The Coolidge examiner., 1935-12-20

uESL 1TeSlueUL, COIumDldU college,
was established. The stock which
General Washington willed became
worthless. But in 1919 Rev. Lu-
ther Rice, a Baptist missionary,
formed a group to buy land for the
use of a college. With General
WashingtOn's idea in mind, John
| Quincy Adams, John c. Calhoun
and others became patrons of the
new college and raised a fund for
| its use.
By 1922 the main building was
in use. Two years later President
Monroe. John Quincy Adams, John
G. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Mar
quis de Lafayette attended its first
commencement. In recent years
Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge,
General Pershing, Ramsay MacDon-
aid, prime minister of Great Brit
ain; King Albert of Belgium. and
King Prajadhipok of Siam have at
tended its commandments and ad-
dressed the university body.
It's medical school was opened in
1925; In 1926 the law school was
organized, discontinued soon after
ward, but re-established in 1863.
1t is the oldest law school In
Washington and was the first in the
United States to establish a grad
uate course of law.
In 1904 congress removed the
| school from denOminational control
and provided it with self-perpetu-
ating trustees, empowered to change
| its name. That same year it was re-
named "The George Washington
university" Its enrolment Is more
than 1900.
Oldest Is Georgetown.
Georgetown university is the cap
itaPs oldest seat of higher learn
ing. It's founding was coincident
with the Constitution and the in
auguration of our first President.
1t saw the Maryland legislature
raise George Town" to the dig
nifty of city. Treasured among it's
| archives are records of three Wis
its to it by George Washington and
two by the Marquis de Lafayette.
The university's origin has been
traced to the little schoolhouses
opened in 1884 at st. Inigoes, Nd,
by Rev. Andrew White and his COM
paniOns, who came with Leonard
Calvert in the Lord Baltimore COM
pany to found Maryland.
John Carroll, in 1855. planned
the founding of the school where it
now stands. Three years later the
first building was started, although
| the deed TO land was dated January
%, 1889. Today the familiar tow
ers of the venerable university DOM
| mate a pleasant, commanding po-
sition on the north side of the
Potomac, called "COhOnguroton," or
River of Swans, by the Indians.
GeOrgetOwn's Observatories on
| the hilltops are world renowned.
The astronomical observatory, with
such directors as Secchi, De Vico and
Hagen, was built in 1S43. The Seis-
molOgical observatory, for so many
years directed by Francis A. Tou-
dorf. was erected in 1909.
After the World war the ma
tiOn needed more men trained for
diplomatic service and those skilled
in overseas trade; so in 1919 George
town set up its school of foreign
service, the first of its kind In the
| United States. Recently this school
| had graduates stationed in 81 for
eign countries. It's great new build
ings crown the Potomac hills.
National Museums Treasures.
Nobody has seen everything in
| the National museum. Nobody could.
| There is too much. To see its 49,
| 100000 different specimens-at the
rate Of one thing a minute, work
| ing eight hours day--would take
more than "a years!
This museum preserves all col
| lections of objects of science, his
tory, industry, and art belonging to
our government. 1t is the store
house for specimens that range in
size from the tiniest of shells and
insects to airplanes, automobiles,
and huge skeletons of fossil ami
mails. The whole has been valued
at more than $12,OOO,OOO. Because
of its host of odd objects that are
the only ones of their kind in ex-
istence, the collection could not
be duplicated at any price.
The most popular single object
today is the "Spirit Of st. Louis"
the plane flown by Col Charles A.
Lindbergh in his lonely voyage on
the first nonstop flight from New
York to Paris, on May 20 and 81,
1927. You see also the original
Langley flying machine; the first
machine purchased from the Wright
Brothers by the United States gov
ernment in 1908; the "ChicagO''
| (Which in 1924 circumnavigated the
| glObe); the first Liberty engine,
and many other items in the devel-
opment Of aeronautiC.