The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-03-03
Our George on His Travels.
LETTER NUMBER TEN.

| ashed to couple of poles, the poles answering
the double purpose of thils and runners, makes a
very striking team, especially when it strikes deep
| snow. box on a common sled, clears the law
and answers the purpose unless you turn corner
too rapidly. But as 1 said, all Washington was
out sleigh riding, and saw an estimate in one of
the papers, that not less than 900 was spent on
the day mentioned, ID sleigh riding Think what
that means, 1t means how many hundred girls
sitting that night before fire with their feet in a
pail Of hot water, with Just enough mustard in it
to give the water tone! 1t means, how many
thousand men ranged along side of bars calling
for mot whiskeyH 1t means how many hos lers
| rubbing down how many sweating horses, and
swearing them dry These are few of the things
that good seighing means in big city, where
they are unaccustomed to it We at home, take
ours moderately, but when they get snow storm
only once in two or three years. they get ntoxi
Gated over it
Any one who has cruised around this
country of ours, by land, and then comes to Wash
lngton, and is not proud Of the seat Of government
proud that he is citizen of this land of the free
and the home OF the W Washington pie ought to be
made TO emigrate by the first steamer. When we
remember that at Niagara, Long Branch, Newport
and Saratoga, one pays for every breath he draws,
and has to do his own drawing too, but can come
acre and visit all the government buildings art
galleries. museums &c, and be politely shown
through them, and fee no one. have nothing to
| pay, he cannot believe but some money has been
| pulled out OF hlm some how, till he makes up his
| cash account at night. When FIRST started out
got S3o)09 bill changed into quarters and halves
10 fee with and pay admission to the various
places and ,ugged it about all dav till at night
felt as if had anvil III each pocket, but when
| figured up at night, bad all my change and the
| next morning went into the Treasury department
aud got bills for it again, read on the door of
| the war department. this notice as near as can
remember the words. Notice. Strangers and
visitors desrous of going through the buildings
need not employ so called guides, any messen
ger will direct or give all the desired information
Signed Alex Ramsey. SEE War do not know
| as Alec knows anything about war, but he knows
| that he humblest citizen of the S has as good
a right to go over the public buildings the
greatest man in the land ard where a man really
knows thing he is liable to know something
| else,
| Like the common aborer, the President lives in
| house which is called the white House for no
other than because It's painted IA very light
shade of white 1t is an old style looking affair
and presents about the same appearance that
| we'll dressed gentleman would, wearing about
silk hat of the vintage of 1880. believe it is the
correct thing to admire this house, and | lay my
| splf Ijah1p IN a fuo haD ] +bot I
| feeling now, cannot gush over it. The house has
| two stories besides the conservatories. You go
| into it as you do into any gentemans house, ex-
| cept that you do not stop to ring. Several of the
| rooms believe are always open to the public.
| The East ROOM so called because it is from these
windows that the President is said to look out,
| when Mrs Hayes nudges him. and remarks, Ruth
! ertord, you better run into the East room and see
il the sun is not rising, for if is you ought to be
| up wedding out my flower bed, and the executive
arrayed in some halt dozen yards, moro or less of
Wamsutta muslin leaps out of bed and runs into
! the ROOM and shuts his eyes and looks out the
window, and comes back and tells his better half
that he did not any Sta, and his wife says he'd
o"qhter and then he tumbes back into bed again,
and snoozes till half past eight. Ggeat men will
| deceive like common plebians, when they can gain
| little sleep by it
| There no visitors at the White House the
day | called. and wandered about with the same
sense ofcheerfuness that lhave experienced when
| have gone into empty church. when boy, IN
search Of dime novel that l had hidden under
the pew cushion the Sunday previous. | believe
| that saw all there to see. but [ cannot now
| remember anything particular except one little
| stray thought, that spun web across my mind
when was there | remember it, because it was
the only real cheerful moment | enjoyed, 1t oc-
Cured TO me what might be the effect fat one of the
| Presidents receptions, when the house was filled
With the beauty and fashion OF Washington, a real
strong. healthy, down East skunk, IN full bloom,
! should crawl up the drain into the cellar and pro-
ceed to open his samples Talk about Cromwell
dissolving the English Parliament Where would
| Cromwell be beside the gentleman have named
| As was coming out Of the mansion, the polite
guard at the door asked if did not wish to 20 up
stairs! asked him if there was anything partic-
ular up there to see. He said, nothing only
could shake hands with the President. thanked
| him and added that if he thought the President
would not lGsst OIL it, that | would not 90 up, and
he gave me smile, such d one as only man on a
alary Of Thirteen dollars month can give, and
said, while his voice llckered like a tallow candle,
Il don't tb,nk he will insist in which case, said
l. II will be going | honesty think that man
wanted to laugh. but cannot Imagine what | said
| that was remarkably funny.
made pilgrimage to the remair, ot Washing
.on's monument, Dear Old maG First iu war.
irst IN peace and last to have monument The
only man who ever was the father Of a country ard
! By the way that was the only child he ever was
father Of and his child is not the only one who
never pnt up monument to hls father when the
udman didn't leave any will. | meaudered through
the snow to gaze at The uucompleted structure.
1t was sad sight to look at. but it was a sadder
site where it was looated. Il seems To me that in
the warm. mellow days Of summer that the air in
that vicinity Will be Sc nell w. that the visitor
viii onlg De able to use hand to see with, as
his other will be busilt engaged III holding his
nose with death-hke grip. The base OF the mon
ument is about 30 feet square, | should Judge and
1t must be erected now to the height of over 100
feet 1t is built of jaundiced looking marble,
| that looks as If it sick with the liver com
| plant cat by some accident got up to the top
| of the monument, and when she took look at
the scenery she immediately leaped over the side
onto the ground below and was-killed? Not bit
of Shaking the sand out from between her toes
she leisurey walked around the corner of the mon
unent, Just in time to have dog grab her BY the
back and shake the eternal daylight out of her
How true it is that in the midst of life somebody
IS liable to die, who us bill. | saw the hide
that encased that cat in the Smithsonian Institute
heard while here, little anecdote of Wash
ington, when he was little boy, which | had
never before heard and it was so pleasing a tale
OF the childhood of the father of our country that
cannot help relating it. 1t shows the stuff" he
was made of, to use an expressive word, and it is
a lesson and example to ohor bows to be truthful
1t is wonder to me that this story has never be
fore got into print | will call 1t