* r
Recent
N •-'■rtflU u io b* made to have
to* cow congress take up the pro
j« *1 that mean* be devised where
by h« lotted States government
i.ay i.sqi Ire trie to and assume
the guisieaeei of Mount Vernon,
am the Potomac. the home and
tomb of Oeorre Washington. It
<u only because ’be last congress
which dud a few months ago
actio* la the matter that there
#a* ‘.tPed a proV-ct to profane the historic
v~- n • of Mount Yernca by the locaion of a
r a tuty is the vl -laity and it is being ar
ried : s* if raunss ha# to bestow su-h foster
ins ire upon the famous mansion and estate
sty i.tA hate tbo whole management of the
:ns- ’.os *»turn really belongs to the whole
1 *1 • < *t«* in tbo eloctire body closest to
the peofia.
•* -rwi un*c. ressfnl attempts have been
*/a# or mv/rr
trc/tnonr /fAft&arf
r*r s*s*
accr, couow'A dcs. rrr.
made la the past to have
am utMul 1+cialature
take war trtios la thU
BUM T.rf*u.ho»mr
tutmz.m wiiuiM oa (be
wtkjMt and a < tctimu!
la* ?< ur at (be tu»U r
mt ;m*jpU mho look apoc It
oa a fxsbbr fL-me that
oat iratteu pa'rtot:
aitrtse afeoald be in other
baud* than t’»*> Rsa'a
Th*a re*r*sts*e»* la da*- in
Bseaanre to «bat the
*-rtt-r* are pieaaed to deb
the "dime tana* a atetk
a afijvnvAY — s*om.vc o/rsor tat latlly
/?£</*/ys/YArra ba,cx walls
:• Ub-<h cbtMO IB the tXndjct of this tourist
i- The procedure complained of it the
■ rg:o* at an admission fee for in trance to
around* and tbe sale of postal cards,
bo u and ether «.••»• modries I’nfavor
able reu'imcat it attributable especially to the
■ BtfMw that root' of <i.e icoaejr making
«*- rprrse* 'Oftducted at Mount Vernon are
a • i.e aaouopotistlc order Only an approved
t r..nd of guiee book ran be purchased on the
i* as*d to on through the whole list of
.r~: '.-a for sale, even to the circumstance that
a t ciJn fire of steamers en the Potomac river
Lae tie ea*-twite privilege of landing tourists
at Mount Vernon.
How e* er. «| :ter*-r may Lave been the no;
'- vet of Use assortruua of women who have
now tel of Moots' Vernon, or of the superin
t-oh-*t who for twenty-fire years hat had the
— -nty of - "tit ral manager of Mount Ve r
son. fhar* it so den?.tg that they have ac
• oa: i.sted much in the restoration and main
tern. • at the manor house and the meat inter
esting part of the famous Virginia plantation.
Utij recently hat there been completed an
itcimrtant undertaking in landscape architec
ture »U h t especially notable because It
t. j>Brt the heal feature needed to restore the
o-t-al ntwiuiMona of George Washington's day
at the fionatry test which the Father of His
('ousury loved an well and where he lived and
died Ttia final restoration baa been the re
pianac o* the lawn and garden walls whicb in
cntaiisl tints played an important part in the
sstT-Mfbr* of Mount Vernon, at they did in
the rut at almost every mansion of its type
Tie original want on tbe Mount Vernon
eata'e moot of which were constructed under
the uut at Washington himself, were
in aa mcwOent state of preservation when he
d*ed. Ms successive heir* to the estate al
lowed ‘hem to fail into decay until there was
swagfc* left bet tbe foundations These walls.
»l cfc add to much to the appearance of the
Mount Veraca estate, would have been re
sacred years ago had it been merely a matter
of eapenae. for tbe whole work <o*t only about
tl> However, a more serious stumbling
Ido* k delayed operations—namely, a desire to
«•*>» brack that would be duplicates of tbosc
orvglnsiljr employed and which would ronse
U .-n ty enable adherence to the policy of hav
k 5 •.erytking historically correct to the most
mtttaie detail
After a qasat that had continued for more
than a score of years the long-sought bricks
wet* recently obtained when there was demol
ished aa old colonial tr stision known as So
rjetr Hill. located »r King George county. Vir
ginia This st mo ure. which was built by
Ccnootl Thorn to®. a .lose friend of George
Wtstisgun—and which by coincidence later
passed into the po>teaaiOB of a member of the
Washington famJy—was constructed of bricks
brought from Kagland. The bricks in the So
--i~ty Hill mansiau. when cleaned. proved to be
tdcntieal la ate and color with the bricks
found la tbe ruined founds' lens of the original
gardes sails at Monat Vernon. Accordingly
the walls were restored la accordance with
*he enrJml drawings sad enough of 'he origi
nal ’* sliiigton bricks were rescued from the
old fotmcaiioas to provide a coping for the
wills. rhr bricks obtained from the King
0-jr»« county site furnishing the remainder
at tbe material needed.
