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 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
Remarks Suggested 
 
 by 
 
 Three Autograph Letters 
 
 James T. Edwards 
 
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 Washington's hkaoquakteks at newburgh. 
 
REMARKS SUGGESTED 
 
 by Three Autograph Letters of 
 
 GEORGE AND MARTHA WASHINGTON 
 
 Delivered before the McDonogh School 
 October 19, 1897, by 
 
 JAMES T. EDWARDS 
 
 [ SECOND EDITION ] 
 
 McDonogh, Md. 
 
 Printed by Boys of the School 
 
 1898 
 

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 GIFT 
 
 WIRS. WOODROW WrLSOM 
 Nov. 25, 1939 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 It has seemed to me appropriate to commence our 
 course of lectures for the winter by talking to you about 
 three autograph letters, two of which were written by 
 General Washington, and one by his wife. There is special 
 propriety in such a talk being given to-day, as this is the 
 anniversary of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, which virtu- 
 ally ended the Revolutionary War, and crowned with success 
 the efforts of Washington and his associates. The thoughts 
 suggested by these letters may help to inspire you to 
 become loyal, patriotic ciuizens. 
 
 Washington is the greatest of Americans, and the best 
 teacher by example of the things fo'r which every citizen of 
 this country should strive. There has been much debate in 
 regard to the question, what knowledge is worth most, but 
 it has been generally agreed that boys should learn at school 
 what they will use when they become men. It is not always 
 
 Note. — Some 'ime since, Mr. German H. Hunt gave to tlie 
 library of McDono^li School pliototjrapliic nej^atives of three auto- 
 graph letters, two of vviiich were written by Washington, and one by 
 Martha Washington. The engravings in this pamphlet are fac- 
 similes of the originals. r 
 
i THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 easy to know what tasks they will be called upon to perform ; 
 there is, however, one line of duties to which every boy 
 in the United States will certainly be called — he will be a 
 citizen of a great, free, enlightened country, and must bear 
 some part in managing its affairs. He may not become a 
 farmer, engineer, lawyer or doctor, but he must be a citizen, 
 unless he is like the unfortunate described by Dr. Edward 
 Everett Hale in his remarkable story, "The man without a 
 country." Boys, I salute you, citizens of the great Republic, 
 future rulers of what will undoubtedly be, in your own time, 
 the most powerful and influential nation in the world. You 
 must strive to be like Washington ; not that you will be as 
 great, wise and famous, but you may have his spirit and 
 patriotism. What is patriotism ? The love of country. 
 How may a boy become strong in the love of country ? By 
 learning how much there is in that country worthy to inspire 
 love. Let me help you to set about a line of study which 
 should be life-long and aid in making you appreciate your 
 noble birthright. 
 
 In trying to understand how great and worthy your 
 country is, your inquiries may take three directions : first, 
 find out about its natural resources, — its extent of territory, 
 mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, its treasures of mineral 
 wealth, its glorious forests, fertile plains, its beauty and 
 sublimity, the amazing variety and richness of its products, 
 the healthfulness of its climate, and the advantages of its 
 situation ; second, you should learn about its people, insti- 
 tutions and methods of government, its industries, manufactures, 
 commerce, cities, and especially such facts as will make you 
 intelligent voters, well acquainted with the relations of the 
 citizen to the township, city, state and nation ; third, nothing 
 tends more strongly to cultivate the love of country than to 
 become familiar with the biographies of the nation's noble 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 3 
 
 men and women — those who have served it witli distinction, 
 soldiers, statesmen, orators, scholars, inventors, authors, min- 
 isters, educators, philanthropists, artists, and those less prom- 
 inent but nai less patriotic who have been the pioneers of its 
 settlements, who have levelled its forests, fought its battles, 
 and on sea and land have made the stirring chapters of our 
 history. Such studies will make you proud of your coun- 
 try and anxious to perform a manly part in imitation of so 
 much that is worthy. 
 
