<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN>
<h1>GEORGE WASHINGTON</h1>
<p class="center"><span class="large"><i>Translated from the German of
<br/>Ferdinand Schmidt</i></span></p>
<p class="center"><span class="smaller">BY</span>
<br/><span class="large">GEORGE P. UPTON</span></p>
<hr>
<h2 id="c1"><span class="h2line1">Chapter I</span> <br/><span class="h2line2">Boyhood</span></h2>
<p>The contemplation of the wonders of the universe
is always inspiring and uplifting—the
crystalline purity of the sky, the splendor
of the sunrise and sunset, the grandeur of
the starry night, the fragrant forest, the smiling landscape,
the tree, the flower, the boundless ocean, and
all the countless manifestations of nature. But how
much greater our admiration and inspiration when
we reverently contemplate the progress of a noble
human soul toward ever higher and higher planes of
perfection! Some of the good seed which it scatters
may take root in our minds to strengthen and
develop the best that is in us. We perceive the
possibilities of the race and what we may ourselves
become if the will to strive keeps pace with a love
for what is good.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div>
<p>In ancient times thoughtful people compared
great and good souls to the stars. They rise in the
spiritual firmament with a pure radiance and, ever
anew breaking through the mists and clouds which
obscure them, remain visible to later generations.
Thus they become guiding stars for struggling human
beings here below. The particular star which the
reader who has the wisdom and the inclination to
perfect himself is invited to study in these pages
arose in the forests of Virginia on the twenty-second
of February, 1732. It was there that little
George first opened his eyes and looked out
upon a world in which he was to play so great a
part. There his negro mammy sat with him on the
bench before the door, throwing crumbs to the turkeys
and pigeons to amuse him, and there, under
the rustling trees, he whittled his first horse out of
hazelwood.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div>
<p>George’s father, Augustine Washington, was a
planter of English extraction. His first ancestor
had emigrated from England when North America
was still the undisputed property of the Indians.
The territory which later became the United States
is almost as large as the continent of Europe. Two
hundred years ago the whole country was a trackless
forest, broken only by enormous morasses, cane-brakes,
and savannas or grassy prairies. In the
prosperous plantation house on the east bank of
the Rappahannock in which George was born, piety,
industry, and probity had made their habitation.
That was the first blessing with which heaven
dowered the boy. Of course, living in a pure and
healthy moral atmosphere is not in itself all that is
required to guide a youth into paths of rectitude;
the will to do the right and the continual struggle
to attain it can alone accomplish the greater part.
Reprobates have sometimes come out of the best
environments. The voice of conscience is awakened
very early in the human breast and we soon know
right from wrong. However, it is a great boon and
a wonderful help to be surrounded by people who are
examples of virtue in word and deed, and he who
strays into the paths of sin in spite of such surroundings
is doubly to be censured.</p>
<p>At that time the English immigrants lived scattered
in the forest, but neighbors had already
formed themselves into parishes and founded schools
and churches. The schools were of course of a very
simple type, nothing but reading, writing, and arithmetic
being taught. Most of the settlers found
this quite sufficient for their children and rich
planters sent their sons to England to be educated.
Lawrence Washington, George’s eldest step-brother,
enjoyed these advantages. He was fourteen years
older than George, who was a babe in arms when
Lawrence set out on his first voyage to England, so
that he could not remember his step-brother. When
George was eight years old, Lawrence, now in his
twenty-second year, returned. The arrival of the
well-educated and well-bred young gentleman was a
welcome event in the family circle, and George loved
him from the first moment. Their affection was mutual,
and indeed Lawrence showed a truly paternal
interest in the bright, alert boy.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div>
<p>Their father had no intention of sending another
son abroad. He looked upon Lawrence as the
natural head of the family after his death and was
satisfied that his probable successor had received a
liberal education. Accordingly George was sent to
the parish school. He applied himself eagerly to
his tasks and thus laid a firm foundation, at least, for
the studies which he afterward prosecuted by himself.
One trait of his character showed itself very
early—he did all his work with the greatest conscientiousness
and neatness. Not a stroke of his
pen betrayed carelessness. Some of his school books,
which have been preserved, bear witness to this.
