The daily gazette., 1877-03-05
GEORGE AND THE HArcHET.


GEORGE AND THE HATCHET.
I. Never, perhaps, did a parent TAX
more pains, than did the father of Georg
Washington, to fix in the mind Of his Sol
George an early love of truth.
,. "Truth, George" said he, ssis tn,
most lovely trait OF youth. would rid,
fifty miles, my son, to see the boy who's,
heart is 80 honest, and whose lips so purt
that we may depend on erery tcord h,
says"
,. Chow lovely does such emld ap
pear in the eyes Of ALI Parents win prais.
him before their children, and wish them
to follow his example. They will otter
ask him to visit them, and when he comes
will receive him with joy, and threat hin
with the greatest favor.
4. "But, o George, how far from this i.
the case with boy who is giving to ly
ing. Good people avoid him wherever ht
goes; and parents dread to see him in
company with their children.
). 30, George, rather than see you
come to this, dear as you are to me, glad.
" would assist to nail you up in you
little coffin and follow you to your grave
q. Hard, indeed, it would be TO me tc
give up my SON, whose feet are so ready
TO run about with me, and whose smiling
face and sweet prattle makes me so happy.
But still would give him up rather than
see him a common liar.
Z. Father" said George, with tears in
his eyes, edo / ever tell lies?"
8. "No, George, thank God you do
of Il rasN t. H.
that you nerer icW. Whenever you do
anything wrong, which may often be the
case, as you are but little boy yet, you
must never say what is not true, TO con-
ceal it, but come bravely up, my son, like
a little man, and tell me of IT,
0. When George was about six years
old, he was made the owner of little
hatchet, with which he was much pleased
and went about chopping everything in
his way.
10. One day, when in the garden,
he thoughtlessly tried the edge of his
hatchet on a fine English cherry tree,
which he cut so badly as to destroy
il.
II. The next morning the old gentle
man. finding sut what had happened |
10 his favorite tree, came into the |
house and with much warmth, asked |
who had done the mischief. Nobody |
could tell him anything about it. At
this moment George came in with his |
hatchet,
II. George" said his father, do
you know who killed that cherry-tree
yonder. in the garden?"
13. This was a hard question.
George was silent for q moment.
Then looking at his father, his young
face bright with the love OF truth, he
oravely cried out: Il can't tell lie,
father; you know l can't tell lie. II
cat II with my hatchet."
IA. Come 20 my arms, my dearest
boy cried his father. "Come to my
drns!' You killed my cherry-tree,
George, but you have paid me for it a
thousaud'fold, Such proof of heroic
truth in my son is of more value than
thousand trees, though they were all
Of the purest gold.
This is beautiful, and we grieve to
state that the high moral standpoint
taken by fathers in Old Washington's
day is no longer apparent at this stage
of the game. The average father, we
regret TO remark, does not, in this de-
generate age, gaze with feeling of
molly satisfaction upon their sons, when
their sons tell the unpalatable truth.
For instance, we knew a man by the
name of Andy" who had soma
bright, beautiful boy-a boy upon
whose mind the pure truthfulness of
George Washington had made deep
and lastIngimpression. But "Andy'sh
boy, like George, had his faults, and,
instead of going to school and posses
sing an Unsuitable thirst for knowledge,
as per regulation Sunday school youth,
ne occasionally played "hook," and
associated with divers disreputable
ragamufins. Upon one of these occs-
sions Andy" became csgnizant OF the
fact and he became incensed and
waxed wroth and "laid" for his son.
and when the youth Showed up"
with pair of skates slung over his
shoulder, the stern parent in a voice
husky with emotion, demanded:
My son, where have you been. Alb,
ha! Methinks thou hast been sliding
on the ice, me bold buckaloo."
Father" returned the boy, with
honest tears in his eyes, Il cannot"
"oh, d-n your George Washington
dodge" howled the unfeeling parent;
you can't play that game on me, !"
And then ANDY" twisted hi. fist into
the noble boys shirt collar and hauled
linn out into the back yard, and bas-
tinadoed him with club, and said he
would learn" him, until the bow:
heart grew callous. 1t is plain to be
seen that this squelched every nobl,
impulse in that boys soul, aud it wa
very natural that he should sit all da,
IN the coal shed and rub his eyes an(
swear at the old man, and register
VOW ne'er to tell the truth more-anC
ne never did. Thus was one beautiful
soul wrecked, and how easy it woul,
nave been ANDY" to have followe,
The brilliant example Of old Wash.