The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-03
eEOReE WAsHINeTON'S Love.
HE WROTE MIGHTY BAD POETRY
To HIS sWEETHEARTs,
And, OF Course, They Turned Him
form and Leaving His Poetry al
Home. He WOoed and Won n Rich
Widow IN short order.

From the Chautauquan.
Among the autographs papers OF George
Washington. purchased OF his descendants
by the government of the United States
and preserved in the library OF the de-
partment Of state. are four poems. writ
ten in his youth; probably In his seven
teenth year. Two Of them are undoubt-
eoly original. and are very bad verses
The other two. are manifestly copied
from some newspaper or magazine
perhaps from q book. without credit or
reference TO their authorship. But the
boy who wrote the other two could not
possibly have written these. as win be
seen by the slightest comparison.
One Of the original poems has recently
been discovered to an acrcsuc, which was
a fashionable trick Of love making in
those days, and the initial letters OF the
lines from the name Frances Alexa"-
the last word evidently being intended
for Alexander" But the poem is unhin-
ished, the remainder of the page on
which it is written being blank. The
muse Of the youthful poet and lover
probably became weary. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
From your bright sparkling eyes was
undone;
Rays. you have more transparent than
the sun,
A midst its glory in the rising Day,
None can you equal in your bright array:
Constant il your calm and unspotted
mind
Equal to all. but will to none Prove
So knowing. seldom One so Young. you'll
Find.
All, wo's me. that should love and con-
ceal
Long nave I wished, but never dare re-
Even though severely Loves Pains
feel;
xerxes that great was MT free from
Cupid's Dart,
And all the greatest Heroes. felt the
smart"
The tradition Of the family indicate
that the object OF this effusion was Miss
Fanny Alexander, a daughter of Capt.
Philip Alexander. a descendant of the
Earl Of Stirling from whom the city of
I Alexandria. Va, was named. The captain
owned and lived upon the estate ado n
ing Mount Vernon on the north. Tn.
young lady was two years older than
Washington, and was probably his first
lUNEs NOllillE rs k4AoWA VI LA-At tDL4il u
ship further than the evidence furnished
by this poem.
"A Journal of My Journey over the
Mountains" which was kept by Washing
ton between the 18th of March ana the
18th OF April, 174S. when he was a little
more than 10 years old, contains a copy,
or perha-B the original draft of
friendly. and rather confidential letter to
Dear Friend Robin" who was undoubt-
/ edly a youthful schoolfellow, although
/ he has never been identified. The Origi-
I nal of this journal is in the library of the
! department of state, having been dis
/ covered by Mr.. Sparks, the historian, in
4 1877, when oveFhauling a chest OF old let
/ ters and documents at Mount Vernon in
search OF historical material. In 1894
with quantity Of other papers, it was pur-
. chased by congressS and in 1892 was
/ printed literally with copious and Valu-
able explanatory notes by DR.. j. NJ.
/ Toner, the accomplished oracle Of Wash
/ ingtonia.
The letter read as follows:
my place Of Residence is at present at
! His Lordships Gord Fairfax where 1
might, was my heart disengaged. pass my
time very pleasantly, as there's very
/ agreeable Young Lady Lives IN the same
/ house (Col. George Fairfax's Wifes Sis
! teri but as that's only only adding Fuel
I to fire it makes me the more uneasy for
J Dy often anu UAdAOiQdb4y bCA--5 IA ND-Al~
/ pany with her revives my former passion
/ for your 'Lowland Beauty whereas was 1
I to live more retired from young women
| I might in SINE measure eliviate my sor-
! rows by bUrying that chast and trouble
some Passion in the grave Of oblivion or
/ entarnau forgetfulness for as am very
/ well assured that's the only antidote or
/ remedy that I ever shall be relieved by
/ or only recess that can administer any
! cure or help to me as am well convinced
4 was ever to attempt anything ! should
/ only get & denial which would be only add
/ ing grief to uneasiness."
/ The sister Of Mrs. Fairfax, who revived
/ "a former passion" in this youth OF l6,
| was Miss Mary Cary, the daughter Of Col
1 lector of customs at Hampton, Va, and
/ for the lower James River He was man
/ Of large wealth and aristocratic connec-
tons, his eldest daughter having mar
| ried the cousin of Lord Fairfax and the
masager Of his American estates, which
amounted to more than 100000 acres
/ Bishop Meade, in his ''Old Churches and
Families of Virginia" says that Washing
/ ton was an ardent admirer of Miss Mary
| Cary and at one time asked Col. Cary's
permission to pay his addresses to her,
/ but was refused. The young lady after
ward married Mr.. Amber who was a
great swell among the colonial aristo-
] crazy QCllE Z EAdQOdtG u N<d4ltDl 70
and the owner of large estate near
/ jamestown. He died in 1868, at the age Of
IS, and his widow, who survived until
/ 1881, was q frequent guest at Mount Yer
! non after Washington's marriage, as his
diary shows.
About this time Washington wrote an
other tender letter, in which he alludes
again to Miss Cary. This was addressed
to Dear Sally" whose other name is IN
known, and II reads
This comes to Fredericksburg fair in
hopes of meeting with a speedy passage
to you if your not there which hope you'll
get shortly altho I am almost discouraged
from writing to you as this is my fourth
to you since I received any from yourself
hope you'll not make the old Proverb good
out of sight out Of Mind as its one Of the
greatest Pleasures I can yet forsee of
having in Fairfax in often hearing from
you hope you'll not deny it me.
'I Pass the time of much more agree
able than what I imagined I should as
there's 4 very agreeable Young Lady
lives in the same house where 1 reside
| (Col. George Fairfax's Wife Sister that
in a great measure cheats my sorrow and
dejectednsss tho not so as TO draw my
thoughts altogether from your Parts I
could wish to be with you down there