He showed the same care when any work about the
house was required of him. He endeavored to do
whatever he had to do, however insignificant it was
or might seem to be, as perfectly as possible. Of
course he was not capable of appreciating at that
time how important this was in the development
of his character. It was simply his early awakened
sense of duty, reinforced by his earnest efforts to
practise what he knew to be right. It was not until
later that he realized the deeper significance of
work as a means of strengthening the powers of the
soul. There is no kind of work which may not be
either well or ill done. If you put all your capabilities
into it, and the result is more or less satisfactory,
you have accomplished even more than the success
of the moment; you have been working for the
growth of your inner self. For one who realizes this,
the greatest drudgery has lost its sting. George
was just as conscientious in everything which pertained
to morals. He had a passionate disposition,
but we learn that early in life he strove to curb his
hasty temper by exercising deliberation and will
power. It was therefore customary, among his
school-fellows, when disagreements arose, to take
them to him, and his verdict was generally accepted,
for they knew that he was willing to acknowledge
himself in the wrong when his fiery temper had
carried him away. It was justice and not the person
that had weight with him.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div>
<p>Another of his qualities, military talent, was early
recognizable. It was an inheritance. There had
been warriors among his ancestors, men of note,
of whom English chronicles tell us. Several of
these had so distinguished themselves as to have
been knighted. George’s brother Lawrence was
of a like temper, and it now happened that he
had an opportunity of becoming a soldier. British
commerce in the West Indies had suffered heavy
losses through piratical attacks by Spain and the
English government determined to avenge itself. A
fleet was fitted out, and as England was the mother
country of the Virginians, the recruiting drum was
heard in the colony also. Lawrence volunteered
and was given a captain’s commission. It was no
wonder that there was considerable excitement over
all this in the home of the Washingtons. George
took the liveliest interest in his brother’s equipment.
He thought it very proper that the robbers, of whom
he had heard many dreadful stories, should be punished,
and gazed at his brother’s bright sword with
delight and respect. He vowed that he too would
sometime help to right the wrongs of his injured
countrymen in time of need. He was told many
tales of his valiant ancestors. It is no wonder then
that the picture of his brother as he had left home,
in his war trappings, was constantly in his mind; nor
that he begged for his letters, after his father had
read them to the assembled family, to pore over them,
especially when they had something to tell of the
soldier’s adventures.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div>
<p>All these exciting experiences which filled his mind
soon manifested themselves in his play. In place
of ball and games of a like nature, war became
the great game. His comrades were divided into
companies. He sketched plans of battles, which
were carried out. He determined the arms they
were to use and held reviews. It never occurred to
any of his little comrades to dispute with him the
rank which he had bestowed upon himself. These
occupations were also, although neither he nor any
one else suspected it, more or less of a preparation
for his after life. Just as he had before this
been the legislator for his little circle, he was now
the military chieftain. But even when playing at
soldier, the peculiarity of his character, which led
him to carry out everything he undertook with
the greatest thoroughness, was apparent. He knew
what accomplishments a soldier must strive to acquire,
and now we see him practising these exercises
with unflagging zeal, with the object of making his
body strong and supple—such as running, leaping,
wrestling, tossing bars, and the like. The leader of
the little band strove to be, in reality, the first and
foremost, and wished to live up to his title.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div>
<p>After taking part in the siege of Carthagena in
the West Indies, Lawrence returned home. One
can imagine with what interest George listened to
his brother’s recitals! What Lawrence learned of
George’s military exercises and play confirmed him
in a plan which he had long ago formed and which
had George’s hearty approval. He proposed to his
parents that as soon as George should have reached
his fourteenth year, the boy should be allowed to
enter the English service as a naval cadet, and the
carrying out of the plan was actually considered.
Lawrence himself intended to return to his regiment
to seek advancement in the army, but never did so.
