THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID THE WASHINGTON CENTENNIAL. GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1775- THE O ,fON " Washington s a watchword, such as ne er Shall sink, while there s an echo left in air. 3 Byron. BY FREDERICK SAUNDERS, Librarian of the Astor Library. Author of "Sa Lid for the Solitary and the Social," etc. NEW YORK: THOMAS WHITTAKER, 4TH AVENUE & 9 T H STREET. COPYRIGHT 1889 BY THOMAS WHITTAKER PRE68 OF A. G. SHERWOOD & CO., 47 LAFAYETTE PLACE. TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED This little garland of graceful and enthusiastic utterances of eminent personages from all nationalities, in honor of the Founder of the Republic. The impulse that prompted the garnering into a votive wreath, these beautiful tributes, it is believed, must be in unison with the universal sentiment of the time, and therefore, will scarcely fail to be greeted with general acceptation. While the history of our nation may justly be said to be without a parallel, alike as to the won derful development of its numbers, and its wide-spread domain, so the lustre of the name of. Washington, as a central sun amid the constellations of the world s great heroes, shines with superior and increasing splendor. M31383O SKETCH OF THE INAUGURATION OF WASHINGTON. TO sketch accurately and in detail the scene of the in auguration as it presented itself to the eye of the ob server, a century ago, would require no ordinary amount of artistic skill; all that will be demanded is to attempt a brief sketch of New York at that early day, when it was little more than a village. In order to gain, even an approxi mate idea of those Colonial days, we must divest the city of its many modern improvements, its stately buildings, its crowded thoroughfares and its miles of streets. Wall Street was then central, and indeed, much north of it was rural district, as the name of one of its streets implies, the Bowery. Greenwich Street, the Battery and Pearl Street were then the fashionable parts of the city. On the site of the present Sub-Treasury was erected a building first called the City Hall, afterwards Congress Hall, which, besides comprehending the Law Courts, also included a Prison. In front of the building stood the " stocks, a pillory, and a whipping-post." At this place of public chastisement, culprits were subjected to one or other of these ordeals. Here were also held the sessions of the Provincial Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Mayor and Admiralty Courts ; it was also the place of elec tion. It was afterward altered to suit the Congress ; the THE IN A UGURA TION. jail prisoners were at that time removed to the then "new jail in the Park." But the Congress removing to Philadelphia, through the influence of Robert Morris, as the New Yorkers set forth in a caricature, it was again altered to receive the Courts and the State Assembly. It is curious to note respecting the City Hall, that it was originally constructed on the site and out of the materials of a stone bastion, in the line of the wall of defence along Wall street ; and after it was built, it is on record, that it was ordered "that it be embellished with the arms of the King and the Earl of Bellomont." The corporation subse quently ordered that the latter should be taken down and broken. The British, while in New York, used the City Hall as the place of the main guard ; "at the same time they much plundered and broke up the only public library, then contained in one of its chambers." It was in its gallery on Wall street, on the 3Oth of April, 1789, that Gen. Washington was inaugurated the first Presi dent of the United States. On this important public ceremo ny, the oath of office was administered in the open gallery in front of the Senate chamber, and in the view of an immense concourse of citizens. " There stood Washington, invested with a suit of dark silk velvet of the old cut, steel hilted small sword by his side, hair in bag, and full powdered, in black silk hose and shoes with silver buckles, as he took the oath of office, to Chancellor Livingston."* Dr. Duer thus describes the scene of the inauguration : * Watson. io CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. " This auspicious ceremony took place under the portico of Federal Hall, upon the balcony in front of the Senate Chamber, in the immediate presence of both Houses of Con gress, and in full view of the crowds that thronged the adja cent streets. The oath was administered by Chancellor Livingston, and when the illustrious Chief had kissed the Book, the Chancellor, with a loud voice, proclaimed, Long live George Washington, President of the United States. Never shall I forget the thrilling effect of the thundering cheers which burst forth, as from one voice, peal after peal from the assembled multitude. Nor was it the voices alone of the people that responded to the announcement, their hearts beat in unison with the echoes resounding through the distant streets ; and many a tear stole down the rugged cheeks of the hardiest of the spectators, as well I noted from my station in an upper window of the neighboring house of Colonel Hamilton." "When the Federal Constitution had received the ap proval of the people, and was made the supreme law of the Republic, all minds and hearts seemed spontaneously turned towards Washington as the best man to perform the respon sible duties of Chief Magistrate of the nation. On the 6th of April, 1789, he was chosen President of the United States, by the unanimous votes of the electors, and John Adams was made Vice-President. The journey of Washington from Mount Vernon to New York, was like a triumphal march. He had scarcely left his porter s lodge when he was met by a company of gentlemen from Alexandria, who escorted him 12 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. to that town. Everywhere the people gathered to see him as he passed along the road. Public addresses were given in his honor, and militia companies escorted him from place to place. Over Trenton bridge an arch was thrown, which was adorned with laurel leaves and flowers, and over the arch were the words December 26, 1776, and, formed also in flowers, this sentence, The Defender of the Mothers will be the Protector of the Daughters. Beneath that arch the President was met by a troop of girls carrying baskets of flowers, which they scattered along the pathway, singing the following ode, written for the occasion, beginning : Welcome, mighty chief, once more, Welcome to this grateful shore. Now, no mercenary foe, Aims again the fatal blow Aims at thee the fatal blow, etc. " Prominent citizens hastened to