Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-01-23

llcNt lle Tree ever SOI Tue UclltI VI lt'
The next morning the old gentleman,
finding out what had befallen his tree,
which, by the by, was a great favOrite,
came into the house and with much
warmth asked for the mischievous au-
thor, declaring at the same time that
he would not have taken five guineas
for his tree. Nobody could tell him
anything about it. Presently George
and his hatchet made their appearance.
George said his father, ''do you
know who killed that beautiful little
cherry tree vonder in the garden p
This was tough question and George
staggered under it for IA moment, but
quickly recovered himself and, looking
at his father with the sweet face of
youth frightened with the inexpressi-
| BILE charm Of all conquering truth, he
bravely cried out, Il can't tell lie,
Pa, YOU know | can't tell lie; | did
cut it with my hatchet." run to my
arms, you dearest boy," cried his faith
er, in transports, run to my arms
glad am |, George, that you ever killed
my tree, for you have paid me for it a
thousand fold. Such an act of hero
ism in my son is more worth than a
thousand trees though blossomed with
silver and their fruits of purest gold. "
Parson Weems had small idea when
this little fiction shaped itself in his
head that it WAS destined to descend to
poSerity, leaving his most labored and
eloquent passages in oblivion, and be
ground into the heads of children in
the nursery AS a piece of immortal and
IinStinctivc truth. 1t was in flights
like the following that his fancy loved
TO soar. He is describing the battle
of Trenton, and when he gets his hero
on battle feld his pen invariably runs
away with him:
The sun had just tipped with gold
the adjacent hills when snowy Trenton,
with the wide-tented fields of the foe.
hove IN sight. To the young in arms
this was an awful scene. and nature
called short-lived terror To their
hearts. But not unseen of Washing
ton was their fear. He marked the sud-
den paleness of their cheeks when first
they beheld the enemy, and quick, with
! half-stifled sighs, turned on him their
wistful look. As the big lion of lara,
calling his brindled sons TO battle n
gainst the mighty rhinoc"~1s, if he
mark their falling names and crouch
ing to his side. instantly puts on alb his
terrors: his cycc rooiin - he si,ssls-,.,
the forrest with his decpSSthg roar. till
kindled bv their father fire the mad
dening cubs swell with answering rage
and spring Undauntrd on the monster
Thus stately and terrible rode Column
bias first and greatest son along the
front of his halted troops.
( This is the way that Mr.. Weoms
thought Gen. Washington must have
looked when making an address 70 his
officers:
! AS he spoke his cheeks. naturally
pale, were !cddcncd over with virtues
| pure ycrmilion. while his eyes of GER
ulean blue were kindled up with those
I indescribablr fires which fancy lends
/ to an angel orator anina;ing poor NOR
/ tails to the sublime of godlike deeds
/ An amusing instance OF Wecms's way
of descending suddenly from the sub
limcst discussions of the Imagination
to the homeliest illustrations of truth.
is presented in the following passage.
After speaking of his hero's wonderful
virtues as a husband, friend, citizen.
farmer, and master. he proceeds:
/ But his euIogists have denied him
these the only scenes which belong To
man the great, and have trickcd him
up in the vile drapery of man the lit
tie. See, there he stands, with the
port of mars the destroyer, dark frown-
ing over the fields of war; the light
ming of Potter's blade is by his side:
the deep-mouthed cannoni is before him.
disgorging its flesh-mangling balls:
bis war horse paws with impaticnce to
hear him, speedy thundcrbolt, against
the pale and bleeding ranks of Britain.
! These are the drawings usually given
of fWashington-drawings masterlv no
doubt and perhaps Justly descriptive
! of him in some scenes of his life; but
/ scenes they were which am sure his
soul abhored. and in which at any rate
You see nothing Of his private virtues.
These old-fashioncd commodities are
generally thrown into the background
of the picture and treated as the gran
! dees at the London and Paris routs
treat their good old aunts and grand
mothers-huddling them together into
the back rooms, there to wheeze and
cough by themselves. and not dcpress
the fine, laudanumraised spirits of the
young sparklers.
The following description of the re-
ception in England Of the news cf the
French and Indian war, in which
Washington followed Braddock, and
which was provoked by incursions of
the French on the English settlements,
has no likeness to anything else that
we have ever seen in the, range of our
little readings:
Swift us the broad-winged packets
could fly across the deep, the news was
carried to England. Its effect there
was like that of q stone rudely hurled