Evening Star Newspaper, September 23, 1928, Page 89

—— BY CORINNE FRAZIER. ONCE more “the changeth,” and while the Infantry — the onstrate to the Chief Executive and ‘Washingtonians at large the eflective- | ness of modern war defense methods at the Army Relief Carnival, which will take place at Washi on Barracks in October, their camping ground, Fort Washington, cited by George Washing- ton as the most strategic point for fortifications protecting the Capital City, is undergoing a major operation. This mars the passing of an era Uncle Sam, has ordered the removal of the big “disappearing” guns which so long have trained their sights down the river, covering every possible channel of naval advance upon the city of Washington and its environs Lining the little wharf. waiting their final ischarge” from the post they have served so faithfully these many years, the big sentinels whose deep tones have saluted Presidents and po- tentates bear witness another chapter in military history. Their last memorable salute was fired “to honor America’s Charles A “Lone Eagle,” Col Lindbergh, returning from triumph over the elements af St. Louis. As adequate weapons of coast de- fense their day has passed. Even though they could protect from the long-range guns of our present-day koruisers, the air still remains open—a dangerous area out of reach of their fire. Since their placement behind the breastworks at Fort Washington that chapter has been written into military and naval history which sounds the call for their retirement. Fort Washington's duty as the senti- nel outpost of Washington's coast de- fense will not end with their removal, but_the character of that duty will be | changed, the nature of the change being | confidential—of | Uncle Sam and his| & matter necessarily concern only to military advisers. It is hoped and believed that the process of modernization, whatever it may be. will not materially affect the scenic features of the post or in any way disturb the legend-hung walls of 1 ’Enfant’s magnificently built fortifi- cations. Known in the early nineteenth cen- tury as Fort Warburton, prior to that #5 the estate of the Digges family, and even farther back in history as the Indian village Piscataway, Fort Wash- ington lays cl: not only to being early recognized as the most strategic point of coast defense along the Poto- mac and as one of the first military posts of the colonists, but also as being one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon settle- ments in the Western Hemisphere. It was mentioned for the first time in history by Capt. John Smith, who reported discovering an Indian village there, from which he obtained the most excellent beer.” Leonard Calvert in 1674 next focused attention upon the Indian settlement by bringing his Dove and Ark to anchor at Piscataway, this be- ing the first point in America touched by him. He probably was received none too cordially by the redskins, for his- tory relates that he went on almost immediately to St. Marys, Md. Following the grant of some 1,200 acres of land by King Charles of Eng- land in 1841 to Willilam Digges, which included the present fort site, the first garrison was established there in ac- cordance with a defense act of the Province of Maryland. With Capt. Thomas Watson commanding, the fre men of Prince Georges County consti- tuted the military force, each land- owner in the county pledging three sol- dlers to the garrison. Inadequate breastworks were built at | ghis time, affording little real protec- | on, except against vessels approach- g from the bay region. hix b IN'DIANS. who had been the first to recognize the value of the site for defense purposes, struggled against the advancing settlers vainly, and in 1695 made their last stand against the lat- ter, when a force of 2,500 redmen was routed by the superior generalship of Col. John Washington (grandfather of th> first President) and his force of 1,500 Maryland and Virginia colonists. Previously, in 1658, the Indians had scored a victory over the whites in the vicinity of Piscataway, and in- 1675 a white force, under Col. George Mason and Capt. Giles Brent, had wiped out the village of the Dogue Indians at the mouth of Little Hunting Creek, near Fort Washington, as a result of the murder by the Indians of one Robert Henn, a colonist. The Indians who escaped this battle- field crossed over and joined the Pisca- taways. Other tribes also joined this group before the final battle of 1695, which proved conclusively the sup riority of the white settlers and gave them permanent possession of the ter- ritory about Fort Washington. Col. Washington and his troops, it is