contribute thirty-two thousand dollars for the enlargement and adornment of old City Hall, preparatory to the novel event which was about to thrill the whole civilized world. The most intense anxiety was manifested by all classes concerning the settlement of the question as to the future seat of the national govern ment. But it was hoped that liberality on the part of New York would determine the issue in her favor. " A national salute ushered in the morning of the 3Oth of April, 1789; the day for the final step in the creation of a national government. At 9 o clock the bells pealed from every steeple in the city summoning the people to the THE IN A UG URA TION. 1 3 -^ -N W ^~~ - - - -. - churches to implore the blessing of Heaven on the nation and its chosen President, so universal was a religious sense of the importance of the occasion. Washington attended divine service at St. Paul s Church, after his inauguration. f The eventful scene of the surrender of Yorktown is thus briefly portrayed by Trumbull in his " Columbiad " : " Cornwallis first, their late all-conquering lord, Bears to the victor chief his conquered sword, Presents the burnished hilt, and yields with pain The gift of kings, now brandished here in vain, Long trains of wheeled artillery shade the shore, Quench their blue matches and forget to roar ; Along the encumbered plain, thick planted rise High stacks of muskets glittering to the skies, Triumphant Washington with brow serene, Regards unmoved the exhilarating scene, Weighs in his balanced thought the silent grief That sinks the bosom of the fallen chief ; With all the joy that laurel crowns bestow A world reconquered and a vanquished foe. Thus through extremes of life, in every state, Shines the clear soul, beyond all fortune great ! " Washington s farewell interview with his officers took place at Fraunce s Tavern, corner of Pearl and Broad Streets, still extant, but altered. When the officers had assembled, Washington entered the room and delivered his memorable address, which concluded in the following words, " I cannot * Mrs. Lamb s Hist, of N. Y. Illumination. /COLONEL TILCHMAN, Aid V> de Camp to his Excellency General WASHINGTON, having brought official acounts of the SURRENDER of Lord Corn- wallis, and the Garrifons of York and Gloucefter,thofe Citi- zens who chafe to ILLUMI NATE on the GLORIOUS OC CASION, will do it this evening at Six, and extinguifh their lights at Nine o clock. Decorum and harmony are earneftly recommended to eve ry Citizen, and a general dif- countenance to the lead ap pearance of riot. OElober 14, 1781. FAC-SIMILF. OF A PROCLAMA T1ON. THE IN A UG URA TION. 1 5 come to each of you to take leave, but shall be obliged to you if you will come and take me by the hand." Knox, who had served with him from the commencement of hos tilities, was the first to receive the parting grasp from the hero s hand ; they each in turn were greeted with the same testimonial from their esteemed leader. Leaving the room, he passed through a line of his brave soldiers to Whitehall, where he entered the barge which had been prepared for his reception. When Washington returned to New York, it was as Presi dent of the United States. His progress then through the city and country was one continued triumphal procession. As Washington was making his triumphal entry up Broad way, Washington Irving was lifted above the crowd by his parents to the General, with the request that he would con fer his name upon him ; a proposal which was readily ac ceded to. This circumstance sheds a new lustre upon a name already embalmed with the most cherished associations. In those primitive days of the Republic the rules of State etiquette were very simple. The President received calls on Tuesdays and Fridays; Thursdays were set apart for Congressional dinners; on Saturdays the President might sometimes be seen riding through the outskirts of the City, mounted on a fine Virginia horse, or seated in his box at the theatre. The only one then in the city was on John Street. On such occasions the " President s March " was played. It had been composed by Pfyles, the leader of the orchestra, and played for the first time on Trenton 1 6 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. Bridge as Washington rode over on his way to be inaugu rated. The air had a martial ring that caught the ear of the multitude, soon became popular as "Washington s March," and when Adams became President, in a moment of great party excitement, Judge Hopkinson wrote and adapted to it the famous lines beginning "Hail Columbia!" which still continues one of our national airs. A contemporary describing a journey from Philadelphia to New York, gives us a glimpse of the slow methods of locomotion in those days of our forefathers. He says the journey was made in a kind of open wagon, hung with double curtains of leather and woollen cloth, stages were constructed usually without springs ; and the mails even, were sometimes subject to great delays, and only transmitted between the leading cities about twice a week. General Washington s mansion was situated at the northern angle of Franklin Square, Pearl Street; but it has been removed to make room for the Brooklyn Bridge ap proaches. Here, the General was accustomed to hold his State levees. Washington s career has been so thoroughly scrutinized, and his phases of character portrayed with so much analytical skill, that it would be supererogatory here, to refer to the subject ; yet, as illustrative of his punctuality, we may be pardoned instancing the following little incident. Washington avowed himself the soldiers friend, after the war had terminated, and he well deserved the epithet. The General was one day met by Lieut. Laycraft, a brave officer of the Continental army, who solicited a letter of recommendation THE IN A UGURA TION. for an appointment to the command of a vessel about going on a cruise. Washington replied he would comply with his request at any time he desired. Laycraft proposed to wait upon him at his house by the light of the morning star. " Agreed," said the General, and at the appointed time the applicant made his appearance, was admitted, and ushered into the presence of Washington, whom he found seated WASHINGTON HOUSE, PEARL STREET, NEW YORK. with two wax candles, in his little office, with the letter just written, and which he promptly handed to the lieutenant. This illustrates punctuality of the exactest kind, for which, perhaps, few parallels are to be found. This somewhat desultory * and fragmentary chapter is designed simply to afford a glimpse of the status of New York a century ago, with its ten thousand inhabitants, and its