Evening Star Newspaper, June 28, 1931, Page 75

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON,:D. C. JUNE 28, _———————— Centenary Honors to James Author of Monroe Doctrine, Who Passed Away One Hundred Years Ago on July 4, Was One of Three Presidents to Die on Independ- ence Day—Stress Laid Upon the Eminent Virginian’s Contribution to American Principles and Policies—His Lazv Of fices at Fredericksburg, Va., a National Shrine. BY EDW ARD HALE BRUSH. HAT three of our early Presidents should have breathed their last on the anniversary of American Inde- pendence is a striking incident in American history. These three patriots were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Monroe. The death of the latter was on July 4, 1831, just a hundred years ago. That Jefferson should have passed from the scene of his great usefulness on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the immortal document of which he was the author, was a remarkable coincidence and rendered still more singular by the passing on the same day of his co-worker in the adoption of the Declaration and suc- cessor in the presidency, John Adams, who as he expired exclaimed “Thomas Jefferson still lives,” though at that moment the breath of life was leaving the frame of the great advocate of human freedom. This was in 1826. Five years later on this same anniversary of the birth of the Nation the fifth President of the United States, who upheld the same banner as Jefferson as a champion of liberty and popular government, yielded to the conqueror of all. Surely some mysterious psychological influence must have had to do with the passing at such an appropriate time of these three fore- most American patriots. The death of Monroe a hundred years ago is being commemorated in various appropriate ways this year and with stress laid upon his great contribution to American principles and policies in the enunciation of what is called the Monroe Doctrine. For should it be forgotten that Monroe as our special envoy to France in the negotiation of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty performed a service in relation to American expansion and progress scarcely second in momentous effects to his promulga- tion of the principle that the American Conti- nent should be for Americans. HE death of Monroe occurrad in New York City, where after the loss of his wife in 1830 he had gone to live with his daughter Maria, who had married her cousin, Samuel L. Gouverneur. He nad closed his Virginia home, Oak Hill, near Aldie in Loudoun County, finding it too lonesome after the departure of its gentle mistress. His remains were laid to rest in the old cemetery on Second street, be- tween First and Second avenues, the funeral being the most imposing ever held in New York up to that time. His tomb there was long without any ap- propriate monument, but this at last aroused protest and the Virginia Legislature acted to place the mo:tal part of this great son of the Old Dominion in that famous burying ground of heroes and statesmen, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, beneath a fitting memorial. The house in New York which was his temporary home at the time of his death was recently torn down after repeated patriotic but unsuc- cessful efforts to preszrve it, but this structure was not so long or intimately identified with his ca:eer as his two principal Virginia homes, Ashlawn, near Charlottesville, where he lived during about a quarter of a century, except when absent at the White House, and Oak Hill, about eight miles from Leesburg, which he built just before he left the presidency for the home of his old age. . Ashlawn is still well preserved and has re- cently been purchased by Jay W. Johns and opened as a public shrine, which is most ap- propriate in view of the approaching bicenten- James Monroe (from a portrait bust). nial of the birth of Washington when so many pilgrimages to Washington’s home State will be undertaken. Monroe on one of his missions to France brought back a young pine tree which he planted in his garden at Ashlawn and which has now grown to lofty proportions. Beneath it and well set off by surrounding greenery Mr. Johns erected a status of the author of the Monroe Doctrine and former owner of Ashlawn, and on April 28 of this year, birthday of the great statesman, it was dedicated with ap- propriate ceremonies, the statue being unveiled by a great-granddaughter of Monroe, Mrs. Rose Gouverneur Hoes of Washington. The history of this statue is interesting. It was executed over 30 years ago in a New York 1931. Virginia home of James Monroe at Ashlawn near Charlottesville. studio by Attillio Piccirilli on the order of President Crespo of Venezuela, who wished to show his appreciation of the appeal to the Monroe Doctrine made by President Cleveland in behalf of the Latin-American state. He expected to erect it in front of the Venezuelan capital at Caracas, but before the work could be shipped there a revolution transpired. Crespo was clapped in jail and the sculptor was for the time being out of luck. Years went on and the fine work came near being consigned to oblivion, but was fortunately ‘“discovered” by Mr. Johns Just in time to be erected and dedicated as one of the observances of the Monroe centenary year. The “lost statue” is 11 feet high, carved from