Evening star., 1924-09-28
afayettes Visit and the Nations Capital of Century Az

pressed with the Capitol Building.
which was burned by the British in
1914. but mas been nearly rebuilt now
! although the Workmen are still en-
| gagged on it,
| i rode around the city with Mr..
| l-eVaSseur, and he talked very frankly
| about what he saw He said tEz in
| habitants were spread over too vast
| an area to give il the aspect Of a city.
II was more Ike a great straeeIin.
village. If it were not for it's public
buildings, he said, it might be mis-
taken for a struggling infant colony
| lie remarked that it took Is minutes
| 10 walk from one dwelling to the
| next, and seemed struck by the fact
| that one could see plows tracing fur
| rows everywhere in the city limits
| 4 X
| {" ME citizens of Washing gton en-
tertained the general and his
| companions right royalty. Much good
wine was consumed, and many fine
| toasts were spoken, to which the gen
1 eral always responded in most appro-
! pirate manner. Although the general
! his son and secretary were very spar-
/ ing in their use of wine | am afraid
some of our citizens took advantase
| of the great occasion TO celebrate in
4
| carried their celebrations on late in
the night, after the general and his
party had retired. Everything pass
ed off very splendidIy. There was
not a single untoward incident
Mr.. Levasseur, as he was leaving.
| said he was impressed with the beauty
| OF the White House. although he
thought the Capitol the grandesc or
our buildings He expressed great
anger over the vandalism of the Brit
| lsh in 1914. He stood for a long time
looking at a rostral column erected
in the Navy Yard in honor of the
| Americans who FELL at Tripoli. -hicb
was disfigured by brutal British xs.ber
| cuts. carved on its base &R% the
words: Mutilated by the BritiAh in
1914
The Frenchmen admired the tour
! buildings around the White Hous-
erected for the Government depart
ments-
We were rather ashamed of our
lttle theater, and Levasseur, even
| with all his desire to he kind, had to
| enter in his journal: 1t is a trifing
| little house, in which three or four
| hundred spectators can hardly ven
ture without danger of suffocatior.'
"Columbian College. founded a short
time since, and Georgetown College
were remarked by Cen LAFAYETTE
| He visited the Ia tier on the morning
after his arrival in Washington and
was received with great evidences of
gratitude and patriotism.
Gen Lafayette left Washington on
october Is, driving across the mile
long wooden bridge TO Virginia. where
| he was met by corps of troops un-
der Gen. Jones.
L have already told YOU how | ac-
companied him and something of his
grand reception in Alexandria before
he took boat for the Battlefield Of
Yorktown. which holds so many mem
orles for him and for both our faith
ers. Your good friend.
JOHN"
CCPPLEMENT1SCi this letter we may
say that Congress was not in ses-
sion when Lafayette arrived but on
his return northward in December he
was received with great cordiality by
Congress, which embraced in it's mem
bership at the time Andrew Jackson
and Martin Van Buren,, in the Senate
and Daniel Webster and Henry Clay
in the House
Congress appropriated 5000 600 lin
compensation for his important serv-
ices and expenditures during the
American Revolution which "im-
mense and unexpected gift" Lafayette
accepted as AN old American soldier
and an adopted son of the United
States-two titles dearer to my heart
than all the treasures Of the world"
About March | Lafayette left Wash
ington again for a trip through the
| South and West. which also took him
through New York State into New
England. Everywhere he received the
most remarkable oVations. He Wis
tied all the States as far South as the
Gulf of Mexico and West as far as
! the Mississippi. travelling more than
5000 miles by boat and carriage,
largely through virgin country.
Returning to Washington in Au-
gust, 1875. he found John Quincy Ad-
ans in the White House and became
his guest until his departure forever
| from American soil the following
! month. After the most impressive
| ceremonies of farewell he went down
| the Potomac and was transferred to
| the new frigate Brandywiue, which
| bore him across the sea to his beloved
| France.
| Just before he left Washington
| President Adams broke his plan Of
| privacy and gave great public din
ner in his honor. 1t was the 9th II
| September, Iafayette's 6Sth birthday
| Adams. He even broke the precedent
! that restrained the President OF the
| United States from proposing a toast
| and raising his wine glass. said: ITO
| the 22d of February and 6th of Sep
tember, the birthdays of Washington
| and Lafayette"