The National tribune., 1911-02-23
Changes in Uniform.


the Army uniform. Just about the
time poor devil or an Officer or yet
a poorer mustered man thinks that
he is getting about even with the Com
missary, along comes a change, which
means more money out OF his pocket
Ma. Leonard Wood. Chief Of Staff,
is about to makel ahothefr change,-but
omy, and as he is going to remain
Chief of Staff for several years in all
probability, it may not cost so much
after all. He has been giving careful
study to the subject and has reached
the conclusion that there are too many
articles in the uniforms of the various
officers of the Army, and. with the
approval of the Secretary of War. he
has issued some general orders modify
ing the regulations for the uniform.
The most radical changes prescribed
apply to trousers, caps and aiguilettes.
Service trousers of olive drab and cot
ton khaki no longer form a part of
the uniform, and their use must be
discontinued. The use of the khaki
cap also is discontinued, and the olive
drab cap will be worn instead. The
the uniform, and the full-dress cap
hereafter will be worn with the dress
uniform.
The new order requires all officers
entitled to wear the aiguilette to wear
it with all uniforms except the service
uniform. 1t is prescribed that the
aiguilette be secured to the shoulder
of the dress coat by small cloth loop
and black button placed just inside the
shoulder strap.
The new order also prescribes that
whenever boots are worn spurs shall be
worn, and that all officers, when mount
ed. shall wear spurs.
1t is further provided that a white
waistcoat with small gold or gilt but
with the special full-dress uniform and
mess jacket The buttons in the shirt
are always to be plain gold buttons.
One of the famous portraits of Wash
ington has at last come back to this
country. and Representative John Gill,
Jr., of Maryland, has introduced q bill
in Congress asking for an appropriation
of $4,000, that the Government may
become possessor of the picture and
add it to the National collection of art
in this city.
The painting is the famous life-size
portrait of George Washington by
Charles Wilson Peale, and was present
ed by Washington to Louis XVI. The
King gave it to Lafayette, and it final
ly came back to Baltimore as a part
owned by DR.. George Reuling, of that
city.
Authentic history in the possession
of DIR. Reuling shows that Washington
commissioned Peale to do the portrait
especially for presentation to the
French monarch. The background
shows Nassau Hall at Princeton and a
line of Hessian infantry, from which II
Is inferred that the painting was made
shortly after the battle of Princeton.
Mr. Gill claims that DIR. Reuling has
documentary evidence to. prove that the
portrait was actually presented to Louis
XVI, and that the King gave the pic
ture to Gen. Lafayette on the occasion
Of the latter's return from America al
the close of the Revolution. Until
Lafayettes death, the painting of the
prominence in his salon, and after La
fayette died the sale OF his estate took
the picture into the hands of Marsile,
a Partisan art COLLECTOR
In 1857 C. Duhamel, of New Orleans
secured the portrait at a sale of Mar
sile's goods. and Bone time thereafter,
when the Duhamel collection was sold
Washington's portrait. along with the
others, went to Judge Tissot, also OF
New Orleans. DIR. Reuling obtained the
portrait from Judge Tissots estate.
President Taft an Explorer.
These bright sunshiny days you are
liableto run upon President Taft almost
any time and in all sorts of out-of-the-
way places. The President can't play
golf when there is snow on the ground
and siush under 1t; he gets no time for
horseback riding, and yet feels that he
must have the outdoor air, which he
can't get in automobiling; so he is TAX
ing 1t out in walking. He always has
with him one of his secretaries and his
Military Aid, Capt. Butt, and usually
two Secret Service men. He has been
exploring old Georgetown lately. and
the White House procession thru the
highways and byways of the nights
amazement when passersby recognized
the President in his derby hat, lone
overcoat and walking shoes.
The other day the President took II
into his head to visit the Washington
Monument. He got there just in time
to get the elevator. which was making
it's last trip to the top for the day. II
was a. clear. pretty evening, and the
President spent some Is minutes In gaz-
ing out of the windows clear at the TOP
of the towering pile. taking In the city
almost to the horizon. because 1t was
one of the days when one could see
just as far as the human eye could
carry sisAt, there being no intervening
haze or mist The President enjoyed
the trip up and the sights he saw tre'
mendousiy, and the tourists who were
in the monument at the time felt that
their cup of happiness was quite full in
being permitted to get so near the
President, who spoke cordially to all.
After the President and his party left
the monument they walked eastward
thru the Mall and up past the Capito
and on down to the Senate wing. The
President wandered around the capito
a few minutes; then went over to the
Senate Office Building, leaving that just
at dusk, when he walked down Pennsyl-
vania avenue to the White House, the
party reaching there just as 1t was
quite dusk.
The President is a rapid walker, talk
ing a long, swinging step, and there is
nothing escapes his eye. He stops tc
pat the newsboys on the head. to buy
an apple from an italian, to admire pa
per flowers in one window and real ones
in another; he gees all the good horses
and comments in plying tones on the
poor beasts struggling along slippery
pavements, laughs at the monkeyshfne.
of scrapping newsboys, and in every
wa yshows himself to be man thoroly
alive to all the interests of human
kind.
w. H. Flood Dead.
The men first to reach Lincoln il
the box after his assassination have
been almost as numerous as the body
servants of George washington, who is
said never to have changed his body
servant the last 25 years of his life
VIM. H. Flood, of Washington. VINO wa: