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Show Washington the Man No Nation or pcoplo over had a richer legacy than Amoricnna havo In their Ideal of Washington. Washing-ton. Great as was his real charactor and Inestimable as wero his services serv-ices to tfio country coun-try Washington was not a demi-god nor even a man of genius But ho did possess n genius for honesty nnd patriotism and was the Incarnation of common senso. It is woll for tho Amorlcan pcoplo that they havo Idealized Washington, and It Is to bo hoped. that they may never lower nor chango their Ideal, and yet ho wns very human. Ab a young man nnd oven after IiIb marriage mar-riage ho was very fond of fox hunting. He could get very angry on fit occasions occa-sions nnd sometimes Bwore. Ho drank a generous glass of wlno every day at dinner and allowed bin negro butler but-ler and cook each a bottle of beer n day. Nearly thirty yeara ago a friendly friend-ly biographer wrote: "Eighty years havo now pasted slnco the death of Goorco Washing-ton, Washing-ton, and already ho 1b hidden from us In Bome degreo by a haze of eulogy and tradition. Ho haB been so uniformly uni-formly extolled that some of our young men tell us with a yawn, that they aro tired of hearing ArlBtldoB called "The Just." Washington himself never protended protend-ed to bo more than an avorage man, though all his contemporaries know ho was All that he claimed was to bo perfect master of himself nnd to uso such powers ns God had given him the best ho know how. Onco as a procession In his honor passed through the streets of a city ho hoard b. little boy exclaim: "Why, father, General Washington Is only a man I" Ho looked with thoughtful Interest on the child and patting him on the head replied "That's all, my llttlo fellow, that's all." He was one of tho most dignified men that evor lived, yet one of the most modest. Ono finds pleasing pleas-ing evidence of his common humanity human-ity In the fact that whllo quito young be fell easily In lovo and wrote verses and sentimental verses at that. When h was twelve years old, short- , j. jkL..4. i .I t i t ly after tho death of his father, ho was sont to school at Fredericksburg after promising his older brothor to bo "steady." It was a mixed school of boys nnd girls und ono of his schoolmates, a cousin, said In Inter llfo that whllo Gcorgo was remarkably remark-ably btudlous ho was also fond of "romping with ono of tho largest girls; this was so unusual that it ox-cited ox-cited no llttlo comment among tho other lads." It was whllo at this school that Gcorgo wrote tho following follow-ing acrostic: From your bright aparkllnjc eyes I was undone-niiyn undone-niiyn you have moro transparent than thn huh, AmldHt Hb Klory In the rlslnir day. Nono can you uqual In your bright array. ConHtant In your culm hik! uiiNot-il nilml, Kqual to nil, but will to none provo hind. Bo knowing, soldom ono ho young you'll find. Ah, woo'h mu that I nhould love and ion- ceul Long have I wluhed but nefr duro re- veul, Kvn though nvorely IovpTi pain I fI, Xorxon tho Gront wann't fri from Cu- plil's dart. And all tho greate-it heroes foil th smart. Tho first letters speH Francos Aloxa. Alfxu was the abbreviation of Alexander, and tho acrostic was addressed either to a suhoolmalo of that name or to somo fair Frances living liv-ing In Alexandria, whoro tho boy was well acquainted. There Is reason to bellovo that young Washington was as BUHccptlblo as tho average young man of tho present day When about bovuntcon years old ho fell In love with a young lady, whom ho refers to In a lettor to a friends as "your Lowland beauty." and says going Into company simply rovlvos his former pussJon for her Ho ndds "Wore I to live moro retired from young women, I might alleviate In some measure my sorrows by burying bury-ing that chasto and troublesome pas-Blon pas-Blon In the grave of oblivion or eternal eter-nal forgetfulness, for as I am very woll assuied that Ib the only antidote or remedy that I evor shall bo re Moved by or only recess that can administer ad-minister any euro or help to me, as I am well convinced, wore 1 ever to attempt anything, I should only got a denial, which would bo only uddlng grief to uneasiness." Jl.A-l JjJ.Vl t4 - AJ"i 42 VW. |