“All human gods have feet of clay.” — Etiquetteer
Today, February 22, is the Actual Birthday of George Washington, now observed nationally as Presidents Day* with that of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and all American Presidents . . . or not, depending on one’s preference. A Dear Friend’s recent comment that the colonists took to celebrating Washington’s Birthday as an anti-monarchical gesture (instead of celebrating the King’s birthday) led Etiquetteer down the rabbit hole to discover just how Washington’s Birthday had been observed in the past.
Some quick recent history: Washington’s Birthday as its own unique identity officially began to fade in 1968 with the passing of the Monday Holiday Law, “to provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12) was soon added to the iconography of the holiday**, and from there it was only a hop and a skip to sales events for appliances and automobiles. The Monday Holiday Law may have made holiday observance more uniform, but the result has been to deprive most of them of their uniqueness.
Historian Carl Anthony published a remarkable blog post in 2014 covering the most essential history; read it right now before continuing here. He teaches us about the evolution of The Birthday from 1791, when a splendid Birthnight Ball and other festivities took place, to 2014. He especially observes the acid discomfort of both Abigail and John Adams as Washington’s Birthday continued to be observed after Washington left office . . . but nothing was done to honor the birthday of the sitting President, Adams Himself.
Washington’s Birthday got a fresh burst of popularity for his centennial in 1832, which included a reading of his famous Farewell Address in the US Senate, a tradition which allegedly continues today, and at which Etiquetteer wants every Senator pays strict attention. Etiquetteer had never even heard of this observance; it’s probably one we should all emulate.
It’s interesting to note that even in this century many organizations will hold a ball in honor of Washington’s Birthday; Etiquetteer was surprised by the number of current results a Google search of “Washington’s Birthday Ball” yielded. It’s a fitting legacy, since Washington was famed for his dancing prowess***.
What might you do at home? Dame Curtsey’s Book of Novel Entertainments for Every Day of the Year gives us a turn-of-the-last-century flavor for Washington’s Birthday parties of the era. Her introduction to The Birthday gives us an idea of how far the holiday has fallen in cultural consciousness. “Perhaps the red-letter day of this month, so rich in anniversaries, is the one on which the Father of his Country first saw the light.” More than Valentine’s Day? Not now! She continues, “There is no family too poor in this world’s goods to recognize the day by at least hanging the American flag over the table. The patriotic spirit must be fostered in the home as well as in the school, and in keeping these days, the housemother is sowing seed that will bear fruit in years to come.” These days Pi Day (March 14, or 3.14) and Star Wars Day (May 4, or “May the Fourth Be With You”) get more coverage.
For Dame Curtsey’s parties, expect a lot of cherry-oriented refreshments, hatchet-shaped placecards, toy drums for centerpieces, and just about anything that can be made out of red, white, and blue paper. For entertainment, the Dame is big on guessing games and trivia contests, often with Washington-themed prizes like a picture of Mount Vernon or a copy of Irving’s Life of Washington.
Dame Curtsey shows us one family of four giving a party for 20 children. After a luncheon of cunning dishes****, “then for a half-hour the children listened to a very comprehensive story of the boyhood of Washington.” (Oh dear, Etiquetteer has already started to drift off . . . ) “This was told by the children’s father; and the mother told about Mount Vernon and the busy life of Martha looking after her household and her [enslaved] servants. The children of Mount Vernon were given a part in this tale, and the young guests gave rapt attention to charming true stories.”
Etiquetteer has grave doubts about that “rapt attention.” And in this century, Etiquetteer would be highly unlikely to include a half-hour lecture at a strictly social event.***** But Etiquetteer added that bracketed “[enslaved]” to point out that Washington’s full legacy is no longer off limits. We observe now the birthday not of a god who walked the earth, but of a man with deep flaws who became the leader of a new nation. Rather than ignore it, it’s most Perfectly Proper to learn more about the experience of slavery at Mount Vernon.
How will Etiquetteer observe the day? Simply, with a whiskey-oriented toast during the cocktail hour — possibly the Whiskey Rebellion cocktail suggested in Cocktail Hour Meets . . . a Presidential Election — and the rereading of a few passages from Henry Wiencek’s An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. However you choose to observe it, Etiquetteer wishes you a Perfectly Proper Washington’s Birthday.
*Officially there is no such thing as Presidents Day, only Washington’s Birthday observed on a Monday.
**Etiquetteer will always remember the red cardboard hearts featuring silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington that were essential schoolroom decorations of the 1970s.
***Interestingly, Marie Antoinette was considered most beautiful when she was in motion, especially dancing.
****Waldorf salad served inside hollowed-out apples with stacks of cottage cheese cannon balls, for instance.
*****We must always remember the Ogden Nash poem “The Voice of Experience,” that begins “A husband at a lecture//Twitches his architecture.”