Show IN VIRGINIA come boys boia close the window and make a good are wife children sit bit snug all around ris the lie day that gave birth to our count rys blesse sire then let it with pleasure be crowned dear w wife I 1 fe bring your wine and in of hard blines on this day at least well be bemberry merry come fill wery glass glana 1111 lit it pours poura the brim if not with madeira then sherry cherry old song bone HB 1113 foregoing verse Is front from one of the old birthday songs in honor of gedrge washington these were sung axing even during the lifetime of the first C president for washington was alone 9 strong among americans in having hla bli birthday regularly and publicly celebrated during his lifetime the homor of having originated the public ob servance ot of february uary 22 to la one ot of which the town of alexandria va is jealously proud Alexan alexandria dila was waa county town ila attended church there he voted aul acl paid taxes there hla big physician lived there he be bought of its tradesmen contributed to its charities was head of its Blas gitle lodge organized its lire fire brigade washington and alexandria either contradict the theory that n R prophet Is 18 not appreciated sit at boni or they are no an exception 0 to o prove the rule right after the me close of the revolution alexandria began to celebrate the birthday of her hero bero perhaps the old anwa bad acquired the habit for tho the bala in hon honor or of king george ceorge had been the climax of social socia functions inder tho the old regime at any rato rate never was more ardently transferred and the me balls became even more elaborate the old Alexan dila set the ion other places took up the custom in lathe the french officers who had bad served under bigton celebrated 1 Itei eur uary miary 22 in Par parla ifill I 1 to a to say aay it waa not then february 22 but i wording to the of that day 5 breary 1 while he was presed pres president ld th tho t k liday always celebrated at tho the city i ts the pt tat tal for the time being at night wro pet forma pres at the theaters all which the president and hla his wife it Is recorded that one ou delphta vais eniti enlivened I 1 f my of the young ladles wore t curls bandeaux embroidered wl IV the president on these occasions the president and sire washington were conducted to a enta enfa placed under a canopy the president did not mot stay there much but moved about among the other guests with the dignified courtesy cour teay which always marked him in society eo clety i on hla his birthday in 1797 ho he and mrs washing ton were in philadelphia the ships in the harbor were ere dressed with nags flags and the houses were decorated every half hour the church bella rang government officials and foreign diplomats called to congratulate him the ball at night was in tho the amphitheater specialty specially floored and dec decorated 0 there were about guests and according to an eye witness very countenance be b spoke pleasure and approbation even democrats forgot for a moment their enmity the next year 1798 washington attended tha celebration given by his friends and neighbors at alexandria ond end some accounts declare that it was wa the last time he did so ile he was at mount vernon vernou in 1799 on life hla birthday it being the occasion of oue one of the greatest festivities in the history of the mansion the marriage of netty nelly custis the ceremony was per berned ned at curly candlelight in the banquet room aind was atte attended oy by the gentlefolk from all the coul country itry in spite of the wedding bo however wever washington seems to have slipped away for a look s in on tha doings at alexandria for there Is i an account of that celebration in un an old copy orthe alexandria gazette in which ills presence Is mentioned the great event of that particular day was a edit of sham attack on the town by thre companile comp anle s of local infantry they were embarked on the arniel armeil schooners ners neptune trial and mercury and succeeded deviled in making two landings but fitter after a heavy and continuous street were finally to surrender Bur render the genera had arrived the affair began and when the evolutions were w era closed lie he prevented pre tented his highest respects to all the parties engaged in them apparently being due for the wedding eight miles dis district trint he afa not remain for sitty of tho dinners which followed foti fOl owed and at which so BO ext extreme renic a number of toasts were drunk thai tha ano trembles at the thought of how the soldiers acquitted aint at the ball in the evening that waa the last of his bis birthdays which lived to tt rt h ts home town faithfully continued ed u cut t OM G W 11 I 1 bustle the gr grandson grard ardson aon of lra Was washing bing t bior oi srol at the jk ilc matter dinner ir fl 14 ad a d old laid it ft was the owr i el l ration of february 2 which he had I 1 hd ar a ended in alexandria th the ac count of that hat dinner by fh h way says daya that tha sumptuous provision wits was enjoyed with much hilarity tempered however with moderation besides the balls thero there was another feature of at the early celebrations in alexandria which was peculiar to that town washington had founded nn an orphan asylum there and when on his birthday there would bo be n meeting with an orator in one of tho the churches the orphans were conspicuously present and came in for a special piece of oration the account of tits the meeting lit in 1840 says bays that after the oration a collection was taken up for the benefit of the asylum the alexandria celebrations were often addressed by 0 W P custas in 1811 richard Ilir hard 11 lee was the orator some idea of newspaper newe paper methods of that thai day mabbe mabe hod had from rom the fact that although the celebration that time was mentioned in the gazette of february 23 it was not until february 25 that a real account appeared during tho the civil war the mg celebration of the birthday ceased alexandria was ardently southern in its sympathies and WM was moreover too much in tho the track of war to take notice of oven even Us its own pet anniversary it was waa not until 1870 that it began a feeble revival of the old festival that time there was merely me a presentation of i ni stand eland of colors to the cadet of st johns acad emy by the young ladles of Mount vernon institute 11 in 1872 the cadets cabets paraded end and there was a birth inight ball once more ft a real celebration was arranged to which thousands 0 of strangers came and upon which occasion the houses housen that were mourning at lees leea death robert E lee all displayed the american flag fing many houses displayed pictures of lee wid and washington side eldo by side out but there was tio no ball and on the platform of tho the speakers stand there was waa a vacant chair placed to honor the memory of 0 W P cestla the old man eloquent since 1876 the celebrations hav hato been rather irregular in the town which originated them but or of late bests a society has tins been formed whit whick arranges and carries out an elaborate pro gramme every alternate year whereas the orphans libaris or used to be a center of birthday attention tho interest to Is now between the firemen find and the soldiers last year there were nis of federal troops and of united states sailors ian addition to the he district militia a perma percia nent dent claim to pose pone as alexandrian Alex andrias favorite son and these biennial affairs are QieA the biggest lige 1 I things thing or their sort in the country february 22 la Is th glorious fourth J i N |