The most extensive of the restored walls
are the "screen walls." the function of which
was to hide from the sight of Washington’s
guests seated on the lawn the inevitable do
mestic activities that were carried on around
such outbuildings as the kitchen, the smoke
house, the spinning house, etc.—adjuncts of
the rr usion which it was not desired to have
obtrude themselves upon the notice of visit
ors. Almost as interesting as the screen
walls, however, are the "Ha Ha" walls, which
are depressed below the level of the sloping
lawn and are consequently unobservable from
the portico of the mansion, but which in
Washington's day performed an important
function by preventing the stock from wan
dering on the lawn in front of the house. The
name "Ha Ha" as applied to such walls origi
nated in England and is attributed to cross
country riders who were surprised into mak
ing the ejaculation when they suddenly and
unexpectedly came upon such a hidden wall
in ’heir chase of a fox.
The ressored walls, although the most im
portant of recent improvements at Mount Ver
non. are by no means the only ones that may
be noted by the sightseers and tourists who
now visit this historic spot in throngs that ag
gregate 100,OuO a year. A new roof has been
placed on the mansion house and the public
probably has little conception of how much
time and labor was required to obtain the de
»wyyyy^
The English home with its lack of “proper"
heating and also its sad lack of ventilation
and bathtubs is no more a marvel to the
American woman than the American home
is to the English woman. The latter freely
admits that the conveniences of the American
home are beyond compare, but there is one
serious defect that is always commented on.
This is set forth by Mary Mortimer Maxwell
in the National Review (London). There is
no place for father. Surely there must be
some truth in this, for so many British women
have called attention to the fact that we
have no privacy in our homes, and have
pointed to the shortcomings of pretty strands
of beads serving as doors, and to the fact
that the bathroom is the only sanctuary, the
Indianapolis News remarks. This is borne
out by observations in many cities. A former
official in Indiana is well read in history. He
also has a family. He freely admits that he
absorbed his history lying with pillow in the
bathtub, safe beyond the reach of the growing
children. This is just what Mary Mortimer
Maxwell is speaking about when she says:
“But the member of the American family
to whom my thoughts turn in greatest sympa
thy in regard to the lack of privacy and the
denial of the opportunity for the cultivation
for the Teacher.
la uactJK remd'.sc there are Just
re« rads In he taught: * 1) To make
the leaner automatic and quick in the
of ward aed letter forms
tra ralecs, (t) to secure bis Interest
L maim* the spiritual element
cl the pruned toms
Saartca in Eastern Seas,
hr..rutrm kinds of sharks Inhabit
the ~~r* at the tv east, tbs baakin*
ttmrt m the °^kr- *o*mMy
of le-t
Where Dynamite Is King
Stupendous Job of Tunneling and Fill- .
irg Being Done in New Jer
sey Mountains.
■Alien the grandfather of the prea- I
'■nt czar found hia engineers disput
ing as to the test route for a railway
between two cities in his dominions,
the autocrat took rules and pencil and
drew on the map a straight line from
the one town to the other.
"Build it so!” he commanded. And
he was obeyed.
That was the freak of despotism. In
this present century, skilled engineers
set themselves a like task at a saner
bidding. Up in the mountains of New
Jersey today a great railway Is busy
with a cut-off that, when completed,
will shorten the right of way by a few
miles. Incidentally, this is the larg
>1 r/f£ SP/CK WALL'S VU5T CO/fPLSTjTL? at
dll MOI//YT W/?/YCSY SJ7XTT.
rsff (x/r£t//ia//vc5 Arsvov/yr yf/?/rost
sired material for this roof, just as it was no
end of trouble to find the bricis for the walls
above referred to. About 50,000 cypress shin
gles were needed for the new roof, but they
must needs be “rived" shingles because Wash
ington had that kind and it seemed impossible
to And any rived shingles, because nowadays
shingles are not made that way, sawing being
much easier than splitting. Finally a lumber
firm in South Carolina undertook to supply
shingles that would duplicate those of Wash
ington’s day. but they charged almost a cent
apiece for the singles, which made the roof a
pretty expensive one.
Mount Vernon mansion now has one of the
most perfect heating systems to be found in
any American residence. It was designed es
pecially to prevent danger from fire—and in
this connection it may be mentioned that
Washington's old home is not built of brick or
of individuality is the father—he who pays
for everything, buys the house with his own
earnings or hires it, and yet generally has not
so much as a corner that is his very own.
