m 'i&I'M; i rm m^W' mm^' 11 m[^'l^'^\:>yM^\'.m i!»Mi!fe -JfiS:- iviC( 'i'iiM i mM .S\'*i i'.'il.' m t.Vs-.V'v:;'i Glass ^Jtl3\^» Book_ . .. \, -',''•* ..■•4" -•>5^^f WASHINGTON HIS PERSONALITY PRICE, 25 CENTS The Masonic Fair and Exposition Wasliington, D. C. - - April, 1002 ■ '■ ^ ^-.- ' ^j^ ! J. »i 30b HOLDON'S LIFE CAST-PROFILE 307 WASHINGTON -ip^ HIS PERSONALITY BEING A HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ONLY LIFE CAST EVER MADE OF THE FEATURES OF GEORGE WASHING- TON, MODELED BY JEAN ANTOINE HOUDON AT MOUNT VERNON IN 1785, WITH A PEN SKETCH OF THE FAMOUS SCULPTOR Price - - - 25 Cents THE MASONIC FAIR AND EXPOSITION WASHINGTON, D. C. APRIL, 1902 ^3 Ik ' The immortal Washington, himself a Free Mason, devoted his hand, his heart, his sacred honor, and, if need be, his life also, to the cause of freedom of conscience, of speech, and of action, and from his successful leading has arisen this Nation." —Myron M. Parker, P. G- M., Washington, D. C. By TraiJEio-r MOV 22 1919 WASHINGTON. " Virginia gave us this imperial man, Cast in the massive mold Of those high-statured ages old Which into grander forms our mortal metal ran: She gave us this unblemished gentleman — What shall we give her back but love and praise? — Lowell. TURNING the pages of history, and referring to the records of illustrious men, we find that the name of Washington stands near the head, if not first, in the immortal list. From childhood to old age, nearly every day of his life is well known. His diary reveals with wonderful accuracy and precision his thoughts, actions and history. He possessed, in a remarkable degree, all the qualities of a noble manhood. The results of his wisdom, patriotism and sublime courage are greater than those of the life or labor any man of which we have any knowledge in either ancient or modern times. Witness this great Republic with its seventy-five millions of people — the freest, the richest, most intelligent and happiest country in the world. Even as a child and a youth the life of Washington is not without interest to his countr>'men. The in- fluence and teachings of his mother had a great deal to do with the formation of his character and the princi- ples which, at an early period of his life, controlled his actions in later years. In early manhood the tendency of his life was in the direction of the military. The superior traits which Washington exhibited in his unexampled career were undoubtedly due in a great measure to his mother. He began as a pioneer appointed by the Governor of Virginia in the year 1754. He penetrated the country to the head waters and tributaries of the Ohio river and passed down that beautiful stream, the banks of which at that time were inhabited by Indians. Landing near the mouth of the Great Kanawha river he made his way directly east through the wilds of what is now West Virginia, over the mountains to his Virginia home. In 1755 he met the Colonial officers at Alexandria, Va., and received his commission as colonel with orders to report to the English commander. General Braddock, near Fort Duquesne. He reached the headquarters of the Colonial troops shortly before the battle in which General Braddock was killed and his army defeated by a superior force of French and Indians. In vain did Washington plead with General Braddock to change his strategy, tactics and plans for battle, but to no purpose. After the defeat of the Colonial army, Washington took charge and directed its retreat. It was here that he manifested that military genius which showed so bril- liantly in the War of the Revolution, which was a ;rr?i seven years' struggle against the greatest and the strongest power in the world. We are now far enough away from the war for Inde- pendence to be able to form a correct judgment as to the manner in which it was conducted and the results which were obtained. Reviewing the lives of the famous men who took important parts in the War of the Revolution, we may safely assume that Washington was the only man who could have conducted the war to a victorious conclusion. However this may be, we surely know now that the wisdom and generalship of Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the American army, caused the surrender of two great armies of Eng- land, which, in two conflicts, laid down over seventeen thousand stand of arms and left the country. And it may be stated here that no English army ever surren- dered or laid down its arms to any foe but George Wash- ington. Washington was a successful military chief and was no less distinguished in civil life. There may have been great generals, whose genius may be compared with that of Washington, but there is no ruler, emperor, king or potentate who can compare with him as a successful ruler and leader of men ; in this respect he stands alone and without a peer. Although an aristo- crat by blood and education, he was democratic in every sense. His principles concerning the rights of men were those of Jefferson. The