The Washington times., 1927-02-12
Wit and Wisdom Run Riot at
Wakefield Memorial Banquet
Senator "Jim" Reed and
Toastmaster Ogden
Mills Have Bout
b. JEAN ELIOT

field, birthplace OF George
washington, was given strong i'm.
petus last night at the banquet at
the Mayflower arranged by the
wakefield Memorial Association.
over 500 distinguished men ana
women, with many visitors from
Maryland, and Virginia, took part
IN this patriotic expression and as
climax Of the festivities gifts of
over $1,000 toward the restoration
fund were announced.
Speeches enjoining the linking OF
The glorious past with the present
and the future and the repayment
IN part OF the debt owed by all
loyal American to George Wash
sngton were in order and, with such
notable orators as Senator James
al. Reed and James M. Beck on the
program. q high level Of wit and
wisdom was maintained. But i'm
promptu exchanges between the
foastmaster and the various
speakers provided the most enter
tanning feature Of the evening.
These began when the toast.
master, Representative Ogden L.
Mills, introduced the first speaker
as shat great orator and great
statesman, Senator James M. Reed.
The Senator began with a descrip-
ton Of the feelings Of the man
who imagines his name q house
hold word and then finds himself
introduced by wrong name. Mr..
Mills reply was that the trouble
lay in the uItra-formality Of the
occasion, that he would have been
more at home speaking Of Senator
"Jirn'' Reed and that anyway his
audience had recognized the speaker
by his apt description.
UnprOgrammed Merriment
Merriment resulted from Sena-
tor Reeds inadvertent mixing Of
the Bible with American history
In an anecdote and continued ap-
plause from his plea for the loyalty
to the Constitution and his state
ment that its trainers had never
dreamed Of such a possibility as
the confiscation Of property under
the McNary-Haugen act"
When Mr.. Beck rose to his feet
he begged to add to the Senator'S
s'litany of the constitution" by call.
ing attention to its provision that
the States had the right to name their
own Senators without the advice
and counsel of the Senate''--another
sally received with prolonged ap-
plauSe. In Mr.. Beck's scholarly adj
dress he pleaded for the restoration
of Wakefield as a tribute to Wash.
ington's mother and as a symbol
OF the American home, whose pass.
ing he deplored as 'the greatest
catastrophe of the age"
The women on the program--MrS.
Alfred J. Brosseau, president general
Of the D. A. r.; Mrs. John w. Sher.
man, president Of the General Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs, and Mrs.
Anthony Wayne Cook--held their
own in such high oratorical
company, with well considered and
appropriate addresses. Most OF the
speakers, however, seemed to view
with alarm" the condition Of the
country-Senator Reed deploring
the lack of craftsmanship. Mr.. Beck
and Mrs. Sherman mourning for the
passing of the home, and Mrs. Bros.
seau telling mournfully of how
Washington might have warned his
people were he alive today. And
to me there was a refreshing note
In the brief address OF Gen. Charles
p. Summerall, chief Of staff--a sol.
der speaking OF Washington the
eoldier-who announced that he
could ''point with pride" to nue., in
American life today and in particu-
Jar to the American Army.
An ELOQUENT Speech
An unprogrammed speaker. Judge
Embry Of Virginia, was introduced
by Mr.. Mills with the warning that
his talk must be brief ifA the din
ner were to be over "by 1882, 200th
anniversary of Washington's Birth.
day" It was-and to the point.
He presented to the Wakefield
Memorial Association q check for
$1,000 from the city Of F'redericks.
burg. Mr.. Mills remarks on the
eIoquence of this address carried
one back to the days before the ma
ton was, when during a fiery de-
bate-it must have been in the Vir.
ginia House of Burgesses-the most
Eloquent" speech was Washing
tons offer to raise. and equip 1000
men to go to the relief Of Boston,
Bishop Tucker OF Virginia de-
Iivered the invocation and the
ceremonies closed with the reading
OF americas Creed" by its author,
William Tyler Page. Mrs. Harry
Lee Rust, president Of the Wake.
field Memorial Association, was at
the speakers table with other dis
tinguished guests.
Daffodils and forsythia were used
on the tables, with blue and buff
candles. Flags decorated the
banquet hall and the patriotic note
was further carried out by the
wearing Of the insignia of many
patriotic societies.
Many OF these were represented
1T the various tables. Mrs. Walter
r. Tuckerman presided over q cable
OF Colonial Danes. The Scions of
Colonial Wars had a table, with
Samuel Herrick as host, at which
were Dean Bratenahl, DR.. Walter
e. Wells, Edwin T. Pollock, H. L.
Rust, jr., Markley Bethea and
Gwinn Wheelwright Rust. There
were several tables Of D. A. RS
and Mrs. Bradley Davidson was
hostess at table for the Colonial
DANES OF Maryland.
Among Those Present
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Fitzhugh,
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Warren and
Mrs William Barrett Ridgely were
seated together. Mrs. M. de Clare
Berry was among the guests at the
Virginia table with Mrs, Schuyler
Otis Bland and others noted were
Representative and Mrs M. CLYDE
Kelly, Mrs. Adam Wyant, Mrs.
John M. Speel, Representative and
Mrs. Harry RansIey, Miss Elizabeth
Ransley, Representative Louis Me.