Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-21

for playing at in part due to the fact that
his eldest brother had served in a campaign in the
West Indies.
His Code of Good Behavior
RLANKBOOKS are still preserved that Washington
u used when he attending school, and in one of
these is a code of morals and manners consisting of
one hundred and ten Rules of Civility and Decent
Behavior in Company and Conversation" The
writing is round, fair, and bold, the letters large
like the hand that formed them and the lines
straight and even These rules probably taken
down from the lips of the teacher. They sound
rather stiff now; but it was common thing then
to set such preCepts before children, and Washing
ton very likely committed them to memory They
touch on things great and small and in some in
stances throw rather curious light on the rude
the admonition, Kill no Verrnin, as Feas, lice,
ticks &c in the Sight of Others!
They included also such advice as, Rowl not
Be no Flatterer Take all Admoniton thankfully.
Think before you Speak Cleanse not your teeth
with the Table Cloth Napkin Fork or Knife" Last
of all is this Labour to keep alive in your Breast
that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience
The character of the rules and the serious with
which they were written seem to suggest on the
boys part an effort to bring naturally ardent
temper under control. He unusual youth,
and even as a schoolboy recognized by his
companions to be a person of remarkably clear
headed fairness; so that they often referred their
disputes to him as umpire and always accepted his
decisions.
Favorite School Book
THE school book that he seems to have perused
with the greatest diligence was the " Young Mans
Companion, a work that enormously popular
at the time, and written its title page said, IN
plain and easy stile, SO a young man could master
what it had to mpart without the aid of tutor.
This book apparently into Washngton's pos
session when he about ten. The volume was
most comprehensive in what it attempted to teach,
and it would be easier to say what 1T did not con-
tain than to catalogue what it did After some gen.
eral instruction in reading, writing, and nguring
there are departments devoted to correspondence
and the preparation of wills and deeds. This fami
arity with legal forms rather necessary &C
complishment; for there few lawyers in Vir-
ments made out, and he therefore expected to
learn to write them himself. Among the rest of
the contents of the Young Mans Companion,
were sections that gave instruction in measuring,
navigating, house building, making ink and cider,
planting and grating and how to doctor and attend
the sick.
The care with which Washington studied this
volume is evidenced by his copybooks. He tran
scribed problem after problem and rule after rule,
and it is clear that student he wonderfully
industrious and thorough; yet he quite human,
and not SO mature and serious but that he inter-
mixed with his neatly copied problems and legal
forms occasional characteristic schoolboy scrlb
blings. Sometimes he made ornamental letters
with scrollwork such clerks accustomed to
use, and at other times wrote few lines of poor
poetry or drew crude pictures of birds and faces
From the Young Mans Companion" came two
qualities that chung to him through life. The easy,
legible flow of his handwriting modelled from
the engraved pages of copy sheets included in the
book; and certain forms of spelling were acquired