principles, usages, precepts and sacrifices made and established by Washington during his two terms \ \ ■(C^^./- as President prove his true patriotism, while his state papers are models of wisdom. He devoted his pay as Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary army, as also his salary as President, to the cause of education. He never drew a cent from the public Treasury for his services to the Nation. He never appointed a relative to any office, an example that might be followed by his successors with some benefit to the public service. It is true that Washington had his enemies, detrac- tors and even libelers among the Tories and the envious ones of the day ; but he outlived them all. They are forgotten, and their names and reputations are lost or are, at best, recorded only in the dusty tomes of old libraries and are scarcely ever referred to. There are few generals who have commanded large armies in the various nations of the world whose escutcheons are without a blemish. The Indian chiefs in the days of Washington had great respect for him and believed that he bore a charmed life. It is a recorded legend that an Indian chief fired a number of times direct at Washington ; after each shot he was particular in his aim, but he was unable to even wound him. When Washington was appointed Commander-in- Chief of the Revolutionary army and given his com- mission, he stood up in the Assembly to offer his thanks, but was unable to utter a'word. The Speaker came to his rescue and said: '*Sit down. Colonel Washington ; your modesty is °only equaled by your valor, and we have no language adequate to describe Sli either the one or the other." Washington was not an orator, yet his language was terse and plain, often eloquent and even poetical. He was a pleasant con- versationalist, very methodical and precise in his state- ments and sound in his conclusions. One of the General's most eflfective and telling speeches was made to the veterans of the American army, then quartered at Newburgh, N. Y., shortly before peace was declared. There was great dissatis- faction in the ranks because the soldiers could not get their pay, and also on account of a series of letters written and published by a Tory named Armstrong. When Washington stood up before the men he had often led to victory and sometimes followed in defeat, he began : " I have become gray, as you see, in your service," and then adjusting his spectacles, he added : "and almost blind in the service of our country." That was enough. Every soldier sprang to his feet and was ready to follow or obey his great commander. Washington was a man of genuine dignity. It was hardly possible for any person to approach him in an oif-hand or familiar manner. His presence was that of a grand, superior and dignified man. From the day he first took command of the army, to the hour his spirit took its flight to worlds beyond, he was the chief and important personage on all occasions and under all cir- cumstances. In battle he was the personification of the heroic sol- dier. Neither in the history of the classic Agamemnon, the great Alexander, Napoleon, nor among the heroes 8 of our era, can we find superiors in personal courage to Washington. At the battle of Monmouth, when the Americans wavered under the destructive fire of the British troops, Washington rushed to the front, repri- manded General Charles Lee and other American offi- cers in severe language, seized the Stars and Stripes, charged upon the enemy, drove them back and gained the day. At the battle of Harlem Plains, he not only led his soldiers against the enemy, but would have charged the British line alone in advance of his own troops had he not, as Commander-in-Chief, been per- suaded by his officers not to risk his life. When the eagles of victory perched on the American standard, and the last of the British troops were driven or departed from our shores, Washington journeyed east from Virginia, and on the 30th day of April, 1789, at Federal Hall, corner of Wall and Nassau streets. New York City, he established the Government of the Con- federation and Union of the Thirteen States and, as first President, he appointed John Adams, Vice Presi- dent ; Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State ; Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury ; Henry Knox, Secretary of War ; John Jay, Chief Justice of the Su- preme Court. After two successful terms as President, Washington retired to private life at Mount Vernon, a friend, not only to his countrymen, but to the human race ; respected, honored and loved by the civilized world. On December 14, 1799, at half-past ten o'clock in the evening, Washington died at Mount Vernon, after a few hours of great suflfering. There had been but little hope from the beginning of his illness, and he appeared to be perfectly conscious of his condition ; he spoke very little and with difficulty. His devoted wife was by his side ; also his secretary, Colonel Tobias Lear, and his two lifelong