It is called 'his house.' It has many rooms.
There are the drawing room, the living room,
the library. There are numerous bedrooms
and dressing rooms, but If he really desires
solitude, there would seem to be nothing for
him but to lock himself up in the bathroom.
Sometimes you hear the’members of an Ameri
can family speak of father's den,' to be sure.
Why, just before I left America a New York
friend, when she was showing me through
her new house, said to me, ‘This is my hus
band's den,’ showing me into the sunniest and
brightest room in the house. My eyes rested
upon antimacassars and tea cosies, a copy of
‘Poems of Passion, an embroidery frame, a
train of 'choo-choo cars,' and a box of such
American confections as my soul delights in
and which no manly man could possibly be
seen eating. I looked about for rows of curious
pipes, for a horribly dusty and disordered
writing table, a lounging jacket—out at el
bows, but, oh, so comfortable after the work
aday coat—a copy or two of a sporting paper;
but not a sign of such mute witnesses to
masculine ownerhip of that room did I sei.
est railroad contract ever undertaken.
The cut-off is being built to save miles
—nothing else. To that end. the to
mography ol the country Is disregard
ed as recklessly as the czar disre
garded it in Russia aforetime. Sim
ply, the road must run where the com
pany wishes it to run, not where na
ture offers a path. A mountain in the
way must be tunneled, a valley that
interposes must be filled.
It is for this sort of work that the
god of dynamite girds up his loins
and piles miracle on miracle in
AYODMT V£/?/yQ/V SM/YJ/Q/V AJ //*
AP&EAR5 TODAY
stone, as many people suppose, but has a
frame of oak, sheathed with pine, cut, painted ,
and sanded to resemble stone. The new sys
tem enables the heating of all the rooms in the
mansion by a hot water system and yet the
boiler room, with the inevitable menace that
comes from fire and stored fuel is located 400
feet from the mansion and wholly underground.
Another modern improvement at this reju
venated estate in old Virginia is found in the
provision of a fine water supply obtained from
a splendid artesian well. Powerful pumps, op
erated by electricity, supply water from this
well for household purposes and keep filled at
all times the emergency reservoirs which
would be depended upon in case of fire. Inci
dentally It may be explained that the score of
men including guards, gardeners, laborers, etc.,
who work and live on the Mount Vernon estate
or close at hand, are organized into a well
drilled fire-fighting force and they have chem
ical and steam en
gines for fighting
the flames, should
this destructive
agent ever menace
the mansion—a re
in o t e chance, it
would seem, for all
the rooms in the
house and all the
exterior walls have
been treated with a
fire-resisting paint.
For all that elec
tricity is employed
to pump water and
perform certain
other chores on the
Mount Vernon es
tate, the magic cur
TSfS OID KJTCrtFft AT A/OSAT VS0MOA/ <S/fOW//VG 77/S "TOPSS/Z WALJ '*
rent is not allowed in the precious mansion
and the manor house is lighted as it was in
the days of yore, solely by candles.
There has been another notable undertak
ing at Mount Vernon in the term of the con
struction of drainage works which control
forces of nature that threatened to play havoc
on the famous estate. This new system of
sanitary drainage has. first of all. served to
reclaim the bogs and swamps which at one
time gave the place a reputation for unhealth
fuinees. Equally serious in possible results
were the threatened landslides near the man
sion and in the vicinity of the old tomb of
Washington, from which, however, the body
of Washington was removed some years ago
to the new tomb. These slides have been
averted for all time by the construction at
considerable cost of a tunnel which pierces
the hill on which the mansion stands.
NO PLACE FOR FATHER
Bathroom Nook Only Place in Which Family Head May Find Privacy
'Its the sunniest room in thi house.' went
on that wickedly selfish little American
woman, ‘so the children and I spend a great
deal of time here.'
"I have been shown through other American
homes where the husbands had their 'own'
dressing rooms, their 'own' hanging cup
boards. and have noted with surprise the com
plexion balms, bodkins with pink bebe ribbon
ready for running through lace, bonnet whisks
and cut glass powder boxes lying upon the
chiffonier along with military brushes and
safety razors. ‘I do believe in separating
dressing rooms and separate dressing tables.'
the fond wife would gush, and then she would
show me her husband's ‘own hanging cup
board.' which, being fitted up with a new
kind of patent trouser stretcher which she
found exactly the thin# for keeping her skirts
in nicest order, she had taken possession of
up to the farthest and darkest corner, where
a pathetic and lonely greatcoat might hang on
a solitary peg."
