, 1879-07-27
WASHINGTON.
The Traditional Man, and
the Real One.
Iconoclastic Treatment Of the Ac-
capted View Of the Father
Of His Country.
Washington rs Generally Known
Mere Pigment Of the In
: : agination of a Book
Peddler.
The Ratchet and cabbage.Seed
Stories Pure Inventions by
the Ingenious Wesms.
Washtngton's Actual Life and Char
aoeristics---H!s Services, Civil
and Military.
Without Rich and Striking Mental RnduWmeuts !:
but Stzang, rrudeht, Honorable,
aud Conscientious.
-----
III
Washtngton's Actual Life and Char
ao-eristics-His Services, Civil
and Military.
Without Rich and Striking Mental Endowmeats
but Stzang, rrudcst, Honorable,
aud Conscientious.
Not q Tedious Demi-God, but a Thor
oughly Noble Nan.

Not Tedious Demi-God, but a Thor
oughly Noble Han.
AaQc-zne Qf AmsFican History
Eighty years have rot passed since the death
OF George Washington. and already he is hidden
from us in some degree oy q haze Of eulogy and
tradition. He has been SO uniformly extolled
that some Of our young men tell us, With Eawn,
tha, they are tired OF hearing Aristldes called
The Just he has been edited into obscurity,
like Greek play. Where the genial and
friendly soldier wrote s'Old Put" a respectable
editor, devoid OF the sense OF humor, has sui
etituted Gen. Putnam; until, at length, lover
OF the man has to defend him against the charge
Of perfection. hWhat have I done, sir, that
should be accused OF being perfect2" 1t seems
rs il ihe persons who have taken in charge the
zane Of this admirable citizen have written in
the spirit of Alexander hamilton, who, at the
age Of 20, expressed the opinion that Il it was
NECESSARY the General should be supported
IL haa l;.1c supported to sucn point that now
b. Ii cr:vG. Known to the lighter spirits Of his
.cuas:y IS We hero of q comic sonz entitled
-:lc LlItle Hatchet."
Wcean trace oart Of the process by which a
modest ard iuteresting character has been
.touded .irto ted1ods oeml-goa. Fo: some
FEARS bef ire his death be was claimed as TIKI
properly of a political parts, and euloEized &C.
sordingly. But the opposition, not allow. .ng
the claim, ealoglzed also, Ind would not be out
done in .eu!ogy. He came to his hiographers.
therefore, enVelooed in incense; and they. with
one acrord, from pondrrous Marshall to fanci-
fnl Weems, from geuial Irving to stately Ever
EFT, p:-:-e him on pedestal, and insist on max
ing him colossal statue. The least kuowu Of
tless .utnurs has been the most read; he ere
ste' The Wash ngton Of the Sundag-scnool
library and baroer-shop art.
Toward tie close Of the last century, an e.
centric bookseller.
VEINS BIZ NAME, ="
used to ride about in the Southern States with
m assortment Of literature in his little Wagon,
and q fiddle under the seat He sold
bis bo ks the daytime from house to house,
md from county to county; aud in the evening,
when be put up for the nigut at some planta:
hon-nouse, be was ready With his idlie, either
to am. e the am ", or to go into the negro
11arter and s.r;ke up tune for the servants to
dauc: u. lie seems to hare been good-na-
t;re4, easy-eoug man, With ta1e4t for telling
stories.-a talent which makes almost any man
Welcome almost anywhere. 1t is related Of
Virginia taverc called the White Chfmnevs, this
peddlcr and some strolling players met BY
chance one night. A performances had been an
nounced; the people OF the ncighborhood had
assembled; but the PLAYERS had brought no mu-
sic with them, though music was necessary for
the proper presentation of the show Weems
volunteered to supply the deficiency, and per
formed on his fiddle to the general satisfaction.
have called this man a booK-peddler; but
that was by no means the title which he usually
gave himself Ii be had had such thing as q
card about him, 1t would have borne the words,
&The Rev. Mason Locke Weems.": BE had
figured in the pulpit IN his time, and it has
been recently 6scertained that he WIS ordained
in Maryland q clergyman OF the Episcopal
Church. In early manhood, We find him a
hanger-on, or q curate unattached, in Pohick
Parish near II Vernon, the church which xas
for many years attended by Gen. Washington
and his family. He used 20 speak Of himself
sometimes as the Rector OF that parish, but he
ueyer could have been Rector of anv parish.
Bishop Meade, OF Virginia, who knew
him in his own boyhood, inttmates that
the idea of n L. Wecms being
the incumbent Of parish was prepos-
terous- II acknowledge" wrote the Bishop,
~ that he was in the habit OF having The servants
assemble IN private houses where he would
spend the night, and would recite portion Of
Scripture {for he never read it out OF book),
and perhaps SAT something to them. or in the
PRAYER about them; but then 1t was in such q
way as
ONLY TO Pr oDucE MERREnEST."
The Bishop ADDS that he had been an eyc-wtt-
ncss OF Weerns' ludicrous exhibitions, both at
his mothers house and his own; and he does
h$oi. rho4 ID
any serious prerense to be 4 settled Rector. It
is possible he may have otfciated In Pohick
Church In the presence Of Washington, and
doubtless he had often gazed upon the General
with sincere yeneration.
People Of the present day can hardly form an
idea OF such q character; but, in the
Blattcfnly and profuse .uaguifcence Of old
Virginia, there was room and sustenance
Tor various odds and ends OF human
cature,-men without standing or dignity, aud
ret possessing qualities which nude them vel
come in all companies, and gave them foot
hold in the social system OF The period Mason
Locke Wccms. with his fun and his fiddle, his
Imagination and his dueucr. had points in COM
non with that most gifted Of all such Vir-
cinlans, Patrick Henry. Without the op-
portunfty which called into exercise Patrick
Heury's sublime talent, that great-natured
orator might have lived to the end of Lis days
dddling strolle= and story-teller, like his con-
temporary, Wtsms.
Bishop 3sade makes 1ocular a1lusion to
Weems' ".ve1y enlarged charity in all respects"
4e knew no sect: but, In his preaching
lays, delighted to preach in any church
.hat would receive him, and in any
parish where be could get chance to recon-
mend his books. Wherever there was to be an
election or a court, Weems WAS very likely TO
t,e found with his stand for books on the piazza
=: hv tavern. On one OCCASION, when the
.'-::,p found HIM thus established at Fairfax
>:::.r;- tjuuse, nc noticed ulat lie had among his
..:,.,s a rooy OF Thomas Paiue's Il Age OF Rea-
=: = i'.l; ~ 1t up, ,ne clergyman asked: sis
~-i,e YOU tan sell such book3" Weens
.~:..,,t,y took from shelf the Bishop OF
.: All S answer to Paine, and said:' Behold
!te ani1dose: The bane aud the antidote are
..c,h before tou:"% DC even went tur:her than
LIS. lie preached one dsy for Meade, white the
Rector ,was absent In another parish; and IN the
course OF his sermon he pronounced q fine
eulugium uoon Thomas Paine and one or two |
...4SS. = .A'-.