The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-13
NO MORE LAWYERS!
rbo tatesr Revised and Only
Correct Version Of a Famous
historical Dialogue.

George, IS aid his father, with a u
tenaucc more IN sorrow tnan Ia anger
George, some one has cut down my
f~avolite cherry tree. 10 yor know any
thing about it
Young Washington did not quail be-
fore his father accusing glance lie
looked him straight in the eye and an
EXPRESSION of honest resolution cleaned
in the clear eyes aud c~ountenancc
NV father, /" he said, Il will not de-
ceiye YOU. ! 10 know something about
it, but that is no, the issue at all. GU
have. in effect, charged me with being
prigy TO the destruction OF your favor;
tree. N5S, The question - since J9u
have fled information ana IalG thl~ charge
against me, what DO yeu know about At.
az know hat yoG lave a hatchet, re
pied his father stcrnly. Il know what
a boy with . Ratchet i liable 70 do. |
know that some one has cut down my
f~avorite cherry tree
stop right there" interrupted the
future father Of hi, country. You say
this was your tree
Il DO
"How came it yours
Il planted 1t.
Now, sir, are you certain 1t was not
on this farm before you came here?'
NO. Sir, it was not
Then why did you say So"
why did | say what p
That's right eyaie, quibblc, crawI
out of 1t somehow. All right. If you
don't want to answer a fair, plain, simple
question you don't have to-
But didn't say it was on the farm
when | came here
"Oh, very well, deny it. Is there any
other retraction you would like to maker
Il don't retract anything. | merely
declare that | never said that tree was
on the farm when | came here"
"Oh, well, father, don't get excited
and talk loud. You may go back on your
own cutire statement, if you wish. Per-
haps you will next try TO make Us believe
that this farm wasn't here, either, wher
you came
why, OF course it was here. J
don't"
"Didn't you say a moment ago that il
wasn't?"
That was the tree !"
"Ah. yes; you turn it off on the tree
llON. W We JUL N dpDGb II
tree all this time, then p
why, certainly | have"
''Then you just admitted that it wa.
here when you came here?'
"No, my son that was the farm"
''But not half a dozen questions agC
you admitted that. You said in these
very words, Why, ofcourse it was here,
did vou not?'
81 said those words, but was speaking
ofthe farm.2
And yet you said but this very mo,
ment that all this time yQu had beer
talking about the tree. 1t il useless t.
continue this examination. My father
| OF all human vices lying is the common.
est, and ! doubt not it Is the worst. /
blunts our moral scnsibilities; it leads us
to distUrt and exaggcrate simple state
ments of fact it blur5 our powers OF in
teligeat observation. until even a maj
Of ordinary scholarship and intellectual
development is unable to tell whether he
is taking about a farm or . cherry tree
The complaint il dismissed. | dcub
very much il you can ever establish til,
fact that you evcr owned a tree. Go t
the nursery, and if you intend planting
tree In the place of the one you imagine
you have lost, you had better take a mar
with you to show you the ground lest
you might plant the tree in your hat
You may GO"
Sadly the old man turned away, but h,
told the man who helped him plant til,
new tree that if he had a hundred boy:
he wouldn't let another one of them study
law.