 77zw day naturally invites us to a brief study in the 
 third department of inquiry which I have mentioned — the 
 lives of a nation's noble men and women ; but as we spend 
 only a few minutes here this afternoon, we have just time 
 enough to consider some things connected with a few men 
 and historical events which are suggested by the reading of 
 three letters. 
 
 The first was written to Major George Augustine Wash- 
 ington, nephew of the President. 
 
 Newburuh 14 Nov. 1782 
 Dear Geor<;e, 
 
 I have received your letter of the 23d. ulto. from Berkeley 
 & am sorry to find that your fever & pain in breast still continues 
 — If they have not left you 'ere this sets to liand, you had in my 
 opinion best lake a trip souUiward — Dr. Craik advises one to the 
 West Indies if there is the least appearance of disorder falling 
 upon the lungs: — the only objection I see to tliis is, that the Vessel 
 may be captured & a disagreeable captivity — perhaps imprison^ 
 ment — may add to your complaints ; when possibly a southern 
 climate during the winter may be equally effecatious 
 
 If you should make choice of ilie latter experiment to recover 
 your health & should go a> far as liie Soutiiern Army, this letter 
 shown to General Green, will, I am persuaded, procure you every 
 aid, assistance, and advice that may be in his power to afford you ; 
 & 1 request you to make use of it accordingly. 
 
4 • THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 Tlie Army has retired into Winter Quarters — ilie principal part 
 of it in this vicinity, wliere I have taken and shall remain in the 
 same confined Quarters I had last spring. There is no duty for you 
 to return to at present, consequently there can be no cause for your 
 anxiety to rejoin the Army, — but if there was, ill health is a suffi- 
 cient plea for absence, & an attempt to recover it, a consideration 
 to which every other should yield. — 
 
 We have no certainty of what the British Cabinet design. — 
 various are the reports and all equally vague, — My own opinion 
 of the matter is, tliat the unwillingness of the King & his present 
 Prime Minister Lord Shelburn to acknowledge the Independency 
 of this country, is such, as to induce tliem to trust to the chapter 
 of accidents — altho' by so doing they hazard all — rather than 
 swallow this bitter pill. — The negociations are going on — but very 
 limpingly — this winter will, no doubt, bring them to a conclusion ; 
 but whether they will terminate in a peace or protraction of tiie 
 war, is beyond my ken — 
 
 Remember me in the most affectionate manner to your Father, 
 Mother & all friends ; and be assured that I am with great truth, 
 & affection, & best wishes for your recovery, — 
 
 Yrs 
 
 G. Washington. 
 
 While these letters are not without some defects in 
 spelling and punctuation, one cannot fail to notice the neat- 
 ness and clearness with which they are written, especially 
 those of Washington ; the penmanship is handsome and they 
 furnish a very good illustration of the painstaking thorough- 
 ness with which he performed all his duties whether little or 
 great. When he was a boy, his copy books showed the 
 same accuracy which characterizes the account books and 
 state papers of his later life. In one of his miscellaneous 
 books, when he was under sixteen years of age he wrote 
 out ibr his guidance fifty-seven "Rules of behavior in com- 
 pany and conversation," and added several moral maxims, 
 the last of which gives the key to his character: ''Labor to 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 5 
 
 keep alive in your breast tiiat little spark of celestial fire, 
 Conscience." 
 