contracted area, scarcely extending farther than from TRIBUTES OF GENIUS AND AFFECTION TO THE MEMORY OF WASHINGTON. r I ^HE illustrious character and achievements of General X Washington, are now the absorbing theme of the American people, and the topic of the time being com memorative of the Centennial Anniversary of his inaugura tion as first President of the United States. When, on that occasion, he was greeted with the grateful affection of a new born and a loyal nation, his steps moved to the echo of martial and merry music, and his pathway was strewed with flowers ; it is fitting, therefore, that we celebrate our national memorial of that august event, by placing upon the altar of his fame, the votive offerings of our undying regard, and also, reproduce some of those high tributes of genius, love and patriotism, which have been so lavishly bestowed by the world at large. The first recorded tribute should undoubtedly be the brief but excellent eulogium of that noble Frenchman, who so ably aided in the great struggle for national liberty Gen. Lafayette. His words were as follows: "In my idea Gen eral Washington is the greatest man, for I look upon him as the most virtuous." Chateaubriand, on one occasion, after he had met General Washington, exclaimed, " There is virtue in the look of a great man, I feel myself warmed and re freshed by it for the rest of my life." If we turn to those 22 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. voices which were lifted in his praise, across the sea, we find Southey vocal with this phrase, " Washington hath left his awful memory a light for all after times ! " And no less a name than that of Charles James Fox, is to be credited with these words: " Illustrious man ! deriving honor less from the splendor of his situation, than from the dignity of his mind." Brougham the " schoolmaster abroad," spoke prophetically when he said, "The test of the progress of mankind will be in the appreciation of the character of Washington." Edward Everett gives us a side glimpse of his superiority to mere factitious display when he tells us that " Washington declined a military escort on the occasion of his inauguration. I require/ said he, no guard, but the affections of the peo ple. " It was eminently fitting, therefore, that this eulogy should have come from the loyal lips of Henry Lee, " First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his country men ! " The clue to this may be found in the words of Washington Irving, who wrote, " Washington, in fact, had very little private life, he was eminently a public character." And this is further sustained in a comment of Jared Sparks, given in these words: "Whoever would understand the character of Washington, in all its compass and grandeur, must learn it from his own writings, and from a complete history of his country during the long period in which he was the most prominent actor." In Walpole s "Letters," at the date of 1782, we read Washington was remarkably silent and serious, and when he banqueted his prisoner, Lord Cornwallis, spoke little, never TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 23 smiled, but happening to ask if it was true that Lord Dun- more was returning to resume the government of Virginia, on being answered in the affirmative, burst into a merry fit of laughter. This was the philosopher laughing at the ass that had left mumbling thistles for clover beyond his reach. Guizot closes his eloquent and enthusiastic volume on " The Character and Influence of Washington," with these earnest words : " Government will be, always and everywhere, the greatest exercise of the faculties of man, and consequently that which requires minds of the highest order. It is for the honor, as well as for the interest of society, that such minds should be drawn into the administration of its affairs, and retained there ; for no institutions, no securities, can supply their place. And, on the other hand, in men who are worthy of this destiny, all weariness, all sadness of spirit, however it might be permitted in others, is a weakness. Their voca tion is labor; their reward is, indeed, the success of their efforts, but still only in labor. Very often they die, bent under the burden, before the day of recompense arrives. Washington lived to receive it ; he deserved and enjoyed both success and repose. Of all great men, he was the most virtuous, and the most fortunate. In this world God has no higher favors to bestow." The halo of distance lends a charm and fascination to great names that have become historic ; to have stood this test of time, is a guarantee of their true greatness. Thus will it ever continue to be with the immortal name of Wash ington, gaining added lustre with the advancing centuries. 24 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. His private life, it has often been said, was as free from stain as his public life was surpassingly admirable. To cite the words of one who knew whereof he affirmed, it may be added that " every event of his life, whether little or great, affords evidence of his exalted purity, his ennobling sense of right, his disinterested self-sacrifice." When the Marquis of Chastellux took leave of Washing ton at Newburgh, " It is not difficult," wrote the French officer, " to imagine the pain that separation gave me ; but I have, too, much pleasure in recollecting the real tenderness with which it affected him, not to take a pride in mention ing it. ... I wish to express the impression General Washington has left on my mind ; the idea of a perfect whole, which cannot be the product of enthusiasm, but would rather reject it since the effect of proportion is to diminish the idea of greatness. Brave without temerity, laborious without ambition, generous without prodigality, noble without pride, virtuous without severity, he seems always to have confined himself within those limits where the virtues, by clothing themselves in more lively, but less changeable and doubtful colors, may be mistaken for faults. It will be said of him, at the end of a long Civil War, he had nothing with which he could reproach himself. If anything can be more marvellous than such a character it is the unan imity of the public suffrages in his favor." It has been well said that, "As a warrior, he was inspired with the spirit of American Independence; as a civilian, he believed in the popular genius of the Puritan Commonwealth. TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 25 He drew his sword for popular freedom ; and when he sheathed it, the people, and not he himself, were elevated into power. As commander of the American army he never forgot his relation to