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Posted on 09/19/2004 6:10:45 AM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 National Mall, Washington D.C. Alone among the Founders of the United States George Washington earned the title "Father of his Country" in recognition of his leadership in the cause of American independence. Appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775, he molded a fighting force that won independence from Great Britain. In 1787 as President of the Constitutional Convention, he helped guide the deliberations to form a government that has lasted for more than 200 years. Two years later he was unanimously elected the first President of the United States. Washington defined the Presidency and helped develop the relationships among the three branches of government. He established precedents that successfully launched the new government on its course. Washington remained ever mindful of the ramifications of his decisions and actions, for he was a consummate statesman. With this monument the citizens of the United States show their enduring gratitude and respect. WASHINGTON MONUMENT Of all the Presidents of the United States, George Washington is the most celebrated. Efforts to commemorate his legacy began during his lifetime and continue to this day. Down through the years they have taken on many forms. His leadership and service to the republic have been distinguished through the naming of the federal capital, universities, streets, counties, and a state. In addition to these honors, he had been remembered in works of art, monumental buildings, and historic preservation, involving Americans of all walks of life. But none have captured the imagination of the people world-wide like the Washington Monument. Among his fellow countrymen, George Washington presented an impressive appearance, was a powerful influence, and yet had a simplistic elegance to his manner. Today, the monument reflects these characteristics in its design: it presents an impressive appearance from a distance, asserts a powerful influence on the National Mall, and has a simplistic elegance in its architecture. Just as Washington's tall frame stood above his fellow patriots, the monument towers above the skyline like a mighty watchman. With its red glowing eyes blinking quietly, it watches over its namesake's city. WHY A MONUMENT?  The story of George Washington begins as a man who came up the social and military ladders on his own initiative. On July 3, 1775, he took on what was thought to be an impossible task. He became the commander of an army of rag-tag volunteers that were so determined to throw off the British yoke, that they were willing to war against the mightiest empire of the 1700s. The world held its breath and watched as Washington's leadership shaped these volunteers into fighting men. Battlefield after battlefield, they followed their commander. With Washington's leadership and a miracle or two, the Continental Army brought the British to bay. With the surrender of British General Cornwallis, a new nation was born. Washington became the most popular and powerful man in America. At the close of the Revolutionary War in 1783, the Continental Congress decided to honor General Washington by building an equestrian statue of him. A short time after, the American people honored him by electing him the first president of the new republic. At that time, the federal government did not have a permanent home. For a while it was temporarily located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Washington traveled to Philadelphia to begin his first term of office. During this time, there were plans in the making for a permanent federal capital city along the Potomac River. A part of those plans would include Washington's equestrian statue. However, during Washington's presidency, no attempts were made to build it. The President himself, upon looking at the young nation's finances, played down the idea. He suggested that the money be spent on more important things. Although the Continental Congress had good intentions, the Revolutionary War hero and first President passed from public office, after serving eight years, into retirement without a tribute. WASHINGTON'S TOMB  Less than three years after he left office, Washington died on December 14, 1799. Shocked from the news and laden with regret over the grievous oversight, Congress passed a motion to build a monument styled tomb in the new federal city of Washington. Their intent was to get permission from the Washington family to bring his body into the city and bury it underneath; however, time slipped by and still no action was taken. Congress then authorized a vault to be built as Washington's tomb underneath the floor of the Capitol rotunda. They made their request to John Augustine Washington, Martha Washington's grandnephew and heir to Mount Vernon. They asked to have the remains of both George and Martha Washington brought to the capital city and placed in the vault. He refused them permission to remove the bodies from Mount Vernon, stating that in the general's will, he requested to be buried at his home estate. THE SOCIETY  After all these attempts to honor Washington had failed, a group of private citizens from Washington, D. C., took it upon themselves to rectify this absence of a national monument to the first president. On September 26, 1833, these influential citizens formed the Washington National Monument Society. In their second meeting, they drew up a constitution and elected officers for the organization. