The Penn's Grove record., 1923-01-19

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mimic heroes, to call out, "well, boys
George Washington was there; Georg,
Washington was there; he knows al
about it; and if he don't say it was
so, then we will give it up.'-"Done,'
said the adverse party. Then away
they would trot to hunt for George
Soon as his verdict was heard, the
partly favourcd would begin to crow
and then all hands would return tc
their play agar.
About five y s .
his father, he quilted sci,oas
leaving the boys in tears for his de-
parture; for he had ever lived among
them, in the spirit of a brother. He
was never guilty Of so british g
practice as that of fighting them him
self, nor would he, when able to pre-
vent it, allow them to fight one an
other. If he could not disarn their
savage passions by his arguments, he
would instantly go to the master, and
inform him of their ~barbaIous irten-
tions.
THE boys" said the same good old
gentleman, "were often angry with
George for this."-But he used to say,
angry or not angry, you shall never,
boys, have my consent to a practice
SO shocking! shocking even in slaves
and dogs; then how utterly s%candalous
in little boys at school, who ought to
look on one another as brothers. And
what must be the feelings of our ten
der parents, when, instead of seeing
us come home smiling and lovely, as
the joys of their hearts; they see us
creeping in like young backgrounds;
with out heads bound up, black eyes,
and bloody clothesl And what is all
this for? Why, that we may get
praise, But the truth is, a quarrel
some boy vas never sincerely praised!
Big boys, of the vulgar sort, indeed
may praise him; but it is only as they
would a silly game cock, that fights
for their pastime-and the little boys
are sure to praise him, but it is only
as they would a bull dog-to keep him
from tearing them!!"
Some of his historians have said,
and many believe, that Washington
was a Latin scholar! But It's an
error. He learned a syllable of
Latin. His second and last teacher,
Mr.. Williams, was indeed, a capital
hand-but not at Latin; for of that
he understood perhaps as little as
Balaam's assault reading, spelling,
English grammar, arithmetic, survey
ing, bookkeeping, and geography, he
was indeed famous. And in these
useful arts, It's said, he often boasted
that he had made young George
Washington as great a scholar as
himself.
Born to be a soldier, Washington
early discovered symptoms of ma
lures intentions towards him. In his
18th year, while at school under old
Mr.. Hobby, he used to divide his play
mates into two parties or armies.
One Of these, for distinct sake, was
called French, the other America. A
big boy at the school named William
Bustle, commanded the former, George
commanded the latter. And every
day, at play-time, with corn-stalks for
muskets, and calbashes for drums, the
two armies would turn out, and
march, and counter-march, and file off
or fight their mimic battles, with
great fury. This was fine sport for
George, whose passion for active eX-
ercise was so strong, that at play
time no weather could keep him with
in doors. His fair cousins, who visit
ed at his mothers, used to complain,
that George was not fond of their
company, like other boys; but soon he
had got his task, would run out to
play" But such trifing play as
marbles and tops he could never
abide. They did not afford him eX-
ercise enough. His delight was that
of the manifest sort, which, by string
ing the limbs and swelling the mus
cles. promotes the kindliest flow of
blood and spirits. At jumping with
a long pole, or heaving heavy weights,
for his years he hardly had an equal.
And, as to running the s~Wift-footed
Achilles could scarcely have matched
his speed.
"Egad! he ran wonderfully" said
my amiable and aged friend, John
Fitzhugh, Esq, who knew him well.
1--WE had nobody here-abouts, that
could come neal him. There was a
young Langhorn Dade, of Westmore'
land, a confounded clean made, tight
young fellow, and mighty swift run
ner, too-but then he "a 10 match
for George: Langy, indeed, did not
like to give it up; and would brag
that he had sometimes brought George
to a tie. But [ believe he vas mis-
taken; for | have seen them run to-
gether many a time; and George al
ways beat him easily enough"
Col. Lewis Willis, his playmate,
and kinsman, has been heard to say,
that he has often seer him throw a
stone across Rappahannock, at the
/ lower ferry of Fredericksburgh. 1t
would be no easy matter to find a
man now a-days, who could do it.
Indeed his father before him was a
man of extraordinary strength. His
rum, which is to this day called Wash
ington's fowling-piece, and now the
property of Mr.. Harry Fitzhugh, of
Chotank, is of such enormous weight,
that no man in a hundred can fire it
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