the private soldier ; as President of the American Republic, he never forgot that he was also an American citizen. Superior to low ambition and the pride of kings/ he eclipsed the splendors of the most ambitious and founded the only empire which foreign foe has never vanquished, and which civil strife has merely purified and strengthened. "* The glory of Napoleon grows paler and paler, while Washington s grows constantly more lustrous. Count Herzburg wrote to him from Berlin these words: " I have always admired your great virtues and qualities, your disinterested patriotism, your unshaken courage and simplicity of manners qualifications by which you surpass men, even the most celebrated of antiquity." And one of England s greatest poets wrote : " Where may the wearied eye repose When gazing on the great, Where neither guilty glory glows, Nor despicable state ? Yes, one the first, the last, the best, The Cincinnatus of the West Whom envy dared not hate Bequeathed the name of Washington To make men blush there was but one ! " " The memory of Washington is the highest and most precious of national blessings, and as such, cannot be ap- * G. B. Loring. 26 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. preached by artist or author without reverence. Death has canonized his memory. . . . There was nothing in him to dazzle, as in Napoleon, nothing to allure, as in Louis XIV., when they sought to inspire their armies with enthu siasm. The power of Washington as a guide, a chieftain and a representative of his country, was based on a less dramatic and more permanent law; he gained the influence so essential to success the ability to control others by virtue of a sublime self-government. It was in the last analysis, because personal interest, selfish ambition, safety, comfort all that human instincts endear were cheerfully sacrificed, because passions naturally strong were kept in abeyance by an energetic will, because disinterestedness was demonstrated as a normal fact of character, that gradually, but surely, and by a law as inevitable as that which holds a planet to its orbit, public faith was irrevocably attached to him." These analytical words are from the pen of the late Henry T. Tuckerman. " In clearness and soundness of judgment," wrote Lecky the historian, u in civil, as in military life, Washington was pre-eminent among his contemporaries; for his perfect mod eration and self-control, for the quiet dignity and the indom itable firmness with which he pursued every path which he had deliberately chosen. He was in the highest sense of the word a gentleman and a man of honor, and he carried into public life the severest standard of private morals." Thus by the concurrent testimony of representative minds, may be seen the high estimate in which his character TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 27 has ever been held, as to its various phases of general, statesman, and civilian. A closer analysis discovers to us the elements of his character, so nicely balanced and in such harmonious proportions, that its completeness may fairly challenge a compeer among men. " His life was gentle ; and the elements So mixed in him that Nature might stand up, And say to all the world this z s a man!" Not only was Washington a man of strict integrity, and exemplary in private life, he was conspicuously self- denying and heroic in his public career, added to which his was a religious life. Like the heroes of Bible story, and the great Gustavus Adolphus, Washington, amid the thick of the tumult and asperities of war, bowed himself, with his battalions on the tented field, and commended his cause to the God of battles, before encountering the forces of his foe. He was yet the quiet, unostentatious Christian, his sterling integrity of character, and his uniform deportment, proclaim ing the fact more eloquently than in articulate words. Lord Byron, who espoused the cause of liberty in the East, has given us a canto for our great leader: " Can tyrants but by tyrants conquered be And Freedom find no champion, and no child, Such as Columbia saw arise when she Sprung- forth a Pallas, armed and undefiled? Or must such minds be nourished in the wild, Deep in the unpruned forest, midst the roar Of cataracts, where nursing nature smiled On infant Washington ? Has earth no more Such seeds within her breast, or Europe no such shore? " 28 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. Napoleon s words were, " This great man fought against tyranny ; he established the liberty of his country. His memory will always be dear to the French people, as it will be to all freemen of the two worlds." Said Channing : " Washington served us chiefly by his sublime moral qualities. To him belonged the proud dis tinction of being the leader in a revolution without awakening one doubt or solicitude, as to the spotless purity of his pur pose. His was the glory of being the brightest manifestation of the spirit which reigned in this country ; and in this way he became a source of energy, a bond of union, the centre of an enlightened people s confidence. By an instinct which is unerring we call Washington, with grateful reverence, the Father of his Country!" Von Raumer s words are, " The admiration w r ith which Washington is regarded by all civilized nations shows him to be one of the few among mankind, to whom is given an immortality more durable than brass or marble, and whose spotless and beneficent memory is cherished by the latest posterity." In Prof. Goldwin Smith s " Oxford Lectures," we read the following words : " The character of Washington is one of the glories of our race ; to teach all ages the greatness of moderation and civil duty. It has been truly said that there is one spectacle more grateful to Heaven than a good man in adversity, a good man successful in a great cause. Deeper happiness cannot be conceived than that of the years which Washington passed at Mount Vernon, looking back upon a TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 29 life of arduous command, held without a selfish thought and laid down without a stain." The last citation to be added to this brilliant scroll of great names is that of Thomas Jefferson. His words are : " I think I knew General Wash ington intimately and thoroughly ; and were I called on to delineate his character, it should be in terms like these. His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order ; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke ; and, as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder. . . . He was indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good and a great man." Physically, also, he