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall was elected as their first president. Marshall had been a friend of George Washington, and now at the age of seventy eight, was willing to lead the society forward in its mission to honor him. When Marshall died two years later, former President James Madison was named the new president. Having a former President of the United States as the Society's leader, seemed to set a precedent with the members. In 1839, they changed their constitution to include the President of the United States as the Society's honorary president, starting with Andrew Jackson and continuing on into the present. After establishing their headquarters in the basement of the City Hall, they began a fund raising campaign. In order to give everyone in the country a chance to contribute to the monument, they limited the amount that each person could contribute to a dollar a year. Fund raising for the monument hit its first of many snags during Andrew Jackson's administration, when the country suffered financial problems due to political conflict between the President, Congress, and the Bank of the United States. By 1836, only $28,000 had been collected, but it was enough to encourage the Society to hold a national competition for the design of the monument. DESIGN  The invitation went out among American artists and architects across the land to submit designs. Robert Mills, a well known architect, won the competition. His design, a combination of Greek and Egyptian architecture, called for a 600 foot obelisk centered on a circular colonnaded pantheon, 250 feet in diameter and 100 feet high. It was to have 30 spaces set aside between the columns to eventually be filled with statues of prominent Americans, and over the entrance was to be a toga-clad Washington driving a triumphal chariot. After considering the prospects of constructing this elaborate design, the Washington National Monument Society decided upon the simple obelisk instead. Nonetheless the estimated cost to build it was one million dollars. Keep in mind that George Washington was originally informed that he would be honored with an equestrian statue of himself. However, since that time he had set the precedent for the Presidential Office; selected the first Supreme Court Justices; and laid the foundation for the governing of the country. Based on Washington's governing principles, the country grew and prospered, proving its worth to the world. The American people's gratitude and admiration toward Washington also grew, and they added to his legacy the title, "Father of his Country". Almost fifty years had passed and the idea of an equestrian statue was forgotten. It seemed an appropriate parallel to his reputation, when in the hands of a committee would materialize a dominant Egyptian obelisk. In comparing the estimated cost of building the obelisk with the $28,000 collected so far, the Society removed the one- dollar limitation that each person could contribute. This act increased the amount of donations flowing in. The Society by then had managed to collect $88,000. Although they were still short of the one million-dollar mark, the amount was considered enough to begin construction.  In the original plans for the city, a place had been set aside for the equestrian statue. In reviewing that site for the new monument, the Society ran into a problem. Since 1791, when Pierre Charles L'Enfant first mapped out the city of Washington, the statue was to be near the shore of the river. By 1848, the plans were for a large obelisk that was much too heavy for the soft river bank. To remedy the situation, the Society decided to move the location for the monument a few hundred feet to the southeast. BUILDING AND SETBACKS A day of celebration was marked on July 4, 1848, as some 15 to 20 thousand people gathered around the designated mound for the laying of the cornerstone. Among those attending were President James K. Polk, George Washington Parke Custis who was Martha Washington's grandson, Dolley Madison, and Mrs. Alexander Hamilton. Also attending were James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and a little known Congressman named Abraham Lincoln. As the work commenced the obelisk slowly began to take shape and ascend toward the sky. To aid in the building process, the Society decided to invite all the states, territories, private organizations, civic groups, Native American nations, and even foreign countries to contribute commemorative stones to be placed in the interior walls around the stairwell.  One of the commemorative stones was a block of marble originally from the Temple of Concord in Rome. This stone was gift from Pope Pius IX. On March 6, 1854, the stone was stolen by masked thieves and either broken into pieces, or dumped into the Potomac River. Whatever its fate, it was never found and no arrests were made. There were rumors that the theft was the result of religious prejudices. The chief suspects were members of a political faction known as the American Party, commonly called the "Know Nothing" Party. This organization was known to have anti-Catholic and anti-foreigner sentiments. When the press released the story, large numbers of people became incensed over the fact that vandals were allowed to take the stone from the monument grounds in the first place. The thought that religious prejudices were behind the act was more than the public would tolerate. This incident caused a vast reduction in commemorative stones and monetary contributions being sent to complete the monument. In 1854, when the obelisk had risen only 152 feet, all contributions stopped, putting an end to the construction that would span over twenty years. Although the theft of the Pope Stone was not the sole reason the construction halted and stayed dormant for that length of time, it was the first of many problems that prohibited the completion. During this same time, the Washington National Monument Society suffered a hostile take over. Members of the "Know Nothing" Party, gathered at the town hall and elected seventeen people to be the officers of their own Washington National Monument Society. This bogus "Society" proceeded in confiscating all of the official records of the real Society and the Washington Monument itself. Having two Societies fighting for the rights to the monument was confusing to the public. With the decline of the "Know Nothing" Party, the bitter struggle between the two ended, and the monument and its records were restored back to the rightful Society. However, this period of confusion and fighting between the two had alienated the public from the project.  