Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-02-19
THE LITTLE HATCRET MYTH.

n OF tne EaCner OF MS country without II
4 calling this affecting story? And We
e like so many other cherished anecdote
: of great men, it is absolutely withou
. foundation.
. His name was NJ L. Weems. II
: was a clergyman or preacher by pro
t fession, an adventurer by nature, an,
loved notoriety, money and wander
ing life. So he wrote books which HI
correctly believed would meet with pop
ular favor, and peddled them himself a:
S he travelled through the country. Chance
brought him to Mount Vernon in the
r closing days of Washington's life, ant
, his commercial instinct at once tOlC
him here was chance for distinction
and dollars such as he had never mel
: before. So he produced his famous bi,
/ ography, and being the first on the
} ground he had things his own way and
, ran riot in language and alleged rem
, iniScenceS.
The best known of his myths are
those concerning the little hatchet, the
refusal to fight or permit fighting among
the boys at school, and the initials in
the garden. The last is to the effect
that little Georges father planted seeds
in such manner that when they sprout-
ed they formed the initials of the boys
name, and he being much delighted,
the elder Washington explained that it
was the work of the Creator, and thus
inculcated profound belief in God
This tale is stolen bodily from DR.. Beat
ties biographical sketch of his son, pub
llshed in 1899. There is not a scintilla
of evidence to support the others.
! But let us examine the little .hatchet
story. The father of the young hero,
we are told, took great pains to inspire
his son with an early love of truth
After describing the downward course
of the prevaricator he is made to exclaim:
"Rather than see you come to this pass,
dear as you are to my heart, gladly would
| assist to nail you up in your little cof
fin, and follow you to the grave. Hard,
indeed, would it be to give up my son,
whose little feet are always so ready to
run about with me, and whose fondly
looking eyes and sweet prattle make so
large part of my happiness, but still l
would give him up rather than see him
a common liar" He next assures
George that while some parents compel
their children to become liars "by bar
barously beating them for every fault"
it shall not be so in your case. "When-
ever, by accident, you do anything
wrong, which must often be the case, as
you are but little boy yet, without eX-
perience or knowledge, you must never
tell lie to conceal it, but come bravely
up, my son, like little man. and tell
me of it, and instead of beating you,
George, will but the more honor and
love yes-o. Need we longer marvel at |
Georges penchant for mischief and his
readiness to own up?
The anecdote, told in Weems' ram
bling manner, is as amusing as the pre- |
liminary remarks. He gives as his au-
thority "an excellent old lady," and de-
clares that the narrative is "too valua-
BILE to be lost and too true to be doubted"
The climax reminds one of Bill Nye in
his happiest vein:
"Presently George and his little hatch
ct made their appearance. George,
said his father, do you know who killed
that beautiful little cherry tree yonder
in the garden?' This was tough ques
ton, and George staggered under it for
moment, but quickly recovered him.
self, and looking at his father with the
sweet face of youth frightened with the
inexpressible charm of all-conquering
truth, he bravely cried out: Il can't tell
a lie, pa; you know l can't tell lie.
cut it with my hatchet.' Run to my
arms, you dearest boy cried his father
in transports, run to my arms; glad am
L, George, that you killed my tree The +
puts premium upon mischief for the
sake of hearing the truth for you have
paid me for it a thousand fold. Such
an act of heroism although the lad
knew he would not be punished but
commended, my son, is more worth
than thousand trees, though blossom
ed with silver and their fruits of purest
gold"
Though ignored by Sparks, Marshall,
Washington Irving, Ramsay, Losing,
and attacked by other serious biogra-
pliers, the myth of the little hatchet has
survived, and probably will survive for
ages to come. Its acceptance and pop
ularity are largely due to writers like
Mrs. c. M. Kirkland, who, in 1857, pub
lished life of Washington, especially
adapted to young people" in which she
praises Weems' entertaining book" and
"the poetic style of the narrator" and
declares that the various anecdotes are
"told with the richness of Jean Paul."
and, in her opinion, on good authority.
Shorn of its weak preliminaries and
told as if the youthful culprit expected
the hatchet story became a
favorite selection in the common school
readers, and served as excellent pur
pose as the best fable from Esop. The
advent of the American humorist and
the birth of the comic press made it still
more familiar, and what with the NAM
ing of comedy and newspaper in its
honor, the little Ratchet has passed into
a proverb, and strange to say, become
the very synonym for truth.
THERE has been cons iderable inquiry
as to the cost of coming a silver dollar.
The PHILADELPHIA Press gives the infOr-