friends and physicians, Doc- tors Dick and Craik. The scenes at his bedside were plain, simple and sincere. Nothing was said or done to mar the solemnity of the occasion. There were no ceremonies of any kind to disturb the grief of those present. His last words were : " It is well." Washington's books, papers, letters, documents, and even his account books, were found to be in perfect order. Some time previous to his death he had given directions as to the disposition of his remains. His body was entombed at Mount Vernon, which has be- come the Mecca of the American people, and pilgrims from ever)' land come to pa}' tribute to the memory of the man who was justly named the " Father of His Countrj'. " -ii.,'-«: 315 HOUDON*S LIFE CAST-RIGHT SIDE Washington Ss S Mason, " So far as I am acquainted with the principles and doctrines of Freemasonry, I conceive thetn to be founded on benevolence and to be exercised only for the good of mankind." — George IVashingion, 1798. ON the 4tli of November, 1752, Major George Wash- ington was initiated in the rites of Masonry at Fredericksburg, Va., in Lodge No. 4. By special favor, and in consideration of his character, he was accepted before arriving at man's estate. In the record of that lodge is found this entry: "Received of Mr. George Washington for his entrance ^^2.3-6." On the 3d of March following he passed to Fellowcraft, and on the 4th of August to Master Mason. To the end of his eventful life he was a devoted Mason. On December 27th, 1778, the Commander-in-Chief was present in Philadelphia at the Festival of St. John the Evangelist, and marched in the Masonic procession. In the sermon preached at Christ church on that day to the brethren, Brother Smith, D. D., referred to Washington as the " Cincinnatus of America." The following year Washington was one of sixty-eight 12 visiting brethren at the American Union Lodge, observ- ing the same festival at Morristown ; and in 1782 he celebrated the anniversary with King Solomon's Lodge, Poughkeepsie. The centenary of this event is com- memorated by a medal issued by the lodge. On October 13th, 1792, the corner-stone of the Execu- tive Mansion, familiarly called the "White House," was laid with Masonic and civic ceremonies upon the site selected by Washington. On September i8th, 1793, President Washington, as a Master Mason, marched with the Alexandria Lodge, No. 22, and assisted in laying the southeast corner-stone of the Capitol. On this occasion he wore the apron and regalia embroidered by the Marquise de Lafayette. The gavel used is preserved in Lodge No. 5, George- town, D. C. The centenary of this event was celebrated by the Government and by the citizens of the District of Columbia. On the 4th of April, 1797, Master Mason ex-President Washington attended a dinner given him by his own lodge in Alexandria, Va. This lodge is very rich in Washingtoniana, having an original portrait, the chair which he used as presiding officer and the regalia em- broidered by the nuns of Nantes. On the ist of January, 1800, in Philadelphia, a " Lodge of Sorrow " was held in memory of their be- loved brother, George Washington, by P Ami tie, a French lodge of Ancient York Masons. Simon Cliau- dron delivered an address, which was published in French and English and widely circulated. 13 On the 14th of December, 1899, the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Washington was celebrated by memorial services at the tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon, at which representatives of the Grand Lodges throughout the country took part. The origin of these centennial ceremonies was a suggestion made by the Grand Master of Colorado in September, 1893, which was promptly taken up and acted iipon by the fraternity at large, with the result that committees were appointed by all of the Grand Lodges, the end of which was not only the memorial exercises at the tomb, but ceremonies were held by the subordinate lodges at their rooms on that anniversary all over the country. The exercises at Mount Vernon were in charge of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. President McKinley made a suit- able address on that occasion. On Tuesday, November 4, 1902, at Philadelphia, will be held one of the most important and memorable cere- monies ever held in the Masonic order. The occasion will be the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the initiation of Washington in the rites of Masonry. Announcement has been made that Presi- dent Roosevelt has accepted the invitation of the Penn- sylvania Grand Lodge of Masons;on^that occasion and, without doubt, the rites will be most impressive, as well as interestine. 