said, drove the Indians as far as the Shenan- doah Valley on this occasion, and they | did not return. Despite its warlike beginnings, Fort ‘Washington has only once been at- tacked by an enemy since it became a fortification of the white man, and it is said that never has a gun been fired in battle from the old fortress, not ex- cepting the one time when it was cap- tured by the British. Following the occupation of the fort by colonists, there was an era of peace around this part of the country, and in 1741 Thomas Digges built his manor house known as Warburton Manor, on the property which had been granted his family by Charles II. Fire de- stroyed the manor in 1875, and all that remains of its glories today is a mass of box cedar hedge which once guarded the approach to the mansion, but leads now only to a mound of earth marking the spot where the foundations of the old house stood. This hedge is still in full foliage, and is considered to be a very fine specimen. enjoying perfect health, despite its 150-odd years. At the time of the burning of War- burton Manor, the fire originating in a storm, supposedly started by a bolt of lightning which is thought to have struck the roof. the place was unoc- cupied. The Government had pur- chased Fort Washington now stands from the Digges family, augmenting the original 3 acres by additional. It is not known exactly when the original own- | ers left their estate, but it is said that the manor house was occupied by them for several generations. The family of the Digges and - ‘Washingtons became clese friends dur- ing the early eighteenth century, and many a trip was made between the two estates. Warburton Manor became a center of social activities for this sec-, tion of Maryland and Virginia in the latter part of the century. Perhaps the most brilliant and historic event cele- brated at the manor house was a party attendant upon the marriage of John Park Custis, adopted son of George Washington, to Eleanora (or Eleanor) | alvert. granddaughter of the sixth Lord Baltimore. Rumor has had it! that the marriage itself took place here, | but this is discounted by the passage in, hington's journal jn 1774, | e was about to depart for | the Calvert's home (supposedly Dower | House, near Upper Marlboro, Md., but | P ly Mount Airy, the seat of Bene- dict Calvert d to be Eleanor Cal- vert’s father), “to attend the wedding! of Jack (John Parke Custis) and Elea- | pora.” It is probable that a dinner or re- ccption was ziven to the bride and | bridegroom at Warburton Manor, and | this is the event referred to. This would have been only natural, in view | of the close friendship existing between the Digges and Washington families. | * %k x JT is said that George Washington | passed much time at the Digges| estate en route often from Mount Ver- pon to Washington or to Dower House. He would ferry across the river on & | flat propelled by his “boys” in meui velver caph and Jackels, gecording % old order crack 3d Battalion of the 12th “President’s Own"—is preparing to dem- to the close ol’ | The three acres of land on which the| the entire acreage on which! Guns awaiting “honorable dis- charge.” one account; stop off for a visit with his friends, and then ride horseback from there to other Maryland_estates or into the Federal City, some 12 miles distant. “Often,” says one biographer, “Wash- ington would have his horses and car- riage taken over to Warburton Manor the night before his intended visit to the Capital, in order that he might have an early start the next day.” The Calverts and the Digges also were warm friends, as is indicated by the fact that one member of the latter family is said to have died in n upper | room at Dower House, where she was staying as companion to Lady Balti- more, wife of one of the later Mor Legend tells us that George Wash- ington, visiting at the present site of Fort Washington, stood once on the bank of the river at this point and tossed a silver coin to the opposite | shore. As the river is something more | than a quarter of a mile across just here, there is room for some specula- tion as to the facts behind the legend. But it is a pretty tale and one that has gained an amazing amount of credence. Where there is so much smoke there must be some flame, so perhaps if one delved into it far enough a real incident would be found around which the legend has grown. | While there is no record of troops being stationed at the fort during the Revolution, it is probable that a de- tachment of artillery was garrisoned there. In 1794 George Washington wrote the Secretary of War (Gen. Knox), recommending this site as the most strategic point