The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-08-26
aaeor, q vgasnfng tom.

/ NoTnon. le has frcqudntly and
truly been remarked that George
was never licked until he got on {
postage otamp, and then only when
his back was turned.
He he'd inst cause to throw bou.
quets at himself, for certainly he
possessed TO a pre- eminent degree
the gift of getting his name in the
papers and histories and third read.
|ers and having atreets and pies
named after him without it costing
him cent. Look at that tale OF
the little hakchet and the cherry
tree, with which you are doubtless
familiar. Think of the free 4dver-
tising he got out of that compare.
lively trifling ineidenti / used to
have that story rubbed into me
whom a child until it warped and
sonFed naturally eunny and love-
ly nature. That George was star
tied into telling the.truth upon this
occasion we are bound to admit,
but note the forced and ostenta-
tious way in which he did it, as
though saying to the grand stand,
Look at me knock the cover off
it for three bases" Think, my
hearers, how often you yourself
have inadvertently been betrayed
into telling the truth, and yet you
never set up claim to be "First
in war, first in peace and fret in
the hearts of his oountrymen."
How a mans whole life may be
influenced by trifing oiroum-
stanoe! Suppose Georges father,
instead of being a sentimental old
ouss, on hearing that his son had
been monkeying with edged tools,
had hastily removed him to the
seolusion of the wood shed and had
then and there with a shingle or
other convenient weapon proceeded
to tan that portion of Georges
anatomy which the British were
never permitted to gaze upon In
stead of growing up to be the
Father of His Country he might
have become morose and sullen,
and developed into life insurance
solicitor or an advertising agent or
q map peddler, or even to a still
greater depths of depravity.
I hate to ruthlessly yank George
off the lofty perch where he has
fbeen enshrined in history'e pages
but / can't help thinking that in
in some things he showed a singu-
lar Indifference to rights of pos
terity.
Take little thing, now, like the
selection of the date of his birth
Gould he possibly have hit upon q
more disagreeable date? What is
the use of holiday on the the 22d
of February? It's too late for
sleighing or skating and too early
for golf or bicycling. The only
thing it is good for is to break up
the business week and give a man
an opportunity to hang around the
house and smoke too many cigars
and aggravate his poor, patient
wife and e1asperate his children
and make himself generally obnox-
ious to all with whom he comes in
contact. Perhaps it will not be
considered meet for me to sound
my own praises, but when the time
comes that the anniversary of my
natal day will be made the occasion
of public rejoioings, it is q satis-
faction for me to know that I pick
ed out date when man can GO
fishing or swimming or shooting
or sailing. and not bleak, miser.
able day at the fag end of the most
oussed month of the year. And
yet simple justice demands that
should say that perhaps George
was not consulted, and that at that
early portion of his career his
parents arranged his date for him
And yet far be it from me tc
withhold from George that need
of praise which is his due. George
certainly had his strong points
and the manner in which he played
tag with the British army, alwaye
managing to be on the hunk when
they caught up with him and to
be sit" most of the time inoontest.
ably prove that he was smooth
article. Take him for all and all
he was great and good man, and
trust that nothing which / have
said about him will detraot from
| his fame.