Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17
Capital Sideligghts

mencement exercises il is opportune
to consider how great debt the Gov
! ernment and country owes to one col
lege. which is within days easy
automobile ride of the National Cap
ital--old William and Mary College, at
Williamsburg. Va. which is today en-
joying renaissance unparalleled in
the history of the world.
| 1t was the first royal college in
America, there the Phi Beta Kappa
Society was founded 149 years ago,
there also were instituted the first
elective system of studies and the first
college honor system. 1t was the first
American college to establish school
OF law. school of modern languages,
! a school of history and "A school of po-
litical economy. Its old main build
ing, still in use. was erected In 1897,
it's BraffertOn Indian School building
In 1928 and it's presidents house in
1882
| This college has given the Nation
3 Presidents - Thomas jefferson,
James Monroe and John Tyler: 4
justices OF the United States Supreme
Court--the great John Marshall John
Blair. Bushrod Washington and Philip
F. Barbour: signers of the Dec
laration of dependence-GeorSe
Wythe, Thomas Jefferson. Carter
Braxton and Benjamin Harrison: Is
members of the Continental Con
gress. including its first president
Peyton Randolph; Secretaries of
State. 4 Attorneys General. II for.
ators and 3 Speakers of the House
of Repre-
1t has given to the State of Vir-
ginia 81 governors and p Judges OF
the Court of Appeals.
Today IL has an enrolment of more
than 900 college students, as many
more in its extension department and
more than $50 attending Its Summer
school On the letterhead of this col
lege is printed the apt quotation from
Ruskin-'Our duty is TO preserve
what the past has had to say for It
self and to say for ourselves also what
shall be true for the future"
AS may well be expected, this vet
eran and unique college has a price
less collection of historical manu-
scripts and records. including the
minutes of the first meetings of the
Phi Beta Kappa Society, which are
housed in a modern library building
and in the custody Of f.. q. Sven
who Is well known as an authority or
historical research.
Though living in such historic asso
cha alton. and with daily access 10 origi
nal chronicles Of the most stirring and
leventful DAYS in the entire history o.
this Nation. written by hand by the
men whose naones today are reveret
as fathers q the country anc
trainers of the CONSTITUTION" the
nearly 900 students in William ant
Mary's today are kept in close touch
with the history and politics Of today
DIR. j. G.. Porbrd. one of the ablest
men the State of Virginia has pro
duced in the hst century, whose for
bears took leading parts in the foun
dation of George Washington Uni
versity. who recently served as Fed
eral trade commissioner, is in charge
of this course at the college. having
! sacrificed more fattering offers else
where to devote himself-as have
other brilliant men including DR.. J. A
&. Cha ndler, the president. and Rev
! William A. r. Goodwin. d. D.. tn,
fiscal Inanager-to the marvellous
| restoration of this pioneer. educationa
, / Institution.
Four great institutions OF the Fed
eral Government in Washington are
row engaged on great hums nitaria
work in behalf of those afflicted with
blindness. and hundreds of Govern
ment employees are devoting spare
/ time to help the work. Columbia In
partment Of the Interior. with Presi
dent Coolidge as patron teX-officio,, and
supported by Federal appropriations
is the only institution of its kind ir
the world educating boys and girls
Yho"are deaf or dumb.
The American Red Cross is engaged
in A nationwide effort in behalf of the
blinded soldiers and civilians. TIT
| United States National Museum. il
the Smithsonian Institution. has jus
installed an exhibit covering the his
tory and the methods by which thu
blind have been furnished with read
ing matter. This main exhibit is sup
plemented by travelling exhibition:
circulated throughout the country. 81
that all the people of the country vii
have an opportunity TO better appre
ciate the help that can be given Il
the sightless.
In the blind room of the Library OF
Congress sensitive finger tips are
moving with meticulous care over
pages of Braille duplication done by
Government employees and submitted
by the Red Cross.
Mrs Gertrude Rider is the nationa
adviser in Braille for the Red Cross
4 The return of the blinded soldiers
brought forth country wide offers par
| ticularlv from the women of the Ma
!
best In litera ture. SO that the blind
may read through their sense oil
touch.
Even the imperfect ira Inscriptions
rejected by the experts in the LII
brary of Congress who are themselves
blind, yet fill great need and are
sent to individuals all over this land
for their entertainment. 1t goes tc
the blind who, Ill and dispirited, are
| =
literature that has been typed OF
printed in raised points. They are
the blind with tuberculosis or other
contag ious diseases whose touch
would infect the books for general
readers. To them in their isolation
and loneliness. even the poorest ex
amples of Braille are blessing.
The copying of masterpieces of lit
erature into Braille is a task that
brings the transcriber a double bless
ing--in the consciousness of having
done a deed of charity and in becom
ing familiar with our classics In way
not to be erased by time.
A new land of delight is being
opened up in this way to those who
ldwell in darkness.
Out of a railroad tunnel being built
under river comes a long file of
workmen-their days labor done.
Bat passersby observe that each
wears pinned to the lapel of his coat
la white card This informs the
tpublic-particularly policemen and
prohibition agents-"Do not arrest
this man If he is seen to reel and
stagger in a drunken, unaccountabl BILE
manner
The reason is that the man has