Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1853-05-21
NUMBER II.


sion for the residence of tie Chief Magistrate,
and household suitable to his rank and station.
This house was at length selected, and here tie
President became domiciled His domestic fani-
y consisted Of Mrs. Washington, the two adopted
children, Mr.. Tobias Lear as principal Secretary,
with Messrs- Robert Lewis and Thomas Nelson
Secretaries. and Major VIM Jackson as Aid de-
camp. The mansion in Cherry street proved SO
very inconvenient, that McComb's New House No.
80 Broadway was obtained for the use of the
President and his family, and here he resided till
his final departure from New York in 1890 1t
has since been altered, and the lower part convert
ed into shops. There is little generation in the
American character, and what there is, is never
allowed to interfere with business. Their bust
ness IS with the present and future, not with the
past; and Of course they can not be expected to
waste much time upon sentiment, or reverence for
what las been This may all be right, but we
have our doubts the subject. Who but New
Workers, would ever have thought of turning
Washington old Mansion House into common
mart OF trade house that had been long in
habited by Washington, under such circumstances
as attended his occupancy of the old Mansion, at
No. / Franklin square, should have been held
too sacred for ordinary uses. 1t should have been
kept forever, as nearly as possible in the same
state in which he left it. Not chair or table, not
shelf or bedstead not even the slightest or most
unmportant thing should have been removed, or
changed in position. The house, the furniture,
the garden, everything should have remained
ctar n tba I,,
ingtons final departure from them; and liberty's
pilgrims should have been forever privileged to
revisit the hallowed precincts and renew their
of fidelity to freedoms cause on the sacred
altar before which Washington had knelt. But,
alas the spirit of gain has proved too strong for
the spirit of veneration The old house is now
occupied by Firth, Pond 81 Co., as a music store;
Washington s bed broom is filed with drums, trum-
pets, opheclides and trombones; his study is hung
round with fddles, violncellos, guitars, banjos
and all manner of stringed instruments; the libra
ry shelves are piled with odd Uncle Ned ooh,
boys, carry me long Nelly Bly, Wait for the
Wagon, Chuck in de wood dar,' Give me old
Music Ben Bolt, an tens of thousands of 9TH
or pieces of music more refined and classical but
not 50 popular and profitable, as those enumera-
ted; the old reception and drawing rooms now
compose the general sale rooms, and the remain
der of the building is similarly disposed of. The
old pear tree, planted in the yard, by Washing
tons own hand, is still standing. Well, good-by
to .Washington's old house, since it must be
brought to level with other edifces, it is better
to use it as music store than as a dstillery; that
is some comfort at least but we should almost as
soon have thought of converting Mount Vernon
into candy shop, as this old Mansion into COM
mon mart of trade Cash is the thing, now-a-
days. Indeed when was it not the thing "Put
money in thy purse" was lagos advice to his
Idupe, many centuries ago; and the advice is yet
followed with zeal worthy of better cause.
Chapt. ".