By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN
EORGE WASHINGTON was the
Father of His Country. And don't
you forget it ! If you do, you will
feel lonesome. For the American
people haven't forgotten It and are
not forgetting it. On the contrary
the American people are getting to
think more and more of George
Washington with every succeeding
year. They are trying to got a
clearer mental vision of George. For a time George
'was too great and good and perfect to be true.
Now the people are trying to visualize George as
a regular fellow.
For example, William Koscoe Thayer has just
brought out "George Washington," Intended to be
the definite one-volume biography of Washington.
Mr. Thayer's purpose as expressed in his preface
has been to give a sketch of George Washington's
life and acts, which should disclose "the human
residue" which he felt sure must persist in Wash
ington's character. "No other great man in his
tory," lie says, "has had to live down sueli a mass
of absurdities and deliberate false inventions," in
cluding the picture of an imaginary Father of His
Country amusing himself with a fictitious cherry
tree and hatchet. In short, the author has writ
ten his book to help those who complain that they
cannot find a llesh and blood man in the George
Washington of historians. He expresses t lie con
fident hope that those who read this biography
will no longer consider George Washington the
most illusive of historic personages.
Here's the way "Campion" in t he Chicago Trib
une's "Line o* Type or Two" puts it :
"O Clio! Muse of buried time,
What trick is this you play.
Who sing to us in prose or rhyme
The hero born today?
MYour blazing torch athwart the gloom
Lights up our noble dead,
Your record snatches from the tomb
The lives our heroes led.
"Ycu show us Jackson, crude and bold,
Impetuous, quick to fight,
Sworn foe of caste and graft and gold ?
41
' ;?:&V '
^tils P "
\ v 1
u s ; v .?> v
v >" f. ^
am
iv& A v s' v
4 ;$$? - c $ ?
/tv*Vg i.-yJrt?V
AR77i7JR Z)AW30?rAND7t&r
//.
:v#
W 0
OLSi
si
ft
r
50^-TT
\ %
<?
1mm'''
msm- m &
W6Hzrrgracrj& rjvzrc&rw
A man, or wrong or right.
"You show us Grant In gain and loss,
His early waning star,
The gold that gleamed amid the dross,
Purged by the tires of war.
"You show us Lincoln, calm in strife,
\Vith homely mien and jest,
The shambling gait, the kindly life,
The freedom of the West.
"Rut when we seek on history's scroll
The Father of the free,
The name that loads our muster-roll,
We ask, "Can this be he?"
"We see a demigod of old,
Grim, faultless and serene,
Olympian grandeur stern and cold,
A god from the machine.
i "Oh lead him down from heights abovr
And set his feet on earth,
To show his sons the man they love
In weakness and in worth."
Photographs reproduced^ herewith show Arthur
Dawson, official portrait \ painter at the United
States Military academy at West Point, and the
original Gilbert Stunrt bust portrait of George
Washington, which he discovered by accident In
an unnoticed corner of the Washington and Lee
university, I^ee Memorial chapel at Lexington, Va.,
last summer. The portrait is painted on the pe
culiar "twilled" wood panel used by Stuart and was
discovered by Mr. Dawson while looking over the
paintings in the chapel. It is estimated by art ex
perts to l>e worth from $75,000 to $100,000 and Is
pronounced the finest Stuart in America at the
present time. It has been in the Washington and
Lee university for many years, but until Mr. Daw
son's discovery, its true value was unknown. Rec
ords fall to show where the picture came from.
The panel measures 25 by 30 Inches.
Congress has passed a Joint resolution as fol
lows :
"Whereas, by n joint resolution of the senate and
: house of representatives, approved March 4, 1844,
the sword of George Washington and the staff of
Benjamin Franklin were accepted in the name of
the nation as gifts from Samuel T. Washington and
deposited for safe-keeping in the Department of
State; and
"Whereas, by a Joint resolution of the senatft
and house of representatives, approved February
28, 18o;>, the sword of Andrew Jackson was ac
cepted in the name of the nation as a gift from
the family of Gen. Robert Armstrong and depos
ited for safe-keeping in the Department of State;
and
"Whereas it is represented by the secretary of
state that he has no appropriate place for the ex
hibition of these relics: Therefore be it
"Resolved, etc., That the secretary of state be,
and lie Is hereby, authorized to transfer the said
relics to the custody of the secretary of the Smith
sonian institution for safe-keeping and exhibition
in the National museum."
