Invitation to the Nation (1950s)

[Music] At the desk in my quiet study at Mount Vernon, I wrote many an invitation to friends throughout our young nation. The hospitality of my house was always kept up. I prided myself that no one went hungry away. Important figures of my day dined with me in the state dining room where my portrait hangs. And for 20 years, we never ate alone in the family dining room. It was my custom to escort distinguished visitors by candle light to the peaceful quiet of the guest rooms. On those rare occasions when there were no guests, my lone candle was out at 9:00. [Music] In the mornings I was happiest at Mount Vernon. I always arose at dawn. The air was clean and cool and from the long veranda I could gaze down the broad ptoma. or I could stroll alone among the many trees I planted. In the morning, too, while the driveway was still empty of visitors carriages, I could plan the day's work before setting off for Alexandria. Christ Church, where my family Bible may still be seen, looks just as it did in my day. [Music] My had not even been thought of then, but Martha's son was planning Arlington House, a shrine amid the graves of Arlington Cemetery. [Music] Near the amphitheater where Americans pay homage to their hero dead, the living maintain perpetual vigil. And not far away is the grave of Major Pierre Lfont, whose vision was responsible for the plan of our federal city of the United States. It is hard for me to believe that it has risen from marsh land in less than two centuries. Across Memorial Bridge stands the nation's memorial to one of my illustrious successors. [Music] Nearby to my great fellow Virginiaian Thomas Jefferson, Americans have built another memorial overlooking the tidal basin and the famed cherry blossoms. Views in the city of my dreams are often dominated by the most famous monument to my memory. But the best known vista is up Pennsylvania Avenue to the capital of the United States. The capital building whose cornerstone I laid in 1793 is the embodiment of the spirit of our nation where you as a citizen through your chosen representatives govern yourself and help plan the Here you are welcome to visit your congressman in person. Near the capital is the Library of Congress. and the marble home of the Supreme Court. Once every four years down treelined Pennsylvania Avenue, a newly elected the White House, which I plan to call the president's house. Here in the news center of the nation, the president lives and works, directs the activities of the executive branch of government. Oldest of all, the state department. Next to be created, the treasury, the war department, the navy department, and the department of justice and the post office, and the others which have been added since my time. For the structure of the government has been greatly complicated by administrations and commissions and boards created by Congress but administered by the president. In the National Archives, the nation's most sacred documents are preserved, a treasure house of history. Fold your Shakespeare library rewards its visitors. Art lovers throng to the Cockeran Art Gallery and to the beautiful National Gallery of Art. Children and grown-ups are fascinated by exhibits in Smithsonian Institution and the collection in the National Museum. Historic spots are on every side. Peterson House where the dying Lincoln was carried from Fred's theater now the Lincoln Museum or Tudor Place where Martha's wedding gown is still preserved. World famous statuary both symbolic and historic abounds in my city and the capital is noted for its flower gardens. [Music] Bordering treelined avenues, the embassies and legations of all nations make Washington a truly international city and attest our spirit friendship and our desire to live at peace. But brotherhood begins at home. And when thousands flock to our city to national conventions, perhaps in the armory, Washington's world famous hotels care for them. either downtown or on the wooded heights above Rock Creek Park. Every form of entertainment is available by day or by night. [Music] And shopping in department stores and specialty shops. I think Washington has become a good place to live and so do thousands who make their homes here. They find the transit system efficient or they drive their own cars over smooth boulevards, perhaps through the cool depths of Rock Creek Park, a beautiful municipal playground. At the zoo, the animals are always ready to welcome appreciative guests, all within the 10 miles of the city of Washington. If you come to my city to play, you can, among many other things, ride the broad breast of the PTOAC in all manner of craft or thrill with the president himself to the annual president's cup for where racing headliners whisk over the waves. Or you can leisurely follow the path of the old sea and old canal, which I helped organize in the belief that it would make my city a great trade center. [Music] In the melting pot of Washington, all creeds come together. Edififices of worship represent all shades of men's faith in God. The city is a panorama of the rich history of our country. From quaint old Fairfax Street in Alexandria to busy modern corners, both the past and the present compete for the attention of visitors to the federal city. Visitors who throng here by bus, by plane, every point of the compass, by automobile over smooth highway, [Music] or by train from north, south or west, [Music] from every state in the union. They come at every season of the year. businessmen, workmen, housewives, school teachers, school children, whole family, all of them, everyone assured the greathearted hospitality of the one truly different American city. It is government. It is democracy. It is the capital of the United States, your city. So in my own name and in the name of the city that bears my name, I bid you welcome. [Music]