Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-22
Remember the
Mayhower
Byrre1evte j. Hsskfn.

Of the Mayfower will be refscarsed and
commanded on by an orator II note, prob
ably Senator Lodge After that, the eelo-
bratiors are to be Discontinued until Juiy,
for Now England winters are 30 rigorous
that it was thought best 10 postpone the
pa gents and dedications until q time ~neh
The greatest number a visitors can be
present, and when the epeaksrs can dis-
penso with eaunuffs and not have Their
/ impressive remarks narrcd by an accom-
| paniment Of cbattering teeth.
There has been some misundcrs'and-
| ing regarding this program and great
| many people have come to Plymouth this
summer. with tho idea that the lGIO
| tsroentenary would be hold IN 1920.
| Plymouth is to be an ingpiringly pc
| ttirfeqIe town next summer and thcraiter,
according TO the plans Of the 1eroen--
! tenary Commission. Practically al ~
| th. money used by the commission r. 70
! be put into permanent improvements ana
memorials. with a view of making Ply
mouth a national shrine, ingtead of what
one commissioner calls focal dump.
TO RrzsroRE wATERvRosT.
I Dinry ol1 wharves and storehouses
| along the waterfront are ~ be torn do~rn
| and the shore line restored 10 look as Il
| did when the Pilgrims frgt knew u A.
| ureeent. this shore line IS q straight strp
! of sand but surveyors who have exarnln-
| cd the beach at low tide agree that the
/ original outline made two proTnontorlc -
/ with little bay between, wherc the rock
/ stands. There has been a little difficulty
/ in acquiring the buildings and land which
/ must be taken over in order n restore inc
waterfront. Some Of the owners are hold
ing out for prices several times those
| given by the assesgment records; but me
| commission is not greatly worried over
| this for the right 81 eminent DOMAIN ha'
been granted, and anyone who refuse. y
sell NJ a reasonable rate can be iorced y
do 50 /,
On the restored promontorses, bach
from the beach, there are to oe plantef
cedars. pines, surnch and other shruboerJ
such as probably once grew close 20 M
shore These viii form an approprlate set
ting for the famous Plymouth Rock Which
n also 70 be restored 70 more nstIra
position. :
inst before the American Revolution, Z
In that can now he aeen of Il. This part
stands at the original site. It was seveTa
times moved from one part n The town
tn another. and il shows signs d a2e an
wear. On one moving day It cracked ans
the piece had 10 be hastily patched p
ge4her with cement But that . not ~
worst Of its mishaps-
PLYMOUTH ROCK HAD EARD IrT-
Visitors n Plymouth rard 70 make
nractics n breaking Of substantial
cn,rnlrs "A rrsantIrplece souvenirs or paper
xaigh+s In fact the blacksmith arros
The wav was 90 botne. ed with requests
{ kae M Upa
rhe rock for the benefit of strangers
Cnurchea IN Brooklyn, Boston, and othe
c;tie< boast bits Of the rock II Their stTuc
t,,res and Timothy Dwight, Presldent 2
| Vale said that he had seen pieces u !
| m practically every town ID the CniteS
States.
This vandalism was finally stopped
but not until the rock was reduced 40
body knows exsctly how much.
II Is now under , granite canopy pro
tected largely BY sentiment and the pec
nle who are usually around IT, or passIn4
nv Anyone can touch il. SIT on i, or--a
tourists often aru-Oe photographers
st.nding ON II. But these simple pleasure
~ ahosIt to be ctIrtailed. BY next SUN
Nor the too of the rock VIII be taken oi
the concrete floor OF the canopy, an
lowered - that It rests on rs Own Oass
The whole rock viii then De 2t SEA eve
and the tide will wash up Close 70 us slds
but not touch it. 4 new granite eanoP
vii protect Il from the ram, and = graz
ing from the careSSes OF visitors. VINO N
have to content themselves with lookAn
down on il from the high shore sldes.
For the benefit OF any VINO may fninl
il possible that much money ana senu
u,ent arp being expended on = rock whicl
T,a-E n history /
may he said that the past OF Plymoua
Rock has been accounted for beyond
doilbt. The son OF a Puritan who csm
over in 1923 visited Plymouth when D
vvas nipeSv-ive years old. In 1872 n
,Sen+i6ed the rock and before 3 larg
number Of witnesses told the story o. th
landing IS he had heard 1t from his tsShe
! and from Others, when ne was 3 child
Even when this man was little Toy u
rock was famous and held IN respect u
dentitv Is further substantIated by Oh
records still IN existence.
BRONZE MEMORIAL F1GUREs-
BACK from Plymouth Rock, where th
PILGRIM village stood, there are 70 b
various memorials. 4 bronze statue Q
Nessasoit the friendly Indian chief. !
tr stand on a high hill; a small clsy model
made hv the sculptor, Cyrus Dalln, !
now in the Boston offices OF the ercen
tenary Commission. The big chief, nobl
poisaa. stands holding the peace pipe an'
looking thoughtfuny off at the stran <
Dalefaces who must be tolerated By IN
Town brook, where the Pilgrim women ds
then washing, there IS to DC bronz
statue OF Pilgrim mother.
These statues and other memorials AZ
hejng gwen bv different patriotic Il
cieties. Massachusetts, has set asld
sS25. 600 for memorial building, and n
engineering work and other necessary N
provements are 10 be paid Tor bv a tuuc
Congress was asked for s750,0O0 but ~
propriated only $500, 600. This may mea
that the plans for beautifying the water
front cannot be completed by next sun
mer The commission expects % con
nlete work on the rock and its immedlat
Surroundings first, and then, i funds hol'
out. the two promontorleS viii be restore
one nc a time.
The financial situation Is to ~ some
what relieved by the tercentenary ha
dollars which Congress authorized T. b
n,inted and sold rs souvenirs. Tn
half dollar VIII have . picture OF th
Msyaower on one side. and on th
other bust Of Governor William Brad