!
k
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EOR
Thought Always of
Country's Welfare
In a letter to Colonel Hamilton, n
dolcgnto In Congress from tlio stato of
Now York, Washington said: "My
wish to rco tlio union of theso states
established upon llboral nnd pormn
ncnt principle, nnd Inclination to
contrlbiitii my tnlto In pointing out tlia
dofectn of tlio present constitution, nro
caually groat. All my prlvnto IcttcrH
liavo teemed with theso sentiments,
nnd, whenever this topic has been the
Biibject of conversation, I have endeav
ored to dlffuso nnd enforce them; but
how far nny further essay by mo might
bo productlvo of the wlshcd-for end, or
nppoar to nrrogato moro than belongs
to mo, depends bo much upon popular
opinion nnd the temper and disposi
tions of the people that It Is not easy
to decide. 1 shall be obliged to you,
however, for tho thoughts which you
liavo promised mo on this subject, and
as noon as you can mako It convenient.
No man in tho United 8tntes Is or can
bo moro docply Impressed with tho
necessity of n roform In our present
confederation than myself. No man,
perhaps, has felt the bad effects of it
more sensibly; for to tho defects there
of, nnd want of power In Congress,
may Justly be ascribed thu prolonga
tion of tko war, nnd consequently tho
exponscn occasioned by It. Moro than
half tho perplexities I have experi
enced In tho course of my command,
nnd almost tho whole of tho dinicultlcs
nnd distress of the army, liavo had
tholr origin hero. Hut still, tho preju
dices of Eomo, tho designs of others,
nnd tho mero machinery of the ma
jority mnko address nnd management
necessary to give wolght to opinions
which nro to combat the doctrines of
thoso different classes of men In tho
field of politics."
To Lafayctto ho wroto: "Wo nro
now nn Independent people, nnd hnvo
yet to lenrn political tactics. Wo aro,
placed among tho nations of tho earth
nnd liavo n character to establish; but
how wo shall acquit ourselves tlmo
must discover. Tho probability Is (nt
least I fear It) that local or state poll
tlcn will Interfere too much with tho
more liberal nnd extenslvo plan of
government which wisdom nnd fora
nlght, freed from tho mist of prejudico,
would dictate, nnd that wo nhall bo
guilty of many blunders In trending
this boundless theatre before wo shall
have arrived at any perfection In this
nrt; In n word, that the experience
which Is purchased nt tho prlco of dif
ficulties und distress will alono con
vince us that tho honor, power and
truo Interest of this country must bo
measured by a continental scale, and
thnt every departure therefrom weak
ens tho Union, und may ultimately
broak tho band which holds us tngeh
er. To nvcrt these evils, to form a
new constitution that will glvo con
sistency, stability nnd dignity to tlio
Union and sulllcient powors to the
great council of tho nation for general
purposes Is a duty Incumbent upon
ovcry man who wishes well to his
country, and will moot with my uld as
far as It can bo rendered In tho prlvnto
wnlkB of llfo."
Wk. x. jfe I&
Gratitude of
Congress Shown
When Washington returned to New
burg, at the close of tho revolution,
ho found a letter from tho president of
Congress, asking his attendance on
thnt assembly, then in session nt
PrJncoton. Tho object of this request
was to consult him on tho arrange
ments for penco, nnd othor public con
corns. While ho was making prepara
tions to leavo camp Congress conferred
on him now honors. It was voted
unanimously that an equestrian statue
of General Washington should bo
erected nt tho placo where tho resi
dence of Congress should bo estab
lished, and that It should bo executed
by tho beat artist In Europe, undor tho
superintendence of the minister of tlio
United States nt tho Court of Ver
sailles. 3C 3C 3E 3C
Incident Typica.1
of Washington's
Life
A story lllustrntlvo of tho firm and
determined character of Washington Is
told In tho following description of af
fairs during tho frontier warfare:
"Tho labors and dangers of tho field
were not the only troubles with which
Col. Washington nt this tlmo bad to
contend. By an Ill-timed parsimony,
the pay of the olllcers was reduced so
low as to crcato murmurs and discon
tent throughout tho camp. Complaints
grew loud and vohetnont, accompanied
with throats to resign nnd leavo tho
army to Its fato. Under this pressure
tho charnctor of Washington shono
with tho same purity and lustre thnt
often distinguished it afterwards on
similar trying occasions. In his letters
to the governor ho assumed a firm and
manly tone, demanded for hlmsolf and
Ills associates an allowance equal to
that received by tho king's troops, and
doprecatod tho Idea of being placed
upon a tooting, which should Imply an
Inferiority In rank, or In the valuo of
their services.
