Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-05

is his only memorial in the city he
planned. Congress has been asked to
perpetuate his memory by erecting q
monument, but thus far the bill has
never been passed.
Recognition OF L'Enfant genius by
this country has been slow.
1t was not until 90 years ago-S0
years after his death-that the body
Of the famous architect was reclaimed
from lonely spot on the Riggs farm,
| in Prince Georges County, Nd, and
reinterred in Arlington National Gene
terry.
During all that time it was I'M
marked Only red cedar tree, planted
at the time of his death. identified the
grave. 1t was the sundry civil bill of
1908, authorizing an appropriation of
81 900 by Congress ito remove and
grave" that gave this country the OPP
portunity to pay its debt of gratitude TO
the genius and patriotism Of the great
Frenchman.
Excerpts from an old report Of the
examination of the body describe the
occasion:
"A thunder storm interrupted the
operations for 20 minutes after the
ground had been broken; the dig
silence, for an hour or more.
"A cardinal bird. sitting in nearby
tree sang almost continuously during
the work at the grave.
90" The casket was wrapped in
old Glory 1t lay in state in the
rotunda of the Capitol from until
IL o'clock Thousands passed
around the catafalque on which reposeG
the caSket.'
The funeral procession to Arlington
was almost a mile long. The streets
were lined with spectators. Flags were
displayed at half-mast. A musician OF
the Army Engineers sounded Taps"
L'Enfant had soldiers burial 80 years
after he had died in poverty.
A gavel was made from the root OF
the cedar tree and presented to the Co
lunbia Historical Society Of Washing
ton.
For more than 30 years LEnfant's
plans for the Capital City of the United
States were forgotten. But today his
name lives in all the civilized world.
Under the plans for expansion Of the
City Of Washington, approved only re-
Gently by President Hoover, L'Enfant's
original ideas are to be carried out
The vistas and architectural gems
that are even now under construction
planned the city.
DR.. Chao-Chu WI, Chinese Minister
to the United States, must have sighed
just a little when he received word
from his government that he had been
appointed one of ChinaS delegates tn
the annual meeting Of the League Of
Nations in Geneva.
For DR.. WI doubtless has very good
reasons for not wanting to be absent
from Washington for long, right at
present.
DR.. Wu's absence interferes with the
one thing closest to his heart-the goal
he has set for himself as Chinese
Minister to the United States: that Of
bringing about q change in the exeP-
else of extraterritorial powers by the
United States in China.
It was not so long ago that the Chi
nese Minister sat in the classroom of
the old Force School in Washington as
student. His father. Dr.. WI Ting
fang. was then Minister of China to
the United States.
His classmates called him Pickles
then and delighted in pulling the queue
that hung down the back of his Orien-
tai costume. Archie and Quentin
Roosevelt, sons of the President. were
at Force School at the same time.
There are several in Washington who
remember WI as the short. stocky, be-
specialized boy Of those days. His fists
were respected by his fellow students
His ability to shoot marbles was well
known. After his first day at school
he wore his queue under his silken coat.
He entered the third grade at Force
School, but within a year he had jumped
to the sixth. He completed his studies
at Force and entered Western High
School far ahead of his class.
1t was in high school that he ex-
changed his silken coat and trousers
for blue uniform of the military unit.
On March 4, 1901, as a cadet Of Com