Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1916 — Page 2

AT THE ENGLISH HOME Of THE WASHINGTON FAMILY

O ulgrave Manor, iOf] in Northamptonshire, is preserved as a peace memorial between Great Britain and the United States . Here is an interesting story of the historical place

IN a quiet, rural neighborhood, where the farmhouses are quaint, and antiquated, stands Sulgrave Manor, the one-time English home of the Washington family. The major never really saw , George Washington or his father, or even his grandfather, but the Washington family possessed and Y'** occupied it during most of the sixteenth and seventeenth centurles. It is still possiblo to distlngulsh over the main entrance to the old building the heraldic device of stars and stripes which Washington accepted as his own coat of arms, and which is commonly regarded as the origin of the American flag. In the summer of 1911 the suggestion was made by a prominent member of the British Peace committee that the historical property should be purchased and dedicated as a memorial to the peaceful relations existing between the two countries during the past century, the dedication to be one of the features of the international celebrations in 1914. This idea immediately met with popular favor. The British committee acquired the property, and dedicated It to peace between England and the United States. The manor has been made into a Hall of Records, where matter pertaining to Anglo-American unity is kept. It is understood that a lecture chair soon will be supplied by the purchasers and that James Bryce, ex-ambassador to the United States, will be its first occupant. " —Charming Old Place. The manor is a charming piece of old architecture, gray with the rains, frost and sunshine of 300 years. —The house stands at the eastern extremity of the village of Sulgrave, in Northamptonshire, and it is approached from the west by a pretty green croft, separated from the almost encircling road by a hedge. To the right of the gable end of the manor is a low stone wall with a larch gate, facing a small court, partly paved and partly in grass. From the courtyard the house is entered by a handsome old •stone doorway, above which a little attic projects from a tiled roof. The fine old Tudor doorway ■is surmounted by a shield containing the Washington'coat of arms, which three centuries have somewhat robbed of itß original sharpness, but which is still unmistakable. What a fortune had that shield of a private English gentleman —to become the most notable blazon of all the world! Strange to think that this “little obscure stone coat of arms in a secluded Northamptonshire village should be the original of so much—should still be extant. As strange to think of the contrast between the toripid and monotonous rustic life surrounding it for 160 many generations with the rush and roar of (existence in our great republic. There is very little doubt that the three stars .and the three stripes furnished the idea for the American flag. In the flag, as in the original, the (Stars signify divine influence guiding the bearer in the right way, while the bars denote one who sets the bar of conscience and religion against wicked temptations and evil desires. The colors, red and white, seem to follow also; the red meaning military bravery and fortitude; the white peace and sincerity. Tradition attributes the suggestion to Benjamin Franklin. Tupper is probably right when, • Jn his ‘‘Centennial Drama,” he makes Franklin ... My . ' •' . . . I proposed it to the congress. It was the leaders old crusading blazon, s Washington’s coat, his own heraldic.shield. Apd on the spur, when we must choose a flag Symboilng independent unity, We and not he —all was unknown to him— Took up his coat of arms and multiplied And magnified It, in every way to tills Our glorious national banner. He adds, also, some allusions to the old mansion: .S. ‘ --—\ - - H —p —- £ The Washingtons, of Wassyugton, ‘ In County Durham, and on Sulgrave Manor, County Northampton, bore upon their shield Three stars atop ... and for the crest An eagle’s head upspringing to the light. The architraves of Sulgrave testify, Ab sundry printed windows in the hall " ' ’ ■ ■ ’ . * - ■ -f • •

