Evening star., 1943-04-12
Declaration Readinu
To Open Jefferson
Anniversary Fete
Memorial Dedication
Is Scheduled for
Tomorrow Morning

Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of
Congress, planned to read the Dec
laration of Independence at the
Library this afternoon in simple
ceremonies opening an elaborate ex-
hibition of the works of Thomas
Jefferson as feature of the BIZ
centennial celebration of Jeffersons
birth.
President Roosevelt will deliver an
address during the anniversary cere-
monies, but the time and place of
his appearance was an onicfa1 secret,
today.
Plans were complete, however, for
the ceremony marking dedication of
the Jefferson Memorial on the south
shore of the Tidal Basin at 11:3O
am. tomorrow.
To Read Declaration.
Mr.. MacLeish was to read the full
text Of the Declaration at 4 pm. in
the rotunda OF the library where
the original draft of the famous
document is displayed along with
other documents from the hand of
Jefferson.
Exhibits also will be put on dis
play at the National Archives, and
the National Gallery of Art, tomor-
row.
Meanwhile, descendants of Jeffer-
son began arriving from distant
points to attend the ceremonies to-
morrow.
Many descendants in Washington
and vicinity will be among the
guests of honor and will be seated
in special section reserved for
them on the north front of the
Memorial.
Dignitaries Of several nations have
been invited, and it is expected that
many OF the highest officials of this
Government will turn out to- pay
respects to the author of the Decla-
ration OF independence.
Plaster Statue Ready.
The plaster statue of jefferson,
which arrived from New York sew
eral days ago, has been put in place
and the finishing touches put on it
by the sculptor, Rudolph Evans,
internationally known artist, who
was born and raised in Washington.
The statue will not be made into
bronze until after the war.
Mr.. Evans inspected the statue
yesterday. The figure, he explained,
is 10 feet tall, but with its pedestal
OF granite. stands Is feet. The fig
ure looks northward through a
colonnaded vista across the Tidal
Basin. past the Washington Monu-
ment to the White House.
The statue is visible from the
White House. Besides the aperture
through columns to the north Of the
statue, there is another aperture
behind it on the south, so that the
figure, although standing in the
middle of the memorial room of the
structure, is silhouetted against the
sky, when viewed from the White
House.
Memorial Grounds Closed.
The memorial grounds were closed
at 6 pm. yesterday and will not be
open tQ the public until 10 am. to-
morrow. The public will be welcome
to attend the dedication cere-
monies. Specially invited guests
will be seated on the steps and plaza
on the north.
All guests are requested by the
Memorial Commission to be in their
seats promptly at 1870 am. when
the dedication exercises will open
with a concert by the Marine Band,
A special system of traffic control
has been worked out. Generally it
provides that private automobiles
will enter the grounds by way of
park roads, while taxicabs will come
down Fourteenth street, over the
elevated overpass. and enter the
Memorial grounds from Fourteenth
street.
Presiding officer will be Stuart G
Gibboney, chairman of the jefferson
Memorial Commission. The one
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