Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18
ASK MARYS Of US.
TO HELP PROJECT
Workers Want Memorial Room
to Mother of the First
President.
MRS. PENDLEIoN's GIFT

A project has been suggested to build
| a Mary Washington room, in honor OF
| the mother of George Washington, IN
| the erection of which in this city Is now
| being conducted throughout the coun-
| try in hoor of George Washington. Its
hacker is Mrs. Edmund Pendleton,
| daughter of Mrs. .Margaretta Hetzel'
| who died ten years ago. and who Is
widely credited as primarily responsible
! for saving from the sale at auction OIL
| the grave of George Washingtons
| mother, which is located in Fredericks-
| burg. Va.
MY mother prevented the sale at
| public auction of the bones of Mary.
| the mother of George Washington. and
| for that reason l want to contribute
| $780," said Mrs. Pendleton in speaking
| to Mrs Henry F.. Dimock, president of
| the George Washington Memorial AS
ISOLATION. under whose auspices the
| campaign is being conducted.
! Mrs. Pendleton. asked to explain how
| her mother had prevented the auction
| ing of the grave of Mary Washington,
| said ION March .. 1883. two days be-
| fore the Inauguration of President I1ar-
rjson, there appeared in a newspaper
terrible advertisement, set up in dis
| Play.
Text of the Advertisement.
THE advertisement was as follows:
1.-The grave of Mary. the mother of
Gen. George Washington. to be sold at
public auction. To the ladies attending
the Inauguration OF President-elect
| Harrison, Tuesday. March5. 1888. at II
o'clock, we will offer at public outcry,
at the Capital of the United States.
twelve acres of land, embracing the
grave and material of the unfinished
| monument of Mary. the mother of Gen.
Washington
Action in the courts prevented the
! sale of the land that embraced the
grave of Washington's mother. Fur
\ thermore. the publication of what we
rightly call the terrible advertisement
so stirred the heart of my mother. Mrs
| Margaretta Hetzel. then living in Fair
fax county. Va. that she decided to in
augurate movement to save the grave
of Mrs. Washington and to erect a
suitable monument over the ashes of
her who had given Washington to the
country.
Mrs. Hetzel was then in her seven
tieth year. but. undaunted by age and
filed with enthusiasm, she made trips
to Washington and other cities. en-
listed the aid of newspaper editors and
wrote thousands of personal letters,
with the result that February %. 1890.
the National Mary Washington Me-
mortal Association received its charter.
Mrs Amelia c. Waite. the widow of
the Chief Justice of the United States
Supreme Court, was chosen president,
tary of the organization. The women
associated with them were resolved
that the grave of Mrs. Washington
should be preserved.
"As l have said. the courts prevented
the sale of that land until the organi-
cation which my mother formed could
take hold of the matter. Her efforts
and the efforts of those associated with
her resulted in the purchase of the Ave
acres surrounding the grave and in the
erection of an appropriate monument
to Mary Washington. The association
was organized for one thousand years.
but now the grave, the land surround
ing 1t, and the monument are looked
after by the organiza ton and, of
course, this will last forever
Wants Marys to Contribute.
Consequently, you see," continued
Mrs. Pendleton, whose home is now In
this city. Il am intensely interested in
the proposed Mary Washington room
for the George Washington Memorial
Building. 1 should like to see every
Mary contribute to this room in honor
of Mary Washington. And 1 am equal
ly interested in the plan to erect at
once the George Washington building.
I can not see how any patriotic Amerl-
can can fall to show his or her interest
in the undertaking by contributing
dime or a dollar or a thousand dollars,
according to his or her resources, to
the building.
The Washington memorial building
will serve to fulfill his dearest ideal, an
ideal which was set up in his soul by
the teachings of his mother. That was
to learn and to enable others to learn
those things which are necessary for
the progress and upward trend of indi
viduals and the people at large. The
structure will be devoted to a tremen-
dous room for national and interna
tional meetings of organizations deal
ing with science, literature. art. edu-
cation and so on. Such organizations
will be permitted to have meetings
there and to possess permanent head
quarters in the smaller rooms, free of
charge. The building is to be given to
the United States and to the world at
large free of charge, as a testimonial
to the greatness of Washington and to
his wish to be the agent of some in
stitution for the spread of knowledge
and culture among the people,"