The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-03-23
MARYLAND DAY.
public Schools to Celebrate Ami.
versary of the Landing of
Lord Calvert.

Lord Calvert.
The public schools in Cecil county
and throughout the State will cele
brate with appropriate exercises
this afternoon, the anniversary of
1.-THE founding of this State.
March 25 is the real date of
"Maryland Day." but, owing to its
occurrence on Sunday this year, it
is thought best to celebrate it on
the Friday preceding. In order
that the exercises may be uniform,
a general program has been adopted
for the occasion and will be carried
out in all schools.
The routine work will be stopped
at noon and the remainder of the
afternoon will be devoted to the
commemoration exercises.
Interest in the celebration of the
landing of Lord Calvert is compare
lively of rather recent origin. The
occasion is not yet a public holiday,
and it is only of late years that the
day has been noticed at all, except
in special cases where in historical
societies and associations of like
nature it has been observed. Pub
lie attention was first called in 1908
to the anniversary, when a resolu-
ton was passed by the state board
of education making the day an
occasion for commemoration in the
public schools.
The history of the landing of the
first settlers of Maryland is one of
intense interest, and one, unfortun
ately, much neglected, says the
Herald. On March 5, 1884, Leon
ard Calvert, with his little band of
companions in the Ark and the
Dove, entered the mouth of the
Potomac after long and arduous
voyage. The south point at the
mouth of the Potomac River, now
known prosaically as Smiths Point,
he christened St. Gregory's' Point
and the north promontory of land,
which he named after st. Michael,
has likewise been unpoetically re
named Point Lookout. ContiDu
ing his voyage, as an old chronicle
says, "they sayled up the river
until they came to Heron Island
ESQ called from the number there of
birds of that name) which is about
fourteen leagues, and there came to
anchor under an island near to it,
which they called st. Clements.
On this last division, which had
furnished them haven on the 25th
of the same month (March, 1884,
they made landing with appro
pirate ceremonies, of which the
celebration of a high mass was the
principal feature. This was the
first landing in Maryland, and on
that occasion, in the name of the
King, the land was first claimed by
Lord Calvert. The debarkation,
however, was made two days after,
on the 9th, at Chancellors Point,
not far from the location of the
town of st. Mary, which was after
wards to serve for fifty nine years
as the state capital.
The present existence of st. Gle
ments Island is disputed by many,
but the burden of proof seems to
prove its existence. According to
this side of the case, st. Clements
is one of a group of three islands
at the mouth of the Potomac, now
separately known as Blackstone,
st. Katherine's and st. Margaret's
Islands. The first of these, it is
claimed, is the isle in question. 1t
is tract of about eighty acres, in
stead of 400, as mentioned by the
Rev. Father White in his diary of
the expedition, and is one of the
most beautiful points of Maryland's
water possessions.
At various times there have been
movements to commemorate the
landing of the Maryland pilgrims,
by some suitable monument cores.
ponding to the well known Ply
moth Rock in Massachusetts.
Marylanders do not take the
pride in the founding of their colony
that should be their possession.
Poems have been waitten about the
landing of the Massachusetts ''Pil-
grim.Fathers" and their brave fight
for religious freedom, but Mary
landers have, apparently, forgotten
the significance which attached
to the first settlement of their state
by Lord Calvert and his hardy band
of pioneers.
White Granite At Liberty Grove.