The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-02-21
IT Is SO common to celebrate the
birthdays of great men, and so
rare to hold ceremonies in COM

D1rLQOayS Ol 6leea MSA, oAS w
rare to hold ceremonies in COM
- memoration Of their deaths, that
che memorial exercises which took
place under Masonic auspices In vari-
5ons parts of the country on Decem-
sber IA, 1899, the centenary of the
death of George Washington, attract
ed wide attention, Curiously enough,
the original suggestion OF the obserV-.
sanca came from the Grand Lodge OF
Freemasons for the State Of Colo
rado, part of this continent whose
existence was known to washington
only vaguely as piece OF the great
une2plored Spanish Southwest. 1t Is
quite as odd that, after leading Free
masons in the United States had
taken the plan In hand and invited
The craft in other lands to cooperate,
the first acceptance should have
come, with every manifestation OF
.enthusiasm, from New Zealand,
which In Washington's day was a
savage dominion lately discovered
and seized by Captain Cook in the
name OF King George Of England.
Nothing could mark the worlds
progress in the intervening century
more clearly than these circum-
stances
Many accounts of Washington's
death, differing in detail, have been
published by the standard histor-
;dans, and many theories have been
adEancsd as TO the cause OF it. That
he caught a severe cold, and that
this ran into the disease Of the
throat which was then known as
Quinsy, are among the settled facts;
hut whether his life might not have
been prolonged but for the copious
bleeding to which he was subjected
is stip open to debate. The only
Official record we have, perhaps, is
that kept by his secretary, Tobias
Lear. In letter to John Adams,
he refers to the fatal ending to the
disease and not to the treatment.
This letter runs as follows:
IS Mount Vernon, December Is, 1899.
Is Is with ineNpressible. grief that have
and good General Washington. He died
fxsa evening between 10 and II o'clock,
after short illness Of about twenty-tour
hours. His disorder Vas an Infammatory
sore tAruat, which proceeded from cold,
of which he made but little complaint on
FRIDAY. On Saturday morning about
oElock he became Ill Dr.. Dick attended
HIM in the morning. and Dr: Cralk, OF Al
Sexandrin, and d. Brown, OF Po-t Tobacco;
swas SOON afH called In; Every medlca,
stsSi#ance Ess offered, without the desired
cEn4 Hss last scene corresponded with
fhe wAcle txr,a. of his life. Not groan
or carnpaaInt escaped him in extreme dis
uess W1h perfect resignation and IN
frN vpsssssion of his senses he closed his
wa9ssent lie
Another contemporary letter tells
Us TINT Washington informed Dr..
Dlek THAT he had no fear Of death,
that his affairs we're in good order,
that he had made his will, and that
his public business was but two days
hehindhand." He was buried at
Mount Vernon On Wednesday, De-
scember 1S. On the coffin plate was
inscribed, General George Washing
ton, Departed this life on the 18th
of December, 1893, Act. g." Above
the plate were the words, Surge
sd JudIcium," and below it, "Gloria
Deo." From local newspaper ac-
count of the day We learn that
vessel was anchored in the Potomac
River, firing minute gurs while the
funeral procession formed at the
manor-house and moved In this or
der to the family tomb at the bot
tom of the lawn:
Gsss1dfy' G1s5d: with arms reversed.
Infantry,)
Music.
Clergy.
The Generals horse, with his saddle, ho's-
: Colonel. 'e'' ana p'>''"' colonels
:: =. :: e.: e: :::::.:,:
Mourners.
Masonic Brethren.
Citizens.
The cavalry halting, the infantry
marched toward the tomb and
formed their lines; the clergy, the
Freemasons, and the citizens de-
scended to the vault, and the burial
service Of the Protestant Episcopal
Church was performed. The in
fantry and cavalry each fred a vol
ley. eleven pieces Of artillery on the
riyer-bank sent forth roar, and
fhe ceremony was concluded.
When the project for a centen-
NAL commemoration first took shape
Il was proposed to re-enact this en-
tire scene, even to the extreme of
having. a catafalque borne to: the site