Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08

France will find their final
resting place at Arlington.
IT has been officially announced that "all
ci Americas soldier and sailor dead will
be returned from the battlefield and
hospital cemeteries of France at the
expense of the federal government in
1920" and that IAN appropriation by
: Congress will be asked for at the
proper time"
1t has always been the practice to
bring to the United States the remains
Of its soldiers and sailors fallen In for
oign lands where 1t was feasible to
do 1t. Months ago the Secretary of
War and the Secretary. of the Navy
came to agreement that the remains
Of the sons Of America fallen in the
grea. war should be brought home
and placed at the disposal of their
relatives, given burial in 4 national
cemetery. If such should be the wish
of the family and to be buried in
national cemetery as matter of
Z course in cases where the relatives
OF the deceased could not be COM
municated with.
Great numbers of the soldier dead
viii be inferred at Arlington, which is
sometimes called the national ne
cropolis" and sometimes spoken of as
, the most solemn American shrine.
1t is, a place of wonderful and rev.
( crent interest Beside Its historic as
sociations, it is a place of great
beauty and commands Q view Of
s Washington than which none of more
grandeur can be found in the en-
. Virons of the city.
n, Il !:
United States in many ways There
is close association between 1t and
George Washington, and there is close
association between 1t and Gen. Rob-
ert T.. Lee. Under its oaks, cedars
and green sod and in it's breast of
yellow clay and gravel lie bones of
men who fought in every war into
which the flag of the American peo-
pie has gone.
The bones of revolutionary soldiers
and sailors. of men who fought in the
who fought in the Mexican war. the
I, civil war, the Spanish war and the
Z Philippine war are there. There is
scarcely a naval engagement In which
is not represented at Arlington by the
ashes of sailor. 1t would not be
easy to recall an Indian campaign
or an Indian fight that is not repre-
ocutcu Wy iHOTIdi TSGCS anu epltlpnS
at Arlington. No. other bit Of earth
( holds the remains of so many officers
Of the sea and land forces of the
United States as Arlington.
Because of Arlington's many ties
and associations with George Wash
ington, George Washington Parke
Custis, his adopted son, Robert e. Lee
and the civil war, the history of this
famous estate is little understood by
Americans in general They know
that 1t was the home of Lee and that
1t Is now national cemetery, but
there Is usually good deal of con.
fusion in their minds as to how these
things came about
In the broad hallway of the Arling-
ton mansion is a condensed historical
sketch of the place. That history is
inscribed on two big bronze tablets
One is affixed to each side wall of the
hall, but not a large proportion of the
visitors to Arlington note these tablets,
and not large proportion of those who
do note them have the time or take the
time to read them to the end. The in
scription is too long for the patience of
:, the average sightseer, who seems to be
in a nervous rush. Here follows the
story of Arlington. as it is written on
those big bronze tablets:
North tablet: 1.-The lands comprising