was a noble personage, six feet two inches in height, and well proportioned, never too stout for prompt and easy movement. His hair was brown, his eyes blue and far apart, his hands large, his arms uncommonly strong, the muscular development of his frame perfect. He was a bold and graceful horseman ; was scrupulously attentive to the proprieties of dress, was gracious and gentle to all. He was childless; but most happy in his domestic relations. Here should be linked as a pendant to this galaxy of great names, the following beautiful lyric of Eliza Cook, the English poetess, whose poetical writings are comparatively now little known. These heroic stanzas were written nearly half a century ago. WASHINGTON. Land of the West ! though passing brief the record of thine age, Thou hast a name that darkens all on History s wide page ! Let all the blasts of fame ring out thine shall be loudest far ; Let others boast their satillites thou hast the planet star. 30 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. Thou hast a name whose characters of light shall ne er depart; Tis stamped upon the dullest brain, and warms the coldest heart ; A war-cry fit for any land where Freedom s to be won : Land of the West ! it stands alone it is thy Washington ! Rome had its Csesar, great and brave ; but stain was on his wreath : He lived the heartless conqueror, and died the tyrant s death. France had its eagle ; but his wings, though lofty they might soar, Were spread in false ambition s flight, and dipped in murder s gore. Those hero-gods, whose mighty sway would fain have chained the waves, Who fleshed their blades with tiger zeal, to make a world of slaves Who, though their kindred barred the path, still fiercely waded on Oh, where shall be their " glory " by the side of Washington ! He fought, but not with love of strife ; he struck but to defend ; And ere he turned a people s foe, he sought to be a friend : He strove to keep his country s right by Reason s gentle word, And sighed when fell Injustice threw the challenge sword to sword : He stood the firm, the calm, the wise, the patriot and sage ; He showed no deep avenging hate no burst of despot rage. He stood for Liberty and Truth, and daringly led on, Till shouts of Victory gave forth the name of Washington. No car of triumph bore him through a city filled with grief ; No groaning captives at the wheels proclaimed him victor-chief : He broke the gyves of slavery with strong and high disdain ; But cast no sceptre from the links when he had crushed the chain. He saved his land, but did not lay his soldier trappings down, To change them for a regal vest, and don a kingly crown. Fame was too earnest in her joy too proud of such a son To let a robe and title mask her noble Washington. England, my heart is truly thine my loved, my native earth The land that holds a mothers grave, and gave that mother birth ! Oh, keenly sad would be the fate that thrust me from thy shore, And faltering my breath that sighed " Farewell for evermore ! " But did I meet such adverse lot, I would not seek to dwell Where olden heroes wrought the deeds for Homer s song to tell. Away, thou gallant ship ! I d cry, and bear me swiftly on ; But bear me from my own fair land to that of Washington. I MEMORABILIA. N Westmoreland county, Virginia, near the banks of the Potomac, may be seen a stone with this inscription : " HERE, THE IITH OF FEBRUARY (O.S.), 1732, GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS BORN." The calendar having been changed, we celebrate his birthday on the twenty-second of February. George Washington was descended from an old and titled family in Lancashire, England, and was the eldest child of his father, by Mary Ball, his second wife. He died when George was little more than ten years of age, and the guidance of the future leader, through the dangers of youth- hood, devolved upon his mother. She was fitted for the service ; and during his eventful life, Washington regarded the early training of his mother with the deepest gratitude. He was always beloved by his young companions, and was always chosen their leader in military plays. At the age of fourteen years, he wished to enter the navy, but yielded to the discouraging persuasions of his mother ; and when he was seventeen years old, he was one of the most accomplished land surveyors in Virginia. In the forest rambles incident to his profession, he learned 32 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. much of the topography of the country, habits of the Indians, and life in the camp. These were stern but use ful lessons of great value in his future life. Young Washington was appointed one of the adjutants- general of his state at the age of nineteen, but soon resigned his commission to accompany an invalid half-brother to the West Indies. Two years later, when the French began to build forts southward of Lake Erie, he was sent, by the royal governor of Virginia, to demand a cessation of such hostile movements. He performed the delicate mission with great credit ; and so highly were his services esteemed, that when, in 1755, Braddock came to drive the French from the vicinity of the Ohio, Washington was chosen his principal aid. The young leader had already been in that wilderness at the head of a military expedition, and performed his duty so well, that he was publicly thanked by the Virginia legis lature. Braddock was defeated and killed, and his whole army escaped utter destruction only through the skill and valor of Colonel Washington, in directing their retreat. He continued in active military service most of the time, until the close of 1758, when he resigned his commission, and retired to private life. At the age of twenty-seven years, Washington married the beautiful Martha Custis, the young widow of a wealthy Virginia planter, and they took up their abode at Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac, an estate left him by his half-brother. There he quietly pursued the business of a farmer until the Spring of 1774, when he was chosen to fill MEMORABILIA. 