The Portland daily press., 1899-12-15

civil life.
The country needed his services eth and
he obeyed its unanimous call aud became its
leader in peace as he had been In war.
As President of the Convsntion which
formed the Constitution he took prominent
part in deyising q plan Of government, which
Gladstone described ss being the most re-
marksble production ever evolved By the
human mind at single effort.
Again he yielded TO the universal demand
and became the first President Of the new
republic. For eight years his influence was
sxerted in that high position to make the
government honored at home and respected
| abroad. The commanding influence which
| he had attained enabled him to do this bel
ter than others could have done II. So far
AZ he was able, and that was very far, he
| caused the affairs Of government TO be con-
Quoted upon the high plane OF his own noble
| character. More easily than not he might
have continued to hold the pres. lential Of
| fce, but at a sufficient time before the close
of his second term, he issued his Farewell
Address explaining why he believed it better
| that he should retire.
He had b, come the father Of his country,
and this address was replete with fatherly
| advice and exhortation to preserve the gov
eminent in It's purity. The announcement
was received with regret and almost with
| CONSERVATION, bu, his action, and the reasons
| given for il, were accepted as conclusive. At
| the close of his term he retired for good to
private life amid the benedictions OF his
countrymen and the applause OF the whole
world.
There is one historical character with
whom Washington can well be compared.
That person was William the Silent, the
founder of the Dutch Republic. OF him,
Motley has said his life was a grand Chris
tian epic and when be died the little children
cried in the streets.
When Washington died the news was re-
| ceived at home and abroad like the tidings
of great calamity. The flags in Britain.
which he had 80 lately fought, were half
mssted in his honor. The French army
wore Grape for thirty days. The manner in
which the news was received in Portland
| was a sample of how it was regarded through
out the land. Here it was said one could
tell how far the tidings had spread by the
voluntary putting up of shutters snd closing
of the shops. Everyone felt that he had met
with an irreparable loss.
All that was mortal of the Father Of his
| Country passed from earth one hundred
| yea.s ago this day. His memory, neverthe-
| abiding influence for good and as perpetu-
al reminder to his countrymen that high
| ideals and noble action are the true and
permanent foundation upon which shouli
| be built both individual and national chat
acter.
| During the exercises Rev DR. Burage ex-
hibited a lock of Washington's hair and Mr.
Moulton gave the following account of il:
| General Washington died Dec IA, 1899
| The news of his death was brought to Port
and Dec &c by Msj,r john RIVE. The
next issue Of jerks Portland Gazette, Dc,
| 80, was published in mourning columns and
| contained an announcement OF the death OF
washington, the Father OF his Country, and
| the admiration Of the world
| January 10, 1900, Ella Wordsworth,
daughter Of GeneIsl Peleg Wadswortb. who
was then a member of Congress, wrote to
her father in Philadelphia, asking if he
could obtain for her ga scrap Of General
Washington's hand writing" "Papa, had he
hsifi A lock of that l should value more
his bly, still, but this suppose is impracti-
catl-."
General Wadswor,h wrote at once def
erential letter to Mrs Martha Washington Of
Mount Vernon, communicating the wish OF
his daughter, and enclosing the letter which
! Eliza had written him.
April 9Th, Tobias Lear, who was General
| Washington's private secretary, and who
remained at Mt Vernon after the death Of
the General wrote to Gen Wadsworth for
Mrs Washington, stating that she had duly
received the daughters request for lock OF
Gen washington's hair. He wrote that the
ardent wish expressed by Miss Wsdsworth,
and the fathers earnest desire for its gratih-
cation, shave induced Mrs Washington to
comply with the request by sending the lock
of hair, which have the honor to enclose
On the envelope, postmarked "Alex, Va,
| Apr T." and directed to "The Hon'ble Peleg
Wordsworth, ESQ. Member of Congress, Phil
adelph;a," is the impression in wax OF
Washington's seal, showing the stars and
stripes which suggested the flag OF the
United States.
Upon receipt of this letter, Gen Wadworth
promptly, on April 18th, sent an acknowl-
edgment to Mr. Lear, of which he retained a
| COPY, expressing his sincere thanks for "the
inestimable enclosure and stating that ait
should be preserved for posterity."
Eliza Wadworth was sister Of lpah
Wordsworth, the muther rof Henry Wads-
worth Lougfellow. Eliza Wordsworth died
about two years later at the early age OF
twenty-five. She left the following writing.
relating to her precious relic: The hair OF
General Washington leave in the care Of
my sister, Zlpah. wish it may be pre-
served in our own family iwhile it can be
safe. Some years hence, it may be thought
invaluable al the Museum at Bowdoin Col
lege; or if Maine is a separate State. and
patriotism would fully estimate it's worth, l
had rather it would be preserved among its
treasures"
From Zlpah Wadsworth, the relic, with
the correspondence regarding II.
passed to the son, Henry W, the poet. Since
that time it has been in the possession OF
the Longfellow family. In 1850, Henry w
Longfellow bad the lock of hair enclosed in
a handsome gold locket. December LIST last,
Alice M Longfellow. daughter of the poet,
unostentatiously brought the lock Of hair.
with all the correspondence, to the rooms OF
/ the Maine Historical Society and presented
the same to the society. The envelope con
tains the endorsement that the enclosures
..axa % he oivan as n ga bfuueat of Eliza