The Omaha guide., 1947-03-01
washington

LARsTON D. FARRAR

George Washington.
Each of them was important to
our government, and our govern
ment was important to each of
them. Alexander Graham Bell.
whose Tooth anniversary will be
observed on March Bird, once said
that the Constitution of the Unit
ed States was "the greatest inven-
ton of man" and pointed out that
made more possible the swift de-
velopment Of all physical inven-
tons than any other government
document ever penned.
Edison, known as 'the wizard of
Menlo Park" held 1907 u. S. pat
ents-more than any other Amer
lean. He created the present cleo
trical power and light industry,
was the father Of industries now
worth $40, O00, 0O0, 900, employing
100000 persons. Edison helped
make America great, but without
the American system, Edison could
not have been great. Had he been
born in any other nation, it is like
ly that he would not have made
his inventions, or, if he had made
them, it is not likely that their
benefits would have been spread so
quickly to so many different peo-
pie.
Lincoln has a place in literary
history that equals his place in
governmental history. More than
any other President who ever liv-
ed, he was a man of the people, a
true product of the American soil.
Of all the statues in Washington.
none pulls the heart strings so
strongly as does the great brood
ing figure of Lincoln resting in an
armchair in the Lincoln Memoir
ial.
My two small boys, who like the
Lincoln statue best of all, never
let me drive past it without stop
ping. We can park before the mar
bled memorial and catch a glimpse
of the seated Lincoln inside, the
soft lights playing upon him. The
lights accentuate the shadows of
his face, make it seem at times
that he is smiling or weeping.
An average of 10000 persons
visit the Lincoln Memorial every
week end the year round in Wash
ington. They, like my boys, like
to read aloud the most gripping
words ever penned by an Americ-
an President-the Gettysburg Ad-
dress.
Washington, first in war and
first in peace and first in the
hearts of his countrymen, has an
unchallenged place in history. His
famous Farewell Address" writ
ten after a lifetime with exper-
fence and study, is read each year
in both Houses of Congress on his
birthday-February %.
For tired Americans, there may
be better places to rest and regain
strength. But for disillusioned, dis
pirited Americans, there can be no
better place to rekindle the fires
of patriotism and faith in Ameri-
ca than at Mount Vernon, Wash
ington's home, down the Ptomac
from the capital. Here, a person
may relive in memory the struggl-
es and the triumphs of a man who
gave up his loyalties to a king in
order that, in his native country
side, even the poorest man might
have the prerogatives of any man,
even a king.
DR.. George Russell Harrison,
dean of the Massachusetts, Institute
of Technology, tells this story to
the bureaucratic jargon
which sometimes affects Washing
ton civil servants:
A New York plumber of foreign
wrote the National Bur
eau of Standards and said he had
discovered that hydrochloric acid
quickly opened rainage pipes. He
wanted to know if the acid was a
good thing to S for such purpos-
eS.
A scientist at the bureau replied
to the plumber in the following
words:
The efficacy of hydrochloric
acid is indisputable, but the cor
rosive residue is incompatible with
metallic permanence."
The plumber wrote back. thank
ing the bureau for telling him the
method vas all right.
The scientist at the bureau was a
little disturbed about the misunder
standing and showed the cores
pondence to his boss. The latter
wrote the plumber:
"We cannot assume responsible
for the production of toxic and
noxous residue with hydrochloric
acid and suggest you use an alter
procedure"
The plumber Responded that he
agreed with the bureau-hydro-
chloric acid worked fine. The
plumber apparently did a big bust
ness and the bureaucrats became
disturbed at what might happen to
he New York skyscrappers if they
lid not make themselves under
stood. They consulted the top boss
He broke the impasse by tearing
away from scientific term
nology and writing this simple
Don't use hydrochloric acid. 1t
Eats hell out of pipes.'
900 |
Miscellaneous: The members of
Congress received Sc per day for
services back in 1896. This
vas raised to So a day in 1912. BY |
1866, Congressman got around to
themselves $1,000 a year,
which by 1925 had been upped to
5000 a year. Now. each Con-
FRESHMAN gets $12.5O0 a year plus
p, 500 for personal expenses-.--
of the Army John ].
Black Jack) Pershing, Sc year
Id World War I Commander of
will still Keen hia offica