33 a seat in the Virginia legislature. The storm of the great revolution was then gathering ; and towards the close of Summer he was elected a delegate to the first Continental Congress, which assembled at Philadelphia, in September. He was a delegate the following year, when the storm burst on Bunker Hill, after the first lightning flash at Lexington ; and by the unanimous voice of his compatriots he was chosen commander-in-chief of the army of freemen which had gath ered spontaneously around Boston. For eight long years Washington directed the feeble armies of the revolted colonies, in their struggle for indepen dence. That was a terrible ordeal through which the peo ple of America passed ! During the night of gloom which brooded over the hopes of the patriots, from the British in vasion of New York until the capture of Cornwallis, he was the lode-star of their hopes. And when the blessed morning of peace dawned at Yorktown, and the last hoof of the op pressor had left our shores, Washington was hailed as the deliverer of his people ; and he was regarded by the aspirants for freedom in the eastern hemisphere as the brilliant day- star of promise to future generations. During all the national perplexities after the return of peace, incident to financial embarrassments and an imperfect system of government, Washington was regarded, still, as the public leader, and when a convention assembled to modify the existing government, he was chosen to preside over their deliberations. And again, when the labors of that convention resulted in the formation of our Federal Constitution, and a 34 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. President of the United States was to be chosen, according to its provisions, his countrymen, with unanimous voice, called him to the highest place of honor in the gift of a free people. Washington presided over the affairs of the new Repub lic for eight years, and those the most eventful in its history. A new government had to be organized without any existing model, and new theories of government were to be put in practice for the first time. The domestic and foreign policy of the country had to be settled by legislation and diplomacy, and many exciting questions had to be met and answered. To guide the ship of state through the rocks and quicksands of all these difficulties required great executive skill and wisdom. Washington possessed both ; and he retired from the theatre of public life without the least stain of reproach upon his judgment or his intentions. We are indebted to B. J. Lossing s " Our Countrymen" for the preceding extract. Washington s great life was nearing its close ; his work was accomplished, for he had, it has been well said, "built up a nation destined, if it but follow his example, to be the greatest upon earth. Since his retirement from the Presi dency, his health had been remarkably good ; and although advancing years had brought their infirmities, yet up to the very close of life he was able to endure fatigue, and make exertions of body and mind, with scarcely less ease and activity, than he had done in the prime of his strength." * Walter s Memorials. MEMORABILIA. 35 The last scene in one of the noblest of lives should here be sketched by his latest, if not his best biographer Wash ington Irving : " Winter had now set in, with occasional wind and rain and frost, yet Washington still kept up his active round of in-door and out-door avocations, as his diary records. He was in full health and vigor, dined out occasionally, and had frequent guests at Mount Vernon ; and, as usual, was part of every day in the saddle, going the rounds of his estates, and, in his military phraseology, visiting the out posts. About ten o clock on the morning of the 1 2th of December, he mounted his horse, and rode out as usual: about one o clock it began to snow, soon after to hail, and then turned to a settled cold rain. Having on an overcoat, he continued his ride without regarding the weather, and did not return to the house until after three o clock. His secretary approached him with letters to be franked ; he franked them, but Washington remarked that the weather was too bad to send the servant out with them. As dinner had been waiting for the General, he sat down to table with out changing his dress ; yet in the evening he appeared as well as usual. On the following morning, however, he com plained of a sore throat, and had evidently taken cold the day before. In the afternoon the weather cleared up, and he went out on the grounds between the house and the river, to mark some trees which were to be cut down. His cold grew worse towards night, but he made light of it. He was very cheerful in the evening, as he sat in the parlor with Mrs. Washington and Mr. Lear, amusing himself with the CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR WASHINGTON S SWORD AND STICK. THE WASHINGTON SARCOPHAGUS. MEMORABILIA. 37 papers which had been brought from the post-office. On retiring for the night it was suggested that he should take something for his cold. No/ he replied, you know I never take anything for a cold ; let it go as it came. In the night he was seized with ague and difficulty of breath ing ; in the early morning the General was hardly able to utter a word intelligibly, and the family physician being summoned the patient was bled. The blood ran freely, but Mrs. Washington, fearing he would become too exhausted, begged to have the effusion stopped ; when the General murmured against its being stopped, and said More, more. His old friend, Dr. Craik, had called to his aid two other professional gentlemen, when various remedies were tried, and additional bleeding, but all of no avail. After consult ing with Mrs. Washington, about his last will, which he con signed to her care, he said to his friend, Mr. Lear, I find I am going, my breath cannot last long ; I believed from the first that the disorder would prove fatal. Do you arrange and record all my late military letters and papers ; arrange my accounts and settle my books, as you know more about them than any one else. He then asked if I recollected anything which it was essential for him to do, as he had but a very short time to continue with us. I told him that I could recollect nothing ; but that I hoped he was not so near his end. As Mr. Lear endeavored to make his position in bed more easy, the general said, I am afraid I fatigue you too much ; when upon being assured to the contrary, he grate fully continued, Well, it is a debt we must pay to each other, 3 8 CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR. and I hope when you want aid of this kind you will find it. About 5 o clock his old friend Dr. Craik came again into the room, and as he approached his patient, Washington said, Doctor, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go. I believed, from my first attack, that I should not survive it, my breath cannot last long. Further remedies were tried with out avail, in the evening: he took whatever was offered him, did as he was desired by the physicians, and never uttered sigh or complaint. At 10 o clock, after making sev eral attempts to speak, he said, I am just going. Have me decently buried, and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead. Ten minutes before he expired his breathing became easier; he lay quietly, when his countenance changed, and he expired without a struggle or a sigh, on December 14, 1799." By another authority we read that " Mrs. Washington was at the bedside, where she had often been seen kneeling, with her head resting upon the Bible. Mr. Lear and Dr. Craik were leaning over the bed ; and four of the domestics were in the room. Washington raised himself up, and cast ing a look of benignity on all around, as if to thank them for their kindly attention, he composed his limbs, closed his eyes, and folding his arms upon his bosom expired, saying these words, Father of mercies, take me to Thyself ! " The chamber where the good man meets his fate Is privileged beyond the common walk Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven ! " MEMORABILIA. 