Following on the heels of this setback was the Civil War. It is ironic that George Washington was chosen to command the Continental Army of the Revolutionary War because of his southern heritage. Seventy-eight years later, it was the South's secession from the Union that brought the nation to war. The monument seemed to reflect the country's war torn condition. The grounds became a drilling field for Union troops. Eventually fencing was placed around the perimeter to contain the herds of cattle grazing the area, for the purpose of feeding the Union Army. They built sheds on the grounds to store hay and a slaughterhouse. In the midst of this sad sight, almost symbolic of a broken promise, stood the somber unfinished memorial to "the Father of the Country". As the war came to a close, the nation struggled in the healing process to become a true Union again. The Washington Monument, in its abandoned state, seemed to characterize what war had done to the country. It stood alone among the debris of cattle pens, trampled grounds, and broken stones. Once it had been an object of hope; a symbol of Washington's accomplishments. Now it was looked upon as a thing of embarrassment; a symbol of neglect and apathy. As the country's Centennial was approaching, sympathy shifted back toward the monument, along with the guilt that the victor of the Revolution and the nation's first president was still without recognition. In his second term of office, President Ulysses Grant signed the bill for government funding to complete the structure. The Society then turned the monument and grounds over to the United States government. THE BUILDING RESUMES  The Army Corps of Engineers, was brought in to finish the project under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas L. Casey. Upon inspection of the old foundation, the Corps found it inadequate to support the weight of the monument when completed. After enlarging the foundation to support the weight of a 555-foot obelisk, work was resumed on the shaft in 1880. A steam-powered elevator was installed to help lift the blocks of marble up to the work areas as the project climbed higher and higher. The original 152 feet of the monument were made of white marble from Baltimore, Maryland. Added to this were several blocks of white marble from Massachusetts. The rest of the monument was made of white marble from another quarry in Baltimore. There is a discoloration on the exterior sides of the obelisk that clearly mark the older structure from the later one, even though it is the same kind of marble. Since the marble came from three different quarries, it was impossible to match the later marble to the older perfectly.  The interior walls were reinforced with granite from Maine up to the 452-foot level. From there to the top, the walls were made of strictly marble. Higher and higher the monument rose until it tapered off into the pyramidion. On December 6, 1884, the 3,300-pound capstone was placed at the top, and was crowned with a nine-inch tall aluminum pyramid. In this time period, aluminum was a precious metal, and the little pyramid was the largest piece ever cast at that time. THE DEDICATION  The official dedication occurred on the day before George Washington's birthday in 1885. Part of the celebration went into the night and ended with the first display of fireworks to occur on the grounds. However, it was not until October 1888, forty years after the laying of the cornerstone, that the public was officially allowed to ascend the monument. In that three-year period between the dedication ceremonies and the admission of the general public, work was still being done on the interior. The stairwell was finished in that time frame, allowing visitors access to the observation deck on the 500-foot level. In the year 1887, about 27,000 people had climbed the 898 (now 896) steps to the top. The elevator platform, used in the construction of the obelisk, was converted to a passenger car, complete with seat and ornate walls, and took about 10 to 12 minutes to ascend and descend from the top. To protect the structure from electrical storms, lightning rods were installed on the exterior, and a lighting system was incorporated within the stairwell. When all of the work was concluded, the cost of the project came to a grand total of $1,187,710. Congress then shifted control of the monument and its staffing to the War Department, with the Washington National Monument Society acting as advisers. On October 9, 1888, the Washington Monument was officially opened to the general public.      |
Read: Psalm 139:1-6
Can anyone teach God knowledge? —Job 21:22
Bible In One Year: Ecclesiastes 1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
We cannot tell God anything He doesn't already know. When we pray, we simply put into words what He's been aware of all along.
