The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-02-22

made) boys would suit best. If emigrants
are not to be had, there can be no doubt
that some of the dutch servants in the
family could easily procure such as are
wanted from among the citizens
When Washington found it necessary
to take house in Philadelphia a com
mittee of citizens limited something
about paying the rent thereof, but
the president firmly declined to have
anybody but himself pay it, However.
he seems to have had some difficulty in
arriving at fair figure owing to vari-
GUS improvements made necessary by
his occupancy and to the apparent in.
disposition of the owner, Robert Nor
ris. to set a price of rental. He writes
to Mr.. Lear:
hone there Is no intention of adding
near "a Pr. Cent to the rent of the house
| 7 occupy; for l tCell remember my deslr-
Ipq Won to inform the Committee that l
must and ,oould know upon what terms
was to Inhabit the House and vt. you told
me they had fixed the Rent at 5OO4 Pr
| Annum.
Washlngton's secretary made trip
| TO Europe in the fall of 1893. A black
smith was needed on the Virginia plan
tations. Accordingly the landlord wrote
to Mr.. Lear:
II it should be convenient and perfect
Nv safe for you to engage for me, on rea-
| sonable terms a complete Black Smith.
| YOU would oblige me by doing so. AS there
are laws in England prohibiting such en-
gagements under severe penalties ana
| such may exist in other Countries, you
will understand me clearly that for no
| I,afS |
| Won run the smallest risk OF encountering
| them-you know full well what kind OF a
smith would suit my purposes. he
must have character on which you can
RELY, not only as complete workman lot
| a farm, but as an honest sober ana In
| dustrious man. If he comes on "aeeS
| they must be moderate; & with or with
out wages, he must be bound to serve me
three years-four would be better.
Washington sometimes became In
dignant at the derelictions Of house
servants. which shows that present
day problem was in existence then.
He writes:
On the 18th. l wrote you two letters
| Tn one of them l intended Out forgot III
to have made a request that you would
enquire after the lad that used TO wait
| az Suffers william think his name was)
| gagged and his character good, as well as
| handy. to engage him for me at eight
| DoIlars p Month, with the other allow
ances known to YOU being what l am
| now Obliged to give. to the most indiner-
emit set of servants 1 ever had.
Rhe common opinion is that Wash
ington was such an austere parsonage
that he never deigned to smile or crack
n Joke. A postscript to a letter to
Mr., Lear just after he left Philadel-
phia and the presidency in 1897 has a
humorous touch. The eX-president was
arranging to have his things sent back
to Mount Vernon, to which he was re-
firing to end his days in peace and
ouietude. He gave instructions to have
the crate packed in some old carpeting
10 keep it from scratching. THE bed
stead which Nelly Custis slept on be-
longs Mrs. Washington says to ne.
Let this and the trundle under it be
sent in the Vessel" After various 9TH
or instructions and Washington's ha-
bitual expression of affection, regard,
etc. with which he closed all his let
ters to his secretary came the post
script: "On one side | am called upon
TO remember the Parrot, on the other
TO remember the dog. For my own
part | should not pine much if both
were forgot
Food don't digest? Because the stom
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