Instead, he fell in love with the daughter of a rich
planter, William Fairfax. His advances were accepted
and an engagement took place. His father
was very much pleased to have his son enter into an
alliance with the rich and highly esteemed house of
Fairfax, but was not fortunate enough to live to see
the wedding.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div>
<p>George was eleven years old when he stood at the
grave of his excellent father. The deceased left
considerable property, so that his children from both
marriages were well provided for. Lawrence received
an estate on the banks of the Potomac, where he
took his young bride a few months later. According
to the terms of the will, no guardian was appointed
for the younger children, but they were left in charge
of their mother—a proof of the confidence the
deceased had reposed in her. She was worthy of it.
Irving says of her: “She was endowed with plain,
direct good sense, thorough conscientiousness, and
prompt decision; she governed her family strictly,
but kindly, exacting deference, while she inspired
affection.” She was Washington’s second wife,
and George, her first-born, was her favorite. In
spite of this, or rather because of it, she was very
strict with him, where she deemed it necessary to
protect him from excesses, and her faithful care
was rewarded. At that time Sir Matthew Hale’s
“Contemplations, Moral and Divine” was held in
great esteem among the educated English colonists
of Virginia. It was the mother’s favorite book, from
which she not only drew strength and consolation for
herself, but from which she also read aloud to her
children. Her friends often found her thus occupied.
She not only showed great insight in the selections
which she made, but the deep spiritual feeling with
which she read aloud from this and sometimes from
other writings made a deep impression on her young
hearers. Her enthusiasm was communicated to her
children, and as the whole life and doings of the
household were pervaded by a spirit of moral earnestness,
these impressions received by the young minds
were not easily effaced, but rather were confirmed.
The copy of the above-mentioned work, in which
the name of “Mary W.” is written by his mother’s
own hand, remained a valued memento in George’s
possession all his life, and he often declared that the
precepts which it contained, expounded by the soulful
voice of the mother, striving for the improvement
of her children, had had a decisive influence on his
whole life. The book is still preserved in the archives
of Mount Vernon.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div>
<p>George continued his school and home studies
with unabated industry. It was not necessary to
urge him on, but rather to warn him not to go too
far in his zeal. He was filled with an ardent desire
to acquire fresh insight, knowledge, and skill in something
each day of his life. It was a true “thirst for
knowledge.” Somewhat farther away than his first
teacher, Hobby, lived another, named Williams,
who widened the horizon of his schooling a little and
to whom he now went to learn something of commercial
bookkeeping. Although it was a dry subject,
George made astonishingly rapid progress, inspired
by the determination to acquire it as quickly as
possible. In the realms of knowledge and skill he
played the role of conqueror; mind, will, and memory
were his weapons, which became sharper and more
highly polished the more he used them. Careless
and lazy school comrades appeared contemptible
creatures to him. At this time he collected examples
of all kinds of documents used in business and daily
affairs. One of his collections bears the title
“Written Extracts,” and we find among them prescriptions,
checks, receipts, affidavits, forms of
resignation, titles to property, leases, contracts, and
wills. All these were copied with great care, the
important words written in larger letters so that
they were easily to be distinguished.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div>
<p>George had also made great progress in athletic
attainments. He had been diligently practising the
exercises of which we have spoken ever since it had
been decided to let him enter the English service as
a naval cadet. He considered it a matter of course
that a future soldier must employ himself systematically
in strengthening his muscles and acquiring
the greatest possible dexterity. The place is still
shown, in the neighborhood of his father’s property,
where George threw a stone across the Rappahannock.
He was also a fine horseman; on one occasion
he mounted an unmanageable horse, to the astonishment
of all onlookers, and was able to control it.
In the meanwhile Lawrence had taken the necessary
steps for his brother’s entrance into the English navy.
