The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-29

the regular family rooms the others OF
interest are Lafayette's room, the river
room, the guest chamber, Miss Nellie Gus
it's room and the two rooms in which the
general and Mrs. Washington died.
The Purchase.
Old readers well remember the efforts
made TO purchase Mount Vernon and the
scandal caused by what plain spoken peo-
pie called the hoggishness of the then own
CT. 1t was in 1856 that he finally let the
estate go-200 acres for $780, 000-and as
he lived several years afterward it Is pre-
sumed that he did not suffer from enlarge
ment of the heart. The first great orator
I ever heard was Edward Everett, who
was then on a tour lecturing TO raise the
fund to buy this place. In several Of the
western states a small box was placed
alongside of the ballot box on election
day, and voters We're requested TO contrib
Ute something toward the purchase OF
Mount Vernon, and / have seen wealthy
men turn away and swear they would not
give dime such was their disgust at the
owner of the estate. Edward Everett Sc
cured nearly SO, 600 by his lectures-in
the west the price Of admission was so
cents-and the rest was made up from
many sources, the seller receiving 6 per
cent on deferred payments. Pohick church,
which Washington attended before the
Revolution, is six miles back from the
mansion.
All the rest that is worth knowing about
this famous region may be found in any
9uidebook or almost any cyclopedia, but
there is a very interesting body of litera
ture which would be hard 80 find, as it is
scattered through so many volumes. I
mean the descriptions and reflections of
foreigners who have visited the tomb,
many of which are singularly beautiful
from literary standpoint, many others
well worth reading for their philosophical
tone and all interesting because they give,
US so clear an idea Of the views of our most
intelligent friends in other lands One
may ramble for many hours about the
plantation and see everywhere objects of
interest from the old deer park recently
restocked to the once famous ice vault
where foreign lady of some note once
paused and shed few tears of sentiment,
thinking she had arrived at the tomb.
An Unreliable Historian.
Any article on so old subject as Mount
Vernon should be brief. but there was an
other citizen of this county contemporary
with Washington whose full history ought
TO be written by Mark Twain or John J.
Ingalls, l must touch him but lightly,
for have had u peculiar experience which
almost creates in me personal spite. Like
several million other boys in the good old
time before the war, my first history books
were certain little green backed volumes
known as ''Weems' Histories. " In that
of Washington were three delightful anec-
dotes, one of which Is familiar TO every
bOdy-that of the truth teller's Ratchet and
the immortal cherry tree. The second told
of a remarkable dream by Georges mother
of the house getting afire and George put
ting it out with the help of some French
man. The third was the narrative of an
old Indian VINO is alleged to have fired 10
times at Washington in the battle where
Braddock was defeated How my heart
did swell over these stories, and how my
blood thrilled at the moral drawn from
the lip of the alleged Indian! And what
q pity these things are all lies, They orig
mated in the fruitful imagination of Mason
Locke WoemS, who was rector at Pohick
church for some years in Washington
time. and in 1890 left there 10 become
agent for Mathew Carey, the eminent pub
Usher of Philadelphia
His little books superseded history. He
was eccentric in mind and manner, a
splendid fiddler and . successful book ped
dler His history OF General Francis Ma
rion created such an uproar in South Car
olina that the Horny famiiy-it was cred
tied ID Major Peter Horry-were involved
in numcrCus rows over If and finally
were compelled 10 TCpCdiate the book. His
histories Of Penn and rankin are equal
" unreliable but not one tenth part as
fascinating 70 boys When Parson Weems,
as he was called was attacked on account
OF his HdCrnments Of history. he used 10
defend himself by quoting the famous say
ing of EuseciUS IL his church history
that it i lawful 70 accept without criti-
ciSm any auecdoJe that i for the honor Of
a good cause and - pvremptorily reject
any. which makes against il. Weems was
also the author Of those remarkable tracts
and pictures Ga The Drunkard's Prog
resS, once 50 popular. and also wrote
some Virginia sketches 50 full of romance
that they We're literally ridiculed out of
circulation. i was a great grief 10 me
when l first learned that his books on
Washington and Marion We're so largely
romance. !. B. PAEHE
Accompanied by Squalls.
This. - grosned the wretched Young