Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1858-06-20
DAILY APPEAL.
SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE %, 1856.
WksHIEGroE.
Fro9 q: yoloa. Of p.asraf. Hl.,o, Of tn. Url-

= age In stature, be little exceeded six feet
bis limbs were sinswy and welI-pr.pSrtioneo
% his chest broad hie figure stately, blendin
- digalty Of presence with ease. Hisrobnst cor
d stiiution had been tried and invigorated by b
cary life in the wilderness, his habit OF OccI
ly patton ont Of doors, and his rigid temperance
90 that few eqaaIled him in strength Of arm 9
power Of endurance. His complexion was fc
rid his hair dark brown bis bead in its shap
% perfectly round. HIS broad nostrils SCENE
3 formed to give expression and escape to scorn
ful anger. His dark blue eyes, which wer
deeply set, had an expression Of resignation
and an earnestness that was almost sadness
Il at eleven yesrsold, left an okRhsn to the car
of an excellent but unletterea nlothef. be grew
up without learning or ariihueiie ard geom
% etsry be acquired jOst knowledge enough to b
: able to practice measuring land bat all bis in
. struction at school taught him not so much a
= the orthography or rnleaof grammar Of his Owl
: tongue. HIS culture Wss altogether bis owl
. werks and be gas in tbe strietest sense a self
!. made uan; yet from his early life be neve
: seemed uneducated. At sixteen, be went lat,
o the wilderness a surveyor, AID for three year
eoutinCed the pursuit, where the forests train
. ell bim, in medttstive solitude, to freedom ans
. largeness Of mind and nature revealed to hin
: her obedience to serene and silent laws. 10 hii
Q intervals from toll he seemed always TO be at.
a tracted to the beat men, and 10 be cherished by
D them. Fsirfsx. bis employer, an Oxford schol.
Q ar, already aged, became his fast friend. II,
9 read little, but with close attention. Whatever
he took in hand BE applied himself to with
care and his papers, which have been pre-
! served, show how be sinost imperceptibIy
gained the power OF writing correctiy-aiwsvs
: expressing hinseif with clearness and direct
: ness. often with felicity Of language and grace
When the frontiers on the West became dis.
tuTbed, be at nineteen was commissioned an
Adjltant General, with the rank Of Ne jor Al
! twenty-one be went as the Envoy Of Virginia
to the council Of Indian chiefs on the Ono, md
to the French officers near Lake Erie. Fame
waited upon him from bis youth, and no one Of
bis colony was SO much spoken of. He con-
Quoted the INST military expedition from Viz
ginia that crossed the Allsghanies. Brsddork
selected him as an Aid and be was the only
man who came out Of the disastrous defeat near
the Monongaheia with increased reputation,
which extended to England. The next wear.
when be was but four and twenty. "ihe great
esteem in which be was held IN Virginia, and
his real merit,n led the Leutsnsnt- Governor
OF Maryland 70 request that be might be Soon
missionsd and appointed seeobd in commando
OF the army designed to march to the Ohio ;
and Shirley, the Comma ndsr-in- Chief, heard
the proposal "with satisfaction and pleasurs, %
for sshe knew no Provincial officer upoD The eon-
tinent to whom be would so readily give it as
Washington" In 175s be acted under Forbes
as Brigadier, and but for him that gentleman
would never have been able to cross the noun
tains.
Courage was 50 natural to him, that it was
hardly spoken Of to his praise; 20 one ever at
any moment Of bis life discovered in him the
least shrinking in danger; and be had hardi-
hood Of daring which escaped notice, because it
was 90 enveloPed-by superior calmness and
wisdom.
/ He was as cheerful as be was spirited. frank
and communicative in the society OF friends,
foDd of the fox-cbsse, and the dance, often
sDortive in bis letters, and liked hearty laugh
/ This loyousness Of disposition remained to the
last, though the vastness Of bis Responsibilities
was soon to take from him the right Of dis
/ playing the impulsive qualities Of his nature
and the weight which be was to bear up was
to overlsy and TePress his gsiety and open
ness
His hand was liberal; giving quietly and
without observation, as though be was ashamsd
Of nothing bat being discovered in doing good
He was kindly and Compassionate, aud Of lively
sensibility to the sorToGs OF others; SO that
if his country bad only needed a victim for
its relief be would have willingly offered him
self as sacrifice. But while be was prodigal
Of himself, be was considerate for others
even parsimOnieus Of the blood Of his coun.
tTymsn.
he was prudent In the management OF bis
private saairs, purchased rich lands from the
Mohawk valley to the fats of the Kanawak,
and improved his fortune by the correctness
Of bis judgment; but ss a public man, be
knew no other aim than the good Of bis coun-
try, and, in the hour OF bic country's pow
erty, he refused personal enolument for his ser
vice.
