Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-06-11
THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON.

THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON.
How \ Lover Of Her Grand daughter u
xnn a Monument t. Her Memory, vvDsic
so''" Consr"rs"cn rropose to FIsish.
| The following bit OF humorous stor,
telling is from Grace Greenwood to til
Now York Times
Yet while these Economics ar
frantically protesting against expend
ing q few hundred thousand to pu
the Washington Monument in
decent condition for the centennial
that grand golden wedding of libcrt
and democracy-othcr Congressme
are demanding that IN appropriation
shall be made for the purpose of com
plotting tho monument to Mary, tn
mother Of Washington, at Frederick
burg. There is romantic interes
about tho unfinished, neglected pile O
Berkshire marble as it stands. Som
forty years ago
There was rich merchant in Gotham did dwell,
which his name was Barrons-Silas E
and it came to pass that he fell NOR
tally ip love with Miss Cpatis, and i,
order eissa Ills s,sif~end 9ratat,
the young lady's grand-flial piety, Ii
commenced the erection of this monu
ment to Mary, the mother Of Washing
ton, which was to have cost $50, 600
President Jackson went from Washing
ton to lay the corner stone, and had hi,
nose pulled on the way by one Lieut.
Randolph, which was bad omen-and
before the year was out, believe Mis-.
Gusts grew tired Of her northern love-
and rejected him, with the job still OF
his hands. If she only could hav.
held ON till tho thing was finished
It seems the rich merchants love wa.
not Of that sort to sit "like Patience or
q monument, smiling at grief" HI
Immediately turned his back on tn.
young lady, went back on her great an
cestrcss, Mary, the mother of Washing
ton abandoning his pious and patriot
ic undertaking forever. s~-
A few days ago the Congressiona
committee j." appointed to enquire into
the feasibility Of finishing the monu.
ment to Mary, the mother of Washing.
ton, at Fredericksburg, Va" took an
excursion by boat and rail to the Nom.
orable old town. They had a good
time-were Hospitality lunched, and
wined, and "toted" about wept at the
tomb of the grandmother Of their
country, and at the hotel were rung in
to banquet, by her identical old ia.
ble-bcll. They proposed toasts, and
made speeches to her honor, and drank
long to her blessed memory. Hon.
Horace Maynard, in his speech, peril
nently asked" What is there in the
name OF Mary, the mother of Washing
ton, that she should bring congress to
her grave? Shc was not = poetess, not
letter-writer, not a novelist. Now,
I was not aware that Congress was
in the habit of visiting, in a body, or by
squads, the tombs of literary women.
We arepoor, sinful creatures, especially
Washington letter. writer's, but do we
quite deserve that? No, Mary, the moth
er of Washington was not ga letter.
writer" to any extent. I once had the
privilege of porusing q little epistle
penned that illustrious matron. It was
marked by stern brevity, a brave disre.
gard of the rules of photography, and a to.
tai freedom from the lawful respectwith
which we regard her son, George. BY
the way, q distinguished Bohemian, who
some years ago visited fredericksburg,
and provided about the sacred Washing
ton precincts, tells me that the tradition
said that Mrs. Bushrod Washington was
a regular Spartan mother. The Oldest
inhabitant told him that his father told
linn that his grandfather said she one
evening suddenly appeared in the bar
room of the old fredericksburg tavern in
search of her illustrious son, then
about seventeen years old, and finding
him where she had positively forbidden
him to come, listening with open mouth
to the talk of travellers and village
loungers, she drew a horsewhip from
under her cloak, and laid it over his
head and broad shoulders, and
SO quiekened his footsteps home con-
Doubtless she did right
that was the good old way to train and
tougher heroes-but times and man
ners have changed in the Republic
since then. Now mothers Of good fam
lily are poorer disciplinarians, but bet
ter grammarians-they use the rod less,
and the pen moro-hence the failure
in the supply of good boys and great
mon. If, for instance, Mr.. Maynard had
had forhis maternal parent such wom-
m as Mary, the mother of Washington,
"quiet domestic habits" poor spelling,
and all, then the history of
his childhood might have rivaled in
some record of immortal mischief and
virtuous truth-telling the cherry tree
and Ratchet story-then he might also
have been a General, perchance Pres
dent, second in war, in peace, and in
the hearts of his countrymen-a sort of
STEP Pates' Patria. There is every
khinu in n mother