At Wessyngton, this was their family coat. And at Mount Vernon I myself have noted An old cast-iron, scutcheoned chimney-back Charged with that heraldry. The old building is in an excellent state of preservation. The main hall has a fine fireplace and an oak beam celling. The ancient oak staircase has very beguiling twisted banisters and a fascinating secret cupboard at the intermediate landing. The drawing room is on the second floor, as was the custom in the days when it* was built, and in one of the bedrooms it is said that Queen Elizabeth once slept. The estate surrounding Sulgrave manor consists of about two hundred acres of gently rolling land, substantially all of It in full view of the manor. The ownership carries with It the lordship of the manor, “with the Rights, Royalties, Privileges and Appurtenances thereto belonging,” and is subject to “a fee farm rent of 11s 5d ($2.84) per annum.” Sulgrave Manor is the place In England most closely associated with the name of Washington, and yet it Is true that George Washington himself attached little Importance to this fact. In the early days of the American republic, ancestry was despised much more than Is now the case. In 1788 George Washington refused to accept the dedication of a book on heraldry because a portion, of the community were: > “Clamorously endeavoring to propogate an idea that those whom they wished invidiously to designate by the name ‘well-born’ were meditating in the first instance to distinguish themselves from their compatriots and to wrest the dearest privileges from the bulk of the people.” But the ability to t¥ace one’s ancestors has a greater value In this country today than It bad In the days of the first president. Washington • knew very little about his own forefathers. When he was asked about them by the Garter King-of-Arms, he said the first of his family in Virginia had come from one of the northern counties to England, possibly Yorkshire or Lancashire, or even farther north. Later there was considerable disputation about the root of the family tree from which he was descended, and it was finally agreed by genealogists that the Washingtons of Sulgrave and Brighton did actually spring from the Washingtons in Warton, Lancashire, a place on the Westmoreland border. Several generations of Washingtons of-Warton — are recorded, and one of those*-was the father - of Laurence Washington, mayor. of_Noxthampton. in 1532 and 1545. He seems to have taken up his residence at Sulgrave, though members of his family continued to remain at Warton for several generations. This Laurence Washington had for mother the daughter of Robert Kytson of Hengrave in Suffolk. This proved a matter of very considerable importance in their history, because It brought them into connection with the Spencers of Althrop and Wormleighton, through the marriage of Sir Thomas Kytson’s daughter, Catherine, to Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton, whose grandson, Sir Robert Spencer, was created Baron Spencer of Wormleighton in 1603. In the process of time the Washingtons of Sulgrave appear to have got into financial difficulties. Laurence Washington entered the wool trade, perhaps induced to do so by the fact that Lord Spencer was one of the great flock-masters of his day. This Laurence acquired considerable riches in the wool trade. In 1539 he became possessed of the Manor of Sulgrave for the sum of three hundred and twenty-one poynds, fourteen shillings, and subsequently he purchased additional property. Sundial With Washington Arms. He had many sons, of whom the oldest was , Robert, the ancestor of George Washington. He succeeded his father in 1685, when bd was of the age of forty, but he does not seem to have been v so prosperous as his father. Yet it appears thyt he was able to send both his sons, Christopher and William, to Oriel college, Oxford, where they were in 158$, the year of the great armada. Robert’s oldest was named Laurence, probably after the mayor of Northampton, and In 1610 Robert, In agreement with his son, agreed to sell Sulgrave to their cousin, Laurence Makepeace. The second Laurence Washington then removed to Brington, near Northampton, his father perhaps going with* him, though the latter was buried in the family vault at Sulgrave. Laurence Washington had seventeen children, two of whom rose X-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

to high positions and were knighted —Sir William Washington of Packington in 1622 and Sir John Washington of Thrapston in 1623. The old church of St. Mary’s, where the Washington family worshiped for years, is near the old manor, and 1b in a good state of pres-

ervation. It forms a point of considerable interest containing, as It does, three memorial brasses on the gray stone slab put down In memory of Laurence Washington and his family. These brasses consist of Laurence Washington’s effigy, a shield bearing the Washington arms, and the following inscription; “Here lyeth buried ye bodys of Laurence Washingto, Gent, & Anne his wyf by whom he had issue iiij sons and ij daughts wo laurence Dyed ye . . . day . . . ano 15 ... & Anne Deceased the vj of October ano Dni 1664.” Apparently Laurence Washington, great-great-great-grandfather of George Washington, devised this monument as a memorial to his wife, leaving the date of his own death blank to be filled in after his death. This, however, has never been done. Two other records of the Washingtons are found in the village of Brington. In this little township, not far distant from Northampton, stands the house to which the family moved from Sulgrave. It was In this house that Robert Washington died in 1622, and in the yard, engraved upon a sundial, is found the Washingtofi coat of arms. In the Church of All Saints, near at hand, where Robert Washington is buried, an inscripton reads as follows: “Here lies interred ye bodies of Elizab Washington, widowe, who changed this life for immortalitie ye 19th day of March, 1622. As also ye body of Robert Washington, Gent., her late husband second sonne of Robert Washington of Solgrave in ye County of North, Esqr., who depted this life ye 10th of March, 1622, after they lived lovingly together.” Laurence Washington, grandson of the Laurence of Sulgrave, died in 1616, and is also buried --here.- — ; s Unfortunately little of the village of Sulgrave as It was in the days of the Washingtons now remains. A disastrous fire In 1676 swept the village, and only a relic may be seen here and there In an ancient house. Most of the streets are set with neat brick houses. Coming toward the Church of All Saints, one might fancy oneself In the business center of some minor New England city, but with rather less of glare and noise, and the community held In a certain abeyance by the presence of the old church. In dedicating the manor as a memorial to the peaceful relations existing between the two great English-speaking nations during a century, the British committee has created a permanent memorial of permanent interest.