 The three places where these letters are dated are well 
 worthy of our remembrance in connection with the struggle 
 for independence and the organization of our government ; they 
 are Newburgh on the Hudson, Mount Vernon by the Potomac, 
 and Philadelphia on the Delaware. The first is situated on 
 the west side of the beautiful river, often called the Rhine of 
 America, sixty miles north of New York, just above the High- 
 lands, in which locality were enacted so many stirring scenes 
 during the Revolution. The old Dutch house, built of stone, 
 where the first of these letters was written, is now owned by 
 the state and is annually visited by thousands of people. 
 Here Washington performed the noblest act in his great 
 career by declining to become a king, and thereby proved to 
 the world how unselfish and pure was his love of country. 
 You must know that the long war had impoverished the 
 people and there was great discontent in the army because 
 neither officers nor soldiers had received any pay for many 
 months. Congress saw no way to help them, and many 
 people seriously doubted whether such a government as existed 
 would be strong enough to rule the country efficiently. 
 They thought it would be better to model our government 
 after that of Great Britain and have a king. When 
 approached upon this subject, Washington replied as follows : 
 "I am at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could 
 have given encouragement to an address which to me seems 
 big with the greatest mischief that can befall my country. 
 If I am not deceived in the knowledge of myself you could 
 not have found a person to whom your schemes are more 
 disagreeable. Let me conjure you, then, if you have any 
 regard for your country, concern for yourself or posterity, or 
 respect for me, to banish these thoughts from your mind and 
 
b THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 never communicate from yourself or any one else a sentiment 
 of a like nature." 
 
 With tact and kindness but with the greatest firmness he 
 counselled patience and utterly refused to listen to any sug- 
 gestions of personal ambition. Thus, like Cincinnatus, he was 
 even greater in declining and surrendering power, than in 
 assuming responsibility when summoned by the call of duty. 
 
 You will notice that Washington, in the letter, refers 
 to the delay in securing peace. Cornwallis had surrendered 
 his whole army of about eight thousand men at Yorktown 
 on the 19th of October, 1781, yet, at this date, November 
 14, 1782, George III. still refused to let the colonies go free ; 
 but, only sixteen days after this, a preliminary treaty of peace 
 was signed by the Commissioners at Paris. This was not 
 fully ratified, however, until five months later. Here at 
 Newburgh a cessation of hostilities was proclaimed April ig, 
 1783, just eight years to a day from the battle of Lexington, 
 where the first blood was shed in behalf of independence. 
 The proclamation of peace was read at the head of every 
 regiment, and Washington issued orders that "the chaplains 
 of the several brigades will render thanks to Almighty God 
 for all his mercies, particularly for his overruling the wrath 
 of man to his own glory and causing the rage of war to cease 
 among the nations." 
 
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MT. VERNON. 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 7 
 
 Fifteen miles south of the capital, on the west bank of the 
 Potomac, amid beautiful scenery, is Mt. Vernon, a shrine 
 toward which the loving thought of every American turns. 
 Forty years ago, the house and six acres of land surrounding 
 it were purchased by the Ladies' Mount Vernon Association 
 for two hundred thousand dollars, and the place is now pre- 
 served as a national possession. 
 
 It was named for Admiral Vernon, with whom Lawrence 
 Washington, an older half-brother of George, served in the 
 British Navy. Here Washington spent his happiest days, 
 and here he died December 14, 1799, in the sixty-eighth year 
 of his age, his last words being, "It is well." 
 
 The letter wliich follows suggests many interesting in- 
 quiries, but is unusually valuable as revealing his fondness for 
 rural life, his love of trees, and his desire to advance the 
 material interests of the states by facilitating transportation, 
 of which, we must infer from what he writes about the diffi- 
 culties of travel, the whole country stood sadly in need. This 
 letter also was written to the nephew. Major Washington. 
 
 Mount Vernon 6th Jan. 1785 
 Dear Geor<;e, 
 
 As soon as I got your letter announcing your intention of 
 spending the whiter at Charleston I wrote you by post under 
 cover to Col' Willni Washington — sometime after by Mr Laurens 
 — by whom also 1 forwarded the articles of clotiiing you desired 
 might be sent to you — there can be little doubt (as the Post now 
 goes regularly) of both getting to hand. I need not therefore 
 repeat any part of the contents of those letters.— I had the 
 pleasure to hear yesterday from Col' Parker of Norfolk— that you 
 had left the Island of Bermuda witii encreased health.— I flatter 
 myself the mildness of a Soutliern winter will perfectly restore 
 you— in addition to this, a trip in the Packet to Philadelphia when 
 you determine to return to Virginia may be of service — this at a 
 proper season w. be I conceive tne easiest, cheapest, and best 
 
