The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-21
WESTINGHOUSE BIRTHDAY.

| physical energy ana courage were teLu-
pered by extraordinary wisdom in war; as
patriot he was without stain upon his
unselfshness. This is the popular picture
of Washington in American school his
! tories, but this was not the whole of
| Washington, nor was it the best of him.
! Washington was not o wooden man, he
was a man of strong passions and hot
temper, which he generally kept under
| perfect restraint. Jefferson and Hamilton
both bear witness that Washington's
natural temper was exceedingly passion
| ate.
At his first presidents levee in New
York city Colonel Humphreys, one of
Washington's aides, behaved SO stupidity
as master Of ceremonies that Washington's
wrath was expressed with strong exple-
tives the moment the company had de-
parted. Washington, before the Revolu-
| ton, gave the lie to Colonel Payne, of
Alexandria, on election day, and was
| knocked down by Payne, to whom he
| apologized the next morning. Washing
! ton swore at General Charles Lee, whose
| shameful neglect of orders lost US COM
| plete victory at Monmouth; he swore at a
cabinet meeting when he read vile news
paper article charging him with intent to
make himself king; he swore at young
man who rode recklessly by his carriage
and gave him his dust; he sometimes
horsewhipped or cuffed his negro servant
who neglected to black his boots; he drank
rum and molasses before breakfast in his
campaigns and always had wine upon his
table.
Washington is not the only great man
whose real character has been white
washed and sandpapered into absolute
smoothness and simpering smugness by
cheap biographers, like Weems, who
feared to tell the truth about their hero,
even when the truth could not possibly
hurt him in history. The effort to make
Washington the wooden image of saint
rather than the glowing, ruddy picture
of splendid man has been so far success
full that it is only within the last fifteen
years that the genuine Washington has
been revealed to his countrymen. In all
the things that were omitted from the old
time stupid biographies to make room for
such fables as "the cherry tree and Ratchet
story" there is nothing that lowers our
estimate of Washington as really great,
virtuous, truthful, temperate and just
man.
1t is not the mole on the cheek, the cast
in the eye, the stoop in the shoulders, the
halt in the gait that robs a great man of
his claim to greatness, and no petty re-
cital of a great mans weakness, as sep
arated from absolute moral obliquity, ever
obscures his fame or degrades him with
his admirers. The occasions when in war
or peace Washington's suppressed passion
broke loose with volcanic violence and
heat were so rare that they not only do
not lower him with his countrymen, but
! rather help to round out the picture of
! the human Washington, who was not
| only respected but loved, and permit US
| gratefully to turn the picture of the
| wooden Washington, which schoolboys
used to be called upon to worship, with its
| face to the wall.
Washington had a warm, benevolent
| heart, yelled somewhat by his stately
| manner. Such men are rarely popular.
| Their unbroken rectitude of life is stand
| ing reproach and impeachment of the con-
| duct of men of lower aims and looser prin-
| ciples. and their dignity repels too familiar
| friendship while it inspires respect. He
was fair-haired, blue-eyed, blonde man
| of the finest Saxon type. six feet high,
stalwart, full-blooded, ofpassionate temper
and naturally imperious nature, but he was
man of conscience, and so completely
| conquered his Feasibility that ne seldom
| lost his self-command. He was one of
| those best men constructed out of great
natural faults. He ruled his passions; he
! never hesitated to apologize promptly for
| unjust speech or action; he emancipated
| his slaves; he was from first to last an in
| corruptible patriot and his understanding
was so large and so unclouded by selfish
! ambition that in the gift of political pre-
science he surpassed all men of his time.
| He was ingenious. upright, able, energetic
| and wise, both in counsel and action. He
! was austere and lofty to those who loved
/ him not, while Jefferson could be sweet
/ as summer to all, whether friend or
/ foe, if he sought to be victorious
in public policy or private purpose.
He was honorably ambitious; he traded
( horses; he bought lottery tickets. As a
young man he was quick to fall in love,
wrote sentimental verses to his best girl,
and to the last day of his life liked to have
! young people about him. His social tastes
and habits were those of a wealthy Vir-
Sinia gentleman; he liked elegant clothes
and tine horses and kept generous table.
In his youth he was distinguished for his
energy, endurance and daring, but was
not considered brilliant man.
Hutchinson, one OF the royal governors
OF Massachusetts,, IN his diary under date
OF March n, I77S, writes: Boucher, 8
| Maryland clergyman, lived ten years near
| Washington and was very intimate;
thought his capacity below mediocrity, by
no means equal 10 such post" There is
nothing remarkable in this uncomplimen-
tary estimate. Human nature was as
| prone then as il IS now to measure men by
mere iiuency and vivacity of speech rather
than by the solid strength of understand
ing exhibited in action. Washington was
as aYerse as Grant 10 public
speech and lacked Grant. real
ly superior conversational powers.
] The post'Revolutionary part Of Wash