Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-05

py In0 sac Oh the ItIuEe ibhu,
I where the old-time chrysanthe.
NUNS bloomed golden. But the RAM
bier has an obligation to those kind
and patient readers who follow him,
to keep going and to point out to
them the history spots. the beauty
scenes. the quaint people and the
good people and the old houses In the
wonderful section in which we live.
This obligation does not always bear
upon him as heavily as does his cam
era, plates and tripod-in fact. 1t
never does. because the Photographic
OUTFIT Is often burdensome while the
obligation to his readers. though
heavy, never becomes burden. He
feels that in telling and retelling the
chronicles of the old homes and fam
lilies of the region of Washington, and
in calling up the ghosts and memories
OF other peoples ancestors, he is do
ing a small but useful work and per-
haps giving pleasure to many per-
sons he does not know and who do
not know him.
1t may have been observed that
during all the summers and winters
springs and autumns that the ancient
Rambler has been telling these little
stories OF Old Virginia. my Maryland
and great Washington, he never calls
up any other ancestors than those
that are good and pleasant. To him
they all appear to have been good
and wholesome souls, a few OF whom
really wore silken hose and silver
buckles, and few of whom, a very
Few OF whom, were as rich in lands
and slaves as their descendants say
and sometimes believe they We're.
Most people are dearly attached to
their ancestors especially to those
who had anything to do with the
French and Indian wars or the Amer
ican revolution. and who have been
dead long time.
1 Nx
The greater the length OF time an
cestors have been dead, the dearer
and more useful they become to their
descendants. Ancestors seem to in
crease In value in proportion to their
remoteness. If they lived in the time
OF tho French and Indian war; or the
American revolution but had nothing
to do with either, 1t seems very easy
Tor their descendants to give them n
prominent position in those stirring
enterprises. If all the ancestors who
served In the continental army un-
der Gen. Washington had really been
there, not so many long and uncer-
tain years would have separated Con-
cord and Yorktown.
II an ancestor had the good luck
to serve one term as the sheriff of
a county near Washington he be-
comes an object of intense pride to
his descendants. If he happened to
have come to jamestown under Capt.
Newport or in one Of the later re
liefs," or to have been one of the
Ark to found the City of st. Mary.
no becomes an asset. at least. OF
high conversational value to his de-
scendants. All ancestors were good
people and the Rambler always-finds
OF those clipped. broken and lop-
sided old sundials which he comes
upon in ruined gardens, and which
have inscribed upon them. either In
English or Latin, a phrase that runs
sunny hours" No matter in what
station or condition living persons
find themselves they demand line
Of ancestors. Usually they demand
that they shall be rich. proud and
noble ancestors. Some persons who
place great store on that peculiar
Characteristic called Responsibility"
insist that their ancestors were
virtuous and proper persons, and a
few people Of today. whose ideas are
times. insist on having pious ances-
tors.
The Rambler finds 1t rather easy to
furnish rich, proud and noble ances-
oOIueklAuCd ne encounters very
little difficulty In finding respectable
ancestors. but the work Of supplying
descendants with pious ancestors IL
often attended with extreme diniculty.
It Is very exacting and fatiguing
work. All male ancestors In Mary
land and Virginta--or nearly all male
ancestors who wero any good-went
to church on Sunday and to taverns
ut other times. 1t racks the Rambler
And requires q minute search to md
xnale ancestors in this part Of the
country who did not drink apple and
peach brandy. chew tobacco or use
pnuff, smoke pipes, buy lottery tickets,
bet on horse races and play seven-up.
One great trouble is that when the
Rambler comes upon an ancestor who
was too pioua to go to q horse race
or to get drunk at the tavern he fnds
that such an ancestor was regarded
with suspicion by his neighbors and
was most probably not considered re-
spectacle In those lawless, free-and-
easy, good old times.
OF course. the Rambler Ia not talk
Jag about New England ancestors.
but about Maryland and Virginia an
testors. He is talking about ances-
tors who made American history, in
Atead Of writing about 1t. The
Rambler has had very little expert
ence with New England ancestors.
put, having seen great many New
England descendants, he has no in
fAntfon nj aha ndoninu MARYLAND and