for a Federal fort, stating that he was well acquainted with the region. Nothing was done about his recommendation, however, for more than a decade. In 1808 Congress finally appropriated the large sum of $3,000 for the construction of a fort, and the funds were spent promptly in erecting earthworks and in the place- ment of “sea batteries”—smooth-bored | cannon. The_new fort received the name of | Fort Warburton, after Digges Manor. | fortress was established were the first to be purchased from the Digges| family. | Maj. Plerre Charles L'Enfant, the young French engineer who laid out | the plans for Washington with so broad a vision, was called in 1913 to give his| THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON. Walls of fort construct- ed by L’Enfant, 1816. opinion of what should be done to strengthen the fort. His report that the present fortifications could not be strengthened successfully because of faulty lines resulted eventually in an order for complete reconstruction under his supervision, but not until after the British fleet, under Admiral Gor- don, had captured it without a single shot being fired from the garrison, ac- cording to history.’ Some laid the complete rout to & mistake on the part of the American officer in command, Capt. S. T. Dyson. Others said that the captain, hearing the British open fire down the river, deliberately blew up his own magazines and ordered retreat. Whichever ver- sion is true, the captain was court- martialed and dismissed from the Army, | closing an episode in our early history of which we are not proud. The stone walls of L'Enfant's later fortifications which rose out of the | ruins still remain intact, a monument to his superb skill in engineering. They are similar in construction to forts of | Europe built by the great Vauban of France, known as the “Father of Real EPTEMBER Box hedge which sur- rounded Warburton Manor. Former quarters of commanding officer. Fortification,” and the man from whom L'Enfant learned his profession. It was in 1815, following the War of 1812, that the citizens of Washing- ton and Alexandria raised a subscrip- tion to build adequate defenses for the 23, 1928—PART T Their Day Has Passed as Adequate Weapons of Defense, and Process of Modernization Is Suggested — Potomac’s Strategic Point One of First Military Posts of Colonists—Only Once Under Enemy Attack. ©———— Fort Washington by aif. em————o Passing of Great Guns at Fort Washington Ends Historic Vigil |two cities and engaged L'Enfant to |draw up a plan. No Federal aid was | given at this time. The actual building | was begun in 1816, and went on with- | out outside aid until the citizens’ funds |bad been exhausted and work had to be halted. The money shortage, it was said, was due to the “exorbitant | wages” demanded by the workmen of |$1 a day and'a pint of whisky. They | could get the whisky, they said, but not | the dollar! | Following the halt of activities late |in~ 1816 Congress appropriated the | money to complete the work, and the | Government took over the construc- | tion, retaining L'Enfant in a super- | visory capacity. Once established as a Federal post, Fort Warburton, later Fort Washington, has continued to do duty for more than a century, growing gradually from the original 3 acres to its present size. For a short period it was garrisoned by Marines under the Navy Department, but for the most part it has been under Army jurisdiction. New fortifications were begun in 1896 and were completed in 1903, with the old smooth-bores replaced by the more modern disappearing guns which have Jjust been removed. Of all the coast defense garrisons in the country Fort Washington perhaps L’Enfant’s fortifications of moss and ivy-covered is the most picturesque. gray stone, with walls some 30 or 40 feet in height, command a superb view of the river and of Washington, spread out in miniature to the north. The ancient wheels of the drawbridge which originally spanned the moat at the main entrance remain, although the bridge tself has given way to a more modern structure. Doors of solid oak, fastened by hand- wrought iron_ bolts and hinges, placed in position by L'Enfant's men, still guard the entrances. Stone steps-lead- BY WEARE HOLBROOK. HIS month marks the beginning of the education of some 3,000,- 000 American parents. By Oc- tober 1 the home-town folks will know just why Omega Phri is superior to Alphalpha Zeta (next year's foot ball captain is an Omega Phri) and why Principles of Invertebrate Zo- ology A6 is a better course than Eco- nomic Theory of the Nineteenth Cen- tury C3 (Economic Theory of the Nine- teenth Century C3 comes at 8 o'clock in the morning). They will be able to give five reasons why a study of Etrus- can Pottery is essential to the well being of the younger generation. (1. You never can tell when you may mect some Etruscan Pottery., 2. Prof. Allibone, < who conducts the course, is nearsighted. 