3Si HOUDON'S LIFE CAST-LEFT SIDE The Houdon Life Cast. ' Nature complimcEted herself when she created Washington." — Lafayette, IN the year 1783, the Virginia Legislature passed the following resolution : " That the Executive be requested to take measures for procuring a statue of General Washington, to be of the finest marble and best workmanship. ' ' Governor Harrison, a forefather of ex-President Har- rison, thereupon, on July 24, 1784, wrote to Thomas Jefferson, who then represented the United States in France, informing him that he had appointed him and his friend, Benjamin Franklin, our representative in England, to take the matter in charge, saying : " We have unanimously fixed on you and Dr. Franklin, who we all know are competent for the task. I therefore most earnestly request the favor of you to undertake it, to wit — to engage a sculptor for the work. ' ' On January 12, 1785, Mr. Jefferson wrote from Paris informing Governor Harrison that all arrangements had been made with the sculptor, Jeane Antoine 16 Houdoii, to execute the statue. M. Houdon was to re- ceive one thousand guineas, have his expenses paid and his life insured for twenty thousand livres. That was the contract. As Dr. Franklin was about to return to America, it was agreed that M. Houdon should accom- pany him. They arrived in Philadelphia about Sep- tember I, 1785. M. Houdon spent some time in that city and then, by easy stages, made his way to Mount Vernon, where he arrived, as will be seen by Washing- ton's diary, on October 3, 1785. Washington wrote from Mount Vernon to Franklin, who was still in Philadelphia, under date of Septem- ber 26, 1785, as follows : " When it suits M. Houdon to come hither I will accommodate him in the best manner I am able, and shall endeavor to render his stay as agreeable as I can." On the same day Washington wrote to M. Houdon and closed his letter as follows : " I wish the object of your mission had been more worthy of the masterly genius of the first statuary in Europe, for this you are represented to me. It will give me pleasure, sir, to welcome you to this, my seat of retirement, and whatever I have or can procure that is necessary to your purposes, or convenient and agree- able to your wishes, you must freely command, as in- clination to oblige you will be among the last things in which I shall be found deficient, either on your arrival or during your stay." M. Houdon remained at Mount Vernon two weeks. During that period he had ample time and opportunity to model studies of Washington and to make moulds in 17 plaster over Washington's head, neck and shoulders, which he did successfully. Among those present at Mt. Vernon when M. Houdon was there was the late Francis T. Brooke, one of the most distinguished of the presidents of the Court of Appeals, but having no prouder distinction than that of being the friend of Washington. He stated in the presence of General William H. Richardson, adjutant-general of Virginia, that " the statue in the Capitol of Virginia is an exact likeness of Washington as he then appeared." This statue was chiseled in marble after the life bust of Washington described herein. No higher authority than that of Judge Brooke can be adduced on the question of the likeness, because of his intimate knowledge of both the statue and the original. The Judge graphically said that, when the artist was about to engage in his work, there was announced a visitor who had imposed on the great General. Straightway on his grand countenance shone the flush, of the fire of the battle-field, and Hou- don cried out, in his explosive French fashion : " Oh ! If I could only catch that fierce, heroic look ! " But when, later, also in the presence of Judge Brooke, the plaster was applied for the life cast, the expression ob- tained, faithful to nature, was one of dignity, repose and nobility. Houdon, at that time, made two life masks over the head, neck and shoulders of Washington. One of them be used to mould the bust herein referred to, the other he took with him to France for use in com- Ca-O- i8 pleting the statue of Washington ordered by the State of Virginia. He took this precaution fearing loss or injury to the mask he took with him, and leaving the bust at Mount Vernon as material for himself or a suc- cessor to use for a new statue in case of accident. M. Houdon successfully finished his statue, which was shipped to this country and erected in the quadrangle of the Capitol at Richmond, Va., in May, 1796. In "George Washington Day by Day" Elizabeth Bryant Johnston, an eminent authority on Washing- toniana, says: "Jean Antoine Houdon, the eminent French sculptor, made a life cast of Washington's head, which he left at Mount Vernon. This plaster, which happily was not taken to France, must forever remain undisputed the head of Washington. The beautiful portrait on the domestic letter stamp is after Houdon. From moulds, when in America, the artist produced the head from which he modeled the marble statue set up at Richmond, and that plaster is now in the ' Salle Houdon,' at the Louvre, Paris." The other plaster cast, the first and the original one, is that por- trayed and described in these pages. In this life bust all the delicate lines which give ex- pression to a face are reproduced with marvelous exact- ness, and the severe dignity, blended