A midshipman’s warrant was obtained and his luggage
was packed. But at the last moment his
mother, after carefully reconsidering the matter,
resolved not to let her son go out into the world so
early. It was not a mother’s weakness that led her
to this determination. She had heard so much about
the roughness of a seaman’s life it is scarcely to be
wondered at that she recoiled from a plan which
meant removing her son completely from his mother’s
influence and cutting him off from the help and advice
of his relatives. His love and the respect which he
had for her opinions helped to soften the disappointment;
later he was able to thank her for having, at
that time especially, taken his destiny under such
careful and earnest consideration.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div>
<p>Before we follow his life history any further, let
us notice a practice of his in early life. He kept a
diary in which he noted everything that aroused his
interest. Besides this, he recorded significant ideas
or thoughts which he found in books or heard from
the lips of wise or experienced persons. It would
be a very good thing for our young readers to follow
his example in this. A portion of his diary bears
the superscription: “Rules for Behavior in Company
and Conversation.” Among them are some important
truths and some of lesser significance. A
number of extracts are given as they characterize
George’s aspirations so well, and also in the hope
that some readers may make a selection from
among them and—this is only a suggestion—with
it begin a diary of their own. Here are a few
examples:</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div>
<blockquote>
<p>Every action in company ought to be with some sign
of respect to those present.</p>
<p>In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a
humming noise, nor drum with your fingers or feet.</p>
<p>Speak not when others speak, sit not when others stand,
and walk not when others stop.</p>
<p>Turn not your back to others, especially in speaking;
jog not the table or desk on which another reads or writes;
lean not on any one.</p>
<p>They that are in dignity or office have in all places precedence;
but whilst they are young, they ought to respect
those who are their equals in birth, or other qualities,
though they have no public charge.</p>
<p>It is good manners to prefer those to whom we speak
before ourselves, especially if they be above us, with whom,
in no sort, we ought to begin.</p>
<p>Let your discourse with men of business be short and
comprehensive.</p>
<p>In visiting the sick, do not presently play the physician,
if you be not knowing therein.</p>
<p>Undertake not to teach your equal in the art he himself
professes; it savors of arrogancy.</p>
<p>Being to advise or reprehend any one, consider whether
it ought to be in public or in private, presently or at some
other time, also in what terms to do it; and in reproving,
show no signs of choler, but do it with sweetness and
mildness.</p>
<p>Mock not, nor jest at anything of importance; break
no jests that are sharp or biting and if you deliver anything
witty or pleasant, abstain from laughing thereat yourself.</p>
<p>Wherein you reprove another, be unblamable yourself,
for example is more prevalent than precept.</p>
<p>Use no reproachful language against any one, neither
curses nor revilings.</p>
<p>Be not hasty to believe flying reports, to the disparagement
of any one.</p>
<p>In your apparel be modest, and endeavor to accommodate
nature rather than procure admiration. Keep to
the fashion of your equals, such as are civil and orderly,
with respect to time and place.</p>
<p>Associate yourself with men of good quality if you
esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be alone
than in bad company.</p>
<p>Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for
it is a sign of a tractable and commendable nature, and
in all causes of passion admit reason to govern.</p>
<p>Be not forward, but friendly and courteous, the first
to salute, hear, and answer, and be not pensive when it is
a time to converse.</p>
<p>If two contend together, take not the part of either
unconstrained, and be not obstinate in your opinion; in
things indifferent be of the major side.</p>
<p>Reprehend not the imperfections of others, for that
belongs to parents, masters, and superiors.</p>
<p>Think before you speak; pronounce not imperfectly, nor
bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.</p>
<p>When another speaks, be attentive yourself, and disturb
not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him
not, nor prompt him without being desired; interrupt
him not, nor answer him till his speech be ended.</p>
<p>Be not apt to relate news, if you know not the truth
thereof.</p>
<p>When you deliver a matter, do it without passion and
indiscretion, however mean the person may be you do it to.</p>
<p>When your superiors talk to anybody, hear them, neither
speak nor laugh.</p>
<p>Be not tedious in discourse, make not many digressions
nor repeat often the same matter of discourse.</p>
<p>Be not angry at table, whatever happens, and if you have
reason to be so, show it not, put on a cheerful countenance,
especially if there be strangers, for good humor makes one
dish a feast.</p>
<p>When you speak of God or His attributes, let it be
seriously, in reverence and honor, and obey your natural
parents.</p>
<p>Let your recreation be manful, not sinful.</p>
<p>Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of
celestial fire called conscience.</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div>
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