Evening star., 1939-04-30
Fifty Years Ago
In the Star
inaugural
Centenary
Celebration
On April 20, 1889, the centennial cele-
bration in commemoration OF the inaug-

'"oo9u'o' Washington as the first
Centenory President of the United
Celebration States was formally
opened in New York City. In the news
columns of The Star during the week of
celebration appear numerous stories de-
scribing the re-enactment of scenes of
the first inaugural and other features of
the program as well as sidelights on the
crowds of visitors and accounts of the
elaborate and colorful decorations. In
its issue of April 30, 1889, The Star makes
the following editorial comment:
yesterday was a great day for us
centennial people the citizens Of the
American Republic. The heavens smiled,
the naval parade was magnificent spec
the ball was perfectly elegant, don't you
know
To-day the commemorative proceed
ings have been more serious and
thoughtful. Orator and poet and
preacher have declared the lessons
dredth anniversary of the Inauguration
of the first President. Parades, balls
banquets and fireworks give place for a
time to a consideration of the meaning
Of all the acts of celebration. The birth
of a Nation under the Constitution,
George Washington the President inaug-
urated on the day we celebrate, and the
Constitution itself, the great instrument
upon whose lines the Republic has
steadily developed during its growth of
a century, are the texts Of the occasion.
Chauncey Depew has paid eloquent
tribute to the man, the instrument and
the Nation to be commemorated. All
over the land, in Washington as in, other
cities, the same inspiring thoughts have
received utterance from the orators of
the day.
centennial reflections involve always
pointing with pride to the growth of the
thing commemorated during the period of
its existence. The material development
of America in the first hundred years
was more fully and more appropriately
illustrated in the centennial celebration
of 1876. The existence and growth of the
Government, formally set in motion in
1889, are especially to be remembered
today. The miserable weakness of the
bond holding together the Federated
Colonies, the difficulties in the way of
allaying sectional, Colonial and individ-
ual jealousies in order to establish
stronger central Government, more
compact and closely knit Republic, and
the grand part played by Washington in
overcoming these difficulties should never
be forgotten. The Constitution setting
forth the framework of government,
upon which the contending interests
compromised, is worthy in its results of
the eulogies which Gladstone has be-
slowed upon it, 1t has the glory of out
lining Republic which has endured
with increasing strength and prosperity
for the period Of hundred years. BY
providing for its own amendment and
for the admission Of new States on an
equal footing with the original band,
flexibility has been attained which has
permitted peaceful revolution to take
place, altering entirely the makeup of
the Nation, and removing from section
to section the seat of political power
revolutions which could not otherwise be
accomplished except through bloodshed
and violent disruption of the existing
Government. The Republic was fortu-
nate in its paper government, and fortu-
nate in the men who first administered
it and gave meaning to its words, and
the difficulties which the Government
has since encountered, the commissions
of Civil War itself, have in their results
only solidified the Republic, strength
ened the national power, and aided to
establish immovably the more perfect
union which the Constitution was de-
signed to FORM"