3. There are stereopticon lectures, which are an excellent form of relaxation. 4. The Most Wonderful Girl in the World has registered for the course. 5. No text books are required.) The sight of so many young people setting out for distant halls of learning made us feel that it was time for Junior to break a few home ties—home ties being about the only things that he hadn’t broken already. I think,” said my wife, “you should take Junior into il]r‘)ur study and have a serious talk with “What about?” I asked. “About his future life.” “My dear,” I said in alarm, “I'm really not qualified to speak convine- ingly on the subject. Perhaps if we asked Rev. Willoughby"— “I mean his future life on earth” she explained, going to the window. “Junior, come right down out of that tree! Your father wants to have a se- rious talk with you.” “T don't really,” I demurred. But when Junior appeared I took him into my study. “Sit down, my boy,” I said in the gentle, dignified tone of a mid- Victorian parent, “I have something to say to you.” Junior sat down. I could just see his head above the cdge of the desk. “Junior, you will be 5 years old next November and it is true you gave some thought to what you intend to make of yourself. Your plays-days will soon be over. You must begin to fit your- self for your life work. Have you de- cided a career?” “A, what?” inquired Junior doubt- fully. HS; considered. “Yes,” he sald pres- ently, “I want to be an Indian.” This seemed to me rather a limited field; however, I did not wish to dis- courage the lad's ambitions too soon. “Very well,” I said, “suppose you be- come an Indian—a professional Indian. What then? Is there any future in i¢? “When youre an Indian nobody can tell if your neck is dirty,” explain>d Junfor, “and if you don't want to talk to people you just grunt.” There were, I realized, advantages in that. “But, if you became an Indian, your social life would be very limited,” I re- minded him. “There aren’t any other Indians around here, and you would | have to live by yourself. You would miss the refiining influences of family |life, including the annual visis of Aunt Eulalie and Uncle Nahum.” “All right,” said Junior, as if that ! settled the argument, “then Il be an Indian.” And, cupping his hands about | his mouth, he executed a series of shrill certain ad- | war whoops which brought the entire | | household on the run. “Junior,” 1 implored, as the echoes dled away, “can’t you think of some vo. | cation which would be a little less vio- 1 had hoped that you might lent? | choose @& quiet, professional career. Tiave you ever considered taking law or medicine—" | ™CTN take medicine if it's in grape jelly—lots of jelly,” he announced. “But if I can't be an Indian then I | want to be a garbage man. so I can I ride on a big truck and throw ash cans |on the sidewalk, like this . . . Boom! | 2% Boom!" Junior stood up on his chair and gave us a convineing im- | personation of a couple of ash cans. | P““But garbage men have to start work | pefore daybreak,” I objected. ‘“Other- | wise they can't wake people up W] | they hurl their ash cans. Besides, you | ean't “step right into a position as a | full-fledged garbage man, Junior. It undoubtedly requires preliminary train- | ing, although I have never heard ¢f any | schools of garbage collecting.” | **“Maybe he could take a correspond- |ence course,” suggested my wife, “and | do his work at home.” | w1t Junior is going to study garbage collecting, he shall do no home work,” I declared. “That's final.” |~ Eventually we decided that it would ‘be best to let Junior complete & general kindergarten course in the arts and | sciences before specializing on any par- | ticular subject. So we sent him to Miss | Methuselah’s day school. There have been, and are, many in- stitutions for the encouragement of backward children, but Miss Methuse- lah's school is the pioneer institution for the discouragement of forward chil- 5% dren. Special attention is given to the precocious child—of which there are en- tirely too many these days. When evi- dences of exceptional ability are de- tected they are quickly suppressed, and Miss Methuselah herself is untiring in her efforts to correct tendencies toward original thinking. “Forty years of teach- ing, and not one genius,” is her boast. As soon as a child shows signs of be- coming a musical, literary or artistic prodigy (and