The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-08-22

"tAhi gentlemen exclaimed Bona
parte'-tWaS just as he was about TO en-
bark for Egypt. Some young Americans
happening at Toulon, and anxious to see
the mighty Corsican, had obtained the
honor off introduction TO him. Scarce
ly were passed thecustomery salutations,
when he eagerly asked, How fares your
countryman, the great Washington He
was very WE'LL replied the youNh, bright
ening at the thought that they were the
cOuntrymen of Washington; he was very
well, general, when we left America
sAh! gentleman rejoined he, Washing
ton can never be otherwise than well.
The measure of his fame is full. Poster
ity will talk of him of him with rever-
ence as the founder of great empire,
when nv name shall be lost in the vOr-
tex of revolutionsP
This is very good specimen of his
art. He soon entered upon his series
of anecdotes respecting WashingtOn's
bOyhood, which now appears so ridicu-
lous. When his own inventions failed,
he did not hesitate to avail himself of
the books in his wagon. He laid DIR.
Beattie under contribution, among 9TH
ers, and turned his garden story into
most preposterous caricature. The faith
er of the boy, he tells US, DESTROYS to
his Maker, fell upon the following very
curious but expressive expedient:
"One day he went into the garden and
prepared little bed of finely pulverized
earth on which he wrote Georges name
in full in large letters; then strewing in
plenty of cabbage seed, he covered them
up and smOothed all over nicely with a
roller. This bed he purposely prepared
close along side of a goOseberry walk,
which, happening at this time to be well
hung with ripe fruit, he knew would be
honOred with Georges visits pretty reg
ularly. Not many mornings had passed
away before in came George, with eyes
wild rolling, and his little cheeks ready
to burst with great news. oh, pal come
herei come heren Whats the matter,
my son. What's the matter oh, come
here, tell you, pa; come herel and I'll
show you such a sight as you never saw
in all your lifetimer'
The old gentleman, of course, proceeds
to the garden, where he discovers in large
letters the full name of George Washing
ton, upon which father and son proceed
to converse in a manner which would
have made DIR. Beattie abhor himself
for having recorded the incident. Mr..
Washington also pretended to pooh pooh
the startling phenomenon, but the boy
would not accept this mode of treating
it, and insisted upon knowing who made
his name grow in the garden. 1T grew
there by chance, l suppose, my son, -
said the father. This explanation being
vehemently rejected, a long conversation
ensues, ending with the boys rapturOus
acknowledgment of first great cause.
George at length falls into profound
silence, and "his pensive looks" showed
. hat ftal lah n
the great idea. perhaps it was at that
moment" adds the imaginative Weems,
that the germ of piety was engrafted on
his heart, which filled his after life with
such precious fruits"
The fiction of the Ratchet and the cher
ry tree is decorated with details equally
absurd but they were such as gave pleas
ure to the simple childhood of past gen.
erations. The comic paragraphs has
now appeared in the world, and this
story, once so edifying, has fallen before
him, and an easy prey. 1t was the ped
dler Weems nevertheless, who created
the traditional Washington, 1.-The sun
beam in council, and the storm in war;
| Washington, the greatest of the great, in
whose OverpOwering presence no mortal
could stand unabashed; Washington
whose sublime serenity nothing was eveI
known to disturb, one of those majestic
commanders who in no stress of circum
stances could ever use "a big, big DR.
The lying little book had the more
weight with rustic readers of the earlier
time from a fiction which the author
boldly placed upon the title page, where
he styles himself, IN. l.. Weems, former
ly rector of Mount Vernon parish"
may be that the term rector was not very
accurately defined in old Virginia, bu
at later day, remarked above, the bish
OPP Of Virginia regarded this claim to TIN
rectorship as something ridiculous
appears on the journals of any of on
conventions" If Weems ever OfficiateC
at Mount Vernon, it must have beef
because there was no other clergyman Il
perform the duty.