Evening star., 1950-06-18
By Jessie Font Evons

the Federal City's Sesquicenten-
nial year.
Mr.. Wright was not only a ma
tive Washingtonian, as is his sis
ter, but their mothers family,
the Lloyds. owned property in
Southwest Washington as early as
1920, when this section was known
as "the island" His grandfather
William Lloyd, for whom he was
named, was active in the District
government as a member of its
Common Council from 1845 to
1865, as were his grandfather's
brothers.
In a sense. the collection is
coming 'home" to the neighbor-
hood where Mr.. Wright had so
many hours pleasure assembling
it. With his sister he lived at
1908 G street NV. for AZ years,
and it was on the third floor of
this house that he kept as many
of its treasures as it would hold.
RaritieS Seen in a Day.
Obviously, any comment upon
individual items in the collection
represents only a sampling upon
my part after a days absorbed
browsing with John Russell Ma
son, the librarian at the Univer-
sity, during which we confined
ourselves largely to its very early
rarities.
One such is, "Observations on
the River Potomack, the Country
Adjacent and the City of Wash
ington, $780," by Tobias Lear. It's
actual authorship is sometimes at
tributed to Andrew Ellicott, who
surveyed the boundaries Of the
District, rather than to Lear,
George Washington's secretary
after he retired to Mount Vernon.
Equally rare and valuable is a
Iyellowed copy of BENZ. Banne-
ker's Penn, Del, Maryland Al
manac." The work gives an ac-
count Of the Negro almanac maker
and contains his plan of a Peace
Office for the United States. :"
The Banneker Public School to-
day honors this mathematician
and astronomer whose father was
of direct African descent and
whose mother taught him to read
and write. He helped Andrew
Ellicot, who recognized and fos-
tered his genius, with the survey
of the boundaries of the Federal
City. Other priced Banneker al
manacs in the collection also in
clude the State Of Virginia, one as
early as 1795.
Some Prophetic Writings.
Extraordinarily prophetic, with
regard to the infant capitals place
in the sun, are many of the COM
mentS Of the early writer's, even to
the ultimate destiny of Washing
ton as the focal point of western
world thinking.
But quite to the contrary is a
quaint pamphlet entitled Look
Before You Leap" or "a Few
Hints to Such Artizans, Mechan-
les, Labourers, Farmers and Hus-
bandmen as Are DESTROYS of Emil
grating to America" Published at
Stationer's Hall, London, 1895, it
presents only the disadvantages of
life here. particularly with regard
to our Capital in the making, and
presumably based upon letters
sent back, to England from ven-
turesome emigres.
John Hoban, architect of "the
Presidents House." gives this ac-
count Of his supervision of its con.
struction as of November 1897 to
May 1898, in report to the House
OF Representatives, and by it or
dered to "lie on the table,: 'The
roof on the left end will be framed
in eight days. Hope there will be
nothing to prevent building being
completely rooted and secured this
season."
Intriguing is the first report
OF the committee appointed to
consider what further means
ought to be taken for the accom-
mediation of the President, Febru-
ary 81, 1901"
Its meticulous inventory of the
furnishings of every room in the
Presidents House. the stables and
carriage house. emphasized as
public property" reveals this
condition of the household linen:
Table cloths, tolerable; sheets.
generally good; napkins, good,
mostly"
One of the rarest of the many
antiquarian treasures, the original
calf binding, is Jefferson's Man.
ual OF Parliamentary Practise for
the Use Of the Senate and House, ;"
compiled by him and printed in
Washington in 1901. There are
| others 0f SYihcody,,y,% la4.s