The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-09
THE NAME or MARCY.
Or. John Bsssett Moore Joins IN
Indignant Protest Against Its
Total or Partial Extinguishment.

citisen OF the State Of New York. and
above all as an American. I desire to
express my most cordial concurrence in
your editorial protest of June 20 en-
titled Hands on Mount Marcy
am moved to do this by the receipt
to-day of two documents, enclosed In an
envelope bearing the printed superscrip-
ton Victory Mountain Park Associa-
ton." One Of these documents, a book
let" stamped Victory Mountain" in
forms US that in order ITO COM
memorate the victory Of the United
states and allied nations In the Euro
pean war" It 10 proposed TO acquire
by popular subscription, for the public
benefit. the summit and adjacent terri-
tory OF the highest mountain in New
York State. Mount Marcy and
TO call this great tract Victory Noun
tain Park" This statement 10 appro-
priateiy illustrated with q picture OF
Mount Marcy. anticipatorily styled "vic-
tory Mountain" The other document is
described as "a list OF the Victory
Mountain Park Committee" OF this
committee the Governor Of the State
figures as honorary chairman" while
the chairman is no less a parsonage
than John II. Finley. LII. D.. l. H. D.,
president OF the University Of the State
Of New York and Commissioner Of
Education Of the State OF New York"
II thus appears that there 10 afoot an
organised movement, with the usual and
always readily available patronage OF
eminent names, for the carrying out of
n project which, as now presented, pri-
marily involves the removal OF Marcy's
name from the mountain which II has
10 long designated. Believing. as I
do. that such an act would be worse
than vandalism. I cannot believe that the
head OF the educational system Of the
State and his eminent associates have
reflected upon the full significance Of
the proposal which they are undertaking
to promote.
To appeal to the exultant patriotism
Of our people at the present conjunc-
ture for the purpose Of setting aside
Mount Marcy and the adjacent territory,
under the name, we will say, of "vic-
tory Park" or any other suggestive
title. In memory of the great events OF
the past two years. 10 one thing: to say
that, In order to accomplish this design,
We must degrade the name and fame of
q great American IL a wholly different
thing.
III 90 saying deliberately refrain
from emphasizing the objection, SO well
stated In your editorial article, to SUBJ
stituting for the familiar name OF AN
honored and useful citizen" as the
designation ot that GLORIOUS land
mark" Mount Marcy. the common
place and unimssinative title Mount
Victory" or, according to the present
authoritative version, Victory Noun
tain" II no doubt Is true, As your
editorial article afYirms, that the name
Mount Victory" 10 already borne by
post ofiices In Kentucky. and that there
are Victory" post Offices In Kentucky,
Vermont and wisconsin. But. As you
further point out the objection to de-
priving New York's highest mountain Of
It's familiar name does not rest solely or
sven mainly upon the fact that the
proposed substitute IL Commonplace
and unimasinative." We have not all
forgotten that some years ago an ON
cial Of the Post Office Department
gained q sudden notoriety by ordering
that the designation Of the once at
Appomattox be changed to Surrender"
No doubt there are many persona, more
literally endowed with zeal than with
sense or knowledge, to whom abstract
titles such as Victory or Surrender"
carry far more meaning than do historic
names. whether OF places or of indi-
viduala, unless indeed We from time to
time except those OF highly blaEoned
contemporary fame. such as Toledo, or
willard and Dempsey; but / do not be-
lieve that the people Of Now York desire
| to be placed in that category. Fortu-
natsiy. In the case Of Appomattox. our
learned postal ofYiciars mo Disregard Of
the value Of historic names did not prove
to be shared by his countrymen. So,
IN the case of Mount Marcy. there arc
historic reasons, not associated with q
single event. but all pervasive and
potent, which should place the name
beyond tho reach Of those who would
| effaee II.
do not hesitate to declare that in ell
the history Of the United States there
Is no name that moro fully typines the
| glory. the progress and the ideals Of
the great original American Republic
than does that Of william Learned
Marcy. Your summary Of his career.
based upon the sketch found In De Alva
8. AlexandePs admirable Political
History of tho State OF New York." by
no means sxaEEeratss his merits. Born
on December IL. 17s6, In Massachusetts,,
In that part Of tho town OF Sturbridge
now called southbridge, his early mani
festation Of unusual mental Sits In
duced his father. Jedediah Marcy. a
man of Irish extraction and a farmer
Of small means. TO do what he could
to help him crafty his desire for an
education. The times were simple. Liv-
ing was neither luxurious nor easy: and
Il was not an uncommon thing for q
farmers son, on leaving his home for
school, to take with him q COW and a
supply of home baked loaves TO supply
his physical needs.
| have II on the authority of the late
Judge Putnam OF Portland. Me-. for
whom as for 20 many men Of inteiii-
gsnce and OF American feeling, the sub
ject Of the present sketch possessed a
peculiar and typical interest, that II
was thus equipped that Marcy pro-
cseded to Leicester Academy. where he
was FIRST entered a. a student. Accord
ing to brief photographed
memorandum. q copy Of which I have
In my possession, II was here that he
was excluded from a literary society,
formed by the principal Of the school