8 THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 nielhod of getliii^j back, as the Stage from Pliiladelphia comes to 
 Alexandria twice a week regularly — You would by this means 
 avoid tlie dreary roads & bad accomodation which is to be en- 
 countered I am told all through North Carolina. — 
 
 Since my last Col' Bassett has been here and brought up Fanny, 
 who is here with us. — She has been sick all the Fall, as most others 
 in this country have been — she is not yet recovered ; but the change 
 of air and exercise will soon give her health. 
 
 We have nothing new in this Quarter — our assembly has been 
 sitting since the middle of last October — but we have little infor- 
 mation of what they have done — A plan is set on foot for improv- 
 ing & extending the navigation of this river by private subscription 
 & opening a good road between it and the nearest western waters 
 — I hope it will succeed, as the assembly of this state & Maryld. 
 seem disposed to give it their Countenance. If it is not too late 
 in the Season to obtain them, I wish you would procure for me 
 in S' Carolina a few of tlie acorns of the live Oak — and the seeds 
 of the Evergreen Magnolia — this latter is called in Millers Gar- 
 deners dictionary greater Magnolia — it rises according to his ace* 
 to the height of Eighty feet or more, flowers early and is a beautiful 
 tree — but unless these seeds grow in cones and the cones are yet 
 on the Trees, there is no chance of obtaining them at this season, 
 in which case prevail on Col' Washington, or some acquaintance 
 on whom you can depend to supply me next seed time. — 
 
 The Acorns and seeds of every kind should be put in dry sand 
 as soon as they are gathered, and the box whicii contains them 
 might (if no oppertunity offers to Alexandria, be sent either to Mt. 
 Vernon or Norfolk, or to Col' Biddie of Philadelphia with a request 
 to forward it safely & by first oppertunity. — If there are any other 
 trees (not natives with us) which would be ornamental in a grove 
 or forest and would stand our climate I should be glad to procure 
 the seeds of them in the way above mentioned. All here unite in 
 best wishes for you, and Mrs. Washington too joins me in compli- 
 ments to Col' Washingion and Lady, & other friends of our ac- 
 quaintance. With great esteem and regard 
 
 I am Dr George 
 
 Yr Affect friend 
 
 G. Washington. 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS g 
 
 P. S. Your father and family were well some little time ago 
 and I have heard nothing- to the contrary since. 
 
 G W. 
 
 Col. Wm. Washington to whom reference is made in 
 this letter was a kinsman of Washington, and like him was 
 tall and well formed — General Washington was six feet 
 two inches in height, William Washington was an able 
 soldier, frank, generous and popular with the army, but 
 very modest and no orator. It is said that he declined an 
 election to the Legislature because he could not make a 
 speech. He was ingenious in stratagem as well as brilliant 
 in a charge. At Clermont he captured a log fort defended 
 by an embankment and abatis, by bringing up a quaker 
 gun, which consisted of a log, shaped and painted like a 
 cannon, mounted on two wagon wheels. Deploying his 
 cavalry he sent in a flag summoning the garrison to sur- 
 render instantly upon pain of having- their castle battered 
 about their ears. Col. Rugely, the commander, and one 
 hundred and twelve men gave themselves up as prisoners 
 of war, outnumbering their captors. At the battle of Cowpens 
 he charged with his dragoons upon Col. Tarleton, the latter 
 narrowly escaping capture. This gave rise to a keen retort 
 made by an American lady, Mrs. Ashe. One day in her 
 presence Col. Tarleton sneeringly remarked, "I would be 
 happy to see this Col. Washington." She promptly replied, 
 "If you had looked behind you, Col. Tarleton, at the battle 
 of Cowpens, you might have had that pleasure." 
 
