The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-02-20

wears ago. recommending that the
..pcorre Of the United States assemble
ON the 22I day Of February. in such
numbers and manner as may be con
veufan-. publicly to testify their grief
for the death Of General George Wash
sng-un. by suitable euIogles. orations.
aud dl-cour~os. or by public prayers,
he touched the bereaved heart of the
Nation. and It responded with an out
burst If patriotic sentiment such as
had never been seen before. The Re
public was sim in its infancy, To out
ward appearances it had grown but
little since the day when the British
left the colonlsts to manage their own
affairs. Three additions, those of Ken
lucky. Vermont and Tennessee had
been made to the original thirteen
States. and their entire population was
barely five millions Yet in every
town and border village were seen the
evidences Of mourning. and many a
manned veteran Of the Revolution took
to himself the orders Of the secretary
of war to the army, and wore a band
Of Grape upon his left arm for period
Of SIX months.
The editor Of New York newspaper
late in December, 1899, voiced the pop
ular feeling when he said: ''Amidst
the threatening storms of foreign VIC
Ience amidst the more dangerous con
vuIsions Of party rage, it was still our
consolation that Washington lived. His
reputation was a buIwarl and shield,
under whose broad and protecting
shade America rep0sed with unbound
ed confidence He led our armies
amidst the periIs Of revolution to vic
tory. His arm achieved our indepen-
dence His virtues, his wisdom, his
name alone. kept the earring elements
of our confederation from bursting
asunder, hushed to peace the voice Of
discord. and consolidated these States
under one firm and fair fabric of gov
eminent. For these purposes Heaven
kindly lent him to US, to make us a
nation and to render us prosperous,
powerful, and happy, Having accom-
plished his high errand, he is now re
called, and we are overwhelmed with
grief.
Similar expressions are to be found in
every newspaper then published. News
travelled slower in 1900 than in these
days. and it was well into the new year
before the death of Washington was
announced to the inhabitants of distan;
localities. From the middle of Deem
Der, 1899, to the middle of March 1900,
the newspapers fairly teemed with
tributes to Washington, accounts of
funeral professions, theatrical perform
ances where dirges were sung and the
stage made somber with heavy drap-
ings of black, while, in addition, there
were innumerable odes and elegiac
poems, the majority of which were con
spicuous for nothing but crude express
sions of sorrow and a proper repetition
of the name of Washington. 1t was
probably the receipt of particularly
large batch of poems from his kind
hearted subscribers that led the editor
of the New York Commercial Adver-
tiser to print the following remarkable
notice early In January:
Ito all immigrants who have at least
one shirt to their back and want an
other: TO all scribblers and poetasters,
great and small. foreign or native, who
intend to become famous and rich by
making ballads on General Washing
ton 5 death. or by writing his life; it
is humblv recommended that instead of
daubing the memory and character of
that illustrious man. they set them
selves to solve the following questions;
Whether a person can grin when he has
no teeth?'
With the entire Nation practically in
a state of mourning. it Is not surpris-
ing that the birthday Of Washington
century ago was observed in a manner
totally different from all previous
years. The 22d of February began to
partake Of holiday features in 1874. and
it quickly took rank with the Fourth
of July as a day for the exhibition of
patriotic enthusiasm in all sorts of fes-
tivities, Now all this was changed,
and even the customary feaSts in the
village tavern. where a toast was al
ways drunk for every State in the
Union were abandoned. The church
bells tolIed al half hour intervals every
shipping town saw the coors Of the yes
sells in the harhor ut haIf-mast. and at
all the military posts guns were fired
a certain hours from sunrise to sunset.
That the contrast was a marked one is
clear from a brief account in Boston
newspaper Of February II. 1900. de
Srrihjug the events in that city:
Saturday last was the anniversary
birthday of the late Gen. George Wash
ington, which has for many wears past
been observed throughout the United