Evening star., 1946-02-17
Celebrating Washington's Birthday
BY John Clagett Proctor

by JOnn Clagett Proctor
r T is the belief of many early WASH
ingtonianS, especially those whose
years exceed the Biblical three
score and ten, that Washington S
birthday should be celebrated with the
same spirit as Independence Day and the
younger people should be encouraged to
show the same devotion to the memory
OF the Father of His Country, as do their
elders, never forgetting the sacrifices
made by him in winning the Revolu-
tionary War and literally founding our
republican form of Government.
OF course, other cities besides our own
have been celebrating Washington's
Birthday for great many years, even
before the great patriot passed away,
according to George Washington Parke
Gusts, builder of Arlington House, and
foster son of the first President, who
tells us in his recollection of what was
probably the earliest birthday celebra-
ton for Gen. Washington on record,
called at that time birth night ball,
and of this Col. Custis says:
at the close of the Revolutionary War,
and its first celebration, we believe, was
held in Alexandria. Celebration of the
birth night soon became general in all
the towns and cities the 22d of Febru-
ary, like the Fourth of July, being con-
sidered national festival, while the
popularity attending the former was.
that its parade and ceremonies always
closed with the birth night ball.
The Last Celebration
Washington Attended
I'm the larger cities, where public balls
were customary, the birth night, in the
olden time, as now, was the gala assem-
bly, of the season, attended by all the
beauty and fashion, by the foreign AM
bassadors, and stranger& of distinction
at the seat of Government. The first
President always attended on the birth
night. The etiquette was not to open
the ball until the arrival of him in whose
honor it was given; but, so remarkable
was the punctuality of Washington in
all his engagements, whether for busi-
ness or pleasure, that he was never
waited for moment in appointments
for either. Among the brilliant illustra-
tions of birth night of five and thirty
years ago, the most unique and imposing
was the groups of young and beautiful
ladies, wearing in their hair bandeaus
or scrolls, having embroidered thereon,
fyS 10 La+I,
the motto of Live the President
"The minuet (now obsolete) for the
graceful and elegant dancing of which
Washington was conspicuous, in the
Virginia, declined down after the Revo-
luton. The Commander in Chief danced,
for his last time, minuet, in 1881, at
the ball given in Fredericksburg, In
honor of the French and American OFF,
GERS on their return from the triumphs
of yorktown"
The last birthday anniversary cele-
bration in which Washington took part
was held at Alexandria on February
%, 1893. Here, shortly after the gen.
eral' arrived, he passed the line of
soldiers in review, The companies then
adjourned to dinner at Mr.. Hilton's,
McKnight's, Reno's and Mr.. George
Ritter's. The dinners were elaborate,
and the wines served were such as to
please the most refined tastes. Toasts
were drank at all these banquets, and
the evening closed with ball at Mr..
GadSby's where all the beauty and
fashion of the countryside assembled.
The ballroom was elegantly decorated
and adorned with an illuminated por-
trait of Washington.
An Important Day in the
DisEict of Columbia
1t was upon this date also that
Washington gave in marriage at Mount
Vernon his foster daughter, Nellie
CuStiS, to his favorite nephew. Mai.
Lawrence Lewis. The general, it seems,
according to Mr.. Gusts, had no desire
for display, and disregarding Miss
Custis desire that he appear in the
splendidly embroidered uniform. as
signed him by the Board of General
Of1cers, wore, instead the old Con-
tinental blue and buff and the cooked
hat with the plain rib and cockade. a
type OF the brave old days of '76. The
magnificent white plumes presented to
him by Maj Gen. Pickney he gave to
the young bride upon that occasion.
The people of the District of Colum-
bia were not remiss in celebratingtthis
notable ,event, and from the very first
anniversary of the birth of the first
President, that occurred the early part
OF the year the Federal Government
moved to this city, the natal day of
the first President of the United States
was celebrated in the new Capital.
This was on Saturday, February %.
1900, and it was "a very fine dav.
but very bad roads," said Mrs. Anna
Maria Thornton, wife Of DR.. William
Thornton, DESIGNER of the original
Capitol, who also recorded in her diary
Tor that year that John Platter had
desired him to request DR.. r. to attend
ut O'clock IN ioi,, fIe ,.~oa..~,.-