Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-05-15

l..
are 10 be honored together In great
,n.moria, auditorium In this city.
Tho project II called the George
WA .hinston Memorial because II wss
started "a years ago for the purpose
ri CARRYING out one OF the unfulfilled
provi.,oos of wsshinstons will. The
usr broke into the slowly developing
) plans. and afterward the idea OF tne
. double memorial took shape.
. Now. plans are going rapidly Tor
, werd. Congress has approved the
) project and donated site in cen
tral location where some OF the tenn
, porary Government Offices stood our
. ing the war. The corner stone was
= laid by President Harding last MO-
9 veniber. few days after the Dn-
: known Soldier was honored in the /
9 Capital. Mrs. Harding has been made
i honorary president Of the George
4 Washington Memorial Association,
j. and the 100000 necessary 10 erect
n Lth. building In being raised among /
states and organizations. Governors
n OF all the states have Endorsed the
|. plan, and Tennessee has authorized a |
a bond issue Of 100000 as it's share In
q the fund. Construction work will be-
., gin next year, II is hoped.
a Plans for the memorial have been
approved by the National Commission
n on Fine Arts. A model stands in the
2. headquarters Of the memorial asso
"A ciation. II shows four story, square
,e building. so broad as TO appear very
p low set The material, Ike most pub
" lie buildings In Washington viii he
Of white stone, and the usual Greek ef-
feet Of colonnade Of pillars is used
~ at the front and back.
\? The central feature of the building
J. Is the large auditorium seating 1000
a with suitable accommodations for
to national and international gatherings.
The lofty dome of this auditorium
IN is to be the specific memorial to the
n. soldiers and sailors and marines Of
ny the World War Each man who fell
ui' in the war is TO be represented by a
u' gold star in the dome, and all others
KY by blue stars. These 4,s00,0O0 stars are
20 be personal memorials because the
ln initials Of the men they represent are
" TO be on them, and II is planned that
by use Of a isgrsm and a field glass
III visitors TO the hall will he able to los
~ cate the names Of their own war
hs' heroes.
'e' The dome Of stars is expected to
prove of increasing interes. with the
- passing Of time. In speech at the
corner stone ceremony. Admiral
u Coontz. chief of naval operations, re-
ferred TO the dome Of stars as the
w. part Of the project that appealed u
~, him most.
-" Can you not imagine" said the sd.
" mirsi ''the children. the grandchildren
" and the great grandchildren Of the
Great War making Washington q
mecca TO visit. 10 look for their an.
49, cestcrs star. / am great believe,
-, In tradition, for It is only In the con.
temptation OF greet and noble deed.
In the past that we are led TO tn,
:, same In the present and tho future
Around tho auditorium are to be
g., great many rooms. all dedicated q
~ patriotic and national uses On tn,
- first floor there will be smaller meet
-. Ing halls and two museums whici
- will contain collections OF war tro
.,s phies. and relics. documents. uniforms
guns and souvenirs OF famous men.
,.,- The second floor is TO have q Iarg
~ banquet hall where state banquet
tia can he held and distinguished states
? an men entertained. There will also b
.ho reception rooms and n long row q
20 rooms where patriotic societies vCi
establish permanent Headquarters
Such organizations as the Colonis
Danes, Sons OF Veterans. and Dough
ters of 1912 are to make use of thes
rooms. and some societies have alread
set aside funds 10 furnish and main
tain rooms here.
Above. on the third floor rooms Al
- TO be reserved for each of the stat,
and territories, to be furnished
TAT them and used for state societies Al
other state purposes. The fourth flo
Ia arranged in more offices for patri
nat, ''''''' -'''
slled A Long Felt Need.
The need for this type Of publ
ouiu buildings has long been apparer
Members OF the patriotic societies cor
'nes to Washington at times for conve
tons, TO promote special legislatic
ush' to consult Government records, and
use fine genealogical collections at I
Library of Congress. But most of I
ghly societies have no headquarters.
special place where members can s
fed; information, or hold meetings. wo,
nfer OF all. Washington lacks a suital
play auditorium for meetings of large, Il
portant bodies.
they 1t was because a patriotic buf
ing" was needed and because it seen
pet. 10 fulfill in spirit at least. the aim,
forgotten desire expressed in Wa:
4 nv ington's will. that the George Wa.
ington Memorial took this form.
VII, The first President had a long CHI
ished dream of a national univers
= do TO stimulate high ideals in the yoI
of the land. In his last message
>. all Congress he urged that body to p
mote institutions for the disseminat
Of learning. In his viii he said he
gretted that American students sho
.ls go to other countries to receive hi;
er learning and foreign ideas at
impressionable age when they sho
be imbiding the principles of pat
ne tism. He expressed an ardent w
that there should be founded a
way tional university free, as far as 7
n iret sonable, from local attachments
Q pet, state prejudices. and he left s25
II the TO establish that university.