Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-23
DR.. HART SPEAKS
ON WASHINGTON
Historian AssaiIs Those Who
Would BIacken Character
of Hero.
Special Dispatch to The star.

N~NS~AcA 1A1FANSAh
ALEXANDRIA, Va, February o.
Or. Albert Bushnell Hart, professor
emeritus Of history at Harvard Univer-
sity and historian of the commission
appointed to prepare vast celebration
Of the two-hundredth anniversary Of
George Wasilington's birth in 1882, was
the principal speaker here yesterday at
the celebration held by the Washington
Society Of Alexandria in the old Presby-
terrain Meeting House.
Washington was great soldier
great statesman, and the whole world
knows it." DR.. Hart said To-day want
to hold before you George Washington
the gentleman, not that there is any
doubt in the minds of any persons that
Washington was gentleman, since 10
generations of his family had been
traced and not found wanting in the
essentials of the gentlemanly estate,
bat merely to picture the man as he
was"
DR. Hart charged two persons with at
tempting to detract from washington.
one of them "ParScn" Weems, who, he
said, sought to create the impression he
was not so admirable or strong a char
acter as he has since been pictured, and
the other, who, DIR. Hart said, probably
wished he was the man he would have
been had he been Washington. which,
fortunately. he was not" DR.. Hart
called the second man"xY," and said
he was of more recent origin than Par
son" Weems.
Page Tells Of Society.
William Tyler Page, clerk of the
House Of Representatives and executive
secretary Of the George Washington
Bicentennial Commission. spoke on the
Washington Society of Alexandria and
at the conclusion of his address on the
society he said that even at that mo-
ment he could visualize It's founders.
Thirty-four members of the Washing
ton Society then wended their way
down the central Isle Of the meeting
house, dressed in Colonial costumes,
each representing some famous figure
OF those days. A brief biography OF
each was given by Mr.. Page.
The parade of the notables was pre-
ceded by two buglers and two drum
mers In costume, and a color sergeant.
Characters represented in the parade
were William Fitzhugh of Chatham, Gen
Henry Light Horse Harry" Lee, Rich
ard Bland Lee, his brother; Charles
Fenton Mercer, protege of Washington;
William Herbert, president of the frs
bank established in Alexandria, in 1872;
Chief Justice Thomas Marshall; DR.
James Craik, Washington's oldest and
most intimate friend and personal ply
stefan; Rev. James Muir, pastor of the
Presbyterian Meeting House for 80
years; Rev. Thomas Davis, rector Of
Christ Church and Washington's pas
kN~s (aof -.
manded the military escort at Washing
tons funeral: Col. Dennis Ramsay, who,
as mayor of Alexandria, offered the
first congratulations to Washington On
his accession to the presidency for the
first term: Col. Charles Simms of the
Sixth Virginia Line in the Revolution;
William Henry Fftzhugh of Ravens
worth. George Washington Parke Gusts.
Bryan, Lord Fairfax, stanch Tory, but
equally stanch friend of Washington,
and one of the mourners at his funeral;
Ferdinando Fairfax, his son; DR.. Elisha
Cullen Dick. successor Of Washington
as worshipful master Of Alexandria
Washington Lodge of Masors; Col
George West, ward Of washington, rep
resented In the pageant by a collateral
descendant, q. F. D. Rollings; Jonathan
Swift, first treasurer of the Washington
Society; Col. Phillip Marstellar, an hon
orary pallbearer at washington's fu-
neral and Francis Scott Key, whose
Star Spangled Banner" was sung by
Mrs. Evelyn Howard Sheridan as he
strobe down the aisle. The unknown
hero of the Revolution was also repre-
sented in the parade.
Judge Howard w. Smith presided. An
organ prelude was played by Miss Mar
garet Alexander on the Oldest known
church organ in use in America. The
Colonial Quartet from the Howard Uni
versity Glee Club of Washington sang
Garry Me Back to Old Virginia" and a
group OF Negro spirituals. william
Bnckner McGroarty, president OF the
Washington Society Of Alexandria,
brought the program to close.
Senator Simeon D. Fess of Ohio, his
torian Of the George Washington BIZ
centennial Commission, was unable to
attend.