39 ,^^^^^-^-^^-^^^^^--S^-^~^~^-S^--N^ Mr. Irving thus refers to the public honors paid to his memory by foreign States, as well as throughout the United States: "When the news reached England, Lord Bridport, who had command of a British fleet of nearly sixty sail of the line, lying at Torbay, lowered his flag half-mast, every ship following the example ; and Bonaparte, first Consul of France, on announcing his death to the army, ordered that black crape should be suspended from all the standards and flags throughout the public service for ten days." Congress was in session at Philadelphia at the time of Washington s death, and rendered appropriate honors to his memory. A public funeral was decreed, at which Major Henry Lee pronounced an oration; and the National Legis lature resolved that a marble monument should be erected to his memory, by the United States at the National Capitol (Washington), so designed as to commemorate the great military and civil events of his life. After the lapse of more than three-quarters of a century, the monument has been completed. It is a simple grand obelisk rising five hundred and fifty-five feet into the air; tallest of all towers, and most fitting, as it is commemorative of one whose moral altitude so transcended that of his fellows. It does not fall within the plan of this little memorial to attempt to reproduce the wise words of Washington, they are too many and too good to be lightly perused ; but it may not be amiss to cite one of his favorite aphorisms. " There exists," said he, " in the economy of nature an inseparable con nection between duty and advantage." Washington s whole life was a verification of the statement. WASHINGTON TOMB, MOUNT VERNOA ME MORA BILIA . 4 1 Patriots of every country will welcome with pride and gratification the following sonnet from the pen of Francis Bennoch, the loved and gifted friend of Mary Russell Mit- ford, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry W. Longfellow.* " Before thy tomb, great Statesman, I have bowed In humble reverence, knowing well the zeal With which thou struggled for thy people s weal. Struggled and conquered ! Never tempest cloud Could stay the lightning of thy heart, nor shroud That quenchless courage which made despot reel, And men clown-trodden, of thy prowess proud ! And now I gaze with rapture on thy face So calm and deep in thought, transcending earth ! By artist limned, where dignity, and grace, And force combined to give a Nation birth, With power to speak and liberate the race ! Of Freedom s bravest leaders, there are none Whose fame o ershadows thine, heroic Washington ! Walter s Memorials of Washington. THE BARDS. Salad for the Solitary and the Social. BY FREDERICK SAUNDERS, Author of "Mosaics," " Festival of Song," and Evenings with the Sacred Poets." POPULAR EDITION. Illustrated with Fifty-two Original Designs by Eminent American Artists. Q26 Pages, Octavo. Cloth Bind ing, handsomely stamped, $2.OO ; the same with gilt edges, $2. SO. " It is emphatically a book to buy." N. Y. Times. " A volume that may be read and re-read." N. Y. World. " One of the most delightful series of essays in our language." Albion. " It breathes the fine aroma of the library." A T . Y. Tribune. " A delightful companion for all seasons and for all occasions." Boston Traveler. " A feast for the soul." Scottish- American. " There is hardly another book that contains so much good and quotable matter of its kind." N. Y. Evening Post. " It is distinguished not only by its literary excellence and absorbing interest, out by the healthiness of its humor, the purity of its morals, and the genuine respect which it shows for religion." A r . Y. Churchman. %* Copies for sale at all first-class book stores, or will be forwarded free on receipt of price by the publisher. THOMAS WHITTAKER, 4TH AVE. & 9TH ST., NEW YORK. RECENTLY PUBLISHED. Handsomely printed in I2mo, and bound in cloth, gilt top, $1.25. Stray Leaves of Literature. By FREDERICK SAUNDERS. AUTHOR OF " Salad for the Solitary and Social," "Evenings ivith the Sacred Poets" "Pastime Papers," " Story of Some Famous Books," etc. " Every lover of the essay, such as Addison, Hazlitt and Hunt made it, has a warm place in his heart for the man who wrote Salad for the Solitary. He is a worthy successor ot that old school of essayists who will never go out of fashion while any love of simplicity and purity in literature remains. From the present volume we learn that Mr. Saunders s mind has lost none of its freshness, and that his good right hand turns out a style as finished as ever. Under the modest guise of a book-lover, who merely extracts sweetness from libraries, he hides an original, reflective mind. In every one of the thirteen essays which compose this dainty little volume, may be found Mr. Saunders s own valuable contribution to the stock of wise epigrams His papers on Old Book Notes, Ballad and Song Literature, and The Survival of Books," though wholly unpretentious rambles among burdened shelves, abound in the author s original aphorisms. As for the pleasant talks about l Human Sym pathy, Life s Little Day and Our Social Salutations, they could have been uttered only by one who loves his fellow-creatures even better than his books." TV. Y.Jour. of Commerce. " After spending all the morning most delightfully in reading Stray Leaves of Litera ture, to say I am pleased with the book, is but a weak expression of opinion as to its merits. It is a bright, cheery, and vivacious grouping of facts, incidents and anecdotes; calling up and marshalling in continuous line, a throng of old friends, who, like old wine, are sweet to the taste and to memory. These are not ephemeral stray leaves blown hither and thither, and destined finally to pass into oblivion, but of perennial freshness. This attractive volume wins to a