Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-19
Impressive Ceremony at Site
of Continental Hall.
MRS.FAIRBANKSSPEAKS
LARGE GATHERING OF MEMBERS
OF D. A. R.
The Grand Lodge of the District, F. A.
A. M, oficiates-Symbolic Ma
ture of the Decorations.

The corner stone of the Memorial Con-
tinental Hall was laid this afternoon, the
10th anniversary of that bright day when
100 American patriots met and put to flight
500 British regulars at Lexington. Mass,
and laid the foundations for the building
of a great nation. The Memorial CONT
mental Hall is to be reared in the shadow
of the tall shaft that bears the name OF
the father of his country, by the Daughters
of the American Revolution, the women
descendants of the men who fought in the
war for liberty, which began with the bat
tie of Lexington. 1t will commemorate LOT
all time, i'm enduring marble. the deeds OF
the valiant sires of the men and women OF
today and will serve not only as a place
OF assemblage for the members of the So
ciety of the entire country, but as a monu-
nent to the great mass of unnamed heroes
of the revolution who have hitherto had no
memorial or mention. The great generals
and aptains, the great statesmen and ora
tors of the period of the nations creation
have, many of them, been appropriately
remembered by their descendants with
statues of bronze or tall shafts of marble
or granite, but the men who marched in
the ranks, who left their bloody stains IN
tn SHOWS of Valley Forge or forced their
way through the inpenetrable marshes OF
food or clothing, have never been adequate
ly remembered.
1t is in honor of these men as well as the
men who led them, that the Memorial Hall
OF the Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton to rear it's height in the capital of
the nation they helped to make.
Arrangements for the Ceremonies.
The ceremonies incident to the laying of
this corner stone would have been impress
titure of any kind. The utterance of patriot
&c sentiments and the recitation of the deeds
OF the great men of early history would
claim and hold attention even among the
most unpropitious surroundings. But this
was not the case today. Not only was the
ceremony eminently fitting. but the scenic
arrangements were most appropriate The
plot of ground on which the new building
is to stand faces 18th street at the inter
section of D street northwest. On the north
east corner of this lot the marble corner
stone was placed. On the south side of the
space inclosed for the ceremonies stands
one of the old houses of early Washington,
q relic of the colonial days. symbolic of the
time of the revolution and the period i'm
mediately succeeding 1t On the north side,
amid tiutter of flags. was the stand on
which sat the grand officers of the modern
society, the main purpose of which is to
keep alive the sentiments of the olden day.
Connecting these two periods, in sentiment
at least, were garlands of laurel, symbolic
ing the evergreen of history, and caught
here and there along each side of the stretch
Of a hundred yards or more from the build
ing to the stand, by forty-five flag poles,
representing the forty-fve states of the
Union.
The garlands wound around each side Of
the inclosure around the stand, around
four immense shields bearing the names
of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Mrs. John w.
Foster. Mrs. Adlai Stevenson and Mrs.
Daniel Manning, the four first presidents
general of the society, through an immense
shield placed over the center of the stand
on which the words of the first verse Of
America" cleaned in white letters on
blue field. and then down to the corner
stone itself, showing that every state of the
Union entered into the spirit of the occa-
sion and made It's contribution TO the cere-
mony. In the center of the court thus
formed were the members of the society,
their friends and guests, while on the stand
were men and women of national renown,
prominent alike in the councils of the So
ciety and the country.
The ceremonies of laying the corner stone
began at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon. For
half an hour before that the Marine Band
gave a concert of patriotic airs. AT 2:15
o'clock the members of the Society of
Daughters of the American Revolution ad-
journed their continental congress and
marched in body to the site of their new
building. Shortly after the arrival of the
Daughters members of the Grand Lodge,
#. A A NJ. of the District of Columbia
headed by the band of the Engineer Corps,
U. S. A. arrived on the scene and were
escorted to places of honor beside the cor
ner stone. After selection by the band
and the singing of America" by the en-
tire assemblage Rev. Edward Everett Hale,
ID. D., pronounced the invocation and a
salute to the flag was recited by a party
of children. The Star Spangled Banner
was then sung by Mrs. Thomas c. Noyes,
and Mrs. Charles w. Fairbanks, president
general of the Daughters, made a brief ad-
dress.
Address of President General.
She said:
Daughters of the American Revolution and
friends:
Upon this date filed with historic memo
ries we gather with patriotic thought
with reverent spirit and almost boundless
gratitude to the men and women of the
revolution-the founders of this republic
who left to us the priceless heritage of
home and country.
We are here In the performance of a
grateful and pleasing observance to lay
the corner stone of a memorial dedicated to
those who loved freedom more than wealth
or power.
The spacious marble hall which here will
soon rear its beautiful proportions is an
expression from this great society of its
characters in the past to whom gratitude
is due.
1t is not erected alone to the mighty
statesmen of the revolutionary epoch, who
laid the groundwork for the great struggle
for liberty; not alone to the immortal gem
erals who organized the patriots into ar
mics, who foresaw troubles and planned to
meet them, who suffered hunger and de-
feat. and at last, with their soldiers, en-
joyed victory after Il weary war. 1t is not
alone to the heroic captains OF the infant
navy OF those days, who did valiant serY-
ice upon the sea; not alone to the inspiring
sacrifices of a Rebecca Mott, who so loved
the cause of liberty that she burned her
own house that liberty's army might have
no obstruction I'm it's way to success. Not
alone devotion to duty and country, which
impelled brave Molly Pitcher to carry out
the work which sudden death took from
her husband. but to all the men of the line
and all the women at the spinning wheel.
To all these-aye. and to many more; in
deed all vino aided the cause of independ-
ence--is Memorial Continental Hall dedi-
Gated.
The significant events. the fond wishes
and the unstinted labor of thirteen years
have brought us to this looked-for, prayed
for epoch in the history of our society.
The grand purpose for which Memorial
Continental Hall Is intended Is two-fold
Even In the first inadequate idea which was
presented of it, But this idea, which was
primary one, found at the very beginning
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