The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 184?-1851, 1844-03-28
The Personal Character ana habits OF
washington.

The Personal gharacter ana habits of
Washington.
The following are fecolIections Of Washington
derived from repeated opportunities during the
thfee last yeuSs of his public life. He was oyefl
SIS feet IN stature Of strong, bony, muscular
flane, without fulness of covering, well formed
andsraght. He was man ofmost extraordi- /
nary physical strength. IN bis house his actioni
was calm, delberie, and dgn6ed, without pre-
tension TO graceiulness or peculiar manner, but
merely NATURAL and such as one would think it +
should be in such man. When'walking in illel
street, his movements had not the soldierY air
which might be expected. His habifual motions
had been formed long before he took command
of the American armies, i'll the wars Of the inter
ior, and in the surveying of wilderness lands, ems
ployments in which grace and elegance were moi
likely to be acquired. At the age ofsixty- y-iye,
time had done nothing towards bending him out
of his natural erectness His department was
invariably grave, it was sobriety that stopped
short Of sadness. His presence inspired a veI1
Ieratlon and a feeling of awe, rarely experienced
in the presence ofany man. His mode of speak
ing was slow and deliberate, not as though he
! was in search of fine words, but that he might
utter those only adopted tohis purpose Il. was
the usage for all persons, in good society, to at
tend Mrs. Washington's levee every Friday even
ling He was always present. The young la
dies used TO throng around him in conversation
There were some of the well remembered bellies
Iofthat day who imagined themselves to be fa-
voritos with him. AS these were the only op-
t Iportunties which they had of conversing with
t him, they were disposed to use them. One
would think, that gentleman and gallant sol
der, if he could rlaugh, or dress his counte-
nance in smiles, would do so when surrounded by
f young and admiring beauties. But this was ney-
or so; the cOuntenance of Washington never sof-
tened nor changed its habitual gravity. One who
had lived always in his family said that his manner
in public life and in the seclusion of most retired
/ life, was always the same. Being asked whe:h-
er Washington could laugh this erson said, that
this was rare occurrence, but that one instance
was remembered when he laughed most heartily
. at her narrative of an incident in which she was
. party concerned; g. in which he applauded her
;. agency. The late General Cobb, who was long
E member ofhi family during the war, (and who
enjoyeda laugh as much as any man could,) said
f that he never saw Washington laugh, excepting
D when Colonel Scanned (f this was the person.
v came TO dine at head quarters. Scanned had a
| fund of ludicrous anecdotes, and manner Of
l. telling them which relaxed even the gravity of
O the commander-in-chef
IS General Cobb also said, that the forms of pro-
l. ceeding at headquarters were exact and pre-
G else; orderly and punctnal. At the appointed
II moment, Washington appeared at the breakfast
e table, He expected to find all the members OF
t. his family, Cobb, Hamilton, Humphreys, were
If among them,) awaiting him. He came dressed
/ for the day, and brought with him the letters and
J. dispatches, of the preceding day, with shor
Is memoranda of the answer to be made; also the
substance of orders to be issued When break
?, fast was over, these papers were distributed a
e mong his aids, to be put into form. Soon after
m he mounted his horse to visit his troops, and ex
Ipected to find, on his return before noon, all the
s. papers prepared for his inspection and signature
at There was no familiarity in his presence it was
d allsobriety and business. His mode of life wa:
il absemious and temperate. He had decided
preference for certain sorts of food probably from
IF early associations Throughout the war, as i
IL was understood in his military family, he gave
part of every day to private prayer and devotion
d While he lived in Philadelphia, as president
a. he rose at four in the morning; and the genera
rule of his house was, that the fires should b.
O. hour; whether this was nine or en is not recol
" lected.
le He devoted one hour every other Tuesday
II from three TO four, to public visits. He under
m stood himsefto be visited as the President of tn
ut United States, and not on his own account. III
b. was not to be seen by any body and every body
SIS but utrequired that every one who came should b
IL introduced by his secretary, or by some gentle
id man he knew himself He lived on the sout
side of Market street, just below Sixth. Th
he place of reception was the dining room in th
rear, twenty-five or thirty feet IN LENGTH includln
ist the bow projecting into the garden. Mrs. Wasl
ngton received her visilers in the two rooms 0
,ct the second floor, front to rear.
i'd AT three O'Clock, or at any time within aqua
IN, ter of an hour afterwards, the vister was col
- Quoted to their dining-room, from which all sea
lat had been removed for the time. On entering
le- he saw the tall manly figure of Washington ella
ra- in black velvet; his hair in full dress, powdere
IN and gathered behind in large silk bag; yello
Ell, gloves on his hands; holding a cooked hat wi
er- a cockade in it, and the edges adored with
nj black feather about an inch deep. He wol
w, knee and shoe buckles; and a long sword, wi
ice a finely wrought and polished steel hilt, whiC
M appeared at the left hip; the coat worn over Il
ch blade, and appearing from under the folds
ew hind. The scabbard was white polished eatht
ch
re- THE SERAGLIO.
ed The seraglio of an eastern prince is at ON
his the penetrala of the political and social sancua
md whence emanate all the cabals and conspraci
foo riEa in tho coh;ratS of Moelano rotanfotac