The resolution accepting (he Washington sword
and Franklin staff was passed by both houses on
the same day. The proceedings In the house were
especially Impressive, many senators and diplo
mats being present. The speech of presentation
was delivered by Representative George W. Sum
mers of Virginia. The part of his address refer
ring to the Washington sword contains the follow
ing interesting information concerning the weapon
carried so long by the Father of His Country:
Mr. Summers ? Mr. Speaker, I rise for the pur
pose of discharging an office not connected with
the ordinary business of a legislative assembly.
Yet, in asking permission to interrupt, for a mo
ment, the regular order of parliamentary proceed
ings, I cannot doubt that the proposition which
I have to submit will prove as gratifying as It may
be unusual.
Mr. Samuel T. Washington, a citizen of Kana
wha county, In the commonwealth of Virginia, and
one of my constituents, has honored me with the
commission of presenting, in his name and on hip
behalf, to the congress of the United States, and
through that body to the people of the United
States, two most Interesting and valuable relics
connected with the past history of our country and
with men whose achievements, both In the field and
In the cabinet, best illustrate and adorn our annals.
One Is the sword worn by George Washington,
first as a colonel in the colonial service of Virginia
in Forbes' campaign against the French and Indi
ans, and afterwards during the whole period of
the War of Independence as commander In chief
of the American army.
It Is a plain cutleau, or hanger, with a green hjlr
and silver guard. On the upper ward of the scab
bard is engraven "J. Bailey; Flshklll." It Is ac
companied by a buckskin belt, which Is secured
by a silver buckle and clasp, whereon are engraven
the letters "G. W." and the figures "1757." These
are all of the plainest workmanship, but substan
tial and In keeping with the man and with the
times to which they belonged.
The history of this sword is perfectly authentic,
and leaves no shadow of doubt as to Its Identity.
The last will and testament of George Washing
ton, bearing date on the ninth day of February,
1700, contains, among a great variety of bequests,
the following clause: "To each of my nephews.
William Augustine Washington, George Lewis,'
George Steploe Washington, Bushrod Washington,
and Samuel Washington, I give one of the swords
or cutleaux of which I mayk die possessed ; and
they are to choose in the order they are named.
These swords are accompanied with an injunction
not to unsheathe them for the purpose of shedding
blood, except It be for self-defense or In defense of
their country and its rights; and, In the latter case,
to keep them unsheathed and prefer felling \jrth
them in their hands to the relinquishment thereof."
In the distribution of the swords, hereby devised,
among the five nephews therein enumerated, the
one now presented fell to the lot of Samuel Wash
ington, the devisee last nnmed in the clause of the
will which I have Just read.
This gentleman, who died a few years since, in
the county of Kanawha, and who was the father of
Samuel T. Washington, the donor, I knew well. I
have oft?n seen this sword in his possession, and
received from him the following account of the
manner in which it became his property, in the
division made among the devisees:
He said that he knew it td have been the side
arm of General Washington diiring the Revolution
ary war ? not that used on bccasions of parade
and review, but the constant service sword of the
grent chief ? that he had himself seen General
Washington wear this Identical sword? he pre
sumed for the last time ? when, in 1794, he reviewed
the Virginia and Maryland forces, then concentrat
ed at Cumberland, under the command of Gen.
Lee, and destined to co-operate with tHe Pennsyl
vania and New Jersey troops, then assembled at
Bedford, In suppressing what has been called "the
whisky insurrection."
General Washington was at that time president
of the United States, and, as such, was commander
In chief of the army. It is known that It was his
intention to lead the array In person on that Oc
casion. had he found It necessary; and he went
to Bedford and Cumberland prepared for that
event. The condition of things did not require It,
and he returned to his civil duties at Philadelphia.
Mr. Samuel Washington held the commission of
n captain at that time himself, and served In that
campaign.
lie wes anxious to obtain this particular swofd,
and preferred It to all others, among which was
the ornamented and costly present from the great
Frederick. j
At the time of the division among the nephews,
without intimating what his preference was, he
jocosely remarked, "that, inasmuch as he was the
only one of them who had participated in military
service, they ought to permit him to take choice.'*
This suggestion wus met in thi same spirit In which
it was made; and the -choice being awarded him,
he chose this, the plainest and intrinsically the
least valuable of any, simply' because it was "the
battle sword."