"While he took this high stand In
defending tlio Just claims of the offi
cers, ho endeavored,, to, calm, their, feel
ings and reconcile the"1 to tno,r conr
dltlon by appeals to tholr honor nnd
tho obligations of duty. 'I have com
municated your sentiments to tho oth
GEl
er ofllcera,' said he to the governor,
'nnd, as far as I could put on tho hypo
crite, set forth tho ndvnutnges that
mny nceruo, and advised them to ac
cept tho terms, ns n refusal might ro
lled dishonor upon their character,
leaving It to tho world to assign what
reason It pleases for their quitting the
service.' And again, 'I considered tho
pernicious consequences that would at
tend n disunion and was therefore too
much nttaeljed to my country's Inter
ests to suffer It to ripen.' In this way
ho concealed his uneasiness, nnd tran
qulllzcd the minds of bin ofllcers, al
though ho felt tho wrongs they suf
fered, nnd approved tho spirit that
would not tamoly submit to them.
"As to himself, It was not so much
tho smallncss of the pny, that gavo
him concern, ns tho Indignity and In
justice of having his services estimated
at a lower rate, than In the Diltlsh
establishment, when In reality no ser
vice could bo more scvero und hazard
ous, or less promising of glory, than
the ono in which ho was engaged. 'Now
if wo could bo fortunate enough,' said
he, 'to drive the French from .tho Ohio,
ns far ns your honor would please to
have them sent, In any short time, our
pay will not bo sulllcient to discharge
our II rut expenses. I would not have
you Imagine from this, that I havo
said all theso things to havo our pay
wiT'nr.wmj,
Jflc&viinfij
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'a.nuruffcn.
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tT"'- cfaht $
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$7i JZy'X 2f e?&rJ! 77&
Increased, but to Justify myself, nnd
to show you that our complaints nro
not frivolous, but founded on strict
renson. For my own part, It Is a mnt
ter almost Indifferent, whether I servo
for full pay, or as u genorous volun
teer. Indeed, did my circumstances
correspond with my Inclinations, 1
should not hesltnto u moment to pre
fer tho lutter; for tho motives that
havo led me hero lire pure and noble.
I had no vlow of acquisition, but that
of honor, by serving my king and
country.' In this declaration, uttered
In tho sincerity of his heart, wo pcr
celvo tho principles, tho eminent vir
tues, that dictated every net of hla
public llfo."
Washington Chosen
Commander-in-Chief
At tho outbreak of tho war of tho
revolution, It should bo said, to the
credit of tho New England delegates,
that they were among tho foremost to
propose, and tho most zealous to pro
mote, tho nppolntment of Col. Wash
ington to tho chief command. Ah the
contest had b'jgun In Massachusetts,
tho Inhabitants of which had been tho
chief sufferers, and as the oxlstlng
army wus mostly rnlwl there, it could
not havo been thought an extravagant
assumption hnd that colony nsplred to
tho honor of furnishing n commander-in-chief.
But, happily for America,
the patriots of that day rose far above
the sordid alms of selfishness nnd par
ty rivnlships.