First to Die for Liberty

It would be difficult to say who was the first man' killed In the Revolutionary war. The spirit of revolt prevailed and some collisions between the people and British soldiers before the war actually began. The battle of Concord occurred more than a year before the Declaration of. Independence, but there was bloodshed before the battle of Concord. One of the earliest of these collisions was the so-called Boston massacre, March 6, 1770, in which British soldiers fired upon citizens, killing three and wounding eight. The first to fall In this affray was Crtepus Attacks, a mulatto. .The first taan Wiled In the battle of Concord, April 19, 1776, was Capt Isaac Davis of the Massachusetts “minute men.” In the battle of eon--cord the Americans lost 9$ killed, wounded and missing, but no complete list of names was preserved. " -

Kindliness i* the true wealth of the mind and I beg you to keep it In your heart as a priceless treasure. —GlustL * ♦

The Washington Shield

Kin Hubbard Essays

If you’ve got a tall, ganglin’ boy who has grown up while your mind wuz occupied with other things—a boy who has reached th’ age when he can’t decide on how t’ wear his hair —git t* him as soon as possible an' find out how his mind runs. Study his inclinations an’ preferences an’ try t’ start him out In s4to& congenial callin’. If you have a daughter you might git a line on her also since it is among th’ possibilities that she too, 11 have t’ hustle later on. Don’t let 'em fall in with th’ world’s great unhappy army o’ drudges who plod along patiently an uncomplhinin’ly thro’ life holdin’ down Jobs an’ positions fer Vhich ther entirely unfitted—people who droop an’ fade in th’ atmosphere o’ uncongenial employment. Men an’ women who got off on th' wrong foot

“We’ll Make a Lawyer Out o’ Albert,” Says Some Poor, Round-Shouldered Father Who Had Become a Bhoemaker Thro’ Environment, but Who Had Alius Dreamed o’ Bein’ a Great Editor. “1 Don’t Want My Boy t’ Work as Hard as I Have.”

early in life an’ who, thro’ necessity an’ force o’ circumstances, have never been able t’ double back an git Bquared away. Th’ world is full o’ misfits—folks who are out o’ all sympathy with ther work an’ surroundin’s. Professor Alex Tansey says we’re all born peculiarly equipped fer certain walks in life but that its Jest like gittin’ out o’ Boston t’ find ’em. Were created t’ fit certain cogs in th’ great machinery o’ life but few of us ever find our places. So th’ drudgery o’ th’ world must alius be performed by those who have started wrong—those who must tackle th’ first thing that comes along or fall by th’ way. So, bolstered up by th’ same hope that fills th’ breast o’ th’ life prisoner who expects t’ git out t’morrow, they worry along t’ th’ end alius expectin’ t’ git somethin’ better—patiently waitin’ fer somethin’ that Jest suits ’em. "We’ll make a lawyer out o’ Albert," says some poor round-shoul-

What th’ European War Means t’ Us

Th’ European war is bound t’ be of incalculable benefit t’ America from an educational standpoint. Soon we were familiar with emperors an’ kings an’ czars an’ crown princes an’ hereditary grand dukes, triple ententes, ukases, an’ uhlans. As th' armies advanced we got our maps an’ took up th' cities an’ rivers an’ frontiers. So thoroughly saturated are we with war news that we start at th’ low rumblin’ of a brewery wagon, mlstakin’ it fer heavy cannonadin’ jest west o’ Charlons-sur-name. Ther’s only one thing our imagination balks at an’ that’B a dreadnaught limpin’ int’ port. Ther’s a very serious side t’ th’ European war aside from th’* awful

«How Shall We Reconcile th’ Prospect Who Calls fer a Russian Caviar Sandwich? Tell Him t’ Be Seated Till th’ War Is Over, or Try t’ Switch Him t’ Ham?” V .

