Evening star., 1932-11-20
b,O)D CHURCHES
| TO MARK CLOSING
OF B|CENTENN|AL
Thursday Noon to See End
of Celebration Which Be-
gan February %.
WASHINGTON is THEME
OF SERVICES IN D. C.
100000 Committees Throughout
Nation Function in Paying Trib-
ute to First President.

America will ring down the curtain
Thursday on the George Washington
Bicentennial Celebration.
Just as it began on Washington
birthday, February %, it will conclude
on Thanksgiving day, namely, with re
Iigious services in the churches Of th
Capital and the Nation. The United
States Bicentennial Commission esti
mates more than $4,000 churches viii
participate in the separate exercise
concluding the 200th anniversary o
the birth of the First President.
In Washington, no central Thanks
giving Bicentennial ceremony has beer
planned, but-fair weather permitting
the District Bicentennial Commission
may sponsor memorial services at tn
base of the Washington Monumen
Thursday afternoon. The program hat
not been completed by DR.. George
Havenner, executive head of the com
mission, yesterday.
AS has been the custom yearly
Thanksgiving day exercises will TAX
place in all Capital churches, with tht
theme of the George Washington Bi
centennial interviewer.
WorId-Wide Tributes.
Throughout the world streets hav
been named, buildings and bridges dedi
Gated, statues erected, Shrines eStab
lished, books and music whitehall il
honor of the founder of this Nation
whose name has been carried through
the medium of Bicentennial organiZa
tions into virtually every corner OF tn
globe during 1882.
With the National Bicentennial Com
mission, functioning in Washington a
the central agency, more than 7Oo,O0
separate committees were established al
over the country. Under the JOIN
direction of Representative Sol Bloom
of New York and Lieut.. Col. U. S
Grant, Sd, the commission began 1t
activities in April, $780, by authority o
Congress. Grant resigned short tim
later and Bloom has carried on tn
executive task single-handed since.
The total appropriation made b
Congress for the national Bicentennla
celebration exceeded 81 ,000, 900. Througl
the sale of Bicentennial postage stamps
special issue of which was mad
available January /, and through sal
OF the accumulated definite writings o
George washington, printed under tn
direction of the commission, Bloom
maintains the Government has beel
mere than recouped for its outlay.
The District Bicentennial Commls
sion, which began functioning In No
vember. 1928, received only one appro
priation-s100,0 ,000-to carry on the Ma
tional Capitals part in the observance
Of this amount, DR.. Havenner asserte
be returned to the Treasury.
World Scope Decided On.
At the outset, it was determined b
the United States Bicentennial Com
mission that the celebration would b
world wide in its scope, rather tina
conducted in a single place after tn
fashion of a worlds fair. A "spir1tua
celebration" in which every person
desiring could participate was the aim,
The 100000 committees established a
over the country and abroad were sup
piled with literature, music and a
other material necessary to sponso
ceremonies in their localities. At on
time the commission was receiving a
high as 10000 letters daily. and official
estimate more than 12000,000 pamph
lets. 100000 large size lithographe
posters of the First President, 1000, 90
copies of the George M. Conan sons
Father of the Land We Love-" an
thousands of other pieces of literature
in addition to countless letters, nav
been distributed.
The various events of the B1centen
NAL year the National Bicentennia
Commission hopes to record for pos
terity in a series of memorial volumes
Already the news releases issued 1ror
the washington headquarters are be
ing printed in book form to be pre-
served as historical records. and hun
dreds of scrap books have been file
with newspaper clippings in every Ian
guago of the universe.
In the National Capital, the celebra
| ton of the 200th anniversary OF tn
birth of the Father of His Countr
was occasion for the holding here c
more than 200 national convention!
and DR.. Havenner estimates the cele
| bration in no small degree contribute
! increases to Washington'S tourist trace
despite the depression.
Launching of Observance.
! The observance was launched on il
way at neon February % with com
memoration ceremony at a Joint Ses
| SIGN Oh COIlSItSS. TOllOHll4S OH etuNAl Cc
by President Hoover. exercises, broad
cast over national chains, were con
Quoted on the east front of the Unite
| States Capitol.
More than a score of major even
| took place during the period since, aus
mented by half dozen colorful parade
| on Pennsylvania avenue and the ne
ceremonial thoroughfare, Constitute
I avenue. Thousands turned out Il
every event, and the local Bicentenni
commissioners had the good fortun
| DR.. Havenner pointed out yesterda
of having ideal weather on every o.
casion of Bicentennial ceremony.
In two respects only did the con
mission deviate from its original pr1nte
program-the visit to America OF 1,5(
French war veterans was Cancelled ar
the Bicentennial Harvest Festival adde
Cuno H. Rudolph was the first chat
man of the local commission. He r.
signed in September of 1880 and WI
succeeded by Dr. Cloyd Heck Marvi
The first executive officer was Freder1(
". Fisher, who was appointed in MI
and resigned in october OF 1880.
few months later he was succeeds
by Arnold Kruckman, who gave WI
to DR.. Havenner in November last yea
| u0WEI HEA0S EGl0M