Whllo tho discussions wore going on
In Congress respecting military prep
arations, Mr. John Adnms, ono of tho
delegates from Massachusetts, moved
that tho nrmy, then besieging tho Brit
ish troops in Boston, should bo adopt
ed by Congress as n Continental army;
nnd. In the course of his observations
enforcing this motion, ho said It was
his intention to proposo for the office
of commander-in-chief a gentleman
from Virglnlu, who was at that tlmo a
member of tholr own body. Ills re
marks were so pointed thnt nil prebent
perceived them to npply to Col. Wash
ington, who, upon hearing this refer
ence to himself, retired from his sent
and withdrew. When tho day for tho
appointment arrived, tho nomination
was mndo by Mr. Thomns Johnson of
Maryland. Tho choice was by ballot,
and, on Inspecting tho votes, It was
found that Col. Wushlngton was unan
imously elected. As soon as tho re
sult wns ascertained, tho House ad
journed. On tho convening of Con
gross tho next morning the president
communlcntod to him officially the no
tice of bis appointment, and ho roso
In his place and slgnlfiod his nccept
anco In a brief and appropriate reply,
&
Title of Monarch
Sternly Put Aside
When tho revolution enrtnri nnrt nnn
ijwaa declnred', tho discontents of tho
officers and soldiers, respecting the ar
rearages of their pay, Increased, and,
thero bolng now a prospect that tho
army would ultimately bo disbanded
SHINGTON
without an ndequato provision by Con
gress for meeting tho claims of the
troops, theso discontents manifested
themselves In audible murmurs and
complnlnts, which foreboded serious
consequences. But a spirit still moro
to bo dreaded was secretly at work.
In reflecting on the limited powers of
Congress, and on tho backwardness of
the states to comply with tho most
essential requisition, oven in support
of their own Interests, many of the
ofllccrH were led to look for the cause
In tho form of government, nnd to
distrust tho stability of republican In
stitutions. So far were they carried
by their fears nnd speculations that
they meditated tho establishment of a
new nnd more energetic system. A
colonel In tho army, of a highly re
spectable chaineter nnd somewhat nd
vuncod In life, was made tho organ
for communicating tholr sentiments to
tho commander-in-chief. In a letter
elaborately and skilfully written, after
describing tho gloomy state of affairs,
tho flnnnclal difficulties, and tho In
numerable embarrassments In which
tho country had been Involved during
the war, on account of Its defective
political organization, the writer adds:
"This must have shown to nil, nnd
to military men In particular, the
weakness of republics, and tho exer
tions tho nrmy havo been able to make
by being under a proper head. There
fore I little doubt -that, when tho ben
efits of a mixed government aro point
ed out nnd duly considered such will
bo reudlly adopted. In this case It
will, I believe, be uncontrovertcd, that
the samo abilities, which havo led us
through dlfllcultlcH, apparently Insur
mountable by human power, to victory
and glory, those qualities that havo
merited and obtained the universal es
teem and veneration of an army, would
bo most likely to conduct nnd direct
us In tho smoother paths of peace.
Some people havo so connected the
Ideas of tyranny and monarchy as to
llnd It very dlfllcult to separato them.
It may therefore be requisite to give
tho head of such a constitution ns I
proposo some title apparently more
moderate; but, If till other things were
onco adjusted, I believe strong argu
ments might bo produced for admitting
tho title of King, which I conceive
would be attended with some material
advantages."
To this communication, as unexpect
ed as it was extraordinary In Its con
tents, Washington replied ns follows1
"Newburg. L2 May, 1781.
"Sir With a mixture of great sur
prise nnd astonishment I havo read
with attention tlio sentiments you have
submitted to my perusal. Bo assured,
sir, no occurrence in tho eourso of tho
war has given mo moro painful ponsa
tlons than your Information of there
being such Ideas existing In the army,
as you have expressed, and I must view
with ubhorrence and reprehend with
severity. For the present, the com
munication of them will vest In my
own bosom, unless some further agi
tation of tho mutter shall mnko a dis
closure necessary.
"I am much at a loss to concelvo
what part of my conduct could have
given encouragement to nn address,
which to mo seems big with tho great
est mischiefs that can befall my coun
try. If I am not deceived in the knowl
edge of myself. ou could not buvo
found a person to whom your schemes
nro more disagreeable. At the same
tlmo. In Justice to my own feelings, I
must add that no man possesses a
more slnrero wish to seo nmplo Justlco
done to the nrmy than I do, and as
far as my powers nnd Influence, In a
constitutional way extend, they shall
bo employed to the utmost of my abil
ities to effect It should there bo any
occasion. Let mo conjure you, then,
If you havo any regard for your coun
try, concern for yourself or posterity,
or respect for me, to banish these
thoughts from your mind, and never
communicate, ns from yourself or any
one else, n sentiment of tho like na
ture. I am, sir, etc.
