Evening star., 1951-02-22
Wonen's
Clubs
Won7en's Farm
And Garden Unit
Hears Gen. Grant
By Ruth Dean

BY Ruth Dean
City planners. even in George
Washington's day, had to resort
to compromise, Gen. U. S. Grant
III, former chairman of the Ma
Aional Capital Parks and Planning
Commission, recalled yesterday be-
fore the Capital Division. Women's
National Farm and Garden, Asso-
citation.
Gen. Grant, who is now preSi-
dent of the National Council for
Historic Sites and Buildings OF
the American Planning and Civic
Association, addressed a luncheon
meeting at the YWCA.
The speaker related an Incl
dent in which the first President
played a major role in the sue
cessful completion of the archi-
tectural plan for the city of Wash
ington by calming the ire of al
French engineer who would have
walked out on the job had it not
been for Washington's interven-
ton. The engineer was Maj.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant.
According to the historical ac-
count, Gen. Grant said. Maj.
LEnfant was informed that a
Daniel Carroll of Duddington, was
about to erect a house right on
one of the major lines he had laid
out for the city. now New Jersey
avenue Sc. Warned by Maj.
L'Enfant that the house would
be torn down should he attempt
to go through with his plans, Mr..
Carroll went ahead with building
anyway. $50. being a man of ac-
ton as well as IDEAS" Gen. Grant
continued, Maj. L'Enfant gathered
together a group of workmen one
night, and went out and tore down
the partly finished house" Cen
sured by the city's commissioners
for his action, Maj. L'Enfant, ac-
cording to historical account,
severed his official connections
with the city"
President Washington settled
the situation wisely" Gen. Grant
declared. "He reinstated L'Enfant
and had the Carroll house restored
to it's partially built condition, at
Government expense-but to one
side-not in the middle Of New
Jersey avenue"
The speaker recalled another in
cident where compromise played
a part in the naming of one of the
city's parks. "Since Jackson and
Lafayette were frequent visitors |
to Washington. the city fathers
wished to honor them by naming |
one of the newly planned parks
after one of them. They faced
such a difficult choice" he said,"
that they named the park after
Lafayette and put an statue of
jackson there"
Mrs. Helendeen Dodderidge,
president of the division. intro
duced Gen. Grant. The luncheon
was arranged by the divisions
Civic Improvement Committee,
headed by Mrs. j. H. Walton, and
the Home Gardens Committee,
under the Craftsmanship Of Mrs.
G. B. Furman.
Historic Fioe SoIuted
The Woman's Club of Chevy
Chase opened its monthly meet
ing yesterday with a salute to the
first American flag to have 48
stars.
The Pledge of Allegiance was
led by Mrs. Edmund Erik, owner
of the flag and a member of the
club. who gave a history of the
39-year-old emblem.
The flag few over the Capitol
during the second session of the
62d Congress which admitted New
Mexico and Arizona, the last two
States to join the Union, Mrs. Erik
recalled.
On the day that the last of
the two States was admitted.
the Capitols flag attendant
hauled down the flag and the
two new stars were pinned on
with safety pins. she said. That
night, the attendant took the flag
home and his wife sewed the stars
into place.
At that time, Mr.. Erik was Sec
retary to Representative Stephen
G. Porter of Pennsylvania, whom
he later succeeded. After the his
toric session, Mr.. Erik asked for
the flag, "and much to his sur
prise. got it," Mrs. Erik said.
Since then, the flag has been
one of the Erik family treasures
and has played a prominent role
in local patriotic celebrations.
The clubs meeting yesterday
was featured by an address on
the problems of displaced persons
by Maj. Gen. Walter A. Wood, jr.,
U. S. A., retired, chief of the
United States Office of the Inter-
national Refugee Organization.