, 1874-01-18

co,,ntrv. and a reverence not to Be shaken for
the fathers who compassed it's independence and
established its FREQ government.
The COPY OF this book which lies before us Ii
an old one, ti1unbcd and dog~eared By hands
that were Young when they turned these faded
pages, hut which hayo long ago gone to dust
We transcribe the title-pago IN full:
TIE LIFE
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
WITH
CURIOUS ANECDOTES.
EQUALLY HONORABLE TO H13lsELr AND ExEAPLAH1
TO HIS YOUNG CoUSTnG4EN.
SEVENTH Ep1r1os.
life how Useful to his country led
How loved while lvias-how rovered, now dead.
Lisp! lisp big name ye Children scs nnoosn, rn,r
and with like deeds sSur ~ own wRTa fre,, na1nes ao0Fn
FoasrnLx REcroE or MOUNT vE:aKoN PAn1su.
PHILADELPHIA:
PRINTED FOE THE AUTHOR
1905.
We regret that we know little Of the history
of Mason t.. Weems. But We have met aged
persons who have eeen him in the 1lesh, and
from these We have heard nothing but pralse
He was brave, sincere, enthusiastic, honest
! clercyuan,-the enemy Of gambling, intemper-
ance, and the prevailing vices OF his day. against
which ha wrote books that had great popularity;
| nud he was the outspoken but genial and WIN
| ming advocate Of virtue and religion, the warmth
| of l1is heart eulearing him to people wherevor
| he went. and preparing them to give a fond ear
to his feryd appeals for truth. Above all be was
| patrot whose enthusiasm for the liberties
| OF h.a couurrv Was tho master passion
! church at Pohick, and the friend Of Wash
ineton, who attended Ills preaching, and
| Lo was for many years 4 familiar visitor ut
| Mount Vernon. His love for Washington bor-
dered on worship. and when ne came to write
Tie lite Of his hero his whole heart was thrown
into the work, and fancy and imagination, which
held sway over al1 the other faculties OF his
mind, we're not sparng OF tints to complete tue
| portrait OF the perfect man. We nave oeen m
formed that Mr. Weems lived to great age, out
| information. He had con, who was teppta-
| bic member Of Congress sixty years ago, and
| That ia all that NO know Of his family. But he
still lives. and we trust, for the benefit OF l1ls
! country. he will always live, in bis book.
The opening Of the first chapter OF this
curious volume is an admirable Introduction to
what follows, presenting in single paragraph
| fair specimen OF Weems' original method OF
writing biography. We transcribe it:
| s.Ah, gentlemen" exclaimed Bonaparte-twas just
| Us ho was about to embark for Eg5pt-aome young
Americans happcning at Touon; and, nn1ious to see
eustomnry ralutattons wnen he esserly ak. .tl:
Gw frs IeuF vas Tsr9 xe reppd
| he youths, Frightening at the thought 4 that
they were the country1nen Of Washington - ne
VEL H. "' s S3 eaa b.
eetherrise han we'll Tie measure of lis fame ts fu
posterity shall talk Of him With reverence as ne
lost in the vortex Of revolutions" Who, them that
hns spark Of virtnous curiosity out must & "isn 70
know The history OF him whose maine cod sous a"a1
| en- the sigh even Of Bonalmrte?
| Who, surely enough? ......,,
| This pertinent anecdote. like many others that
| enliyen Parson Weems' book, it ls almost need
| less to say, was the product of bis oyerhowlng
| Imagination. aud, as it's admirers may argue, y
no more to be despised because it is parable:
or any other fanciful device for getting . good
lorai or q wholesome example squarely before
II readers mind. To this class OF pleasing
nm instructive inventions belongs the famous
ha5 :het story, which, without any delay, We
nros. mt il the original words of Wcems:
THE LITTLE nATcuEr STORY.