"George Washington."
Such was the language of Washing
ton, when, at the head of his army ami
at tho height of his power and popu
larity, it was proposed to him to be
come a king. After this Indignant re
ply nnd stem rebuko, It Is not prob
ablo that any further advances wore
made to him on tho subject.
E SE JK 3E
"1 Die Hard, but
I Am Not Afraid"
After Washington's retirement from
tho Presidency, his henlth was remark
nbly good; and, although nge had not
como without Its Infirmities, yet ho
wns nblo to endure fntlguo nnd make
exertions of tho body und mind with
senrcoly less case and activity than ho
had done In the prlmo of his strength.
On tho 12th of December, 1790, ho
spent several hours on horsebnek, rid
ing to his farms, and giving direc
tions to his managers. Ho returned
late In tho afternoon, wet and chilled
with tho rain and sleet, to which bo
had been exposed whllo riding homo.
Tho water had penetrated to his neck,
nnd snow was lodgod In tho locks of
his hair. A heavy fall of snow tho
next day proventcd his going abroad,
except for a short time near his
house A sore throat and hoarsoncss
convinced him t,h,at Jio had taken cold,
but he seemed to apprehend no dan
gor from it. Ho passed tho evening
with tho family, rend tho newspapers,
and conversed cheerfully till his usual
hour for going to rest.
ujr
In tho nlsht he hnd nn nguo, and be
foio dawn of the day tho next morn
ing, which was Saturday, tlio 14th, tho
soreness In his throat had becomo so
severe that he breathed and spoke with
difficulty. At his request ho was bled
by one of his overseers, nnd in the
meant lino a. messenger went for Dr.
Cralk, who lived nine miles off, at
Alexandria. As no relief was obtained
by bleeding nnd tho symptoms were
such as to nlnrm the fumlly, unothor
messenger wns dispatched for Dr.
Brown, who resided nenrcr Mount Ver
non. Theso physicians arrived in tho
morning, nnd Dr. Dick in the courso
of the dny. All tho remedies which
their united counsel could devise were
used without effect.
His suffering was ncuto nnd unnbnt
ed during tho dny, but he bore It
with perfect eomnosure nnd resigna
tion. Towards evening ho said to Dr.
Cralk: "I dlo hard, but I am not afraid
to die. I believed from my first at
tack that I should not survive It. My
breath cannot Inst long." Ftom that
tlmo ho said little, except to thank
tho physlclnns for their kindness, and
request thnt they give themselves no
more trouble, but let him dlo quietly.
Nothing further was done, and ho sank
gradually till between ten and cloven
o'clock nt night, when ho expired, In
tho sixty-eighth year of his nge .and
in tho full possession of his mentnl
faculties; exhibiting In this short nnd
painful Illness, and In his death, tho
samo sample of patience, fortitude and
submission to the Divine will, which
ho hud shown In all the oefs of his
life. On Wednesday, tho lSth of De
cember, his remains wore deposited In
tho family tomb at Mount Vernon.
Congress wns at this time In session
af Philadelphia; and. when the news
of tho melancholy event arrived at tho
scat of government, both houses Im
mediately adjourned for the remainder
of the day. The next morning, as soon
as tho Houso of Representatives had
convened, Mr. Marshall, afterwards
chief Justice, lose In his placo and ad
dressed tho speaker In nn eloquent nnd
pathetic speech, briefly recounting tho
public nets of Washington. "Let us,
then," said be at tho conclusion, "pay
the last tribute of respect and nffoctlon
to our departed friend. Let the Grand
Council of the nation display those
sentiments which tho nation feels."
