The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-08-08

WAsH1SGToN's LAST VorE.-Evory incident
in the life of Washington is full of interest
That plain, heroic magnitude of mind which q
distinguished him above all other men was ev-
ident in all his actions Patriotism, chastened
by sound judgment and very careful thought,
prompted all his public acts, and made them
examples for the study and guidance of man
kind. Ithas been said that no one can have
the shortest interview with truly great man,
without being made sensible of his superiority.
Of too many, who have some way earned tie
title Of great, this is BY no means true. It's
applicability to the character of Washington is
verified Nm the following interesting circum-
stance briefly related by a correspondent Of tie
Charleston Courier: 10
II was present" says this correspondent,
'twhen gen. Washington gave his last vote. It
was in the spring of 17e8. in the etownof Alex
andra He died on the 1lth Of December fol-
| lowing The court house of Fairfax county
was then over the market house, ard immedi-
ately fronting Gadsby' tavern. The entrance
into it was by slighS flight of crazy steps ON
the outside. The election was progressing
several thousands of persons in the courthouse
yard and immediate neigh hboring streets; and
| was standing on Gadsby's steps when the
father of his country drove<up and immedl-
atelv approached the courthouse steps; and
when within yard ortwo of them, saw or
10 good looking men from different directions,
certainly without the least conceN, spring all
at once, and place themselves in\posilions to
uphold and support the steps should they fall
in the generals assent of them. | was i'm
mediately at his back. and in that position en-
tered the court house with him-followed. in
his wake through dense crowd tcthe polls
heard him vote-rcurned with him to the out
ward crowd-heard him cheered BY more than
ewo thousand persons as he entered his carri
age-and saw his departure. ..-
'There were FIVE or six candidates on the
bench sitting; and as the general approached
/ them, they arose in body and bowed smiling
ly; and the salutation having been returned
very gracefully, the general Immediately cast
his eyes towards the registry Of the polls,wh
col. Deneale (I think it was) said, swell, gen.
eral, how do you vote?'' The general looked
at the candidates, and said, gentlemen, vote
for measures. not for men, and turning to the
recording table, audibIy pronounced his vote,
saw it entered, made graceful bow, and re-
tired" ..-.... .4u .@a .4...E =.w.. .-n.s s.
The Power OF MoNEY.-Tke Natchez Cou
ricr says, that it has become almost an admit
ted fact, that a white man cannot be convicted
of murder, in the State of Mississippi, provi-
ded he has plenty of money Mississippi is
notthe only State where money will procure
indulgence to commit the highest crime known
to the law. Look over the long akt of those
convicted Of homicide in this country for the
last ten years, and the very few wealthy and
influential, among the number, can only be
considered the exceptions to the rule. There
is but one instance, of a prominent man, and
; he was not wealthy, who has been convicted
5 and executed, to our knowledge within that
pcrod--we refer to doct Webster, of Massa-
, chusetts. There may be. and probably is, a
; larger amount of crime among the poor classes
t than the wealthy, from the fact, that stronger
u temptations are thrown in their way; but this
: disproportion is not sufficiently great, to ac-
count for the tremendous disproportion in the
: number of convictions. Such state of things
{ furnishes humang commentary upon the
G weaknesses and frailties of "poor human ma
} ture." There are few who can resist the pow
: er of money! and the influences which always
: accompany it, Not that we believe the
majority of mankind, are so depraved as to
: accept bribe, to commit against society an
incalcuable wrong, and perhaps even periure
themselves to shield the criminal from justice,
; but there IS such an irresistible charm in
wealth, that ibcovers up, in the possessor. a
multitude of sins. This fact is proven by ev-
cry days observation and experience To-
| day we look upon men, who are regarded as
the outcasts OF society, when perhaps to-mor-
row, we shall behold the very same individual
} courted and admired, and this wonderful trans
: formation, the result solely, of their accidcn-
= tally stumbling upon fortune. Indeed it
: matters little how this fortune is acquired,
: whether by honest industry or by the basest
and most criminal means. The fact Of pos
session alone is inquired into and if that be
established, the fastidous fnoralist is satisfied.
. IT -~~~-~<2-~-~~~,7 ~>--~~~>~>~
Dick Tnto, the Florence correspondent of
the New York Times, writes that the induce
; ments for American scul pors to remain in lta-
ly, Powers, Hart, Crawford, and others, are
that they have constantly on hand more orders
than they can execute, and employ numerous
: workmen at cheap wages We quote:
, "These workmen who actually perform tho
whole Or nine-tenths of the chiseIing, cutting
in the marble what their employer sets before
them in plaster, receive Italian wages--a very
small daily pittance. If taken to New Ycrk.
they would at once triple and quadrupIe their
r Italian earnings, and would probably setup ltt
themselves as carver> in a small way, or as de-
lie buildings. The chiscsis no longer he tool
Of the master scul por--his instrument is an
odd bit Of a stick, with which he scoops away
at the figure in clay, Or, cat the mud" as he
will tell you himself. When finished, as near
ly such a material can be, a mould is taken
and from that mould a cast in plaster. II ne
cessary, this cast is still further finished and
sand papered, and it is then handed over to the
cutter whose duty it is to make an exact fac
smile in marble.
The sculptor proper may never touch this
marble, and when he is told it is done, lie is
ready to deliver to its owner. The workmcn
IN MIR. Powers studio have executed not far
from forty Prosperines from the plaster origi-
nally composed by the MASTER and the Greek
slave has in the same way been produced three
or four times. The best bust maker never
touches The marble He may suggest or order