The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-23
WASHINGTON DAY
WIDELY OBSERVED
Schools and Churches CeIe.
brate Birthday of Father of
His Country

ST Paul celebrated yesterday the
164th birthday anniversary of Washing
ton. The banks of the city and many
business offices closed throughout the
day, and the city, county, state and
government Offices were all closed to
business. The legislature marked the
day by an adjournment and many of
the members went last evening to Min
neapolis to attend the Washington
birthday banquet given there.
In many of the schools patriotic pro-
grammes were rendered during the
afternoon by the pupils, but aside from
these the day was general holiday in
all of the public schools. These pro-
grammes included dialogues, recita-
tions and songs of national and COM
memorative character, and in each in
stance the programme was made one
of instruction in the events which
marked epochs in the life of the first
president of the United States.
For Sons of Revolution
The most important memorial of the
day was the Washington birthday
programme given under the auspices
of the Sons of the American Revolu-
ton at the Central Presbyterian
church, where DIR. Alexander Nc
Gregor delivered an address eulogistic
OF the life and character of the great
American.
The observance of the day had a
noticeable effect upon the business of
the city. There were few people about
Those for whom the occasion consti-
tuted holiday seemed to have spent
the day in observance of the occasion
or in rest.
In the evening an entertainment and
supper was given at the King Street
Methodist church. Music was furnish
ed by the Hamline male quartette and
by Misses Dieter and Wentz and by
b. F. Wright. Dramatic readings. de-
scriptive Of incidents in the life of
Washington were given by Misses
Billings and Blanche Seely.
The anniversary was celebrated by
the st. Paul chapter of the Society of
the Sons of the American Revolution
at the Central Presbyterian church.
There was an exceptionally good at
tendance and programme appropriate
to the day was presented, while the
yestry of the church was literally
turned into fiaxen bower.
Rev. McGresor Speaks
The principal address of the after
noon was that of Rev. Alexander Nc
Gregor, who spoke of George WASH
ington." DR.. McGregor described and
commented upon the various striking
incidents in the patriots career and
grew eloquent as he spoke of the nu-
merous great men who have copied the
precepts which guided Washington
through his public career.
He quoted Gladstone who said:
If l were to see room with twenty
pedestals awaiting statues of the great
men of the world, and 1 noticed one
pedestal higher than any of the rest.
and 1 were asked to choose the subject
for that pedestal l would say, as 1
have said for fifty years: Washing
tom
DR.. McGregor heartily indorsed this
view of Washington, taken by the
greatest English statesman of the last
century, and went on to prove by COM
parison the superiority of Washington
when his career was paralleled with the
careers of other acknowledged great
men of the world.
DR.. McGregor's scholarly presenta-
ton of the life and character of the
man in honor of whose birth anniver-
sary the day was celebrated was the
subject of frequent applause, interpo-
lated as he made some particularly
telling point.