with a noble soft- ness, depicts the highest type of manly beauty, which was indisputably George Washington's. Nearly all the statues of Washington are the result of study of Houdon' s statue, but none in value and accuracy can equal this bust, cast from a mask taken direct from the 19 "living, animate flesh, illumined by the matchless mind and soul." No subject is more fruitful of error and misrepresen- tation than the effigies of the great and memorable. A certain gentleman in New York possesses no less than one hundred and five delineations of Washington, differing one from the other, although all of them bear some resemblance to the original. Hence the inesti- mable value of this bust, cast from the life mask, repro- ducing with such absolute fidelity the exact features and expression of the great General that Lafayette declared it to be "a fac-simile of Washington's person." This life bust, apart from its intrinsic value as the work of the greatest sculptor of his day, has a greatly- enhanced value as having been made by Houdon, under the happiest auspices, at the home of Washington at Mount Vernon, and because it is the original bust, made from the life mask of Washington by M. Houdon at that time. During this time the renowned sculptor and the President were inseparable, the latter afibrding the sculptor every opportunity and facility to become familiar with his features and expression, opportunities that were made the most of, as the bust so admirably shows. Plastic portraiture, cast from the life mask, is more acceptable than the result of any chisel, though it be in the hands of the most highly-endowed artist. The Houdon life cast is conceded to be the standard head of Washington. Recognizing this, the Government of the United States has placed the Houdon head upon its 20 postage stamps. As the standard head of Washington, it is presented for the close study of all who may be in- terested in the patriotic subject. If introduced gen- erally into the school, the library, the lodge room, the home, within one decade the people will become familiar with its strong lines, true as life, for the matrix, or mask, from which this bust was made, was moulded on the living features of Washington by the most distin- guished artist of his time, who was brought from France to this country by the State of Vil'ginia for the express purpose of making a life study of the great General. We are most fortunate not only in the artist but in the period that this portrait in plaster was secured. Washington was then in the prime of life, 53 years old, just two years after the close of the Revolution, when this invaluable bust was made at his home at Mount Vernon in the Autumn of 1785. The personality of George Washington is a theme which has for many years engrossed the minds of the foremost sculptors, painters and literarians, and has but recently engaged the attention of the educators, as witness the simultaneous unveiling, on the 29th of January, 1902, in every public school in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, of colossal busts of George Washington. These colossal busts of Washington, one hundred and fifty in number, are designed to encourage patriot- ism and to impress upon the minds of the children the features of the immortal Washington. They were modeled by Wilson MacDonald, the oldest and one of the leading sculptors of America, and are enlargements 21 of the life bust of M. Houdon, heretofore described, and as before stated, made from the only life mask ever taken of Washington. This Houdon life bust is ac- cepted by all authorities as the standard of excellence in the faithful delineation of Washington, and was adopted by the United States Government for the por- traits in use on its printing and engraving. The idea of presenting these enlarged copies of M. Houdon's Washington originated at a dinner in Albany, when the subject of patriotism came up, and incident- ally reference was made to the excellent move in having the American flag displayed over every schoolhouse. Mr. Frank Tilford, of New York, who was present, be- lieving that children should be taught patriotism, as a means to that end suggested that it would be good to have a bust of the first President of the United States in the assembly rooms of the schools, and offered to present busts of Washington to the public schools of the Borough of Manhattan. Ever on the alert for an opportunity to inculcate the spirit of patriotism in the children of the public schools, Mr. Miles O'Brien, president of the Board of Education, hailed with delight the plan of Mr. Tilford to place a bust of " The Father of His Country " where it would constantly greet the eyes of the children and serve as a reminder and an inspiration, and it was not long after- ward that the Board of Education formally accepted the valuable, patriotic gift of Mr. Tilford. As before stated, the Houdon life bust herein described, was selected for the model. Of this head. Miss Elizabeth Bryant