The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 21, 1904, Page 9

owned by an s this para ron of the 1785 1 could see a our dear r not let us Indeed she tea in great ause a gen £o calling her insist upon is very di talking that s one action_above all oth b the en of America reservation of b Washin How Moun ernon was seved as a monument to riotism interesting story, for was through the formation of dest patriotic association of wor v in existence in the United States hat this historic spot was pregerved to jeath of George Washing- st in the estate om her it fell to latives umtil, in J g ne Washington Jr. nd hir session of an his- toric place which was unable to keep a piroper state repair. With the reent of family he endeavored to frert i€ permanent preserva by - z it to the United vern- ent. and failing in this offered it to ommonwealth of zini It ¥as this crisis that Ann Pamela Cun- pgham of Sonth Carolina determined the tomb of Washington must be ved as & permanent shrine of pa- triotism Accordingly she organized the Mount vernon Ladies’ Association and ap d wvice regents in the various Staies to aid in the work. Contribu- tions to = fund to buy the property were solicted, and soon every section of the country became interested. Thou- sands of school children gave pennies, Edward Everett presented the immense proceeds of his lecture on “Washing- ton,” societies donated funds and Mount Vernon was saved to the nation. In 000 over 200 acres of the estate, in- cluding the wharf, tomb and nansion, were purchased by the association for $200,000. As the society was formed for the sole purpose of acquiring Mount Vernon, the estate can never pass from its possession, and is owned by it, though Virginia retains a supervision over it. Since Miss Cunningham’s death the office of regent has passed through NAS HMEN v O GIRL. . CR O W THE HEAD :):S i - HE RO various hands until to-day it is held by rs. Justine Van Rensselaer Townsend of New York, who is ably aided by vice regents from twenty-nine States. Though every acre of Mount Vernon is of interest, no spot is more fraught with memories than the house. Every room in the stately mansion is filled with the epirit of him ‘to’ whose’ be- loved memory it has been consecrated, and that this atmosphere may be pre- served efforts have been made to fur- nish the rooms with the belongings of ‘Waslington. For this purpose the sev- eral rooms are assigned to the care of certain States, whase regents undertake their restoration. Visitors are naturally drawn to the room in which Washington died. The vice regent for Virginia has been fortu- nate in obtaining many original things which add to the impressiveness of the spot. Among them is a four-poster bed, the trunk and military equipments and two cushions worked by Mrs. Washing- ton. From the hall, where hangs the key of the Bastile, presented to Wash- ington by Lafayette, the west room is entered, and Illinois has accomplished much to restore the original interest. It contains among other arucies auw old painting gjiven by Admiral Vernon in acknowledgment of the name of the estate, and a rug woven by order of Louis XIV and presented to our first President. This room vies in interest with Nellie Custis' music-room, where- in is the quaint old harpsichord pre- sented by General Washington to his stepdaughter as a wedding sift. these rooms are with here of h they are eclip e roportioned ban- hich the viee regent Ia arble ma nz feature o ations, Peale's ashington entitled Yorktown. t 12 ample hall to the found on th Many of thes were furn Y > eolenial Washing- American en his birth- ears a laurel the han stood T hear * said he, smiling. v have ¥ d the gir the and George Washing- puzzled. ion to each slat here is a lovely e White House. ze Washington of Washington stands ner br and spinnet There are Wash- minders about the u- se. Thers plant of nd. slipa upon a co 1is unde ington relies and a lif pies an old-fashior is = window g which and tin; Over the mar Mount Vernor is an ol hioned double in which are photographs of Geargs and Martha Washington. Across the hall thers i American Indian room. furpished. however, with the mos? modern of American Indian ware In London there is a George Wash- ington room paperad with American flags. The pretty »ecupant. of the room is the daughter of an attache of the American legation abrosd. An immense bust of Washington stands upen a pedestal and. in the corner ol the room, is o statue of The Father knee breeches with the immaculate Washing- of His Country jewelad slippers and of all the portraits of ton. The George W ington girl should wear a ¢ wwn_and her songs showld be songs of that day. But. If e i= a literary girl, she will be con- m historically cor- rge Washington ernon. and will want with volumes of the roo to life of Martha Washington was an excel- lent cook. and the iittle cakes which she served with tea at her little after- noon receptions were made, it is said, by her own hand. The George Wash- ington gir! can make little cakes and can stamp them with a mold of the tead of Washington, thus completing the semblance between herseif and Martha Washington as well as time and circumstances will allow “Was Martha Washington first in war?" asked a little boy of his grown- up er. “Yes,” said the girl absent mindedly without looking up from her novel “And George Washington was first in peace.” “And were they both first in the hearts of each other?” asked the boy. “Yes: first in the hearts of each other,” said the grown-up, half intent upon her novel The quotation was a little mixed, but it fitted the circumstances remarkably well.