a solid marble block. It weighs three ‘ons and is said to be the tallest of any similar memorial to a public man in the State of virginia. A bust of Monroe was unveiled at the New York University Hall of Fame last Autumn, vhen after due choice to such honor the name f Monroe was added to the others in this emple of celebrities. The task of drawing he veil was also accorded to Mrs. Hoes on this ccasion. N the planning of Oak Hill Monroe was aided by Jefferson, whose gifts as an architect would have made him famous in that field if his country had not needed him more in that of statesmanship. The mansion is set off to advantage by the stately trees about it which give the estate its name, and its imposing facade in the Greek style make an impressive and dignified home which the historic associations enhance. Fortunately it has an owner, Frank C. Littleton, who appreciates these associations and exerts every effort to maintain the resi- dence and its surroundings with all theic original beauty and nobility of appearance. The varled character of Monroe and his talents in so many fields are perhaps realized by few. Especially is it seldom stressed that he was a soldier as well as statesman. He was born in Virginia in 1758 and was a youth of 18 and a student at William and Mary College when the outbreak of the Revolution caused him to leave his books and on June 24, 1776, Law office of James Monroe at Fredericksburg, Va. join the 3d Virginia Regiment under Col. William Washington. He soon afterward marched to New York and fought in the battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth, and was said to be the first man to go over when Washington made his famous passage of the Delaware among the ice floes. In the battle which followed he assisted in eapturing a gun, a feat which aided in winning victory and for which Washington promoted him to captain “for bravery under fire.” At this time he was hit by a rifle ball in the shoulder and reccived a wound from which he suffered for the rest of his life. It was during one of these campaigns that Monroe and Lafayette, both very young men then, be- came friends, and a few years later when Washington as President had appointed Monroe Minister to France he was able to do Marquis and Mme. Lafayette a great service. A letter which bears on this episode has just come into the possession of the James Monroe Shrine at Fredericksburg, Va., which is the law office once occupied by Monroe. This hitherto unpublished letter was written to President Washington by Monroe when Minister to France and bears date January 3, 1795. La- fayette, after risking his fortune and life for the sake of America and the principles of freedom, had returned to France, where he stood up boldly to plead the cause of the people in the States General, where he introduced a bill abolishing rank and title such as he him- self inherited and establishing a country’s insti- tutions on a basis like that of the American Declaration of Independence written by his friend, Thomas Jefferson. He had been commander of the National Guard and led an army against his country's enemies. He was idolized by his countrymen so long as moderate counsels prevailed, but when as the revolution progressed bloody and inhuman crimes were committed in the name of liberty his pure and humane instincts re- volted. He was filled with horror and indig- nation at the sight of the guillotine filling the streets with blood under the orders of the desperadoes masquerading as liberators of the people. So the Assembly, under the domina- tion of such men, voted him a traitor and to avoid the guillotine he escaped to neutral ter- ritory only to be captured by his country's enemies and thrown into a dungeon in Austria where he was denied even light and air. Faithful through all was his devoted and beautiful wife, but in their orgy of blood the crazed rulers of unhappy France had also de- creed her to imprisonment and now were about to fix the hour for her execution. She was confined in the Prison of La Force in Paris, and her mother, grandmother and sister had just been beheaded the day before. This was the situation when Monroe arrived and learned of the plight of Mme. Lafayette and her husband. He lost no time in moving for her rescue and his noble and lovely wife aided him in the attempt and braving the displeasure of the despots then in command of French destiny drove in the official carriage of the embassy to the prison and interviewed Mme. Lafayette, who was on the verge of collaps2. As a result of the appeal of the Monroes she was next day released, although that day had actually been set for her exzcution. As soon as free she set about plans for her husband's release from the Austrian prison and went to him and allowed herself to be imprisoned with him for the purpose of working out her plans and being near to him once more. ALL this was made possible partly through money furnished by Washington, accord- ing to the investigations of the Washington Bicentennial Commission and as borne out by this letter in which Monroe states that Mme. Lafayette “readily and with pleasure accepted” the money which Washington had sent. “I assured her,” Monroe goes on to say, “that there was no service within my power to render her and her husband and family that I do mot Continued on Fourteenth Page