The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-05-15
TOBe Erectedatthe
l rationale Capital and
DediCatedtoOurBous
WhoHaVeE ought. SUI.
fered and Given Their
Lives for the Freedom
Of the World.

EN- of II and '76l The men of 1917
IA have maintained the legacy left by
|" the men of 1776. and have paid the
ANA debt Incurred. The odd coincidence
NX~S in numbers stands as the symbol OF
V& a real bond
Washington borrowed of France the
men and the money that saved the day Tor the
freedom of the colonies. Wilson sent back 10
France the men and the money that saved the Gay
for the freedom of the nations We repaid La
fayette with Pershing.
There is a universal eagerness to build hitting
memorial to the heroes Of the war of wars Monu-
ments will spring up all over the United states 10
individual men, officers and organizations. But
there insistent demand for one great national
memorial.
The only place for 1t Is of course. the capital OF
the country, and Washington has been and Will Dc
in n large sense the capital of the world
No memorial will be appropriate which mas NOT
a lasting value and dignity Of usefulness as wen
as beauty and splendor. No statue or group OF
statues could be reared which would express what
this memorial must express. No colemn OF meiteo
cannon though 1t were made of steel barrels mile
high, would convey the message An Imperial arcn
would imply nothing more than a gateway for con-
querors and would act simply as an OBSTRUCTION
to traffic.
The right memorial must be temple. a temple
Of architectural grandeur. museum Tor statues
busts, tablets, archives and interesting relics,
place of daily resort. and meeting place Tor
national gatherings.
1t Ia an amazing fact that Washington-the seat
of our national government. the center Of world
activity the mecca of congresses-has no large and
dignined meeting place, no convention nall OF any
dimensions.
The memorial described Will therefore, meet
pressing need.
What ideal should this memorial most wildly
expressf OF what religion should the temple be1
Surely, the religion Of freedom. OF democracy. OF
equality. and Of opportunity.
II should express the triumph Of the ideals Of
Washington and the founders Of this Republic as
those ideals have spread through the world and
united In the bloody victory over the spirit
of autocracy.
BY strange good fortune these ideals can be i'm
mediately realized Construction can begin at once.
Since George Washington would accept no money
for his services to the nation two gifts were voted
to him. one consisting of sum In cash. which he
disuosed Of as an endowment to the university
now Known Washington and Lee; the other n
number of stock certificates valued then at $25 600.
The latter amount he set aside In his will to be
used as a cumulative fund for the diffusion OF
knowledge In the vicissitudes Of time the stock
he bequeathed lost Its value and the dying wish of
the father of his country seemed likely to remain
forever unfulfled.
the wish The George Washington Memorial asso-
citation was formed and various projects were ad-
yanced, among them the foundation OF university.
But the country had now fully blossomed with
universities, every state having its own. Mrs.
Henry F. Dimock sister of William c. Whitney.
who as secretary Of the navy won the title of
.Fother Of the New American Navy" was elected
president of the association
With characteristic energy. Mrs. Dmock has set
about the accomplishment Of the ideal. national
committee including eminent men and women from
all sections Of the country. has been formed and
nearly half n million dollars already collected in
addition TO still larger amount pledged.
The association has procured from congress the
grant of an ideal tract of land which was formerly
occupied by the Pennsylvania station, and at pres
ent covered in part by temporary buildings OF the
war department This is almost the only desirable
site remaining unoccupied in Washington.
A competition in designs for the building was
participated in by a dozen Of the foremost Amer