The Washington herald., 1907-08-15
Mount Vernon, the American Shrine
BY FREDERIC J. HASKM.

BY FREDERIC
America. as some one has put 1t. has |
thousands OF sights, but only one shrine
That shrine IS Mount Vernon, the home
and tomb OF George Washington. Upon a /
site where the view from
the lawn sweeps the reaches Of the Pot .
mac for several miles. stands to- o.
very much as it was a century a. a The
41odest colonial house that as <tha
country seat of the great ..tFiot from
his young manhood until h. sAeath There
the greatest and the .asahlest uncover
before the marble sar .s5ehsgis that holds
the body of the f.kt President Of the
United states. a.d even the most friv,
olous feel thaII II<S1hey are upon haIlowed
ground. As early as 1876 40 less than
l9,Uoo pli fins. from all parts Of the
United states paid their respects there.
and thousands, of visitors are still going
eacbFyear.
George Washington was a soldier and
statesman because his country had need
OF his Services. He was a farmer be-
cause he loved TO till the SOIL to plant
trees(and flowers. and TO enjoy the qsiet
ofhountry life During the span ofIorty
years. between the time he inherited the
Hunting Greek estate of his hale-brother.
Lawrence Washington, and tle time OF
his death, he was much away5sfrom home.
but whenever the opportunity presented
itself he returned TO his broad acres by
the Potomac 10 resUTle the life of a
Virginia 4.
ed by the Mount Vernon Ladies Associa-
ton to prevent its obstruction, Mount Yer
non had been in/the hands of the Wash
ingtonsl since the title originated in a
patent issued by Lord Culpeper in 1870
70 John Washington. the founder OF the
line. The property was inherited by
GeorSe Washington when he was In his
twenty-iiU5t year, He also inherited a
fine estate upon the Rappahannock and
BECAME zone Of the large-landed prOprieo
tors of+Lhe Old Dominion
Cntil1I5S. when he closed his campaigns
in the, French and Indian war; Col. Wash
ington was almost continuously engaged
in military service. He then became n
member of the Virginia house OF bur
gesses land took an active part in legisla-
ton. In 1913 he married Mrs. Martha
cambridge Custis and brought her 10
Mount Vernon, where for sixteen years
he managed his estaFe. hunted foxes
iisbed, entertained hisneighbors at hos
pttable board, and enjoyed the pleasures
81 private life. Put at the end OF that
tiTae he was mace commander-in-chief Of
the Continental Army. and he saw little Of
ms home until he returned as the most
Famous soldler/Of his day. and one Of the
most famous men in history For the fol
lowing i've years, Mount Vernon was
thronged with visitors from far and near
who came TO pay homage. and again Zen
Washington played the role of farmer and
host He was well satisfied. as Is at
tested by Letter 10 La Fayette, IN which
ne SAID: L am now become a private
citizen on Ihe banks of the Potomac.
uhder the Shade Of my own vine and dR
tree free from the hustle of the canip
and the$busy scenes Of public life"
Boy In April. l7ss. a messenger rode ,lp
to.FGen- Washlngton's front porch and
made the official announcement that he
.had been elected President Of the United
States, and was requested by Congress
to assume his duties Eight years after
ward. when he was sixty-five years old.
he returned again to farm life on the Po-
tomic, but only two years and nine
months Of life remained to him. During
that time 1t is said he never went farther
than twenty miles from home.
The briefest visit to Mount Vernon Is
sufficient 10 prove its charm, and to cause
the visitor to understand why Gen. Wash
ington was content TO live there. Even in
those days of great landed estates in Vir-
ginia, Mount Vernon, with its 5000 or
1o0O0 acres, was principality. The mace
was divided into five farms. over each of
which an overseer exercised supervision.
Each Qverseer reported to a superin-
tendent. and the superintendent made
weekly reports to the proprietor Trnoy7
lhe estate there, were 800 slaves. At his
grist mill, Cen Washington made aeida
IRON. flour and meal for the. use of persons
on the estate 1900 barrels of forr for sale
HIS dlstillery produced. LOO gallons Of
whisky, which sold for sldllings a gal
Ion In Virginia gold. There were upon
the various farms 500 or 7o5 sheen. Among
the blooded animals Were jacks and len
nets Irom Malta and Spain, sent to Mount
vernon by La Fayette. as presents. II
was great plantation, and its affairs
were conducted upon, the generous scale
mat obtained among large land owners
IN the South As 4 rule, Gen. Washing
ton spent the great portion of.the dav
IN the nelds ATTIC jhding to the duties of
landlord In they late afternoon he was
usually to be buHd on the wide front
porch, where thirty Windsor chairs were
Kept for the Use of such visitors as might
chance TO drop in.
The arch lecture of the manor house NJ
Mount We rnon Is as simple as were the
tastes Of its distinguished owner. with
nothing bf vain display, it speaks Of per.
5onaL refinement and good taste. The
mouse rs ideally planned. Its wide. airy
lall Hnning through the center. It's wide
piaz "a, supported by white columns it's
ior AEy and living rooms are all inviting
-or : their comfort The banaueting hall
s somewhat more elaborate, but in Il the
: Afnblest neighbOr who was invited 70
inner might feel as much at home as
Ia Fayette. ROchambeau, Hamilton or
any other distinguished visitor. The gem
erals chamber. with it's great tester he'd
was a room furnished for comfort rather
than luxury