I am also in possession of the most satisfactory
evidence, furnished by Col. George Washington of
Georgetown, the nearest male relative of General
Washington now living, as to the Identity of this
sword. His Information was derived from his
father, William Augustine Washington, the devisee
first n ?y.ied in the clause of the will which I have
read, 1'rom Ids uncle the late Judge Bushrod Wash
ington, of the Supreme court, and MaJ. Lawrence
Lewis, the acting executor of General Washing
ton's will; all of whom concurred in the statement
that the true service sword was that selected by
Capt. Samuel Washington. ,
MANY PROOFS OF
ACTIVE BUSINESS
>
?OADING OF REVENUE FREIGHT
SET NEW RECORDS FOR
THE SEASON.
SECURITIES SHOW STRENGTH
Optimism Continues tb be the Domi
nating Factor in Financial
Markets.
New York. ? Oprimism over the do
mestic situation continued to be the
dominating factor in the financial
markets of the past week. Securities
showed much strength and the pre
vailing impression in Wall street was
that the upward movement largely re
flected the reports on increased in
dustrial activity and the satisfactory
annual financial 'returns which are
now being published.
Meanwsile there was a tendency to
feel less anxiety over the foreign sit
uation, which distinct satisfaction was
expressed over the encouraging prog
ress made in coming to an agreement
I with Great Britain in the matter of
funding that country's debt to the
United States.
Many proofs of active bsuiness are
available. For one thing loadings
of revenue freight by the railroads con
tinue to set new records for this sea
son of the year. In the week ended
January 27th, some 871,000 cars of
freight were loaded, this figure ex
ceeding the total for the same keek
a year ago by 131,000 cars and that in
the comparable week of 1920 by 68,000
cars. The gains are distributed, fur
thermore, among the various classes
of traffic, thus emphasizing the gen
oral character of the improvement.
Foreign Commerce of U. S. Increases.
Washington- -The foreign commerce
of the United States increased more
than 4,000,000 tons in 1922 as com
pared wtih 1921, but the tonnage car
ried in American ships decreased
from 49 per cent of the total in 1921
to 47*4 per cent In 1922, while in the
overseas general cargo trade, less
i than one-third of the tonnage was car*
j ned under the American flag, ac*
I cording to a survey made public by
j the shipping board.
I The percentage given as the totals
for the two years, it is explained,
"reach their present proportions be
cause they include our enormous traf
j fic in bulk petroleum", and "our trade
with nearby countries, which is prac
tically coastwise" in both of which
American ships predominate.
"That we make any showing in the
overseas commerce at all/' continues
the report, "is due almost entirely to
the fact that the shipping board main
tains in world service a number of
vessels at public expense. For 1922
privately owned American vessels car
ried 7.76 per cent of our overseas ton
nage."
Americans Seek Tobacco Control.
New York. ? American financiers
are negotiating with the French gov
ernment for a monopoly on the man
ufacture and distribution of tobacco in
France, the Evening Mail asserts.
The deal was reported to involve
$300,000,000 of which $25,000,000
would be paid upon conclusion of the
agreement. James B. Duke, George J.
Whalen and Thomas Fortune Ryan
were said to be the men interested.
Reports of negotiations for a French
tobacco monopoly have been circulat
ed from time to time fcr two years,
but always have been met with der.inls.
7 .
"Fruit" Turns Out to be Liquor.
New York. ? Federal agents seized
350 crates of Florida "oranges" des
tined for Boston, in the Bronx freight
yards of the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad. The "fruU"
proved to be bottled whiskey with a
prohibition value of $30,000. The
liquor cases were hidden by crates of
genuine fiuit.
State enforcement officers said the/
had been tipped when the shipment
left Florida to be re-routed here for
Boston.
Bandit is Shot and Killed.
Santiago, P. I. ? Ronquello, the not
ed bandit who has been sought for
killing Junde Andres Borromeo last
month, was shot and killed by a pla
toon of constabulary who sunourded
a house in Cavite province, where Ron
quello was# hiding.
I Twenty-five of the constabulary sur
rounded the house and began firing
from all sides. Nearly 1000 shots
were fired.
Finally one of the constables crawl
ed under the house and fired up
through the floor, killing Ronquillo.
Fishing Sloop Was Lost.
Edgartown, Mass. ? Wreckage wash
ed ashore on Naushon Island, in Vine
yard sound, and. found by a searching
pafty proved that the fishing sloop
Natalie, missing for several weeks, was
lost with all hands aboard.
Fisher folk here were of the opinion
that the* Natalie was rammed by a
larger ship in the sound. The Natalie
left Newport for Edgartown on Jan
uary 24. The men believed lost are
Skipper Patrick Kelley, and the crew
of three men, all of Edgartown.