His faculties were 90 well balanced and CON-
bined that his constitution, free from excess
was tempered evenly with ell the elements Of
setiVity, and Bis mind ressDbied well ordered
commonwealth; his passions, which had the
/ intensest vigoT, owned allegiance to reason
and, with all the fiery quickness Of bis spirit his
/ impetuous and massive will was held in check
BY eonsunmsts judgment He bad in bis rom
position calm which gave hin, in moments Of
highest excitement, the power Of self-control
and enabled him 20 excel in patience even when
be bad most cause for disgust. WashinEtoH
was offered command wien there was little
/ 10 bring out the unorgaPized resources Of the
continent but his own influence, and authority
was connected with the people by the most
/ frail, most attenuated, scarcely discernable
threads, yet vehement as was his nature. inps g.
s!cned as was bis courage, be so restrained his
ardor that be never failed continuously to ex
ert the attracting power Of that influence,
and never exsrted it so sharply ss to break its
force.
In secrecy, be was unsurpassed but bis
secrecy had the character Of prudent reserve,
not Of cunning or concealment.
/ dis understanding was lucid and his iudg-
/ ment accurate, 50 that bis conduct never be-
trayed bury or confusion. No detail was too
minute for his personal inquiry and continued
| supervisory =nd, at the same tine, he cOmpre-
hended events in their widest aspects and rela-
tons. He never seemed above the object which
! engaged hie attention, and be was always
equal, without an effort, 70 the solution of the
highest questions, even when there existed no
| precedents to guide bis decision.
In this way, be never drew to himself admi-
ration for the possession Of any one quality, in
excess, never made in council any one sugges-
lion that vas sublime but impracticable, never
in action took to himself the praise or the blame
| OF undertakings astonishing in reception, bet
beyond his means Of execution. 1t was the
most wonderful accomplishment Of this mar,
that placed upon the largest theatre of events,
at the head OF the greatest revolution in human
affairs, be never failed TO observe all that was
possible, and at the same time 10 bound bis as
piratious by that which was possible.
A slight tinge in bis character, PercePtible
only to the close observer. revealed the region
from which he sprung, and he might be descri-
bed as the best specimen Of manhood as deyel-
oped in the South but bis qualities were 50
fautlessly proportioneds that bis whole eoun-
try rather claimed Lin as its choicest TepTesen-
tative, the most conn iete expression Of all its
attsinments and ssiirstions. He studied his
country, and confoTrled to it. His countrymen
felt that be was the best type Of America, and
rejoiced 10 1t and y ere proud Of it. They lived
in his life, and made bis success ard his praise
their own.
Profoundly impressed with conf ience in
Gods Providence, and exemplary in hisrespect
for the forms of public worship, no philosopher
Of the eighteenth century was more firm in the
support of freedom Of religious opinion none
more tolerant or more remote from bigotry
but belief in God, and trust In His oEeTruliHg
power, formed the essence Of bis character.
Divine wisdom not only illumineS the SPIRIT IT
inspires the will.
Washington was a man Of action, and not Of
theory OF words; his creed appears in his life,
not In his professions, which burst from him
very rarely, and only at those great moments Of
crisis in the fortunes Of bis country when earth
and heaven seemed actually to meet, and bis
emotions became too intense for suppression
but bis whole being was one continued act OF
faith In the eternal, intelligent, moral order OF
the universe. Integrity was 90 completely the
law Of bis nature, that planet would sooner
have shot from its sphere than be have depart
ec from HE uprightness, which was 90 constant
thas it often seemed to be almost impersonal.
They say Of Gioto that be introduced good
ness into the art Of painting Washington car
ried It with bin into the camp aud the cabinet,
and established a new criterion OF human
greatness. The purity Of bis will confirmed
bis tortitude; and as be never falterea 10 his
faith ia virtue, be stood fast By that which be
knew to be just free from illusions, never de-
, jected BY the apprehension Of the difficulties
and perils that went before him, and drawing
the promise OF success from the justice of bis
cause. Hence be was persevering, leaving
nothing unfinished free from all taint of obsti-
nacy in bis 6rmness, seeking and gladly receiv-
ing advice, but innoVable in bis devOtedness
. to right
Of "retiring mOdesty and hsbitual re-
verse - bis ambition was not more than the
. consciousness Of bis power, and was subordi-
nate to his sense Of duty be took the foremos
pIaee. for be knew, from inbOrn magnanimity,
that it belonged to bin, and be dared not with
bold the service required Of him 50 that, with
all his humility, be was By necessity the hrst