The Morris County chronicle., 1910-03-08
WASHINGTON Letter
BY CARL scHoFIELD. Special corre-
sDondent


! building to the first president of the
nation are formulating plans for an
4 extensive campaign in the District of
| Columbia.
Memorial to Washington.
The George Washington Memorial
association was incorporated here in
September, 1898. for the purpose of
erecting at the national capital build
ing to be known as the "George Wash
ington Memorial building" in com
memoration of the interest taken by
the first president in higher education
in America.
The memorial building which 1t is
proposed to erect in furtherance of
this idea is to be practical in plan and
construction, of durable character
and an architectural feature Of the
capital 1t is planned to have it used
as home and gathering place for ma
tional, patriotic, scientific, educational.
| literary, art. medical and other similar
organizations that may need such ac-
commodations.
To Contain Big Auditorium.
| 1t has often been pointed out that
the national capital is the appropriate
meeting place for all organizations
| that are national in character, and yet
many of them are deferred from COM
ing here owing to the lack of suitable
accommodations for large conventions.
The proposed memorial building will
contain a great hall or auditorium,
probably as spacious as any in the
country, and other rooms for the meet
ing of congresses or conventions of
quarters of the various organizations
that may be associated with the prof.
ect and students research rooms.
1t is proposed by the association to
raise $2,000,00O for the building and
$500,000 as an endowment for mainte
nance, so that societies and conven-
tions may use the building without
charge
The ChiIdren's Tribute.
Every child is asked to wear a
George Washington button, which
costs 10 cents. From this fund ID is
hoped to build one wing of the build
ing, which will be the children's trib-
ute to Washington.
The entrance fee for ASSOCIATION
membership is So, which viii cover
the dues for the first year, to be re-
mitted to the treasurer. The annual
dues are So The fee for life member
ship is $780, A receipt with engraved
head of Washington is sent to each
contributor, and his name and address
will be entered in the permanent rec
ord of the association.
Guides to Be. Licensed.
The senate has approved a measure
providing for the licensing of guides
at Washington. The bill prescribes
'that no person shall be licensed as
guide unless the commissioners of
the District are satisfied he is a per-
son of good moral character and is
qualified to render the service for
which he is to be licensed" and the
commissioners may promulgate regu-
lations for the prevention of fraud
and imposition by such guides upon
the person employing them. for the as
certainment of these qualifications and
may provide penalties for the viola
tion Of the regulations.
Each guide must pay an, annual IL
cense tax of So. There is also clause
requiring peddlers to pay an annual
tax of $25.
Washington Masonic Relics.
AHoc0,,e fvo,,1 oil oxyo,, AI,o
country met the Alexandria Washing
ton lodge at Alexandria, Va, recent
ly to discuss plans for building Ma
sonic temple in Alexandria so that
proper provision may be made for the
care and preservation of the famous
Washington relics now in the custody
of that lodge.
!. The present temple in which the Vir-
ginia lodge meets is not the building
where Washington, it's first master,
presided over its deliberations. The
original building was destroyed in
1871, and the present structure, which
is part of AleXandria's city hall and
is given to the use of the old Wash
ington lodge for ninety-nine years, was
erected on its site. Fortunately almost
all the priceless curios which the old
lodge had accumulated were saved.
The chief losses were the glassware
used in the time of Washington.
which were taken by vandals. Some
Of this was returned The masters
chair used by Washington, of leather
and inlaid mahogany, is now kept un-
der a glass case and used only at the
installation of officers. but several of
the bent wood chairs used by the
brothers in Washington's day are still
in the possession of the lodge and in
use like other of the lodge furniture.
Valuable Mementos.
The only portrait eXtant of Lord
Fairfax by Sir Joshua Reynolds hangs
on the wall of the anteroom, and an
other supposed Reynolds Is suspended
beside it, Two of the Washington
aprons, the trowel with which Wash
ington laid the cornerstone of the
United States capitol, a piece of Plym-
outh rock, the handouts taken from
John Brown at Harper's Ferry, piece
of the stone of the Washington monu-
ment, original paintings of Washing
ton and Lafayette-a thousand and
one mementos which no money on
earth could buy from the loyal Masons
of Virginia are displayed In and about