Evening star., 1936-08-09
TR|bUTEP[ANNED
TOCONST|TUT|ON
Staff of 40 Maps Plans for
Celebration of SeSqui-
centennial.
BY WILLIAM p. KENNEDY.

BY WILLIAM p. KENNEDY.
A Nationwide, 20-month celebra-
ton of the sesqui-centennial of the
Constitution. beginning September II
of next year, is being planned in de-
tail by a staff Of 40 now installed in
spacious offices on the top floor of
the old House ONCE Building.
The opening date Is the anniver-
sary Of the signing of the Constitu-
tion, and the closing date, April 30,
1899. the anniversary of George
Washington's Inauguration as Pres
ident.
Congress appropriated 100000 on
the closing day of the last session to
carry on the work under a commits
sion, headed by President Roosevelt.
The director general will be Repre-
sentative Sol Bloom of New York,
who successfully directed the George
Washington Bicentennial celebration.
Senator Henry F. Ashurst of Arizona
Is vice chairman of the commission.
80 Other Members.
The other members are: Vice-Pres-
ident Garner, Speaker Byrns (de-
ceased), Senator Joseph T. Robinson,
Arkansas; Senator Frederick Van
Nuys. Indiana; Senator William E.
Borah. Idaho: Senator Charles L.
McNary, Oregon; Representative
Charles F. Mclaughlin, Nebraska;
Representative Frank j. G.. Dorsey,
Pennsylvania; Representative George
p. Darrow, Pennsylvania; Represen-
tative John Taber New York; C.
OConor Goolrick, Virginia; Daniel j.
Tobin, Indiana; William Hirth, Mis-
souri,; Maurice E. Harrison, Cali
fornia. and Harry A. Garfield, Massa-
chusetts-the latter five named by
the President.
Extensive historical research work
Is being done under the supervision of
the three greatest authorities in their
respective lines-Dr. David NJ Matte
son, assistant to Dr. Albert Bushnell
Hart Of Harvard University for many
years, who is known as the foremost
historical indexer; DR.. John c. Fitz-
patrick, archivist, formerly assistant
chief of the manuscript division, Lii
brary of Congress, editor and COM
piler of Washington Bicentennial
works, and DR.. Clarence Williams,
for more than 20 years a specialist
on studies of the Constitution.
The celebration of the NSesquicen-
tennial of the Constitution is to be in
rnnch tho sop,a y,,oppar as tba coorno
Washington Bicentennial, with a gen.
eral canvass Of every city and town in
the country. and all important groups,
for cooperation and for local pro-
grams, sermons in churches, etc Post
master General Farley issued an Or
der to all of the $4,000 postmasters to
cooperate with the commission in
gathering the information required in
each community to develop the Ma
tion-wide demonstration. All mayors,
the pastors of $4,000 churches, Ii
brarians, school authorities, fraternal
organizations, womens organizations
and all other groups are being advised
how they can help make the entire
country Constitution-m minded and help
in dissemination of authoritative in
formation about the fundamental law
Of the land.
First Book Completed.
The first book to be issued by the
Constitutional Commission Is complet-
ed-200 pages-and is to be distribut-
ed next month-at 10 cents per copy,
and the first edition will be at least
100000 copies. This is an Alpha
betical Analysis Of the Constitution
and of the Amendments Thereto"
This contains separate paragraphs ex-
planning alphabetically all important
words in the Constitution. Director
General Bloom explains that the sug-
gestion for this work appeared orig
inally in William Hickey's book on the
Constitution. published in 1886, which
he called the "fireside companion of
the American citizen" Congress pur-
chased large editions of it for distri-
button. The present compilation, while
following Hickeys general plan, is
complete reconstruction. down to date,
which tries to exclude the super
fiuous, to avoid repititions by the use
Of cross references and to add essen
tials.
Howard Chandler Christie has
made a beautiful heroic painting in
colors of the signing of the Constitu-
tion, with Hamilton in the act of
adding his signature. This is to be
reproduced in colors and in imita-
tion bronze placques for libraries and
schools.
AS part of the campaign to arouse
general interest and cooperation in
the sesqui-centennial celebration, ex-
hibits are being sent with an expert
to all the larger conventions. For
example, the middle of this month
the American Bar Association is to
convene in Boston. A facsimile of the
shrine of the original Constitution in
the Library of Congress is to be
shown, with facsimiles of the Con-
stitution and Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and special "broadsiGe" of
printed information about the Con-
stitution of special interest to law
yers will be distributed.
Stamp Series Proposed.
1t is proposed to issue a series of
stamps commemorating the sesqui-
centennial, and commemorative post
card. Four years ago, during the
George Washington Bicentennial the
Post Office Department issued series
Of IL postage stamps, ranging in de-
nominations from y cent to 10 cents,
and more than seven billions of these
stamps were sold during the bicen-
tennial year. The receipts exceeded
the appropriation for the bicentennial
celebration by about half a million
dollars, although it cannot be said
this sum was profit, as there Is no
record how many were used to prepay
postage.
The subjects of these stamps pro-
posed for the sesquicentennial are:
% a portrait Of Washington holding