Does this thing, after all. make the path
to the divorce courts popular? Our British
critics sometimes think so. Men are brutish
folk at the best, and sometimes do like to
be alone.
achievement About Vhirteen cars
loaded with dynamite are sent to the
cut-off from the nearest powder works
each week. Allowing four hundred
and fifty cases, of fifty pounds each,
to a car, we have a total of 292,500
pounds used there in a single month,
which amounts to almost ten thousand
pounds dally. Just think of it—ten
thousand pounds of dynamite exploded
in that nook amid the mountains every
day! And that has been going on
fcr a year already, and the end is not
vet.
t
* -H ... f!
The Miniature
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS
(Copyright, 1911, by Associated Literary Press.)
Celeste Wheeler bought a morning
paper and turned eagerly to the per
sonal column. A little laugh escaped
her as her eyes alighted on the ad she
had inserted. She read it over still
wearing her irresponsible smile.
■‘‘A young lady will paint a miniature
in return for a few week's hospitality
in the country. Long Island pre
ferred. References.”
“There! The die is cast! If I had
any family to judge me insane they
might have good cause. Still—it is a
very sensible way to get a much need
ed bit of the country when funds hap
pen to be at low tide and energies
depleted.”
Celeste looked wistfully down at her
rather shabby shoes and the dust col
ored velvet of her gown. Luckily for
both they were of a shade which neith
er showed their poverty nor their lack
of care. They were artistic in their
very shabbiness as was the soft gray
hat with its woefully drooping plume.
Not so with Celeste’s eyes. These
great, wonderful eyes assumed all the
brightness and depths and happiness
of two new born stars. Only occa
sionally were these eyes permitted to
reflect all the inward longing for the
man whose love had been ruthlessly
cast aside. Celeste had been very
young when she had told Hugh Ardale
that art must take the place of love.
Well, fame was gradually creeping in
to fulfil its mission and Celeste Wheel
er smiled through all.
She reached her studio and in the
hope that answers would soon come
from her advertisement. Celeste gave
ter wonderful artistic treasures a more
or less cursory tidying. Also she put
a few much needed stitches in the
fragments of a wardrobe which she
possessed.
When these duties, enormous to the
artistic temperament, were over, Ce
leste went to her little tin box and
looked over her wealth. She had ex
actly ninety-nine dollars. Her studio
was paid for for another twelve months
and Celeste had orders for nine minia
tures, waiting her leisure. She would
not touch one of these until she had
returned from a much needed rest.
Celeste’s face grew suddenly grave.
“Ardale—I wonder if there Is any
connection?" The girl’s lips were
compressed and her eyes looked
straight ahead. If by any chance
Hugh Ardale is this child’s father—I
must go back immediately.”
Celeste had no more time for reflec
tion. The wee child had let out a
scream of delight and they were driv
ing up the wide arched lane toward
“Windyheath” the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Staunton.
When Celeste saw the charming el
derly couple on the wide porch wait
ing her arrival, she felt for the first
time the rather serious step she had
taken in obeying an impulse.
She had not been in the house two
days before she felt ashamed for hav
ing doubted the sincerity of the ho>
pitality offered by this couple. They
had been longing, during the rust
month for some one who might, in a
measure, fill the vacancy made by the
great Reaper. Celeste learned much
when confidences had been won on
both sides.
She learned, with mingled emotions,
that the child wrhom she had grown to
j love, was the child of Hugh Ardale. He
j had married Martha Staunton, the
j only daughter of the dear couple at
l Windyheath. Hugh’s wife had passed
i away when Martha was given to the
I world.
"Are you sure—absolutely that he
: will not be back for another twelve
months?” Celeste asked timidly.
“Yes, my dear—Hugh is a civil en
! gineer. They are in the Canadian
I bush—that is why we have the sun
i shine of Martha. It is no place for
! either child or woman, Hugh says. Be
j sides, dear—” the older woman paused
| then said tenderly, “you love him still
j —why fear?”
Celeste turned impulsively and Mrs.
| Staunton's arms closed about her.
They were both silent for a moment.
Each had succumbed to a deep felt
1 want and love had triumphed over the
j conventionalities.
Presently Celeste smiled. “You are
all too good to me," she said, happily,
j "Even wee Martha is prone to spoil
' me and pulls the flowers ruthlessly
that Thelia’ may have them in her
hair. I am afraid her daddy will have
to wait a long time at this idle rate
for the miniature. I find it difficult
j to do his baby justice." Celeste turn
' ed at sound of an imperious small
voice. “Yes, darling. Celia is com
ing—" She looked whimsically at Mrs.
Staunton. “You see! I have promised
to pick daisies with Martha.”