Ho then offered three resolutions, pre
viously prepared by General Henry
Lee, which were accepted. By theso
it was proposed, that tho Houso should
In a body wait on tho President to ex
press their condolence; that the speak
er's chair should be shrouded In black,
nnd tho members nnd officers of tho
Houso be dressed In blnck, during tho
session; and that n commlttco, in con
junction with a commlttco from tho
Sennte. should be appointed "to con
sider on tho most suitable manner of
paying honor to the memory of tho
man, first in war, first In pence, and
first in tho heart:; of his fellow citi
zens." The Semite testified their respect
and sorrow by similar proceedings. A
Joint committeo of tho two houses was
appointed, who reported resolutions
recommending that a marblo monu
ment should be erected to commemo
rate tho great events In the military
and political llfo of Washington; that
nn oration, suited to the occasion,
should bo pronounced In tho prcsenco
of both houses of Congress; that tho
peoplo of the United States should wear
crape on tho loft nrm thirty days as
n badgo of mourning; and thnt tho
President, In the name of Congress,
should be requested to write a letter
of condolence to Mrs. Washington.
Theso resolutions wero unanimously
adopted.
Book Once Owned
by Washington
Secretary Hay has a copy of Oliver
Goldsmith's "Llfo of Shakespeare," an
early and rare edition, but it has a
greater valuo than Its literary rarity,
in having come from tho library of
George Washington. Washington's
personal bookplnto, tho familiar arms
of his family, on which tho American
flag was modeled, adorns the inside of
tho cover, and tho signature of tho first
President appears on tho tltlo page, as
clearly as If It had boen written yes
terday, Instead of moro than a bun-
VvHI & &eB7jleyVVBH.
I drcd years ago.
Designed the Meteor
Gay In a dress of fresh paint, Its
hull moulded Into form, Emperor
William's yacht, the Meteor, Is ready
for the water at Shooter's Island.
To tho lny ob&ervor tho yacht
seems n completed vessel stripped of
Its rigging. Tho painter's brush al
ready has marked tho water lino on
Its aides, nnd tho Inst rivet has been
fastened In Its plates. Nearly all the
portholes hnvo been cut. With tho
completion of the deck flooring nnd
tho deckhouse, which will be dono In
A. fury Smith.
(Designer of tho Meteor.)
a duy or so more, all that remains tr
bo dono will be tho fitting up of tho
inteilor nnd rigging. Tho 100 tons of
lead ballast already has been stowed
away in the hold.
Tho Meteor will bo almost comnloted
When It Is launched. Slrnnlnir tho
masts, upholstering the Interior, hnd
finishing some of the detnll work In
tho compartments Is all that will rc
mnln to bo done. The yacht mny bo
ready to sail within two weeks ufter
'ho launching.
MuRnlllrriit Telrpliunr.
Last year tho ofllclnlts of the denart-
ment of communications decided to
make n present of a specially made
set or telephone apparatus to his Im
perial highness, the ciown nrinco. In
honor of his wedding. But, us there
was not tlmo enough to manufacture
It. in accordance with tho suggestion
af Dr. Fumlchl, aislBtant secretary of
that department, they pret-ented only
tho drawlnirs. Since then numbers rr
workmen have been engaged In its
manufacture. Tho telephone Itself Is
nothluc but an ordinnrv iiiHtrnmnnt
- --,
except that It possesses excellent sen
sitiveness. Ail the outside docor.i
tlons nro of Ivorv. with cold inlaid
Tho Imperial crest of chrysanthemums
and cranes, at the corners of tho
snuare part, nro made of cold. Tim
telephone stand Is Incquered work with
imam motner-ot-pearl.
-
Ai American Beauty
Miss Nance O'Neill, tho American
actress who has been engaged for n
season nt tho Lyceum theutcr, Lon
don, during which she will appear In
tragic roles, Is at present enjoying a
popular success In South Afilca, de-
splto tho war. Miss O'Neill Is one
of tho most beautiful women whom
California has contributed to tho
Amerlcau and tho British stage. Sho
was born at Haywards, near Oakland,
und although a Protestant, sho has
been a warm filcnd of Itev. Father
Lally, a well-known Roman Catholic
pastor ,nt Haywards, who has watched
closely her career. She mado her
debut In London two years ago.