love for books, and the genuine book-lover will welcome it; as a genial friend and com forting companion, it will make book-lovers of old and young." Extract from Letter of IV. J. Bruce, Esq., U. S. Senate. "A book of elegant leisure and calm philosophy. Of exquisite English in a mellow style, the book is full; but along with the gems of thought clipped from the quarries of great think ers, are the author s own shining witticisms, clear ideas and many hued fancies; all making richest mosaic. This literary Florentine will hold its place to charm all who are not in too much of a hurry to enjoy it." The Critic, N. Y. THOMAS WHITTAKER, 4th Ave. & pth St., New York. Whittaker s Half-Hour Series. " Thomas Whittaker is publishing a Half-Hour Library of Travel, Na ture, and Science. It is handsomely gotten up and illustrated. Among the volumes are Half Hours in Field and Forest, and Half Hours with a Nat uralist, by J. G. Wood; Half Hours in the Holy Land, by Norman Mac- leod, etc. It is a most interesting series and is especially adapted to young people. It will give them both pleasure and profit." The Press, Half-Hours with a Naturalist. Rambles near the Shore. By Rev. J. G. WOOD, M.A. Over 100 Fine Wood Cuts. I2mo. $1.50. Half-Hours in Field and Forest. Chapters in Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. WOOD, M.A. Over 100 Fine Wood Cuts. I2mo. $1.50. Half-Hours in the Holy Land. Travels in Egypt, Palestine and Syria. By NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D. Over 100 Fine Wood Cuts. I2mo. $1,50. OTHERS IN PREPARA TION. Whittaker s Home Library, A NEW SERIES OF HANDSOME BOOKS IN BEAUTIFUL CLOTH BINDING, PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. PRICE, $I-5O PER VOLUME. Romance of Animal Life. Short Chapters in Natural His tory. With 100 Illustrations. By Rev. J. G. WOOD. Leaders Onward and Upward. Brief Biographies of No ble Workers. By HENRY C. EWART. With 80 Illustrations. Round the Globe. Through Greater Britain. By W. C. PROC TOR. With 80 Illustrations. Important New Books of Reference. Classical and Foreign Quotations. Law Terms and Max ims, Proverbs, Mottoes, Phrases, and Expressions in French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Spanish and Portuguese. With Translations, Ref erences, Explanatory Notes and Indexes. By WM. FRANCIS HENRY KING, M.A. Thick crown 8vo, tastefully bound in half Roxborough, gilt top, $1.75. ^O~ A valuable work of reference for private libraries. The Dictionary of Anecdote, Incident, Illustrative Fact, selected and arranged for the Pulpit and the Platform. By the Rev. WAL TER BAXENDALE. 600 pages, thick royal 8vo, cloth binding, $3.50. ne of the most useful books for clergyman and lecturers. For sale by all booksellers. Published by THOMAS WHITTAKER. 4TH AVE, & 9TH ST., NEW YORK. BUY IT. " Bryan Maurice " is an excellent antidote to " Robert Elsmere." " The logic of Mr. Mitchell is much better than the logic of Mrs. Ward." The Churchman. " As Robert Elsmere proceeded from orthodoxy and definite doctrine to 4 vasty vagueness, so Bryan Maurice recedes from liberal Christianity to the safe territory of the historic faith." The Christian Union. READ IT. " It delineates the progress of a mind from the vague and indefinite nega tions of a merely humanitarian theology, through various phases of doubt and mental anguish, to the sure confidence of a peaceful faith in the verities of the Christian religion." Mail and Express, New York. " The third chapter is a piece of writing one does not encounter often in a lifetime." Boston Herald. LEND IT. " As a plea for Holy Church and Catholic Creed it is an invaluable gift to the world. . . . The publisher does timely service to the cause of Christianity by reissuing Bryan Maurice. " The Living Church. " It will be a powerful help in establishing a wavering faith amid the fashionable contradictions of the day." The Mail and Express. Bryan Maurice; or, The Seeker, BY WALTER MITCHELL. I2mo, paper covers, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00. PUBLISHED BY THOMAS WHITTAKER, 4TH AVE, & 9TH ST., NEW YORK, 12mo, Cloth, uncut edges, 40c, per vol. T HE CAMELQT SERIES EDITED BY ERNEST RHYS. "Wonderful Books for the Money." ROMANCE OP KING ARTHUR. Edited by Ernest Rhys. CONFESSIONS OP AN ENGLISH OPIUM-EATER. Edited by William Sharp. LANDOR S IMAGINARY CONVERSATIONS, Edited by H. Ellis. PLUTARCH S LIVES. Ediied by B. J. Snell, M.A. SIR THOMAS BROWNE S RELIGIO MEDICI, etc. Edited by J. Addington Symonds SHELLEY S ESSAYS AND LETTERS. Edited by Ernest Rhys. PROSE WRITINGS OF SWIFT. Edited by W. Lewin. GREAT ENGLISH PAINTERS. Edited by W. Sharp, LORD BYRON S LETTERS. Edited by M. Blind. ESSAYS BY LEIGH HUNT. Edited by A. Symons. MARCUS AURELIUS/ Edited by Alice Zimmern. WHITE S NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. Edited, with Introduction, by Richard Jefferie-. DEFOE S CAPTAIN SINGLETON. Edited, with Introduction, by H. Halliday Sparling. ESSAYS ; Literary and Political. By Joseph Mazzini. Edited, with Introduction, by William Clarke. THE PROSE WRITINGS OF HEINRICH HEINE. Edited with Introduction, by Havelock Ellis. SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS DISCOURSES. Edited, with Introduction, by Helen Zimmern. THE LOVER, and other Papers of Steele and Addison. Edited, with Introduction, by Walter Lewin. BDRNS S LETTERS. Edited by J. Logic Robertson, M.A. VOLSUNGA SAGA. Edited by H. II. Sparling. SARTOR RESARTUS. By Thomas Carlyle. Edited, with Introduction, by Ernest Rhys. SENECA S MORALS. Edited by Walter Clode. LORD HERBERT OF CHERBURY Edited by W. H. Dircks. ENGLISH PROSE. From Maundevile" to Wordsworth. THE PILLARS OF SOCIETY AND OTHER PLAYS., By Henrik Ibsen, Edited by Havelock Ellis. IRISH FAIRY TALES AND FOLK LORE. TEACHING OF EPICTBTUS. Edi ed by * * Yea S DR. JOHNSON S ESSAYS. WILLIAM HAZLITT S ESSAYS. THOMAS WHITTAKEMtir/WeT& 9th St., New York. Revolving Elamspjiere ^ * -JL. Showing the principal Stars visible for every hour in the year. Adapted for the United States. Price, 60 cents. (By mail, 65 cents.) A simple and neat device for astronomical observation. The disc can be set so as to give the exact position of the principal stars any hour in the year. Full directions for the ready use of the Planisphere are printed with each copy. Jt is the cheapest and most practical device for the study of the stars at home or in school that has ever been offered. The London publisher has sold over 25,000 of them in two years. THOMAS WHITTAKER, 4TH AVE. & 9TH ST., NEW YORK. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. ._..-. t Rec-0 ^ General Library LD 21A-50m-8, 57 University of California (C8481slO)476B Berkeley