When George was about years old he Was made
the weztay owncr Of hatchet, Of which, Ike most
ltt1o boys tie inmoderasely fond, and wae cor
stant1y 9on7 about chopping everything that came IN
his Yay. 0A'e day, In the garden, where re oifso
amused inseh choprng LIS mothers at rs a hoy of
henfn} yo,nc English cherry tree, which he barked
40 terribly that don't believe tue trye ever 70. inc
sstfs sgg Of M # at nne Ia befaa his tree Which, b. III
by yas great fayore, came into the house ana WITH
muck warmth aaked for the sfhiefons a. 10 so.,I an
net have taten i've gnineas for his tree; Nobody
COIL tell hin, anything shout it. Presently George
and h1s s 9aes o o ' Know xo Killed that
fuI Nttla cherry tree yonder IN the garden Ihs W
Tough question and eorsn ascIE ,.aif mi
ioa y. his fa;her With tho sweet face of youth
frightened with the nexpressibe charm OF al.e1n- go
nncxin1 truth be h,aveIy cried out - can't tel q
He na YOU fsow can't tell he Gid cut It witl,
M hateirt," Run to my arzna, you dearest BOY
cl his father in transports ,,ah 70 r my }rae for
yo. have Iaid foT 1t thousand 1oh. ouEn ~ u.
Of leroism in my il more worth than tnonsana ~
t.e,,, though b1ossomed fsh silver and thelf 1rS u
| puftxt gold"
| l.arson Weems had snlall idea when TINS httle
fcfion shaped itself in his head that it Tas des-
tined to descend to postcrity, leaving h1s mos.
I:bored aud eloquent passages N onhs1o1i: anu 1
~ he Ground into tic heads of cLlidron IN the
| nrfscry as a piece Of immortal and Instructive
trn tn. It was in flights like the following that
S;a fancy loved to soar. He is describing the
I,atAo of Trenton. and when he gets us nero 90
| q battlefield his pen invariably runs away "1'n
| hun: . ..,,.
,,1sn sr1.y Trenton, with the wide~ented heis Of
the Toe. ho, sight. 70 the Eonng IN arms tnts WIS
IN ~ .,e hc,rts But not unseen of Washington wns
tpr3r tear. Is marked the sudden paencss of thc11
cecla when lE thy behed the IN n iher eio wlsf
1onI Is tc big hon Of Zara, calling his bsn9'sa ~ 81
sons to do battle sgtnst tue 81 IS.
asta,,r nuts On al his bis eyes ron blood
n sha,es he forest With his deepening roar, ~ IN
diaa " 5nari. raee, and spring undaunsel on III
monster. Thua stately and terrie soae t a.a
DIT and greatest sou along 'ae Trout u ns 1'"'s~
! troops ,,-,xx. +h,,,c1t f.o,
Washington must have looked when making AZ
| address to his officers:
.s ne anosc his checks, naturally pale. were rea
dcned over vita virtues pure vet1lll5on: "ne ~ ~,
reg 1T cerulean blue were ki'd!ea up H7sn e ~ ~
iescibsble tres which fancy leads to m nges ~
tar aniuatins poor 1aortals TO the sublime Oh eoonA
| deeds, .. u...c ~ 4,
e,o-l,;nr snddeulv from the subinest f1sc5s
s;ons at tho inauguration Of tbs homelest Illus
Of rat ~ h ht1os tnS 'GeG
{,.i ,.;S+u- A a husband. friend, ctizon, farmer
and master. he proceeds:
Rnt his ,uloniss have denied these the o''ly ssene
,;eb be1onr to ,nanthe great, and have f11ekeo ns
m i. tho Viz drapery Of the little Sec there
stans viii tho ror. Of Mara Tug 'iestsoset; tr Ut
srvn:no over the 1el,ls Of war; the hsnnug ol Eo'
tee.s 1Iaie IL by his fide the deep-1nouthea Gan1
- lefore pir, ;ltsorgng its al-EnanelnR p2ns h'
wh .pas'snee .e nalo a. Hsa and beedin
sTsa soss u Iritsi These the drnsuss ssas gvs
: ~ Washiueton-d7zwings n1asesly, no ooans, an
;nst,w descriptive Of him II sotns seeaes :
! 229s he: bu. tcc1tes theJ we're "nas
~ ~, sure his sou1 abhorEed, and
,s Mt anv tste you kca nothing Of his pttzete =;
7