The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-18
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. C.
LEE MANSION AS A MEMORIAL

Washington, D. c., Aug. 13.-Is Ar
| lington Mansion, bare and gloomy
| turned into the semblance of a beauti-
| full colonial home, with its relics of
| Washington, Custis, and Lee restored
| Arlington was stripped of its sow
enirS of George Washington, its works
of art, and its furniture in the exciting
Civil war days. Priceless relics, left
unguarded, were somehow stolen by
vandal camp followers. Soldiers quar-
tered about the grounds had oppor-
tunity to buy for a song, or even to
take without price, souvenirs to send
| back home. What was left of the
I Washington things was finally carried
| to a museum in the patent office,
whence the exhibits later found their
way into the National Museum and at
| Mount Vernon.
General Meigs, once Robert E. Lees
intimate friend, was so embittered by
Lees allegiance to his state that he
| vowed that never again should the
mansion be used as the Lee home
stead. To insure this, he ordered
graves dug on the grounds for the
| Union dead, and Arlington became a
national cemetery, with the mansion
| deserted, save for certain rooms set
aside for the use of the superintendent
| of the cemetery
| Meigs'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 Mansion
can be made into a museum, like
| Mount Vernon, of great historic value
! and sentimental interest. The idea of
attempting this has been proposed by
/ Virginia chapter of the United
! Daughters of the Confederacy, and
/ the plan is to be discussed at the an
nuaI convention of the organization in
/ n fr. mn rad
| there. it must then be submitted to
| the government.
| If the Daughters of the Confeder-
acy agree in the desire to restore Ar
lington House and take care of a col
| lection there, there is no reason to
think that congress would refuse con-
| sent Arlington is closely associated
not alone with Lee, the southern hero.
but with many famous earlier char
acters, such as Lafayette and George
| Washington Parke Gusts, Washing
| tons adopted son.
Built by GUSTS.
This Gusts was the builder of Ar
| linghton House. In 1902, soon after
Mrs. Wsshingtons death. he left
| Mount Vernon and superintendent the
| building of home for himself on
HOO acres of ground belonging to
him at Arlington, Va. The residence
i he planned was similar to a Greek
temple, with eight of the huge pill
lars. so admired by the Colonials. used
to form a portico.
| Custis ordered the house set on the
brow of a hill so that it would over
| look the capitol. The portico at Ar
| lington offers what is perhaps the
most beautiful outlook on the city of
| Washington. Lafayette, visiting Mr..
Gusts at Arlington. declared it one
of the mostS beautiful views he had
| ever looked upon. And another Wis
itor of seventy years ago wrote:
From the portico a brilliant pan
Drama is presented. The capitol. ex-
! ecutive mansion, Smithsonian insti-
tute, the growing magnificent WASH
| ington. monument, and almost every
house in %he federal city may be seen
at a glance from this point, while be
tween them and Arlington flows the
| bright flood of the Potomac"
In his new home, George Washing
ton Parke Custis dispensed the same
lavish hospitality that had been the
rule at Mount Vernon. His house was
furnished with taste, and elegance.
Many relics and furnishings of Mount
Vernon were left to him and trans
| ferred to Arlington, and these were
| cherished by Custis and his guests as
| things which the first president had
used.
The war tent which Washington
carried thruout the revolution was so
| greatly treasured that when Gust
wished signally to honor any visitors
| he had the war tent pitched on the
lawn and received them in 1T. This
tent is now in a glass case in the Ma
tional Museum. The brown cloth is
! folded in several bundles. and the
poles lie on top.
| Another Arlington souvenir of equal
historic value was Washington's bed
The same writer who SO wildly de-
scribed the view from the portico has
this to say:
In one of the chambers at Airing
ton House is the bed and bedstead
upon which Washington slept at
Mount Vernon. and wherein he ex-
pired. The frame is remarkable for its
great width, being six feet. 1t was
made with other furniture in New
York in 1888 and was in continual use
| death. The bed and bedding remain
in precisely the same condition as
when the good man left it for his
final resting place"
This bed is now at Mount Vernon.
Other Washington Relics.
GUSTS had many other belongings
| of the Washington family-such
| things as the harpsicord which the
| general had given to Nellie Gusts at
| chest with three padlocks and two
| bolts in which Mrs. Washington kept
money and vaIuables; a silver tea
service from which the first president
was said to have served all the great
men of the day: beautiful vases, the
gifts of adnirers; and valuable old
portraits of Washington and his fam
| lily.
Among these portraits Gusts owned
| the Sharpless profile painting of
! Washington, regarded by many people
as the best likeness ever executed of
] the general. But Gusts was not alto
| gether satisfied with the various like
nesseS of his adopted father and had
| the ambition to paint a full length
| view of the great man that would set
| tie for posterity all questions as to
his face and figure He did indeed
make the painting, showing the gen.
eral leaning against his horse at
| Yorktown.
Custis' intentions were good. but his
| lack of training prevented his at
tennis a z historic Oaiufi0Cs from hav-