Evening star., 1925-02-23
RATHBONE SPEAKS
Upon WASHINGTON
Representative Addresses
Association of Oldest Inhab-
itants at Celebration.

More than 100 members of the Asso-
citation of Oldest Inhabitants of the
District OF Columbia gathered in the
Union Engine House, Nineteenth and
H streets, today for the annual OBJ
servance of Washingtons birthday
The association first held a regular
business meeting, followed by pa
triotic program.
The patriotic address of the day
was delivered by Representative
ing a report at the business session
OF the program that has been ar
ranged, Washington Topham, chair
man of the entertainment committee,
told his associates that the Repre-
atfve is a son of Maj. Rathbone,
who was in F'ords Theater the night
Abraham Lincoln was shot.
Reeite Americans Greed.
The patriotic exercises began with
an invoca ton by Rev ]. Harvey Dun
ham. The gathering then joined In
recitins the "Americar's Greed, attsr
which America" was sung.
Portions of President Washington 5
farewell address were read bE j.
Eliot Wright, recording secretary OF
the association. .r,1-,, -,
An original poem, entitled When
washington Crossed the Delaware
was read by John Clagett Proctor
Several selections were rendered
by the Columbia Quartet
At the business meeting Col. George
W Evans submitted a report OF the
finance committee showing the con-
dition Of the associations treasury
at the close of the year 1924. HIS
report also showed that the assocla-
tion had a membership of SO4 at the
close of the year. During the year
% members of the association died,
and 56 new members were admitted.
During the business meeting both
Col. Evans and Mr.. Topham appealed
to the members to make contrtbu-
tions to- the associations building
fund.
Upon motion of Col. Evans, the as
sociation voted to write a letter to
Commissioner James f. oyster ex-
pressing the hope that he would soon
completely recover from his recent
illness Theodore w. Moves. presl
dent of the association, presided.
Asset In City'S Name.
The City of Washington possesses
a great asset in the name that has
been given It, Representative Rath-
bone declared.
Although Shakespeare says, What's
in a name?' the writer of any great
book knows there is very much in
a name. What city could have a
nobler name or one that stands out
greater than that of Washington?
He was the Father. not only of
His Country but of this city, and we
are proud to bear his name"
Representative Rathbone expressed
the belief that the American Consti-
tuition might not have been adopted
If it had not been for the confidence
the people of that day had in George
Washington. There were some, he
said, who raised their, voices in op-
position to the proposal to have a
President who would be elected for
four years, but the Constitution was
adopted because of the tacit under
standing that Washington, in whom
the people had the utmost confidence,
would become the first President. In
summarizing some of the qualities of
the trst President, Representative
Rathbone said:
George Washington was not an
extremist. He was sane progress
sive, wisely conservative of the best
things in our life. He had courage
without rashness, mercy without
weakness, secrecy without deceit and
ambition without selfishness."
The Representative frequently COM
pared Abraham Lincoln to George
Washington, characteriZing them as
the two outstanding men in American
history.
He said that neither Lincoln nor
Washington was afraid of being over
shadowed by selecting big men for
their Cabinets. Referring to the
Washington Monument, Representa-
tive Rathbone declared it was a most
appropriate symbol of the man in
whose memory it was erected and he
asserted that If 1t were built on
upward to an unlimited height it
could never outreach the fame Of
Washing ton.