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Show -(WasMngtorr the Man ing evidence of his common humanity human-ity In the fact that while quite yVing he fell easily in love and wrote vetKi and aentlmental Terses at that. When he was twelve years old, shortly short-ly after the death of his father, he was sent to school at Fredericksburg after promising his elder, brother to be "steady." It was a mixed school of boys and girls and one of his schoolmates, cousin, said In later life tl at while Ceorge was remarkably remark-ably studious he was also fond of "romping with one of the largest glrla; this was so unusual that it excited ex-cited no little comment among the other lads" It was while at this school that George wrote the follow lng acrostic: From your bright sparkling eyes I was ti nilonti Rays you havs mors transparent than the sin, Amlilat Its glory In the rising day, Non ran ytu qtial In ynur bright array: Constant In your ralm and unapoUrd mind. Iviunl to all, hut will to none prnve kind: Ho knowing, srlduin one so yor.ng you'll And. Ah, wnc'i me that I should love and con-cm con-cm I tong li.ivs I w-lshrd but nvrr rira re- VMl, Fven though svrrly Ixiv's p.iln I feH; Xrrxes the Oreat wasn't free from Cupid's Cu-pid's dart. And all the greatest ttrroes frit th smart. The first letters spell Frances Alexa. Alexa was the abbreviation of Alexander, and the acrostic was addressed either to a schoolmato of that name or to some fair Frances living liv-ing In Alexandria, where the boy was well acquainted. There Is reason to believe that young Washington was as susceptible as the average young man of the present day. When about seventeen years old he fell In love with a young lady, whom he refers to In a letter to a friends as "your lowland beauty," and saya going Into comrany simply revives his former passion for her. He adds: "Were I to live more retired from young women, I might alleviate In some measure my sorrows by burying bury-ing that chaste and troubtcfom pas slon In th grave of oblivion or eternal eter-nal forget fulness, for as I am very well assured that Is the only antidote or remedy ths I ever shall be relieved re-lieved by or only recess that can ad-nilnl-ter any cure or help to me, as I am well convinced, were I ever to attempt nn thing. I should only get a denial, which would be only adding grief to uneasiness." No Nation or people ever had a richer legacy than Americans have In their ideal of Washington. Washing-ton. Great as was his real character and Inestimable as were his services serv-ices to tlie country coun-try Washington was not a dean I -god nor even a man of genius. Hut he did possess ft genius for honesty and patriotism and was the Incarnation of common tense. Ills mother, after reading a letter from him during the Revolutionary war which conveyed good news, safd: "George generally carries through anything he undertakes." Mrs. V. S. Grant once said, referring to bcr husband's hus-band's determination and perslstance: "He Is a very obstinate man." Grant was not a genius any more than Washington, but both men had the gift of success. It Is well for the American people that they have Idealized Washington, and It Is to be hoped that they may never lower nor change t' elr Ideal, and yet be was very Jiiiman. As a young man and even after his marriage mar-riage be was very fond of fox hunting. He could get very angry on fit occasions occa-sions and sometimes swore. He drank a generous glass of wine every day at dinner and allowed his negro butler but-ler and cook each a bottle of beer a day. Nearly thirty year ago a friendly friend-ly biographer wrote: "Eighty years have now passed since the death of George Washington, Washing-ton, and already he Is hid len from us n some degree by a hare of eulogy and tradition. He has been so uniformly uni-formly extolled tl at some of our young men tell us with a yawn, that they are tired of hearing Arlstldes called "The Just." He has been edited Into obscurity, like a Greek play. - Where the genial atid friendly soldier referred to ono of his cherished cher-ished friends as "Old Put." a respert-ab'e respert-ab'e editor, devoid of humor, has substituted sub-stituted "Genefal Putnam;" until, at length, a lover of the man has to defend de-fend him against the charge of perfection" per-fection" Wasl Ington himself never pretended pretend-ed to be more than an average man. though all his contemporaries knew 1 was. All that he cla'med wa to le perfect master of h'mself and to use such powers a God had given him the brt he knew bow. Once aa : a procession In his honor passed j throurh th str-et of a citv le heard ' a little boy exia!m: "Why. father. General Washington Is only a man!" He looked with thoughtful Interest ot the child and patting him on the head replied: "Thst all. my little frilow. that's all " lie was oie of the mo-t Cirnined inrlt fl at crer I'ved yet one f the rret molest. One fnd pleas- |