Johnston, author 22 of " The Original Portraits of Washington," and who is admitted to be the best authority on likenesses of Washington, says : " It is unquestionably the best portrait of Washington in existence. The artist spent two weeks at Mount Vernon and, upon leaving, gave this head to the family. All who have examined it agree that, as a portrait, it has no rival and as data is above valuation." Miss Johnston cites this entry from Washington's diary : " Sat to M. Houdon for my bust, October 12, 1785." Particular attention is called to this statement of Washington, for it proves conclusively that Houdon modeled Washington from life, and it may be impressively repeated that there was not a sculptor in America but M. Houdon who could model such a bust. Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Washington, from Paris, dated January 4, 1786, writes : " I have been honored with your letter of September 26, which was delivered to me by M. Houdon, who is safely returned. He has brought with him the mould of the face only, having left the other parts of the work with his work- man, to come by some other conveyance." As to the material which M. Houdon made at Mount Vernon and other facts, it is shown that Houdon un- doubtedly took all necessary measurements of Wash- ington's person ; he made a mould of his face and the upper part of his person ; he left this life bust at Mount Vernon and, in 1800, immediately after Wash- ington's death, it was inventoried and valued at $100 by his executors. Washington says he sat for his bust ; there was not another artist in America at that time 23 who could have modeled such a bust ; Houdon left part of his material at Mount Vernon, saying that, in case the parts he had should become lost, there would still be sufficient material for him, or a successor, to continue the work. Mr. Clark Mills, the well-known American sculptor, in 1849, shortly after he obtained the commission from Congress to execute the equestrian statue of Washing- ton, went to Mount Vernon in search of material for his work. He found the life cast in the old library once occupied by Washington, the west room on the first floor of the mansion at Mount Vernon. He proposed to the owner of the estate, Mr. John A. Washington, who was a grandnephew of General Washington, to make a mould over the old cast, thus in case of acci- dent, saving the old head, and to leave two clean copies with his host, the said John A. Washington. This was acceded to, and Mr. Mills carried the old head to the City of Washington, where it remained in the posses- sion of Mr. Mills until 1873, wben he presented it to Mr. Wilson MacDonald, the sculptor, who was a com- petitor, among others, with Mr. Mills for the commis- sion given by Congress for the statue of Admiral Farra- gut. At that time Mr. Mills had the old head stored in a dark room under the dome of the Capitol at Washing- ton. Mr. Mills procured a candle and he and Mr. MacDonald descended to the dark room. There, on a mantel, stood the old head. Mr. Mills held the candle aloft and said : " You have always been friendly to me and, as our sentiments are about the same on certain 24 political, philosophical and religious matters, I want to present to you the original llife cast of Washington, made by Houdon at Mount Vernon, from life, in 1785. I am a pretty old man and will not model any more." Mr. MacDonald took possession of the old head then and there and carried it in his arms, not wishing to trust so precious a relic to the carelessness of others, to the residence of Mr. Samuel Ward, on E street. It was often seen there by Mr. Mills, who afterward wrote for Mr. MacDonald a letter of presentation . The bust was in the possession of Mr. MacDonald for more than twenty years and has since been in the keeping of the present holders. The old head itself is just as it came from the hands of the great sculptor, M. Houdon, except that it is dis- colored by the moulder when it was done in bronze by the late Clark Mills. M. Houdon, who died in 1828, left a reputation sur- passing all others of modern time as a portrait sculptor, his thorough knowledge of the proportions of the human figure and his intimate knowledge of anatomy equaling that of the greatest surgeons. The marvel- ous works that he has left show him to have been with- out a peer among his contemporaries and successors and, if he ever had an equal in the creative or imita- tive art, it was in the peerless Apelles alone. " Washington is, to my miud, the purest figure in history." — Gladstone. [We are indebted to Elizabeth Bryant Johnston for extracts and the beautiful head and tail pieces taken from her book "Georgfe Washington l>ay by Day."] S^Ssi^'?sS'tfa'^ ;«^''-'^\v^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 011 836 793 5 'mm , . ... m m j^m>^^^s*mm m'''iV,'' ' '' ■ I ■','(', '''V 1* ■ ■ ' ■ ■ ' ■ 1 ) ' .'.',',1 <« I > ;V ■ ' ' ' ' ■ '■■■' '.' ' ■'' ' ' ,' i' 'i' 1 '■ '• '■ :'i' ' '' ' 1 ■■\''',','.''' ' '\:;;;:'.;v:5||!:|;;;;|