Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18

vention was held in Washington. This
was relatively a small gathering. the to-
tai number of delegates being but 500.
1.-THE convention was in session seven
days, and it is certainly conservative to
estimate that each delegate spent, in
Guiding subsistence, s. a day. This means
that $4,000 was left in Washington mere
ly because this convention was held here.
Now let us see how much this con-
vention cost: The Chamber of Commerce
spent so to send its secretary to Chau-
tauQua, N. Y, to invite the Esperantists
to come here. Later 1t contributed $500
toward the expense of the meeting. A
return of $4,000 is pretty good interest
on an investment of 1910, and strikingly
answers the question, DO conventions
pay?
Last year house-to house canvass
was attempted. Also a formidable sub
scrption list was made out. But when
1t came to the actual collection there was
a decided decline in the amount whlch
had been expected. At the present time,
however, a persistent effort Is being made
to gather together the money needed as
Washington's share. and the committee
concerned in the matter is doing all that
is possible.
So much for the work that the George
Washington Memorial Association has al
ready done or hopes to accomplish in the
near future. There still remains Senator
Roots bill.
x X
In introducing it Senator Root left
nothing to the Imagination. but brought
out fully his ideas with re-
The Root gard to the matter. The
Bill. a nu w. 'n neoa u p, hr ths
United States government and known as
the George Washington Memorial Build
ing. That is the name by which the
association determined to have its
administration, that will be vested in
the board Of regents of the Smithsonian
Institution. The building will be erected
on the plans of the association, under
the supervision of the fine arts commits
sion. And the proposed site is that occu-
pied by the old Pennsylvania depot, on
B between 9th and 7th streets.
In bringing the matter before the SEN
ate, Senator Root has not been the piO-
neer. One of the Senate committees to-
day is called the committee on the uni
versity of the United States This.
formed for the purpose of carrying out
George Washington's will. has never real
ly done more than furnish another sem
ator with committee Craftsmanship.
True. several favorable reports have been
made by the committee on the estab
lishment of university, but none has
ever had a real chance of enactment into
law. And what is more. Senator Roots
bill was read twice and referred to the
committee on the Library" And SO, even
now, 1t would seem that the committee
on the University of the United States"
would not have the opportunity to per-
form the task for which 1t was created.
There is one point overlooked in Sem
ator Roots bill. The site he proposes to
use would place the structure directly be-
hind a row of buildings which would
hide it from view from Penn
George Washington Memorial building
would only be visible to an extremely
small extent, and it is at least certain
that no comprehensive view could be OBJ
tanned unless the block on which these
buildings stand were condemned.
X
Many literary, patriotic and scientific
societies have signified their approval of
the plan, and have. in
Organizations addition, promised
rA4, their aid, including
AnseASS'ou' the American Acad-
envy of Sciences the Washington Acad-
envy of Sciences and it's affiliated So
cieties, the American Federation of
Arts, the Association of Military Sur
geons Of the United States. many Of the
chapters Of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution, Daughters of the Con-
federacy. National Society of Colonial
Danes Of America, American Association
for the Advancement of Science, the Ma
tional Society of the Sons of the Ameri-
can Revolution, the Ohio Osteopathic
Society, etc.
Many prominent individuals, too have
--y-s- ~. Ito -
the George Washington Memorial Asso-
citation. President Taft said that such a
memorial building should have been
erected long ago to the memory of
Washington; that the National Capital
was the place where it should be located.
and that if sufficient funds could not be
raised by the public, Congress should APP
propriate sum sufficient to make up
the required amount.
There are many advantages to be de-
rived from the building" said Mrs.
Dimock, president of the association.
washington. evidently approaching the
future commercial prosperity of this
country, was fearful lest we forget the
Importance of higher education. We
think, when We have a building where all
societies that condnce to the welfare of
this country are meeting and giving the
results of their efforts in every direction
to the world at large, we are carrying
out in the broadcast sense Washington's
OWN lOed. Auu also WHeu LIE
south, east and west are gathering to-
gether in this building are we immeasur-
ably strengthening the bonds of unity
throughout our whole country"
The officers and advisory council of the
association are: Mrs. Henry F. Dimock,
president; Mrs. Daniel Manning. Mrs.
Henry R. Mallory, Mrs. Charles J. Bell.
Miss Bessie Kibbey and Mrs. Frederick
Mcclure. vice presidents; Mrs. Leslie C..
Wead, Mrs. Frederick K. Thompson and
Mrs. Archibald Hopkins, trustees. Mrs.
Susanna P. Gage. recording secretary:
Miss Florence Guernsey. corresponding
secretary; Mrs. Frank Northrop. treas
urer: Charles J. Bell, trustee of per-
manent fund The advisory council con-
sists Of Senator Elihu Root Of New York,
DR.. 8. Weir Mitchell of Philadelphia, DR..
William WEIGH of Baltimore, Gen.
Horace Porter of New York, DR..
Charles D. Walcott, secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution; DR.. Edwin AL
derman, president Of the University of
Virginia; Prof Alexander Agassiz of
Cambridge, Mass; DIR. Ira Remsen.
president Of Johns Hopkins University;
Prof. III. Fairfield Osborn, American Mu-
scum of National History, New York:
DR.. Charles w. Dabney, president of the
University of Cincinnati; Charles ].
Bell DIR. John A. Wyeth, president of
the New York Academy Of Medicine,
and Thomas Nelson Page.