Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1918-02-20

'punctual as the hand Of clock, at a
quarter to three :. and retired
to his room to dress, as was his Gus
TOM Mrs. Washington chose the first
hour for religious devotion in her own
room, an unfailing custom her life
long. Dinner was a mid-afternoon
meal after the Southern tradition.
Washington rarely ate any supper,
though it was always spread for his
household and guests. When at Mount
Vernon it was his habit to retire at
nine o'clock"
NDEFORE the Revolution Mount
IL Vernon bore it's share of the
open-handed hospitality which distin-
.guished Virginia colonial life. The
brief call of visit04S. whose home base
., near by, was practically unknown.
Distances were great, travellers came
with their own coach and horses and
servants, and an arrival meant addi-
tlonal places at the masters table and
in the servants hall, additional beds,
and stabling and feed for from six to
twelve horses. It was part of the f1ex-
ible, CORDIAL social system, and the
hospitality and provision was on a
large scale. Everyone was welcome:
brothers and sisters, nephews and
nieces, and cousins to remote degrees;
friends passing north and south, cross
ing from Maryland to lower Virginia,
or only on their way to the plantation
next beyond. Not least welcome were
strangers, with and often without let
ters.
Rainy days, or the early winter
evenings, were devoted to cards. Wash
ington's account books indicate that
playing cards were quickly used up.
The profit and loss columns record his
winnings and losses, which at times
mounted to nine pounds at a sitting
1t was a liberal age. Not only was
gambling on moderate scale consid-
cred fashionable diversion, but the
family at Mount Vernon patronized
the lotteries on various OCCASIONS"
uERE are some extracts from the
l diary of John Hunter, a London
merchant, who spent day and night
1t Mount Vernon in 1885:
THE general came in again, with his
hair neatly powdered, clean shirt
in. new plain drab coat, white waist
coat and white silk stockings. ~
three dinner was ca the table. and we
were shown by the general into an
other room, where everything was set
of with peculiar taste. and at the
same time very neat and plain. The
general sent the bottle about pretty
freely after dinner. and gave success
to the navigation of the Potomac for
his toasts, which he has very much
at heart. :"
I'VE had a very elegant supper
about that time. The general with
few glasses of champagne got quite
merry, and being with his intimate
friends, laughed and talked a good
deal. Before strangers he is generally
very reserved, and seldom says a word
|. At twelve I had the honor of
being lighted up to my bedroom by the
general himself.
when the general takes his coach
out he always drives six horses; to-
his chariot he only puts four. :,
1 fancy he is worth 100000 pounds
sterling and lives at the rate of 3OOC4
or 1900 a year."
IN the final period the life at Mount
1 Vernon was livelier than ever-the-
good, old-fashioned life of Virginia
country gentleman; open house to all :
many guests, both American and for
eign, but both George and Martha
Washington restricted certain time for
their own.
"After dinner he spent an interval
talking with them, with glass of Ma
deira by his side,' and then withdrew
to his library again, where he made a
hasty survey of the newspapers, of
which he received a great many, and
retired for the night at nine o'clock,
If possible without appearing at sup
per.
"When the gentlemen Of the Alex.
andrla assemblies sent their polite in
vitation to the general and his wife for
their winter dances he replied that his
dancing days were over But he drove
up to town frequently for visits that
included duck dinner at Mine Host
Gadsby's City hotel. a review of Cap
tain Piercy's Independent Blues, and
the casting of his last vote. The poll
ing place was up flight of outside
steps. so rickety that when the huge
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