“All right, my dear—but mind—
don’t be long.”
“Celeste ran swiftly down the long
j avenue shaded by drooping trees to
j the open field where the daisies grew
■ bigger and whitest. Martha was on
| her back, a small elfine creature,
| screaming with delight.
Down toward the big entrance gate
j they galloped. Celeste would have
j turned the corner where the arbor,
hanging wisteria marked their resting
place, but she stopped.
A man rounded the corner.
“Hugh!”
“Celie! ”
The man had grown a shade white
but nothing could have daunted the
brilliance of the girl’s cheeks nor the
light in her eyes. •
I In a moment Hugh Ardale spoke.
, “This is Martha—Martha is my little
I girl, Celia. Come here. Toddler!”
Celeste's ever ready smile came to
! her lips. Hugh Ardale was far more <
shaken by the meeting than was she;
his words were foolishly inadequate,
yet she knew that he was trembling
with the joy of seeing her.
“I rather believe she is, Hugh,”
i Celeste laughed. “I am afraid I have
stolen her—” She turned to Martha
who clung fast to Celeste’s hand.
“Darling, go to your Papa—don’t you
remember how Granny told you all
about the nice Daddy who was coming
back to you?”
Martha needed no second bidding.
Delighted, and unable to contain
herself with joy, Martha went off to
acquaint Granny with the news.
“Celie!” Hugh Ardale’s voice would
have called her from across the sea.
“I only forgot you for the short year
in which the child’s mother was my
wife—you will not take away the only
thing in life I want, will you—dear?”
I had to come. I knew that somewhere
in this vast universe—I could find you.
I did not expect—”
"Hugh—I am only beginning to be
successful but 1 want you more than
all the success in the world.”
Later, when Hugh Ardale and Ce
leste Wheeler approached the wide
verauda, Mrs. Staunton arose and m
tried not to show the tears in her
eyes and heart
“We are not going to leave you.
dear,” put in Celeste, quickly; “we
want to live here.”
A More or Less Cursory Tidying.
Her work and name were too precious
to impair by trusting to jaded facul
ties.
Now that the die was cast and Ce
leste ready to journey forth she waited
impatiently for such an offer as she
could accept
Three days later Celeste boarded a
train for Glen Head, a tiny village on
the Sound. She had received a simply
worded but winning letter from an
elderly couple who were apparently
alone in their big estate on the water's
edge. The coachman would meet her
at the station in a governess's cart
With eyes sparkling and cheeks
aglow Celeste alighted at the Glen
Head station She was the only pass
enger getting off and this fact pre
vented any mistake on the part of the
coachman in the small cart. Celeste
had wondered why an elderly couple
should elect to travel about the coun
try roads in this particular style of
vehicle. Now she knew. A small child
was evidently a part of the household
to which Celeste was being driven.
Celeste experienced a peculiar thrill
when she looked closely into the
baby's face. Here greenish gray eyes
with their dauntless expression were
much like Hugh Ardale’s.
After a series of questions which the
small beauty asked of Celeste and
which were duly and evidently satis
factorily answered Celeste herself
asked:
“And what is your name, darling?"
"Marsa Ardale—” lisped the baby.
Painter of Kings
The state portrait of King Georgs,
which Sir Luke Fildes has been com
missioned to paint, will not be the
first that the famous artist has exe
cuted for his majesty, says M. A. P.,
London. He had the honor of paint
ing both the king and the qu^en on
the occasion of their engagement, and
the royal family were so pleased with
the picture that Queen Alexandra,
then princess of Wales, consented to
ait to him. The double portrait of the
then duke and duchess of York was
a wedding present, and it now hangs
in Buckingham palace. Sir Luke
Fildes also painted the duke of Clar
ence’s portrait after his death, using
photographs and miniatures for the
purpose. King Edward’s first state
portrait was painted by Sir Luke in
1902. Three years later he was re
sponsible for a magnificent Academy
picture of Queen Alexandra in her cor
onation robes and last year he made
the beautiful drawing, famous the
world oTer, of King Edward on hia
death bed.
No Surprise to Him.
“I was surprised when I heard that
Grabrox had Joined the church.” “I
wasn t. I happened to be present
when he and his business partner
shook dice to see which member of
the Arm should Join.”
Illusive.
There is a motion without progress
in-time as well as In space; where a
thing often remains stationary. which
appears to us to recede, while we are
leaving it behind. — Julius Charles
Hare.
Theatrical Change.
"It was Shakespeare, wasn’t it, who
F3id, ‘The play's the thing?”’
“Yes. Perhaps it was In his day.
but now the press agent seems to be
the thing.”
