Arizona republican., 1921-08-16
By Frederic J. Haskin


 WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 15-Is Arlington Mansion, bare and gloomy since Lee rode away, again to be turned into the semblance of a beau tiful colonial home, with it's relics of Washington, Custis, and Lee re stored?
 Arlington was stripped of it's sou venirs Of George Washington, its furniture in the exciting Civil War days Priceless relics. left unguard- ed, were somehow stolen by vandal camp followers. Soldiers quartered about the grounds had opportunity to buy for song, or even to take without price. souvenirs to send back home What was left of the Wash a4ngton things was finally carried to a museum in the patent office, whence the exhibits later found their to Mount Vernon.
 General Meigs. once Robert E.. Lees intimate friend, was so em- bittered by Lees allegiance to his state that he vowed that never again should the mansion be used as the Lee homestead. To insure this. he ordered grave dug on the grounds for the Union dead. and Arlington be- came a national cemetery, with the mansion deserted. save for certain rooms set aside for the use of the superintendent of the cemetery.
 Meig's VOW will always hold. The mansion can never again be the real colonial home left by Lees family Thousands of stones dot the lawns of the Arlington estate, even close to the homestead. But Arlington Man. sion can be made into museuf, like Mount Vernon. of great historic value and sentimental interest. The idea of attempting this has been proposed sy a Virginia chapter of the United Daughters If the Confectionery. and the plan is to be discussed at the annual convention of the organiza- tion in October. If the project is ap- proved there, it must then be submit ted to the government.
 If the Daughters of the Confeder. acy agree in the desire to restore Arlington House and take care of ( collection there. there is no reason tt think that congress would refuse con sent Arlington is closely associated not alone with Lee, the southern hero but with many famous earlier charae ters. such as Lafayette and Georg' Washington Parke Custis, Washing tons adopted son.
 Built by Custis
 1nlS SuSilS was lAC OdiioCi VI Al lington House In 1902. soon afte Mrs. Washington's death, he lief Mount Vernon and superintended tn building of a home for himself ol HOO acres of ground belonging t, him at Arlington, Virginia. The res idence he planned was similar to ; Greek temple, with eight of the hug pillars so admired by the Colonials used to form a portico.
 Custis ordered the house set on tn look the capital The portico at Ar lington offers what is perhaps tn brow of a hill so that it would over most beautiful outlook on the city o Washington. Lafayette. visiting MT Custis at Arlington. declared it on of the most beautiful views he hal ever looked upon. And another visi tor of 70 years ago wrote:
 From the portico brilliant pano rama, is presented. The capitol, ex ecutice mansion, Smithsonian Insti ute. the growing magnificent Wash ington monument, and almost ever house in the federal city may be seel at glance from this point, while be tween them and Arlington flows tn | bright flood of the Potomac" In his new home. George Washing | ton Parke Custis dispensed the sam | lavish hospitality that had been tn | rule at Mount Vernon. His hous was furnished with taste and ele | gance. Many relics and furnishing of Mount Vernon were left to him an | transferred to Arlington, and thes 1 were cherished by Custis and hi | guests as things which the frs | president had used. | The war tent which Washingto
 carried throughout the Revolutio
 was so greatly treasured that whe
 Custis wished signally to honor an
 visitors he had the war tent pitche
 on the lawn and received them in i
 This tent is now in a glass case
 the National Museum. The brow
 cloth is folded in several bundles, an
 the poles lie on top.
 Another Arlington souvenir
 equal historic value was Washing
 tons bed. The same writer who {
 vividly described the view from tf
 portico has this to say:
 Tn one of the chambers at Arline
 ton House is the bed and bedstea l upon which Washington slept