The Washington herald., 1918-03-24

men and boys and sometimes girls
riding horseback in the road or up the
lanes-a true sign of the South coun-
try. And beyond Baltimore this feel
ing intensifies. Yet when you have
made the slight detour to get into
Camp Meade you will find that you
have left the good land Meade runs
true to form and stands in a vast
sand lot.
Camp Meade Real Accomplishment.
Yet do not scorn Meade, or any of
its fellows. They represent one of the
real accomplishments of America. To
have started a city of 5000 men and
LOO buildings at the end OF June, and
have it finished and ready for its kha-
ki-clad citizens by the end OF Septem-
ber. was no mean task. The four
great redwood tanks that confront
you as you drive into Camp Meade
are the camps reservoir. Together
they hold 10000 gallons and yet
timber was brought from California,
wrought into these huge casks and
made, ready for work. all within sixty
days. To any real American, Wash
ington needs neither description nor
analysis. shall spare both. We
Slalt Hnu OURSELVES CTOSslns lle
Potomac flats upon the Long Bridge,
which a dozen years or more ago sup
planted the more famous and historic
Long Bridge. 1t was a genuine land
mark: and the pity is that there has
been left no lasting memorial Of 1t
whatsoever.
There is no question of the south
that We are now traversing. You
might take this old city of Alexandria
through which we are passing-with
a decent regard for speed laws that
prevail in all Southern communities
and place it in Northern Maine, or
in Manitoba, and it still would be a
Southern town-and proud OF it.
George Washington came to wor-
ship here at Christ Church." read the
Amiable Lady from the encyclopedia
Blue Book, 'and so. fifty years later.
did the famous Robert f. Lee"
Lee Drove Milk Cart.
We cease to hear. Lee! In this an
cient town, right after the four years
OF civil war. there was a Lee. and he.
a great general, too, who drove a milk
cart in order that he might earn an
honest living. In such humble pride
can the spirit of a great American
family refuse to die. Then we go into
the Carlyle house down by the river
edge and the pretty lady in charge OF
it with the still prettier Virginia ac-
cent, shows us the fascinating place
in the cellar where they used to muir
der slayes-or was it Indians?-and
put them to a final sleep under the
pavement. Then we shall see the old
Masonic hall and the throne-chair in
which Brother George Washington.
master of the old lodge. often sat
For Alexandria had its revolutionary
lore aplenty. and so has Fredericks-
burg. even though half dozen of the
bloodiest battles of the civil war were
fought around it. and some of them
not so far around about. as the black
cannon ball still lodged in one OF the
white wooden pillars OF the Presbyte-
Flan Church mutely goes to show.
But the Fredericksburg folk know. OF
course. that you have stopped to see
the house of George Washington at
Mount VeTnOn-after all these years
still the loveliest of all American
homes. That house and the tomb
which all the distinguished missions
which have visited the United States
during the past year have paused to
seC-are scarcely two miles away from
the main Washington Richmond road,
as the Blue Book will show This road
is a part of the path that We are TAX
ing to the new army camps. And to
miss Mount Vernon would be little
less than a crime.