Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-25
The Rambler Writes Of Churches and People


And he has never yet seen . single
reference to any other pupil Of Dr..
Hunt except Ninian Edwards. The
oldest and best families in Marylasi0
always refer in some way to VIII
liam Writ. They seem to be very
proud Of him. This man developed
commanding Intellectual powers and
became an important figure in law
and politics In the United States. And I.
those families which refer to Them
selves and like to be referred to rs
aristocfatic appear almost ready to
adopt William Writ as one Of their
set. This strikes the Rambler as be-
ing rather strange.
William Writ was a man Of as much
learning. intelligence and exalted pow
ers as any scion Of an aristocratic FAM
lily. and UNNECESSARILY. superior to the
average run Of such scions. He was an
aristocrat in the sense I'M which men
with brains use that word. but he was
not an aristocrat in the sense in which
that word 10 understood by thousands
OF vain and feeble minded men and
women. II Writ had not achieved great
ness by that mysterious spirit which
more often blaxes forth in common men
than in any other kind OF men. he
would have been considered the merest
nobody. He would have been spoken Of
as an exceedingly ordinary person"
There is good deal about ''aris-
ox,Sb Lob %h~
been able to get clear in his head. The
most aristocratic family is often that
which had great-grandfather who WIS
sheriff or county or state Judge, which
lad q grandfather who was CONSUL
minister or ambassador, or a colonel or
chief clerk or the secretary to some
commission for compiling public docu-
ments that never ought to have been
written. or after being written should
have been dumped in the ash can. In a
family Of this kind there were q great
many other members who were aids on
the governors stan. eighth assistant
auditors, janitors to the court of ap-
peals, etc. To some persons that con-
stitutes aristocracy.
To the Rambler it means merely that
that particular family had a talent for
freezing on to easy jobs in the govern
ment service. The Rambler has often
felt that taxpaying family might be
quite as aristocratic as q taxeating
family. But to come back to William
Writ. He was born in Bladensburg.
His father was an immigrant from
Switzerland and his mother was Ger
man. And they kept a tavern in BlA-
densburg and William Writ was born in
the tavern. Williams father died when
he was two years old and his mother
when he was eight years old. He was
Bladensburg and his name was Jasper
Writ. The Rambler does not know what
his occupation was. but is willing to bet
his weeks salary that the plantation
aristocracy and the aristocracy that was
feeding itself and it's sons and grand
sons, nephews and third cousins at the
public crib were not on calling terms
with Jasper.
William Writ first went to school IN
log house In Georgetown. Who kept
the school the Rambler does not know.
UOS UV<1Iu0V Will u uu0 Su6kSe
family by The name 81 Schoolfeld Then
he was sent to school in Charles
county Kept BY Mr.. Dent. and the Ham
bier believes that IT was Charlotte Han
School Later he went to school kept
by Mr.. Hunt, west Of Cabin John creek.
and he boarded with the family Of Sam
usl Wade Magruder Of Locust Grove.
and the brick house. which was the
homo seat Of the Locust Grove farm. 10
still standing back from Cedar lane,
near the Montgomery County Club. The
Rambler will have to turn back to the
story Of the Presbyterian Church In
Montgomery county next Sunday.
"JuSt Folks"
COME folks say that the Briushers
~ are cold and distant toward this
country now that the war is over, but