Show r HOME OF WASHINGTON r. r now HOW WOMEN PAVED THE TIIE Wei WAY Y TION VERNON O r Historic Place is Now Exactly as It I Looked D During the Lifetime o of f Great Statesman General Statesman General Thousands ands Visit it Annually t. t The bell Is tolling the band playing 1 Nearer My God to Thee and the theL rA L' L passengers know even before they raise their eyes to the fair sweep of Virginias Virginia's shore line that the steamer c f fit Is passing Mount Vernon A pretty custom the custom the tolling of the bell and tb the playing of the fine old hymn A hush faIls falls on the crowded decks and one ones s t. t I I WASHINGTON W AND AW LAFAYETTE From a 0 Painting Fainting at Mount V Vernon feels the thrill of patriotism stirring the hearts of the tho people But Dut do o the thousands who annually sail satI down the tM Potomac to visit the stately home of George Washington know that t tp a womans woman's Initiative is due the restoration and preservation of y the beautiful Mount Vernon of to-day to Away back in 1853 1553 this home was in ina a rapidly deteriorating condition John Augustine Washington a son of General Gen Gen- 4 eral Washington's nephew was the c owner of the estate The descendants of Washington evidently did not inherit the clear business sense of their Illustrious Illus ancestor for in General Wash Wash- ington's time tho the farm larm yielded a handsome handi handsome hand hand- handI I i some Income Now avow the fields were ly ly ly-j Thirty States Represented The Mount Vernon Ladles Ladles' Association Association Association tion is a most exclusive body It is composed of a regent regents who is president of the association and a vice-regent vice from each of the States Stales of the Union Thirty States are now represented The women are justly proud of the work that has been and is being accomplished accomplIshed accomplished and so value their places inthe in inthe inthe the council that it has become a custom custom custom cus cus- tom for the office of vice regent to descend descend descend de de- from fram mother to daughter or other near relative When a vacancy occurs in n the council the Governor of the State is invited to nominate some prominent woman but should the name lame not receive the favorable consideration consideration consid of the regent and vice-regents vice no appointment is made until one acceptable acceptable acceptable ac ac- to all is proposed Miss Cunningham the first regent lIved Ived at Mount Vernon from 1868 to 1873 when she resigned on account of ill 11 health She died the following year The present regent Is Mrs Jus- Jus Justine tine irie Van Townsend of New NewYork York During the Civil War though In the very midst of the con conflict filet Mount Vernon Vernon Vernon Ver Ver- non escaped serious injury This was mainly due to the heroism of Miss Tracy the secretary of the association took up her abode at Mount Ver- Ver r- r 0 to V In which Wll 1 t j The Tho I Kitchen n as tf it was wasa a a Hundred Years fi x Ago r 4 t F. F ing lug untilled and useless and the house and outbuildings were showing signs I of the tIle passing gassing of the years The glory glorya S a j of ot that splendid home was departing c A Womans Woman's Work ork To the grea edit of John Augustine Augus Augus- Augustine tine Washington it is related that he be refused absolutely to consider propositions r 1 advanced by private companies and Individuals to purchase the estate to be converted later into a pleasure res resort rt Think of the desecration desecration-a a vaudeville performance on that magnificent magnificent magni magni- stretch of lawn waiters walters bearing their burdens of food and drink through those stately halls the dally daily uproar of ot irreverent crowds And then came me Miss ns Ann Pamela Cunningham of South Carolina She Sho visited Mount Vernon in 1853 and was shocked and grieved at the fate in store for the historic spot She conceived conr conti con con- ti r tho the plan of ot rousing the women of or her b beloved loved southland to the true state to of affairs and enlisting their cooperation cooperation co co- cooperation operation In the raising of a fund of the price asked asted for tho the house outbuildings garden and some Bome two two hundred hundred acres of farmlands So she sho went to work and It must be remembered that fifty fifty- years ago it took toole no small amount of bravery for n a woman wom woman n to inaugurate and carry on an undertaking of l such magnitude But after five years of effort tho the whole of the was las In hand It was i. i found round impracticable to confine the r t propaganda to the tho Southern States sot so soo t o the tho North was invited to assist which she did in generous measure At the close of 1858 the Mount Vernon Vernon Vernon Ver- Ver non estate was purchased and the tho title passed to the Mount Vernon Ladies Ladies' Association of the Union Freed from Taxation A charter was was secured from the State Ii of Virginia granting exemption from taxation the association in return binding Itself itself to to task of ot restoring t to tots its ts original coD condition 1 1 and pr preserving f j 1 for future generations this home o of General George Georgo Washington In this connection It is Interesting to know that during the ten-day ten annual meet of the Board of Regents in the month of May Maya a banquet is given Iven to the tho Governor of Virginia After the feast is ended and the toasts are drunk the entire association conduct the Governor Governor Governor Gov Gov- about the house and grounds that he may know by personal observation observation observation tion that the pact entered Into so long ago Is being faithfully kept It Is the custom of the ladies ladles of the association to to liV live liva at aL Mount Vernon during the yearly session At this time the old home wears an air of unwonted unwonted un un- un wonted gaiety The kitchen gives out the most appetizing odors and stimulated stimulated stimulated to unusual activity by tales talE's of the theold theold theold old days the corp of Virginia servants are anxious to show their fitness for forthe forthe forthe the honor of servin senin de ladles ladies Even the brick oven a relic of colonial days is called Into use lse the beautifully browned bread pies and cakes attesting attesting attesting attest attest- ing its superiority non accompanied by only a few servo ants Miss Cunningham the regent was prohibited from crossing the military military mili mm tary lines and could not Join her For four long years Miss Tracy remained at atthe atthe atthe the lonely home managing the estate and guarding the buildings the TO plan of the rehabilitation of Mount Vernon by returning to Its rooms the original furnishings or arti- arti r Ai ts w wr r r ty OLD FASHIONED GARDEN AT MOUNT VERNON cles Iles similar in design and construction Is generally understood But every woman should know and remember that to the loyal patriotic women of tho the land belongs the credit of saving from ruin and obliteration the fine old home homo of ot the Father of ot his his countrY 4 |