incidently a trial to his relatives) he is taught some u: ful trade such as basket-weaving, cal inet-making, meter-reading or umbrelia- mending. There are plenty of sonnets in the world, but never enough chair seats. I am an old Methuselah man myself (class of '99), and I can say without fear of contradiction that had it not been for my early training there I might be a minor poet today. I was gratified to find that the old school had changed little since my time. Miss Methuselah is using the same blocks, beads and pic- ture cards, and telling the same stories e “YES,” HE SAID, “ I WANT TO BE AN INDIAN." e Little Junior and Dad Bravely Facing the Future T sized) that had enlivened my bid-and- tucker days. But Junior enjoyed certain advantages which had been denied me. My parents were poor, and I had been forced to work my way through kindergarten. Many a time I have walked five miles through the snow in order to borrow a string of wooden beads. » Junior, however, had a liberal allow- ance, and against my befter judgment I allowed him to take his kiddie-car to school with him. The reason was that he fell in with a fast set of young peo- ole, the children of parents far wealthier than I. For instance, there was Betty Jane Horowitz, whose dresses came from Liberty's, and little Lysander Leopold, who had 35 cents a week spending money and no questions asked. As soon as Junior arrived at Miss Methuselah's, one of the second year students took him in charge and helped him register. He was advised to “lay off elementary leaf-tinting and take principles of block construction or mixture _and application of tapioca | | | ing down into the interior and to the dungeon are worn thin with the tread of many feet, including those of some of the most famous figures of our early military and naval history. A winding road leads over the hill from the old fort to the new fortifica- tions and barracks and officers’ quar- ters. The original quarters were butlt within the gray walls, comsisting of one white verandaed barracks building for the troops and a second building of red ‘bnck with colonial pilars for officers. | *ox | QHORTLY alier ihe fort 7e3 bun— %> in 1817, to pe exact—the commana- ing officer built a substantial house for his own quarters on a hill opposite the main fortifications. He used some of the bricks from the fort, and after- ward was ordered before a court-mar- tial to answer for “misappropriation of bricks.” It is said that eventually he was cleared of the charge. ‘This house still stands, and is one of the most interesting sights on the grounds. It is occupied at present by the camp chaplain. Nearby in the yard connecting the houses of Maj. J. D. Patch, commanding officer, and MaJ. J. B. Henneberger is the bog hedge which was planted by the Digges family. While Fort Washington has not played a prominent part in our mili- tary or naval history, the part it has played in the social history of this part of the country makes it one of the | most colorful posts of the Army. Walk- | ing about the grounds, past stately oak |and century-old shrubs, one cannot help visioning something of the gayety of those early days of America, when bewigged and powdered gentlemen bowed gracefully over the hands of hoop-skirted maidens, and many a lover's secret was told beneath the |shade of these same giant trees. It is not hard to imagine the silken rustle |of skirts brushing past the old hedge as the grandchild of a British peer plighted her troth, perhaps, with Wash- ington’s stepson, or to hear the merry echo of laughter as a gay company of friends wished the couple well on their departure from the manor house after a great party celebrating their happi- ness. ‘The three guns being removed are known as 10-inch rifles, gun model 1888, and were mounted on disappear- ing carriages of the models 1894 and 1896. The guns are to be moved to Aberdeen, Md., for storage, and the carriages will be scrapped. Flavoring Ext;acts. | "THE fabled breezes that blow from the Isles of Spice and Cathay were no less fragrant than those which float | about a factory where flavoring extracts | are made. If the manufacturers of | these essences were able to do so, how= ever, the air would have no trace of these fascinating odors. All would be | kept in close confinement until im- | prisoned in the bottles that are a part of the equipment of every kitchen. ‘There is the famous vanilla bean, which is not a bean at all, by the way. | but a sort of orchid as long as one’s | hand. It is costly, for it comes from the moist, hot lands of the tropics and | has to be most carefully packed so that it will not lose its odor on its long jour- | ney