The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1858-02-03
JeffcrsOn's Portrait Of Washington:

IGficrsOn's Portrait Of Washington.
Thomas Jefferson, writing 10 Dr. Walter
Jones, in letter dated Monticello, January
2, lS4l, draws living portrait of Washing
ton. These two great men are both honored
in the picture. Jefferson says:
81 think | knew General Washington
intimately and thoroughly; and were call
ed on 10 delineate his character, it should
be in terms like these:
His mind was great and powerful, with
out being of the very first order; his pene-
traton strong though not so acute as that of
Sir Isaac Newton, Bacon, or Locke; and, as
far as / saw; no judgment was ever sounder.
1t was slow in operation, being littleiaided
by invention or imagination, but sure in
conclusion. Hence the common remark of
his officers, of the advantage he derived
from councils of war, where, hearing all
suggestions, he selected whatever was best;
and certainly no general ever planned his
battles more juGiciously. But if deranged
during The course of the action, if any men,
Der of his plan was distracted by sudden
circumstances, he was slow in q read Just
ment. The consequence was, that he often
failed in the field, and rarely against an
enemy in station, as at Boston and York.
He was incapable of fear, meeting person.
al dangers with the calmest unconcern.
Perhaps the strongest feature in his
character was prudence, never acting until
every circumstance, every consideration,
was maturely weighed; retaining, if he
saw doubt but, when once decided,
going through with his purpose, whatever
obstacles opposed. His integrity was most
pure, his justice the most igtle1iJic / havc ever
kno,ca no moliUes oftnterest or conSanguiniiy,
Of friendship or hatred, being able TO bios his
decision. lie ras indeed, IN evcry sense of The
srords, a wise, good, and a grei m IN. His
temper was naturally irritable and high
toned; Dut reflection r,,J resolution had
obtained firm and habitual ascendency
over it. If ever, however, it broke its
bounds, he was most IRENE ndous in his
wrath.
ain his expenses he was honorable; but
exact liberal in contributions 10 whatever
promised utility but frowning and unyield-
ing on all visionary projects, and all un-
worthy calls on charity. His heart was not
warm in its affections, but he exactly calcu.
lated every mans value and gave him a
solid esteem proporioned TO it. His per-
son, you know, was fine, his stature ex-
octlx- ,ylot ,.-O,,Il ,,,;eb IL. 4
easy, erect and noble; the best horseman
Of his age, and the most graceful figure that
could be seen on horseback. Although, in
the circle of his friends, where he might be
unreserved with safety, he took free share
in conversation, his coloquial talents were
not above mediocrity, possessing neither
copiousness OF ideas nor fluency of words.
"In public, when called on for sudden
opinion, he was unready, short, and embar-
rassed. Yet he wrote readily, rather dilTnse-
ly, in an easy and correct style. This he
had acquired by conversation with tue world,
for his education was merely reading, wri-
ling, and common arithmetic, TO which he
added surveying at a later day. His time
was employed i'll action chiefly, reading lit
lie, and that only in agriculture and English
history. His correspondence became ne
cessarily extensive, and with journalizing
his agricultural proceedings, occupied most
Of his leisure hours within doors. On the
whole, his character was, in its mass, per-
fect-in nothing bad, in few points inditfer-
ent; and it may be truly said, that never
did nature and fortune combine more per-
fectly 70 make man great, and to place
him in the same constellation with whatev-
er worthless have merited from man an ev-
eras,ing remembrance for his was the
singular destiny and merit of leading the
armies of his country through an ardous
war for the establishment of its independ-
ence, of conducting its councils through the
birth of Government, new in its forms and
principles, until it had settled down into
quiet and orderly train and of scrupulously
obeying the laws through the whole of his
career, civil and military, of which the his
tory of the world furnishesno other example,
felt on his death, with my countrymen,
that "verly great man hath this day fallen
in Israel"