation should in all equity have
| relinQuished the latter voluntarily and turn
ed it over into the fund as 1T were in charge
| of the engineer officer of the army who Is
| the successor Of the commissioner Of public
| buildings and grounds Of the capital but
| such does not appear to be the case: they
/ held to 1t by the innate sense OF conserve
| ton man possesses individually and collect
lively, following the motto, ''Beati stunt pos
| sidentes"
| The navy not having been asked to part
| with what they received an exchange for
remained quietly in possession. and after a
lapse of time, In which they wondered If
| they would be requested to vacate and turn
over the deserted location, they quietly re-
occupied it with another branch of the
| naval establishment not SO near the stars
4 which had exercised its functions in hired
quarters in the proximity of the department
| building, I. e.. the bureau of naval hygiene
| The old observatory buildings were repair
| ed and even new ones added to subserve
\ this purpose
| Being now again settled and apparently in
| possession without opposition of any con-
sequence. who can blame the naval au-
thorities of that particular branch of the
| arm from further utilizing this place the
| very center of all the natural attractions of
| the District? They are specialists and their
| mission and vocation is humanitarian and
beneficial in the extreme within their body
| polite. They keep our sailors and marines
| in physical health. cure them when they get
SICK. provide for their hygiene and physical
1
| gressive science and Aesculapian art and
| accomplishment. If no one objects why not
| establish here naval hospital So that
their charges may enjoy all the benefits of
| this surprisingly fine place?
| This is in fact what has happened. An
| appropriation was made during last Con-
| gress for the erection of a naval hospital
] on this very site. and 1t Is understood that
plans have been prepared for the same and
| that the surgeon general of the navy win
| shortly Issue invitations to contractors for
| bids, which means actual contamination of
| this scheme In brick. stone and iron, a solid
| substantial faxt which viii be very hard to
| remove If once allowed to go into effect.
Not Meant as Reelection.
| No reflections OF any kind is meant in the
| above statement OF facts and the way 1t is
put forth on the avail authorities who are
In charge They are gentlemen, profession
| al men and officers attached to and forming
part Of a corporate body: and have to per-
est of their particular organ Of the body
polite. 1t cannot be expected that they
| should have any special regard for an in
| terasf in the exubeAlishment of this canjtal