Show 1732 19 1 7 7 4 ta 1 fit 71 tg a I 1 41 r t 7 A ti 6 24 ft 7 arz Y 4 14 ME i Z xa x a Z J r 7 az J 7 t by ELMO SCOTT WATSON the event itself la is yet two years away preparations are going forward rapidly for malting making the two hundredth anniversary celebration of ing tons birthday the greatest event of its kind eier eer held in this country six years ago president coolidge appointed a alstin group of citizens from every part of 0 the united states with himself as ex officio chairman known as ag the united states commis alon lon tor for the celebration of the birth of george washington to prepare a plan since that time lime the commission has been considering some gome forty different suggestions tor for the nationwide nation wide A tile celebration but the only plan that has thus tat far been definitely adopted Is that for the systematic publication of works by and about washington WashIngto FL this plan was drawn up by dr albert bushnell hart professor of history at ha harvard r vard university and historian of the commis pion ion the plan in detail calls for the following publications 1 george washington reading with a purpose written by doctor hart bart and recently issued by the commission lon to be circulated by the commission in quantities 2 select reading lists on george washington A proposed search of best beat books on washington intended to stimulate purchase of washington books by individuals and school and other libraries such lists to be circulated by the commission especially to schools tc bools 3 A george washington map A sizeable I wall map on paper or cloth costing in quantities about 10 cents each to be sent free by the commission to any school room asking for it as a means of bringing the commission and its work home to hundreds of thousands of school children and their elders 4 writings of george washington A definitive edition to be edited by 3 C fitzpatrick editor of washington diaries there are to be three editions a mount blount vernon edition de a capitol edition exclusively for members bers of congress and high executive and judicial officials in office in ill 1027 and a popular edition volumes to be sold in complete sets of twenty volumes or in chronological groups of ethree to five volumes 6 5 A george washington series it will be made up of about fifteen vol omes of various sizes pertaining to george washington depicting washington as a western man washington as a soldier washington as an engineer the boy washington etc to be published to in a complete limited edition and aldo in a regular edition each volume separately to be written by experts in the several fields and edited ly by the blat historian orlan 8 A george georg washington atlas it will include detailed maps of all regions in which washington lived and traveled and all his military campaigns making possible the location of every place washington Is known to have inhabited or visited every place or estate in england owned or occupied by ancestors of george wash ington every house bouse that can now dow be identified in which he stayed all his real estate and lands wherever situated it was early decided that the 1932 celebration was not to be a material expression of the importance ot of the event in the form orni of a worlds fate fair or exposition ot of its physical resources a and nd the development of its arts sciences and industries HoA however ever the commission of fine arts and the nation at al park and planning commission which are operating cooperating co with the bicentennial commission in planning the principal observance of the event to be held in the city which aich bears ing tons name hopes that a number of major projects all of which bich are closely linked with the bicentennial cele bration idea will be completed by 1932 chief among these are the following the arlington memorial bridge now well along in construction and virtually certain to be b completed by the bicentennial year completion of the monument gardens at the base of the washington monuments monument originally proposed in the 1901 plan pion for washington and urged by city planners since completion of the arboretum and the athe national botanical garden completion of the proposed mount vernon boulevard between the west end of the Ar arlington lingon bridge and the home of george washington cutting through the mull mall of the parallel roadways on each side of the great central composition and advancement of the public building program to a point where the government triangle becomes that in fact completion of the scheme for making wakefield the birthplace of george washington i 1 national shrine and construction of roadways and airplane landing field and wharves tor for ships of at the shrine outstanding among these projects Is the mount blount vernon memorial boulevard construction has been com fenced on this by the bureau of public roads of the department of agriculture it 1 to to extend from the virginia end of the new bridge connecting the lincoln memorial with the arlington national cemetery to mount vernon along the potomac river a distance of 1512 miles this highway which will be feet wide will be one of the finest boule yards in the country and will offer easy access to mount vernon we 8 h Ing tons 1 home congress has appropriated funds for the boulevard the initial cost being it has been suggested Buc that to each of the 13 col colonies onles should be allowed a mile of road tor for such state tablets and architectural tec tural treatment as may be desired seaf r r atom aro pier ze savior wor of the courtesy Y mn com company y by the state with the approval of the tha federal government tills this idea however Is tentative and may not materialize ri the plans for the monument gardens at the base of the lie foot obelisk recalls the fact that the monument as conceived in lias hns never been completed the building of the monument in its present form underwent many vicissitudes after the laying of the original cornerstone erstone in 1848 tho nu chil war ar interfered with the worl work and it was not until 1876 that the shaft reached a height of feet in 18 1880 14 the second cornerstone was laid and the work went rapidly ahead until IM ithen alien the monument wai opened to the public from that time little was done until the erection of the magnificent lincoln memorial with the reflecting pool in between now it Is hoped that thy the federal building program for the national capital which Is on no der way will carry forward the corn com of the monument on the basic plans for it and the development of the mall mail or monument gardens extending from the capitol to the bonu ment meet so that all will be an n readiness tor for the national capital for the great celebration two years hence the commission has bag also undertaken undertake a to assist in the restoration of wake field va the birthplace of washing ton the wakefield association pro poses to add to the 70 acres which it now owns acres more A which hichi are necessary to treat tile the home and its surroundings properly John D rocke feller jr has made a provisional gift in this connection and congress will be asked ached to appropriate to complete the restoration although these are the principal projects in which the bicentennial commission Is interested they are not the only memorials to washington which may be completed and may be the scene of special observances of his birthday in 1932 on a beautiful knoll overlook overlooking ng the historic city of alex andria va ts Is rapidly rising the george washington masonic national memorial a structure erected by the masons of the country to an boti honored ored fellow member w which aich Is virtually certain certa into to be completed ed within the next two years an effort Is being abeln made also to finish the george washington memorial lu ill washington so that it will aill also he be ready for the 1932 celebration the idea tor for his building came from george washington higton himself will who provided in his will for a national ucher university and emphasized in tits his last message to congress the lie importance of the general dU dUTu fusion slon of knowledge through proper institutions A center such as the memorial will vill provide Is now la lacking clIng in washington according to plans the building wll ait ai hate not only a large auditorium with a large organ but several smaller halls seating from to 2500 people the building would be made accessible to conventions of every character that may select washington as a place of assembly whether Aliet ber the conventions vent ions be international state slate interstate or territorial or whether their r character e r be business political ous patriotic or social the memorial will be a center in fact for tile diffusion of knowledge it will aill be suitable for inaugural receptions and bells balls and nd especially tor for conferences between nations as aa congress intended it tw to bi be when it gave the ground |