Evening star., 1924-02-22
MONUMENT BODY
annual MEETING
Memorial Resolution on
Death of F. L. Harvey
Adopted at Session.
TASK LONG AND DIFFICULT
Society, Formed Ninety-0ne Years
Ago, Toiled Many Decades to
Complete Shaft.

! The Washington National Monumen
Society held it's ninety-first annua
meeting at 1880 o'clock today at TIL,
University Club. After the regular
business meeting Justice Willis Var
i Devanter, first vice president. enter
tanned the members Of the society ant
few guests at luncheon at the club.
President Coolidge is ex-oflicio presi
dent of the society. Other officers ar,
Justice Van Devanter. first vice presi
! dent; Theodore w Noyes, trea er
William +. Harr, secretary. Governor.
OF the various states are ex-otticio vic,
presidents.
a Other members are Charles d Nal
colt, Herbert Putnam, David r. Me
! hee, Henry White, Robert T. Lincoln
Maj. Gen William NJ Black. Henry
Cabot Lodge. Rear Admiral Willard II
: Brownson, Frederick H. Gilbert ant
Lieut.. Col. Clarence O. Sheriff..
AT its meeting today William X
Harr, the present secretary of the
society, reported the death on March
10 last of Frederick l.. Harvey, whc
! mad been connected with the society
and secretary, since 1874. Mr. Harvey
was the author of comprehensive
history of the Washington Monument
and of the society. published in 1908
and an authority on all matters per.
tanning thereto.
Pay Tribute to Deceased.
The society adopted memorial reso.
lutions with respect to Mr.. Harvey
and also as to Rear Admiral Francis
NJ GunneII Thomas Nelson Page anG
! Rev. Alfred Harding. members who
had dit d since the last regular meet.
ing held ny the society. Earlier in the
morning tMr. Harr reported TO the
Il wreath at the base of the Wash.
in gton Monument had been observed
The society is the honor guard OF
the Washington Monument, which
owes it's existence largely to the eff
forts of the society, which was or
ganized in 1888 by leading citizens ol
this city for the purpose of erecting
"a great national monument to the
memory Of Washington at the sea-
Of the federal government" Chief
Justice John Marshall was elected the
first president of the society.
1t is noteworthy in this connection
that on December 23, 1899, the Con
grcss of the United States adopted q
resolution offered in the House !. Of ;,
that marble monument be erected
by the United states in the Capitol. al
the city of Washington, and the fam
lily of Gen. Washington be requested
to permit his body to be deposited
under il, and that the monument bt
so designed as to commemorate the
great events of his military anc
political life"
\ committee was appointed to carry
into effect this resolution. and later
the House of Representatives passed
other resolutions and appointed other
committees for the same purpose, bu,
down to 1888 nothing definite had
been accomplished.
In September, 1888, a paragraph
appeared in the National Intelligent
GER. calling for a public meeting OF
the citizens of Washington to take
up the matter and redeem the pledges
of Congress. In response to this cal
a meeting of citizens was held in the
aldermen's chamber in the city hall
on September 26. 1885. which result
ed in the organization of the Wash
ington National Monument Society
Funds for the monument were raised
by popular subscription. Progress
was slow. and by 1888 only about
100000 had been collected. this being
due in part to the fact that limita- :
tion OF each persons gift to 81 had
henn imposed by the society. This
Limitation was removed in 1S45. In
1917 the aggregate of collections and
accumulated interest was about
$4,000.
Corner stone Laid.
The corner stone of the Monument
was laid on July 4, 1S4S, under tho
auspices of the society. Robert C.
winthrop, Speaker of the House OF
Representatives. delivering an ora
ton. The laying of the foundation
of the Monument and the erection of
the shaft were thereafter vigorously
prosecuted. so that by January. 1858.
the Monument was 12G feet above
ground, and by 1858 had reached a
height of 156 feet.
On February 90. 1859, the society
was incorporated by act of Congress
for the purpose of completing the
Monument. it's charter providing that
the President of the United States
should be president eN officio of the
society and the governors of the sew
eral states eX of7icio vice presidents. s.
At it's first meeting thereafter Presi-
dent Buchanan presided.
Renewed efforts were now made by
the society to obtain popular sub
scriptions to complete the Monument,
and some thousands of dollars were
collected, but the civil war intervencd
and paralyzed the movement for some
time. At the annual meeting of the
society on February %, 1866. there
was large attendance, President
Andrew johnson presiding. There
after considerable sums were raised.
Congress- Comes to Aid.
On August ., 1876, Congress came
to the aid of the society by passing an
completion Of the Monument. said act
providing that nothing therein should
be construed to prohibit the society
from continuing it's organization and
soliciting subscriptions. and further
providing that the construction of the
Monument should be under the direc-
tion and supervision of a commission
composed of the President of the
United States, supervising architect
of the Treasury Department. the
States Army and the first vice pres
ident of the Washington National
Monument Society.
Eight years thereafter the Monu-
ment was completed, the capstone
being put in place on December s.
on February 21. 1855. BY an act of
Congress passed October 2, 1883, the
joint commission created by the act
of August z. 1876. was dissolved. but
the society was continued The Mon
ument cost s1.1S7,71O. OF this amount
subscription.
The Washington National Monu-
ment Society is the oldest organiza-
ton in the District, aside from the
Masonic fraternity and perhaps one
or two other secret organizations. 1t
has had on its rolls men of great
distinction-Chief Justice John Mar
shall, Chief Justice Melville W. Full
Ter, Adds E. Browne, James Madf-
son, Mr.. Justice Cranch, MIR. Justice
Lamar. Mr.. Justice Strong and Mr.
Justice Brown, Gems. Grant and Sher-
man, Prof. Henry, Prof: Asaph Hall,
prof. Langley, W. w. Corcoran,
Admirals Rogers, Powell and Dewey,
Alexander r. Shepherd, Crosby S.
Moves and many others.
KUNI TO VISIT RUMANIA.