The mirror., 1923-02-22

ington always came up form Mt. Vernon on ~
horseback, followed by his faithful black body HrI
guard in a bright red uniform; how after SER 9SHl
vices Washington was likely to linger in the
church-yard to talk with his country neigh
bors, and how it frequently necessary for I'LL
the remind him that it was time to I'LL
go by leading up the horse and handing the EH
bride reins to him. The members of Wash
ngtons family, the local historian relates al I'LL
ways came up in large coach drawn by four Hill
horses if the roads were heavy Not infre- I'LL
quenty neighbors guests in the coach. hE
Another favorite rendezvous in Alexandria I'LL
for sghtseers is the occupied by the
Masonic lodge named for Washington This lodge still
hourshes There may look upon the chair in which
Washington when he presided the lodge of which
he MASTER also the Masonic apron he wore his we'd
ding gloves pair of spurs he wore, pruning knife he
used the Mount Vernon plantation, and penknife
which his mother gave him when he boy. And
there is 70 be in the old lodge the last authentic
painting of him, pastel from life made by William
Williams of Philadelphia
Another old Washington landmark in Alexandria is
the Carlyle house. This there when Wash
ngton young man. In colonial days it was one of
the sknown hotels in Virginia. The fine folks Of the
Old Dominion gathered there for balls and dinners and
for good times generally and Washington, the local his
tOrlanS say present at unusual event. General
Braddock had his headquarters in the old hotel when he
proceeding against the French and Indians Making
ones way back tie capital city the Alexandria
Arlington road numerous landmarks may be This
highway leads by Arlington the resting place of the
tion's heroes, and to Georgetown.
As this old highway brings the traveller around the
brow of hill four miles southwest of the national capital
the Washington monument looms up the low land
and the Potomac river From point in the environs
of the national capital does the monument appear to
greater advantage-a magnificent reminder of the good
works of typical American. This monument is
fitting companion piece for the great memorial Abra-
ham Lincoln 1t speaks of the founder of the Repubc
the other of the saviour of the Republic.
Many projects discussed before the Washington
monument was conceived and work on begun. AT the
close of the Revolution the Continental congress
mended the erection of equestrian Washing
ton Immediately after his death the congress- sitting in
Philadelphia, voted to erect monument under which he
should be buried Another project was to make the
Capitol building memorial to him. Travellers may to
this day have peep at vauted chamber directly under
the rotunda of the Capitol which designed
ing place for the body of Washington.
The Washington monument is the conspicuous
work of at the national capital The dome of the
Capitol and dome of the Congressna library and the
Lincoln memorial stand with boldnesS but the
monument Overtops them. On clear day the
may be from the of the Blue Ridge mountains,
4s miles away. The memorial had its inception in the
minds of patriotic people who formed the Washington
Memorial association. 1t proposed to charge
behp fee of $oo and the money thus contributed
to be used in the erection of suitable the
hero of the Revolution. The money in slowly and
it looked at times if this project would have to be
abandoned.
Finally in 1S4S congress voted site The SPOT chosen
had been marked by Washington himself a monument
to the Revolution which he hoped would sometime be
built. The work of erecting the monument proceeded
slowly 1t had reached height of 17S feet when the
Civil war came 1t rooted and stood un-
touched until 1876 when congress again took hold and
under the spur of congressional action completed
1885. The height of the is SIS feet inches.