Howry Her Own Weight.
A Gorman paper reports a singular
freak of paternal liberality In the mat
ter of a dowry nt a wedding recently.
Tho marriage took placo at Konlg
gratz. On the betrothal of his daughtor
Hcrr Duclmtschek had announced that
ho would give her, as a marrlago por
tion, her weight In silver currency.
Accordingly, on tho wedding day, tho
bride was formally weighed In tho
drawing room, In presence of tho as
sembled guests, before proceeding to
..j..H....H..r.fr.r
i CONSUMPTION
".
I NAXCE O'NEILL, I
&?
"
t0 3, 433 6,67 C3 1,X3
Figures show percentage per Inhabitant
church. The lady turning tho scales at
C2 kilogrammes, a suck was at onco
filled with sliver crowns to tho samo
weight, with half a kilogramme over
for tho weight of tho bag, as Herr
Duchatschok playfully explained. Tho
exact number of crowns wns 13,500.
(Mil KnglUh lMrMh Clrrk.
Henry Arnold, of Bradford Abbey,
Dorset, tho doyen of English parish
clorks, wns born In tho spring of 1807,
nnd nlthough In his ninety-fourth year
and well able to romembor Waterloo
and tho peaco rejoicings, still attends
to his duties nt two services every
Sunday nnd enn wnlk five or six miles
at a stretch.
Ho first entered upon his duties In
Septcmbor, 1833, and by ncccptlug tho
offlco of clerk disqualified himself for
taking his placo among tho fluto and
violin plnycrs In tho gallery, although
an expert performer on both Instruments.
Afurrlnce i:ncoiimc"'l-
It Is doubtful whether nny Induce
ment to marrlago was more remarka
ble than that' recently put forward by
a well-known Austrlnn nobleman who
was anxolus to encourago matrimony
among tlio peasants of his estate.
Ho undertook to provide each bride
groom with tobacco supplies for llfo
and each brldo with four pairs of
gloves per annum. The generous offer
acted like a chnrm, and very soon thero
wii3 scarco a single bachelor remain
ing on tho nobleman's vast estate.
1
A Vnique
"Where there's a will there's a way,"
according to tho proverb, though It
may not havo meant lito kind of will
shown In the accompanying Illustra
tion. Tho picture tells almost tho
wholo story. A fisherman in a New
England town was fatally injured by
a rock falling upon him as ho was
walking at tho baso of a cliff. When
found he was dead, but clutched in
one hand was one of IiIb shoes, upon
which he had wrlten: "To whom it
may concern: All my estate, Includ
ing my deposit In the bank, I leave to
my grandnon, Walter Mahlon, provid
ing ho does not mnrry before tho ago
of twenty-flve; but In caso of his mar
rlngo before thnt time, tho above men
tioned to bo used for tho stato for
charitable purposes."
For the Purchase of rxleatlne.
At the request of Influential Hebrews
of New York a bill has been Intro
duced In the stato legislature for the
Incorporation of tho Federation of
American Zionists. Tho purpose of this
organization Is the purchase of Pales
tine from tho Turkish government, so
that It may bo open to such Jews as
may desire to go thero from any part
of tho world and mako It tholr home.
It 1b stated that many rich inon aro
interested In this measure, and that
money can bo raised to any needed
amount, provided tho Porte is willing
to accept a proposition for a sale.
Not a rrogreulve Country.
Colombia, with only 4,000,000 Inhabi
tants, Is twice tho slzo of Germany. It
has only C05 kilometers of railway and
apart from tho rivers nil communica
tion with tho Interior is carried on
with mules.
Odd Street la London.
In London thero aro six Paradise
streets, ten New streots, eleven Duke
streets, twelvo Church streets and
twenty-threo High streots.
-
aood Iteer Drinker.
Tho average consumption of beer by
tho factory hand in Gormnny Is nearly
a gallon a day, but in England It Is
still larger.
OF ALCOHOL J
10,1 !" tO.lt J0,J U ulftT
A'.' - . . .tfi .in...'
1: fu Uu vri -Vl-.
n
1"
r