That doesn't make prayer unnecessary; rather, it encourages us to pray. We find relief in talking to Someone who knows us and our situation fully. It's a comfort to know that God's response arises not from information we give Him, but from His perfect knowledge of our circumstances. He knows all conditions—past, present, future—that bear on our well-being.
"Your Father knows," Jesus said in Matthew 6:8. He knows our thoughts, our intentions, our desires; He is intimately acquainted with all our ways (Psalm 139:3). He knows the anguish of our heart, the strain of continual frustration, the enemies inside and outside that war against our souls.
So, can we presume to dictate the time and terms of our deliverance from trials or adversity? Can we say our way is better, more likely to develop our soul? No, we cannot teach God anything. He alone knows the way to bring us to glory. Out of all possible paths, He has chosen the best, the route most adapted to who we are and what He has in store for us.
We cannot teach God knowledge, but we can love and trust Him. That's all He asks of us. —David Roper
Present!
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper foxhole. How's it going?
Morning Mayor.
Trying to psych myself up for the visit to The Wall this morning. I'd appreciate a prayer for some strength.
Morning E.G.C.
Beautiful day here this morning. About to walk out the door and head towards DC. At long last I'm going to visit The Wall. trying hard o get my head straight and be ready.
Absolutley.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on September 19:
0086 Antoninus Pius 15th Roman emperor (138-161)
0866 Leo VI Sophos Byzantine Emperor (886-912)/writer (Problematica)
1655 Jan Luyts Netherlands, scholar/physicist/mathematician/astronomer
1737 Charles Carroll signed Decl of Ind
1802 Louis Kossuth Hungary, President of Hungary (1849)
1822 Joseph Rodman West Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1867 Arthur Rackham England, artist/illustrator (Grimm's Fairy Tales)
1898 Giuseppe Saragat president of Italy (1964-71)
1901 Joseph Pasternak film producer (Anchors Aweigh, Date With Judy)
1902 James Van Alen created Simplified Scoring System for tennis
1907 Lewis F Powell Jr Va, Supreme Court justice (1972-87)
1908 Mika Waltari novelist (Egyptian)
1911 William Golding England, novelist (Lord of the Flies-Nobel 1983)
1914 Rogers Morton Louisville Ky, US Secretary of Interior (1968-75)
1922 Emil Zatopek Czechoslavakia, 5K/10K/marathon (Olympic-gold-1952)
1926 Edwin "Duke" Snider Bkln Dodger centerfielder (406 HRs)
1926 Lurleen Wallace (Gov-D-Ala)
1928 Adam West Walla Walla Wash, actor (Batman, Last Precinct)
1931 Brook Benton Camden, SC, singer (Rainy night in Georgia)
1932 Mike Royko Chicago, journalist (Chic Daily News)/author (Boss)
1933 David McCallum Glasgow Scot, actor (Ilyla Kuryakin-Man From UNCLE)
1940 Bill Medley Santa Ana Cal, rocker (Righteous Bros-'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin')
1940 Paul Williams singer/composer/actor (Planet of the Apes)
1943 Mama Cass Elliot Balt Md, singer (Mamas & Papas-Monday Monday)
1945 David Bromberg Phila, musician (Demon in Disguise)
1945 Freda Payne Detroit Mich, singer (Band of Gold)
1945 Randolph Mantooth Sacramento Calif, actor (Emergency, Loving)
1948 Jeremy Irons England, actor (French Lieutenant's Woman)
1948 Michael Cooper SF Calif, sodomizer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1949 Twiggy Lawson [Leslie Hornby], England, model/actress (The Blues Brothers)
1950 Joan Lunden Fair Oaks Calif, news host (Good Morning America)
1957 Richard M Linnehan Lowell Mass, US Army Capt/astronaut
1958 Kevin Hooks Phila, actor (Sounder, Aaron Loves Angela)
1965 Debbye Turner Miss America (1990)
I don't know if I coud handle it.
Good morning, Aeronaut!!
Good morning Bentfeather.
Understood.
Shall I continue the Weapon of Mass Caffienation experiments or hold off for now?
hugs, duckie/sw
Can we find just the music for that song..
I want to sing it at my Church..
Sorry, I don't know how to help locate it either.
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