Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-02-20
& Bro,
42O to 426 Seventh Street,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
COMMUNICATED.
Birthaaz Celebration.

washington BlrthIaJ CcleDraJlon.
An old Alexandra who has had
nand in many celebr- rs Of Washing
tons Birthday in e. ast, and would
like very much to 6, hat of next Mon
day, if circumstance emitted thinks
that few lines about n)seof the earlier
part of the last century might not be
unacceptable to the younger, and even
middleaged, readers of the Gazette, and,
to that end, asks for a little of its space.
Alexandria is said to have been the
FIRST place at which the day was cele-
brated, and tradition says it was upon
the 22d of February, 1900, that it was
held. Being somewhat less than a
hundred years old, he cannot vouch for
the correctness of the statement, but
thinks it is probably true. His first re-
membrance of the celebration dates back
to about 1880. 1t was in charge of the
Washington Society, an organization
long antedating that year, and composed
of the most prominent citizens. by 1t
an orator and reader of Washington
Farewell Address, not then considered
out of date, were selected, and it did not
require as much money as it does now
by perhaps thousand dollars for two
of the military companies, of which there
were in the early thirties, five, had fine
bands and every little society did not
demand music for itself as a condition Of
appearing; in fact there were few socie-
ties to appear. The procession was al
ways, ] think, formed on Royal street,
the right resting on Cameron, and was
led by body of citizens, usually old or
middleaged men, wearing blue silk sash
es, like the marshals of then and now,
and known 90 the niuio ~ecnrt there
being, at that period, no cavalry COM
pany. Then came the military.
think the Alexandria Artillery did not
take part, as they had TO fire the
salutes one of which was at mid
day, but they may have done so.
Then came the infantry-the In
dependent Blues, organized for the
French war of 1898 and composed chief
ly Of merchants the Alexandria VoIun-
teers, most of whom were master me-
chanics; the Rife Guard, made up Of
jOurneymen and apprentices; and the
Highlanders, beautifully attired in the
picturesque costumes Of the Scotch High
lands. They were mostly clerks in stores.
Next came the Washington Society,
followed, I think, by their wards, the
boys of Washington School, to whom,
as they were all poor boys, they had
given new clothes or perhaps that was
on the 4th of July. After passing
through the principal streets, they went
to a church, the one | best remember
being the First Presby terrain, where the
services were opened with prayer, and,
after the reader had prelaced the adj
dress with few remarks, which would
be considered entirely out of place in
these days of commercialism and i'm.
perialism, read the farewell address of the
Father of his Country (hen highly
priced by alD and gave way to the ora
tor, whose stately and eloquent Grafton
that advice. Such was the pa
Iriotism of that day, and | make bold to
'ay that with all the show of the present,
little such patriotism exists today for at
hat time there were many who had
ought for liberty and independence
rom Great Britain, now our dearest
riend and ally when she wants support,
md more who had tried their best, under
he most unfavorable circumstances. to
'rotect their homes from British plumber
ng, and destroy their squadron at the
White House. Y.