Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-03-01
SPIRIT OF WASHINGTON.
Address of Mrs. T. E. Boyce at
Mid Week Meetine.

At the mid-week service held in the
Congregational church, February %, the
esprit of Washington" was the gen
eral subject considered. This was dis
cussed under three topics: lin Poll
tics, " "In the Home" "In Business, 4"
by Judge Button, Mrs. T. E. Boyce and
A. w. Dickens, respectively. The high
quality of the speeches led to the Sc
curing of two of them for the Register,
the third not having been written but
given extempore.
WASHINGTON INFLUENCE IN THE
HOME.
Before referring to the influence of
Washington in the home, l must speak
of Washingtons home, for l shall al
ways think of my day spent at Mt. Yer
non last spring as one Of the red
letter days of my life. l think l never
before realized what it means to us
that we have Washington for the
father of our country. On the ride out
to Mt. Vernon remarked that
wouldn't take foot of Virginia soil for
a gift. The bricky red worn out soil,
the evidences of poverty, the novels of
the colored people, delapitated looking
Alexandria combined gave one an un-
pleasant impression.
But that feeling changed upon reach
ing Mt. Vernon. Everything there
spoke of thrift and beauty. The beau
tiful old home in a state of perfect
preservation - the beautiful sloping
lawn. the road, the deer park sloping
to the Potomac-was picture of which
the eye would never tire. Very few
were there the day of our visit and
wandered around the estate with a
thrill of pleasure as each new beauty
was unfolded. What appeals to me now,
as think of it, is the spirit of rever-
ence that seems to pervade all these
old scenes. The guards impress one as
holding sacred everything intrusted to
their care. We looked with reverence
at the many things connected with
Washington in life-at the writing desk
where he sat, at the books that he used
and admired the many gifts given him
by people of other countries, among
them the carpet presented by Louis
XVI. We were interested in the
kitchen with the great fireplace and it
many cooking utensils of primitive
type. In the carriage house we found
the old white chariot in which Washing
ton rode on state occasions. At last we
reached the tomb, beautiful with the
overhanging ivy where lie the remains
of George and Martha Washington each
in beautiful marble sarcophagus. |
think that the D. A. r. s deserve great
credit for their work of keeping and
preserving this old homestead.
At this time | cannot speak of all Of
the virtues of Washington that may be
of influence in the home but will men
ton few that especially appeal to me.
should omit the telling of the cherry
tree incident to the child in the home
as I've never been able to see anything
out of the ordinary life of any active
child in it. Perhaps if you know of
parents who by sternness of discipline
have taught their children to tell un-
truths why tell them the story if you
choose, but don't teach the child that
telling the truth is anything remark
able. Tell the children of the boy
remarkable for great firmness and
thoughtfulness, for love of athletic
sports and for muscular strength, par
ticularly great force of arm. Tell them
how he could throw a stone farther
than any man in Virginia. There was
a mark on the side Of the Natural
Bridge with Washington name on it,
it being the place to which he had
thrown a stone from below, as is the
practice with persons visiting that Won
der of nature. Washington's mark
being 20 feet higher than any other.
l would speak of Washington's
mother as her influence no doubt had
much to do with the molding of his life.
She was wise and provident mother
q woman of firm character and steadfast
courage. She did not keep him at her
apron strings. He lived for time