slaughter an’ destruction o’ property an’ that’s th’ blockade of our commerce. Should th' war be long drawn oat an’ our present- supply of imports exhausted what’s t’ become o’ th' highbrow portion of our population who only eat an' wear “th’ imported”? A casual survey o th’ situation brings t’ mind Brussels sprouts, Holland herrin’ Cologne, Swedish movements, Copenhagen snuff, ole Burgundy, spaghetty a la Italienne, Hamburg steak, Belgian tenors, Welsh rabbits, French heels, Galway whiskers, Turkish baths, oriental dancers, R'oman candles, foreign relations, Frankfurters, Swiss bell ringers, Hungarian goulash, Irish p*taters, Maltese cats, Persian iambs, English currants, Norway mackerel, Paris green, Llmburger cheese an’ Scotch high balls. When we stop t’ think that we have to’ import silk worm eggs, amaryllis bulbs an’ amidonaphtolsulfacids (coal tar products known as vlnitrotolual an’ naphtylarmln, etc.) we are brought face t’ face with a

MISFITS

By KIN HUBBARD.

dered father who had become a shoe* maker thro’ environment, but who had alius dreamed o’ bein’ a great editor. “I don’t want my boy t’ work as hard as I have.” So when Albert opens a law office th’ world loses a first-class plumber an’ a new misfit has been launched on th’ world. * "I’m goin’ t’ educate my girl an’ dress her up. I don’t want her t’. make th’ mistake I made an’ marry a poor man,” says th’ fond mother as she folds her tired arms after th’ business worries o’ th’ day. So Myrtyl learns t’ write a bold vertical hand an’, with at least one foxy dress, she starts out t’ round up an hoir t’ millions an’ another misfit bride takes her place in th' divorce court. Th’ world is teemin’ with misfits. Clerks who ought t’ be makln’ hoes

shoes, statesmen who belong on th’ stage, merchants who might well be plowin’, millionaires who should be makln’ brooms, policemen who ought t’ be in th’ Kansas wheat fields, actresses who should be sewin’ linin s in ten-cent hats, politicians who should be sellin’ shoe-laces —all up an’ down th’ line we find folks lackin’ in all th’ peculiarities necessary t’ fit them fer th’ work ther undertgkin’. Nearly ever’buddy you talk to wants t’ sell out an’ go int’ somethin’ else or resign an’ look fer somethin’ better. A slip-horn player is alius sorry he didn’t take up th’ fiddle. Nothwlthstandln' th’ reckless manner in which th’ word “efficiency” is overworked these days ther’s an’ alarmin’ scarcity of it. Efficiency comes with happiness, an’ happiness comes with contentment, an’ contentment is th’ result o’ bein’ all set. As Bob Purviance, o’ th’ sawmill, says, ‘‘Th’ feller who loves his work never hears th’ whistle."

grave situation. We’ve depended on th’ ole world fer our autograph albums at twenty-five per cent ad valorem, while Bombay mace, mustache dyes an’ dragon’s blood are other important necessities fer which we have t’ look abroad. Will American ingenuity be equal t’ th’ task of imitatin’ all 1 o’ these items should th’ war continue Indefinitely? How shall we reconcile th’ prospect who calls fer a Russian Caviar sandwich? Tell him t’ be seated till th’ war is over, or try t' switch him t* ham? Each day will bring jest such embarrassments 4n all lines o’ trade. “We have some but it’s bottled up in th' Baltic,’’ or “We’re jest out o’ th Dresden but here’s one made in East Liverpool,

Ohio,” an’ so on. Let us hope that th’ European war ’ll be th’ means o’ teachln’ some folks that ther’s lots o’ things made In th’ United States that can’t be equaled anywhere else on the globe, an’ among them is diplomacy. Miss Fawn Lippincut tried f buy a Lyons velvet-sailor yisterday but It trehled in price while she wuz tryln’ it on. (Copyright, Adams Newspaper Service.)

Butcher-Pastor Carves for Poor.

The Rev. W. Cuff of the Shoreditch Tabernacle celebrated Christinas this year-as he has done for forty years. Before becoming a pastor .he was a butcher, and every year slnce he became a pastor he has collected funds to buy beef for the poor of his x district. Then, efe Christmas eve, he takes out the tools of his old trade and cuts np the meat and distributes it, together with loaves of bread. This year four hundred poor families rth ceived the gifts.—London Times.