The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-08-14
ONE CORNER IN
WASHINGTON CITY
WHICH IS OF INTEREST TO
EVERY VISITOR
THE CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY
Furnishes Entertainment and In
struction Without Limit Place
Where Patriotism Rings True for
Every American Visitor.

There is one spot in Washington to
which a statesman may go when the
modern call OF greed sounds louder
in his ears than that of patriotism.
And if the tempted is at all sus-
ceptible TO environment, he will SO
forth with inspiration Of the kind
that a century ago kept the fathers
of our country staunch in public
duty.
The place where patriotism ,ings
true for evcry American who comes
is in the northwest wing of the great
Congressional library On exhib
ton are many original letters and
papers OF George Washington.
Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Frank
lin and Henry Clay The handwrit
ing OF these documents appears "a
fresh as if only penned yesterday.
More striking than anything else,
perhaps, is lack OF any affectation.
In principles they follow through
life. The sincerity and simplicity OF.
the thoughts OF the writer's Is mark
ed.
No man that is a man leaves this
room in the same frame of mind in
/ which he enters" said the guard.
man OF middle age. and a keen stu
dent OF human nature. He IS 4
little less liable to fall. a little more
anxious to serve his country little
better citizen his whole life long
10 understand what the guard
meant it was only necessary to look
about To read, just as he wrote it.
N his own handwriting. this letter
oi Benjamin Franklins, carried
vision OF the old statesman, sitting
at heavy timbcred desk. his face
| tightened, writing:
Philadelphia, July ;. G7z5.
! Mr. Strahan You are a member
Of parliament, and one OF that mai
ority which has doomed my country
to destruction You have begun to
burn our towns and murder our peo-
| pie They are stained with the blood
Of your relatives You and | were
long friends. You are now my Ell
emy. and | am
Yours,
Benjamin Franklin "
! There is not a single painting il
! sight Yet some visitors see pic
tures everywhere. Others rush from
exhibit to exhibit, hurrying through
the big building like they do life.
seeing much and approaching moth
I ing
But while we are still in the Nat
ional Museum here at Washington,
if only for the novelty of it, see how
many mental pictures, how much
| patriotism. how many thrilling sit
uations, you can discern in the fol
lowing inscriptions to exhibits:
Sword, presented to Rear Admiral
Robley D. Evans by crew of the L.
/ s. S. Iowa After battle of Santiago
Evans refused to accept sword of one
Spanish officer who had shown great
bravery before capture. On blade of
this sword, presented to Admiral
! Evans, is the inscription: TO Our
/ Hero. too just to take a fallen foes,
we give this one instead
Another card reads:
First United States flag. 1t was
used by John Paul Jones on his flag
ship, the Bonhomme Richard. when
he captured the British frigate, Ser
apis, in the North Sea, Sept. p. 1870.
When his vessel was in sinking con-
dition, Jones was asked by the Brit
ish captain, Pearson, whether he had
struck his co1ors No said Jones.
4 have not yet begun to fight, After
a bloody battle OF two hours the
Scraps surrendered Jones flew the
flag exhibited in this case. the first
saluted by a foreign power"