Evening star., 1936-11-08

The silence was broken by rifle
fire, last salute to q brave man.
The Unknown Soldier was lowered
into his homeland grave. And then
taps. =
A MERICA'S earliest unknown SOL
= dier is hero Of the Revolutionary
War.
He rests, among illustrious patriots
of that period, in the burial ground
of the old Presbyterian Meeting House
in Alexandria, Va, across the Potomac
River from the Capital. Near him are
inferred DR.. James Craik, surgeon gen.
eral of the Continental Army, director
Of the hospital at Yorktown, intimate
friend Of, and physician to. George
Washington; Rev. James Muir. one Of
the two pastors of the funeral lodge
which buried Washington; several OF
the pallbearers at Washington's fu-
neral, John Carlyle and other famous
Revolutionary personases.
1t was in the old Presbyterian Meet
ing House, which Washington fire.
quently attended, that the only memo
rial sermons for the public were de-
livered after Washington's funeral.
They were given by the pastor Of the
meeting house, Rev. Muir, and by Rev.
Thomas Davis, pastor of Christ
Church in Alexandria, of which Wash
ington was a vestryman. Both were
delivered on December 20, 1899.
The unknown soldier was found in
his present grave in 1900 by accident,
when excavations were undertaken for
the construction of building on the
property adjoining the meeting house
yard. Close to the boundary line be-
tween the properties the body Of this
Continental soldier was uncovered.
Identification was impossible.
He was reinterred and a marker
placed over his grave. In 1928, on the
anniversary of Washington's birthday.
q stone marker was placed on the
grave by American Legion Post, No.
"a, Of Alexandria. Participating in
the ceremonies were Descendants Of
the Signers of the Declaration, Sons of
the Revolution, Daughters of the
American Revolution, Colonial Danes
and civic officials.
On April 10, 1929, the permanent
monument which now marks the grave
was dedicated. 1t was paid for by con-
tributions throughout the country Of
Children Of the American Revolution.
William Tyler Page. author Of the
Americans Greed, wrote the following
inscription which is carved on the top
of the marble tomb:
Here lies q soldier of the Revolu-
ton whose identity Is known but to
God.
"His was an idealism that recognized
q Supreme Being, that planted re-
ligious liberty on our shores, that over
threw despotism, that established a
peoples government, that wrote a
Constitution setting metes and bounds
of delegated authority, that fixed a
standard Of value upon men above gold
and lifted high the torch Of civil liberty
along the pathways of mankind.
IN ourselves his soul exists as part
Of ours, his memorys mansion"
DURING the period Of World War
- hostilities-from the first declara-
ton of war by Austria Hungary
against Serbia on July %. 1914, until
the armistice on November II, 1915
q total of ~ nations were drawn into
q state Of war, % on the side Of the
allies.
But 16 nations, however, are prop
erly considered belligerents; that is.
they participated in fighting and SUI
fered losses in battle. They were:
Allies-United States, Great Britain,
France, Russia, Italy. Belgium, Japan,
Rumania. Greece, Serbia. Portugal
and Montenegro.
Central powers-Germany, Austria
Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
(The acknowledgements, all supporting
the allied cause, were: Panama, Cuba,
Siam, Liberia, China, Brazil,
Guatamala, Nicaragua, Haiti, HON.
duras and San Marino.)
OF the belligerents six nations have
erected monuments to their unknown
dead-United States. Great Britain,
France, italy, Belgium and Germany.