before it reaches the factory. Once | in"the factory, however, it goes into a | fireproof storage vault. where it is aged. | Vanilla improves with age. It is kept |in an almost airtight room, where the | temperature is carefully regulated until | it is ripe. Then it is cut, compressed | and squeezed, and all the rich extracts | which it contains are withdrawn. Va- | nilla costs from $8 to $11 a pound, and | a big factory will carry at least 10,000 “pounds in stock in its vaults all the time. The largest importer of vanilla in this country is the owner of a flavor- ing essence factory in Virginia, which | keeps rather more than this quantity on | hand. | The vanilla “bean” is one of the most difficult things to handle in the flavoring extract industry. Unless there is a common equipment for treating it through its successive steps from the raw material to the finished product a perfectly pure vanilla extract cannot be made. It also takes a good many years of experience to secure the best results Spanish Grandees. THE grandees of Spain have the privilege of remaining covered in their king's presence. The custom is a survival of the manners of the old days when the sovereign was regarded as the first among equals. “We, your equals, choose you to reign over u was the ancient fcrmula employed by the Spanish notles at the coronation of their monarch. Formerly all the grandees wore their hats when standing before the king, but the caste spirit crept in and divided them into three classes, distinguished by the hat etiquette. The first-class entered the royal presence with thei: hats on.. The second class went in un- covered, and, after advancing a few steps, put on their hats unbidden by the king. The third class also entered uncovered, but did not put on their hats until the king asked them to be covered. Then all were equak The Cortes made the Duke of Well- ington a grandee of Spain and gave him an estate as a token of gratitude for his services in releasing the nation from the French yoke. When Fer- dinand VII, after the expulsion of the French, returned to Madrid he showed himself, on one occasion, to the peopie from the balcony of the palace. The king’s suite and Wellington remained in the room behind, but the people called for Wellington and he came forward bareheaded. | " “Put on your hat!” said the king. | ‘The duke, however, influenced by the English custom, hesitated to stand covered in the face of the people. are a grandee of the first whispered a member of the king's suite, “and ought not to remain | uncovered.” Then the duke put on his hat. hat e | “You | class, described as “a pipe if you can get a drag with old Methuselah,” and Ring- around-a-rosie was scoffed at. “No- body who is anybody plays ring-around- a-rosie or farmer-in-the-dell any more." the second year student announced It was soon apparent that Junior's in- (with every other word sweetly empha- | paste.” Folk songs and dances B2 wa: terests were social rather than intel- ,lectual. He was “rushed” by two of the | most exclusive societies inthe kinder- | garten, Scissors and Worsted and Bead: | and Blocks, and it was at his sugges | tion that I disguised myself before vis |iting the school. | “Junior,” I said tragically, “are ashamed of your poor old dad?” | “No, father,” he replied. “but all th {other fellows have colored nurses wh {bring them to school in the mornie | So every day, before setting out for Mis: | Methuselah’s, I was obliged to blagke: jmy face and put on a nursemaid’s wni- form in order to impress Junior's Mtls classmates. My efforts were rewardec ‘ast week when Junior returned from rhr:‘ol with a large bump on his fore- acad. “Good heavens, child!” cried hi gother. “What happened to you?" “Today was ‘tap day’ at old Methuse- lah,” exclaimed Junior exultantly, “sad I was tapped for Blocks! Beads and Blocks, the cream of the kindergarten —rah-rah-rah!” Just now Junlor is deeply involved in student politics, He is a candidate for Jass monitor of chalk and erasers, and { with the society vote practically as- yo | sured, is campaigning among the non- | soclety students. He has announced definitely that he will kiss no pareats for publicity purposes, but bets are oe ing laid at 8 jelly-begns to 5 tngs me will be electea in November. So far, the littie darling 2es =t==m no inclination toward cultural pursuits. and we feel quite encouraged about him. Of course, a talent for short-story writing or dry-point etching may crop out later. But, as a last resort, he can always take a classical course at_one ‘nI dlheTl)):gcr fll{\l\'rl’shlr! in New Eng- and. will assure his becoming a salesman, at least. sl r& —_ c.‘J