The Ordway new era., 1913-10-10

OF the Ohio. he had been a Virginian
and nothing more. q colonial colonel
merely. come to pick out lands for his
comrades and himself. their reward
for serving the crown against the
French.
A transformation had been worked
upon him since then.
He, had led the armies of the whole
country: had been the chief instru-
ment of a new nation in winning inde-
pendence; had carried its affairs by
his own counsels as no other man had
done: had seen through all the
watches OF those long campaigns the
destinies and the hope that were at
stake. Now he saw the crowding I'M
migrants come into the west with q
new solicitude he had not felt before.
A new vision was in his thought. .
This western country was now
"rising world" to be kept or lost
husbanded or squandered. by the raw
nation he had helped put upon its
feet. His thought was stretched at
last to a continental measure: PROB
lens of craftsmanship that were ma
tional, questions of policy that had
scope great as schemes OF EMPIRE
stood foremost in his view.
He returned home more engrosseo
than ever by interests not his own,
but central to public affairs. and OF
the very stun Of politics.
A Stream Of Letters.
And SO not the letters merely which
poured in with every mail. not only
his host of visitors. great and small
the governor of the state, the presl-
dent OF congress. foreign noblemen.
soldiers. diplomatists. travellers. neigh-
bors. friends, acquaintances. intruders
but his own unbidden thoughts az
well. and the very suggestions OF his
own interest as land citizen anu
landowner, drew him from his dreams
of retirement and forced him upon the
open stage again.
Even hunting ceased before many
seasons were out. The savage boar
hounds which Lafayette had sent. IN
his kindness. from the Old Worio.
proved too fierce and great a Oreeo
for even the sharp sport with the gray
fox: the old hunting companions were
gone-the Fairfaxes over sea; Belvoir
deserted and burned: George Mason
too much engaged-none but boys anu
strangers left to ride with.
Twas poor sport. after all, without
the right sportsmen. 1t must needs
give way before a statesman's cares.
A New Sense Of Responsibility.
Upon his first Homecoming, Wash
ington had found 1t hard to break
himself of his habit of waking very
early in the morning with q sense OF
care concerning the affairs OF the day
as II he were still In camp and IN the
midst of public duties.
Now a new sense of responsibility
possessed him. and more and more
gained ascendency over him. He be.
gan to feel a deep anxiety lest weak
government should make independ-
ence little better than reproach. and
the country should fall into a hope
less impotency.
At FIRST he had been very sanguine.
Notwithstanding the jealous and con-
tracted temper which seems to pro-
vail in some Of the states" he wrote
to Jonathan Trumbull in January.
1884, yet I cannot but hope and be-
lieve that the good sense Of the people
will ultimately get the better Of their
prejudices, and that order and sound
policy, though they do not come so
soon as one could wish. will be pro-
duced from the present unsettled and
deranged state Of public ahairs. :.
Everything, my dear Trumbull. Will
Gonna RIGHT Mt lasS as we have often
prophesied. My only fear Is that we
shall lose a little reputation first.
But the more Washington observed
the temper Of the time. the more un-
easy he grew.
Like a young heir" he cried. come
little prematurely to large inheri-
tance. we shall wanton and run riot
until we have brought our reputation
to the brink OF ruin. and then. ike
him, shall have to labor with the cur
rent of opinion, when compelled. per
haps, to do what prudence and COM
mon policy pointed out as plain as any
problem in Euclid. in the first instance
think we have opposed Great
Britain. and have arrived at the pres
ent state OF peace and independency.
to very little purpose. II we cannot
conquer our own prejudices.
For the present he saw little that
could be done beyond holding up the
hands Of the congress. and increasing.
as it might prove possible to do GO.
the meager powers OF the confedera.
ton.
CTo BE CoNTINUED)