The Worthington advance., 1901-02-15

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presents a pleasant picture of the
Virginia country gentleman. And
yet, says the Chicago Inter Ocean,
there were not lacking, even in the
ornaments of the house, indications
of the heroic mold in which it's mas
ter was cast. When Washington first
settled with his wife at Mount Ver-
non he ordered from Europe the
busts of Alexander the Great, Charles
XII. of Sweden, julius Caesar, Fred
erick of Prussia, Marlborough and
Prince Eugene, and in addition asked
for statuettes of ''two wild beasts
First, his admiration is for the great
soldier and statesman; next, the
reckless but brilliant military adven-
turer, and last the exciting chase.
Washington was married at -. AL
ready he was one of the foremost
men of the country. "For him the
myrtle and ivy were entwined with
the laurel, and fame was sweetened
by youth. He was righteously ready
to draw from life all the good things
which fate and fortune, then smiling
upon him, could offer, and he took
his pleasures frankly and freely, with
an honest heart. One loves to pic
ture that gallant, generous, youth
full figure, brilliant in color and man.
ly in form, riding gayly on from one
little colonial town to another, feast
ing, dancing, courting and making
merry"
Three months after his marriage
Washington settled down to the life
of planter at beautiful Mount Ver-
non. Much of the furnishing for his
house was ordered from London, and
the selections denoted refinement and
an intense sense of propriety. He ap-
peared to have an unfailing instinct
in everything for that which is ap-
propriate. His own dress, his furni-
ture, his harnesses, the things for
his stepchildren, all displayed a love
of simplicity, but with constant in
sistence that all should be of the
best.
Washington's active life, as we'll as
his pleasures, was largely out of
doors. He understood every branch
of farming; he rose early, worked
steadily, gave everything his person.
al supervision, kept his own accounts
with wonderful exactness, and he
made money. He farmed, as he fought
and governed, better than anybody
else. At that time he appeared an
evenly-balanced, square and solid
planter.
His hobby was hunting. Washing
tons stables were filled with the best
animals that Virginia could furnish.
He has set down in the register him
self the "blooded coach horses" for
Mrs. Washington's carriage, Magno-
liza, full-blooded Arabian, used bv
it's owner as roadster, ponies for
the children, and, finally, the high
bred hunters, Chinkling and Valiant,
Ajax and Blueskin, and a score of
others. In the morning he visited the
stables first, and next he visited and
inspected the kennels of the hounds
Vulcan and Bingwood, Singer and
Truelove, Music and Sweetlips-all
ready and eager to set the woods
a-ringing with their baying.
AAC AOuAuS LlcC CuTcc ClIncS week
in the season. Off they would start
at daybreak, Washington, splendidly
mounted, generally on Blueskin, an
iron-gray hunter, riding in the midst
OF the hounds. He wore blue coat,
scarlet waistcoat, buckskin breeches
and velvet cap. After him came the
neighboring gentlemen and ladies',
headed by Mrs. Washington, in a
scarlet habit. There was no difficult
ty in finding, and away they would
go after big black or gray fox.
The country was mostly wild and un-
fenced, offering rough and dangerous
footing to the horses. Washington's
diary of this time is filled with al
lusiOns to the sport. "Went hunting
with Jacky Custis and catched a fox
after three hours chase; found it in
the creek;' or, "catched fox with
bob'd tail and cut ears, after seven
hours chase, in which most of the
dogs were worsted;" and, "fox hunt
ing with Lord Fairfax and his broth
er and Col. Fairfax; started a fox
and lost it; dined at Belvoir and re-
turned in the evening" II,
Washington was the soul of hospi-
tality, and at few times, especially
in the hunting season, was the house
without guests. He liked life and
gnyety and conversation, music and