CONDENSED NEWS M
THE OLD NORTH sij{
short notes of inters
CAROLINIANS
Greensboro. ? At the r? , . ;.r ,
ing of the Greensboro i.
Paul Schenck, of thi- . u
dorsed for the position - ? r
erng* of the Rotyy dist: , ? ,.I;
ing North and South Ca:
Chapel Hill. ? Closing r,.^
tion Cor correspondent:.
dents of the University ot North J
olina has been set for A; r . 1, 1U1
announced by officials oi ^.j
sion division.
Charlotte? The Tax li. J
poration held a meetim; j. r J
unanimously opposed bond
either railroad or boat in.. -
a hundred were present m :
ing from every section o:
try.
I Wilson. ? On account o: v,
spell of bad weather r. : .?
county roads almost
that date for closing th?
bacco market has bee n< ;
the Wilson Tobacco Board
from February 9 to Friday, r > .
16.
Rocky Mount. ? Mein>
Fourth District Medical S
posed of five or six count ,.:
immediate section of tin
be the guests of the Na
Medical Society at a in
hel dhere February 13, a< < - :
announcement made by Ik
Kinlaw.
High^ Point. ? The High r .
Plan company sent applicat:- ?
department of state in Hal. -:l :?
change in its charter, all . n
company to increase its capi a .<?
from $50,000 to $150,000. T:
cation also asked that the <?<?:, ?
allowed to change its offi? -:??*!
from the High Point Morn- i'
company to the High Point .V :
Plan Bank.
New Bern.? A big cut in rh
Hon of the fire area that was- to :?
been acquired by the city for ; -
a public park is called for in
lutions passed by the boar '. < ?:
men given out recently. 'I
area is reduced approxirn..!
per cent and allows negro o\\
retain their property on ihi>
Sanford. ? Day by day th> !
receipts of Sanford are cli;.
ward, according to Post ma
Gilliam, and in every oth? r
ford is growing bigger a: l
The receipts in January v. -
cent larger than those oi
1922. The Sanford postofii
ited with $9.36 per capita
ury savings certificates
during the past year, while
tral average for the state i>
cents per capita.
Wadesbcro. ? The Baptists
city are contemplating th"
a new church edifice, the pres. :
ing being entirely inadequat
needs of the congregation,
structure will combine artist
with commodious utility, it
known when the new church k; .
will be erected.
Roxboro^-Roxboro held a n ?
recently in the interest of a i>
ind loan association. There a '
vited for the occasion the f i >
speakers: Gen. B. S. Royster. V
John Hester and Tom Harris.
Oxford, and Major L. P. McLend <?;
Durham.
Wadesboro. ? The women of
county are making an enviabf-'
ta the matter of marketing h< m
ed products. Quito recently a
amount of money has in th.*
i>een brought into the county. '
provisions, such as chickens. ? < ?
butter, have found a ready mar
Whiteville. ? Erastus Huggins
was charged with the murder < '
ter Dudley, plead guilty to mu: :
the second degree and was imni?
ly sentenced to the state penit? : ?'
for twenty years. Huggins' s >a
Walton Creech, held in connect >?
the murder, were exonerated '
Jury.
Ayden. ? Rev. R. I. Corbett has -
up his pastorate at Snow HH1 an
cepted a call to the Wintervilb*
tist Church. He will in the futur
vide his time between Ayden ami
tervllle, preaching here two S ::
evenings and the same in Wf:
ville.
Asheville? Definite assuram ?
the proposed Asheville Club f< ;
men will soon be under const: :
was given during the regular m?
of the City Federation of W?>
Clubs, at which the president.
Charles A. Webb, presided.
Wilmington. ? A memorial taid
Miss Amy Bradley, the found
Tileston School, Was unveiled
school auditorium. Charles C '
bourn delivered the address of <!?
casion* ably eulogizing the lift
ideals "of the beloved teacher.
Fayettevillev ? Dr. M. L. Smon'
prominent physician of this city
in a local hospital, after suffering
health for several years. Dr. ^
was a native of Rowan county
Ing here from Salisbury abou'
years ago.
Wadesboro. ? The board of <1
tors o fthe Wade Manufacturing
pany have elected the follow in -
cers for their new mill: W. !'
sons, president; T. C. Coxe.
resident; W. Henry Liles, sect'
and treasurer. All of the off<
are prominent and sucessful bu-d
??en.