Evening star., 1941-10-08
Tribute Paid Author
Of Bill Of Rights
Al Gunston Hall
George Moson's Vitol
Contribution to u. S.
Freedom Is Cited
Star Staff Photo.

While guns of Fort Belvoir q few
hundred yards away roared salute
to American rights today, patriotic
Americans yesterday commemorated
the death of the man who first
put those rights on paper-George
Mason.
Standing in the writing room at
Gunston Hall, Va, where George
Mason wrote the Virginia Bill of
Rights, which was the model for
the American constitutional Bill of
Rights, American leaders promised
to keep "his magnificent example
alive forever in the hearts of the
people"
Programs at the Raleigh Hotel
and at Gunston Hall yesterday,
observing the death of Mason
continued two-month program Of
the 150th anniversary of the signing
of the American Bill of Rights The
program will be climaxed at indie
pendence Hall in Philadelphia on
December IS. .f.S.
Homes Restorer Honored.
Guest of honor at the luncheon
at the Raleigh Hotel which pre-
ceded the ceremonies at Gunston
Hall, was Louis Hertle, owner and
restorer of Mason's 186-year-old
home. Cited as the man who had
done more than any other to bring
to American attention the contribu-
ton of the father of the Bill of
Rights, Mr.. Hertle received yester-
day from Mrs. Lionel Perera of New
York photostatic copy Of the bill
to hang beneath a copy OF MaSon's
Virginia bill in the writing room at
Gunston Hall.
II consider it," said Mr. Hertle, "a
great privilege to live in this house" ="
His friend, Thomas C. Callahan,
expert on George Washington and
George Mason, told representatives
of patriotic organizations gathered
at the hall that woodchoppers quar-
tered mules in the west wing, and
cupolas were perched on top of the
ancient architecture before Mr..
Hertle bought the house in 1912.
Senator Capper, Republican, of
Kansas who introduced in the Sen
ate the bill proclaiming observance
of the Bill of Rights signing, pre-
dicted at the luncheon that cele-
bration of the bill will become a
big thing" in American history.
Freedom of Press Cited.
Another luncheon speaker, Mich
olas Roosevelt, editor of the New
York Herald Tribune, declared that
one of the most important of Amer
ican rights is the freedom of the
press.
Also speaking at the luncheon
were Representative Summers, Dem
ocrat, of Texas; Palmer Bevis. ex-
ecutive head of the Citizenship Edu-
cational Service, which is sponsor
ing the bill of rights celebration;
Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld, the Rev
Thomas B. Dade, Richard E. Evans
program director of the service
Leslie Stratton, public relations di-
rector for the Boy Scouts of Amer
lea, and Mrs. Perera, representing
the Committee of Americans.
Expressing what the Bill -oi
Rights means to them were Mar.
jorie Jansson Of the Camp Fire Girl.
of Washington, and Ferdinand Pitt
Eagle Scout of Troop 146, Alex.
andria. Va.
Visit Grave of Mason.
From the Raleigh the group wen
to Gunston Hall. Marching behinc
color guards to the grave of MaSor
a few yards from his home, the as.
sembly stood with bare heads while
National Executive Committeeman
Ben Aronsohn of the Jewish Vet.
Grams and Eagle Scout Pitt placed
wreaths on the grave.
Mason started writing his Bill O.
Rights, according to Henry Wood.
house, collector of historical docu.
ments, who spoke at Gunston Hall
early in 1769. He preserves a lettel
of George washington, he said
urging Mason to express American
view of their rights in daily ga,
zettes to warn England of the oper
break which must come. The bill
was actually accepted by the viii.
liamsburg Congress in 1776. OF 1t.
is provisions, IA were incorporated
by James Madison, said Mr.. Wood.
house, into the Bill of Rights which
| Madison fought throl1ch tho Nnpfi