Evening star., 1934-12-23
By
Katharine A. KellOck


trash. He has everything that could
be found in the most cluttered domeS-
tic attic or cellar-and then some The dress
Aunt Lucy wore when she was married Aunt
Mattie's curling irons. the chest that belonged
to grandma's first husband. the dreadful piece
of bric-a-brac grandpa bought at the Philadel-
phia Centennial, the hat Uncle Willie used on
his trip through Georgia. the postal cards some
forgotten person once sent from Alaska-they
are all there. Added to them are guns. flags.
weird family portraits and 10 barrels of picked
seal shoulders.
For years valuable historical documents and
historical relics gathered dust among discarded
desks and coal bill receipts. One Of the most
interesting letters George Washington ever wrote
found. some 40 years ago. in a loose packet
tossed high above the cases in a Capitol file
room.
This letter, written to old friend who had
congratulated him on the surrender of Gen.
CORVALLIS Washington described that as
merely an interesting event'-contalnS the
American commanders opinion of the signifi-
canoe of the surrender.
ENGLAND, he said had been led to prolong
= the by the half lf-heartedness with which
the Colonies had carried it on ip the later years:
that she had only temporarily given up her at
tempt to subdue them and would renew her &C.
tivities she had truce with her
European enemies; that preparedness for fur
ther fighting on the part of the Colonies was
the only thing that would convince her that they
still intended to have independence.
1t was his belief, he wrote, that 'the only cer-
tain way Cfor them) to obtain peace is to be
prepared for war'-a statement often quoted
out of its context by advocates of mighty war
machines.
During the frequent departmental movings
of late years number of the more interesting
relics and few of the historical documents
have come to light.
Part have been loaned reluctantly to the
Smithsonian Institution and the Library of
Congress, few have been put on display in
departmental parlors for visitors to examine.
A lot have been tucked away among odds and
ends that no one knows what to do with
In its cellar the State Department, for ex-
ample, has an elephants tusk. half dozen rare
swords and a volume "Omnia Alb Initio
Mundi" C'Everything About the Beginning of
the World'D. which has no possible connection
with the departments work.
1t thinks that some time must
have presented it with the tusks and swords; it
knows that the book worth thousands, was
bought so years ago for a few dollars by the
departments librarian. 1t should be in the
possession of the Library of Congress for use
and display since its clear, quantity illustrated
pages among the first printed with movable
type.
The old War Department is particularly rich
in odd relics. Its legal chief has moldy old
trunk among his files that holds the evidence
used at the trial of the Lincoln conspirators.
which the department conducted because the
District of Columbia was under martial law at
the time of the assassination.
IUMBLED in together are the pistol with
- which Booth killed Lincoln, the bullet taken
from the dead Presidents head the boot cut
from Booths broken leg during his flight the
tallow-covered compass he used in crossing the
Potomac at night. the opera glass case Mrs.
Lincoln dropped during the confusion in Ford's
Theater and Booths pin-on tie, pocket diary
and dagger.
The knife, Of cheap British make was flour