The Washington herald., 1907-02-22

George Washington was born 10 years
ago to-day His name will live through
all the ages as the nberator and founder
of the greatest country the world has
ever known Washington was, and is,
America incarnate. The United States has
outgrown the fondesJ hopes which he en-
tertained for the national ledgiins he
nursed into life, but with that growth
has grown the name and fame and honor
of him who is in truth first in war; first
in peace. and first in the hearts of his
c0untrymen.'
The first recorded observance of Wash
ingtons birthday appeared in the Penn
sylvania Packet on Tuesday, February T.
1854 (old Style. It was sent by a CORE
spondent in New York. and read. We'd
nesday last being the birthday Of His Elk
cellency. Gen. Washington. the same was
celebrated here by all the true friends Of
American independence and Constitu-
tional Liberty with that hilarity and
manly decorum ever attendant on the
sons Of freedom. In the evening an en-
tertainment was given on board the East
India ship IN the harbor, to a very bril-
liant and respectable company. and dis
charge of thirteen cannon was fired on
the joyful occasion"
What a difference between conditions
then and now. At that time there We're
barely 100000 people i'm the United
States. There. was really no great Amer
lean city New York having only $1,000,
Philadelphia $1,000. Boston 1Soo0. and
Charleston 16,ooo inhabitants. Washing
ton died in December 1879. and the prog
ress of news was SO slow at that time
that some of the settlers beyond the Al
leghenjes did not learn of his demise un-
til February and March Of the next year.
At the time of his death Washington
was probably the richest man ia the
United States. He had vast holdings of
real estate, and more than half of his
wealth lay west Of the AIIeghenies. Some
idea of his extensive holdings may be
had from an advertisement which APP
pearcd ia the Alexandria CVirginia) Ga
zette OF the time. which contained. sew
eral columns, describing lands that ne
wished to lease or sell. He offered to
lease 5000 acres of Mount Vernon land
the properties known as the River Farm.
the Union Farm. the Dogue Run Farm
and the Muddy Hole Farm, respectively.
The lands for sale were '9.1H acres on
the southeast side of the Ohio River; y. 266
acres on the Great Kanawha; SOP acres
on the Little Miami, within mile of
the Ohio, and 1000 acres in the Green
River country of kentucky"
When he married the pretty Widow
Gusts. Washington received into his
hands one-third of the famous GUSTS
fortune. amounting TO about $4,000 in
money He purchased, among other
places Great Meadows, the scene of the
battle I'm the French and Indian war.
where he fought his first fight and
signed the first and only capituldtion Of
his life" At Washington's Run. in the
Allegheuies, there is stiH an old water
mill in operation which stands on the site
of one that he built in 100.
His diary. carefully kept. almost with
out break from 1861 until the close of
his eventful life. shows his careful. me
thodicai habits. and gives much informa-
ton about his extensive business affairs
Among the products Of his place were q
yearly manufacture OF 1880 barrels oe
meal: 200 barrels of good whisky. and
frequent sale of hogs. sheep. dc. From
1888 to 1854 Washington was mis- own ex-
porter, sending out the produce from his
Large quantities of tobacco were handled
in his name during this time. and his
agents in England We're instructed to
keep their eyes open for any improved
agricultural implements, and send them 10
MIN.
That Washington was careful man
ag-r is shown from iette- which Le
wrote TO one of his overste rs. Economy
in an things is beneficial and desirable
on a farm. /. shows itse.c in nothing
more eyiden y or more essentially than
I'm nos suffering the proyeuder to be
vested, 1Jt ou toe contrary, in taking
c9rr that every atom OF il be Used 60
best advantage. and likewise in not per
hitting the plpWs. harness, and other i'm
PIGMENTS of husbandry, and the gears be-
longing to them. To- be unnecessarily eX-
posed, trodden under foot, run over by
carts. and abused in other respects. More
good is derived from attending 10 the
miuutia of a farm than strikes most peo-
pie al FIRST view"
He wrote many interesting letters on
agriculture. and his writings were cm-
bodied ia the papers and almauacs of the
day SO that other farmers might real his
authentic dissertations. Among the sub
iacts he discussed were clover lots, pas
ture grounds, compost. penning cattle,
folding sheep, feeding stock, kinds OF sta
blos. pens, and fences that were best.
and the most practical methods of plan
ming rotation in crops. He invented a
corn-planter that would open the fur
row, drop the corn and cover it, and SO
save the work of three men and two
pIoWs On certain farm of 80 acres. he
put several pet schemes of crop rota-
ton into practice 20 demonstrate his the
cries for himself and his neighbors.
Washingtons fidelity 10 detail is shown
by the care with which he kept his ac-
count books. The entries were written in
clear, careful letters, and among them are
found items like these: Paid for bonnet
and trimmings for Miss Gusts, $50.
paid freight on saddle of mutton
brought from Baltimore by stage. $40;
for $50 mulberry trees. $50; delivered to
Mr.. cambridge to pay for handkerchiefs
for Miss Gusts, $50" and this rather
surprising entry. Paid Timmins FOR soup.
Sic. Whether in the old executive man
sion on Broadway, when New York WAS
the Capital Of the United States. or on
his Virginia plantation, all his accounts