 Nothing can be more delightful than the picture of 
 Washington's domestic and social life at the time this letter 
 was written. The war was ended, the land free, and while 
 many grave matters of state remained to be setded, for a brief 
 interval he enjoyed sweet repose and those peaceful occupa- 
 tions which always possessed for him the greatest charm. 
 
lO THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 Washington Irving, whose hfe of Washington you would 
 all enjoy reading, in a delightful way describes him as engaged, 
 this very year (1785), in beautifying his grounds and indulging 
 to the fullest extent his love of nature. He says : "We find 
 in his diary, noted down with curious exactness, each day's 
 labor and the share he took in it ; his frequent rides to the 
 Mill Swamp, Dogue Creek, the Plantation of the Neck, and 
 other places along the Potomac in quest of young elms, ash 
 trees, white thorn, crab apples, maples, mulberries, willows 
 and lilacs : the winding walks which he laid out, and the trees 
 and shrubs he plants along them. Now he sows acorns and 
 buckeye nuts brought by himself from the Monongahela ; now 
 he opens vistas through the Pine Grove, commanding distant 
 views through the woodland ; and now he twines round his 
 columns scarlet honeysuckles which his gardener tells him 
 will blow all summer. His care worn spirit freshens up in 
 these employments. With him Mt. Vernon is a kind of idyl. 
 The transient glow of poetical feeling which once visited his 
 bosom, when in boyhood he rhymed beneath its groves, seems 
 about to return once more ; and we please ourselves by noting, 
 among the trees set out by him, a group of young horse- 
 chestnuts from Westmoreland, his native county, the haunt of 
 his schoolboy days, which had been sent him by Colonel Lee 
 (Light Horse Harry), the son of his 'Lowland Beauty.' A 
 diagram of the plan in which he had laid out his grounds 
 still remains among his papers at Mount Vernon ; the places 
 are marked on it for particular trees and shrubs. Some of 
 those trees and shrubs are still to be found in the places thus 
 assigned to them. It is deeply interesting to find traces of 
 these toils in which Washington delighted, and to know that 
 many of the trees that give Mount Vernon its present um- 
 brageous beauty were planted by his hand." 
 
 It is perhaps amid such familiar scenes as these that 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS if 
 
 Washington brings himself most completely within the range 
 of ordinary sympathy and appreciation. After all, the boy 
 and the man are greater than the Commander-in-chief and 
 the President. 
 
 There is something awe-inspiring and remote, especially 
 to boys, in the Washington of the canvas and the marble. 
 The majestic face of yonder picture looks down benignantly 
 upon us, but there is such impressiveness about his person, 
 particularly when associated with his great qualities, to say 
 nothing of the impossible virtues which some historians have 
 attributed to him, that he does not always stand before the 
 youthful mind as warm flesh and blood, with passions like 
 our own. Think to-day, if you will, of Washington the boy 
 and the man, rather than the warrior and the ruler. The 
 former made possible the latter. His running, leaping, wrest- 
 ling, pitching quoits and throwing bars, swimming, riding, 
 rowing, fishing, hunting, and all other youthful exercises in 
 which he delighted, were the expression of a robust healthy 
 nature, and fitted his body and resolute spirit for endurance 
 and the performance of worthy deeds. 
 
 He was at school to nature for the training of the clear 
 eye, the quick ear, strong hand, swift foot and healthy brain. 
 There was a relation between that tossing of the silver dollar 
 (Irving says it was a stone) across the Rappahannock at 
 Fredericksburg, and his "flinging an English sovereign 
 across the Atlantic." 1 like to commend to you to-day this 
 spirited boy, this lover of horses, and dogs ; the lad who 
 liked to stop with his gun the wild duck's flight, and feel 
 the keen thrill along his nerves when a big fish struck 
 his hook ; this youth who, long before his majority, was 
 surveying the wilderness, fording its streams, or, in perilous 
 journey over the AUeghanies, matching his strength and skill 
 against those of the savage lords of the forest. This was 
 
12 tiiref: autograph letters 
 
 "manual training" of a very substantial kind in a rugged yet 
 kindly school. 
 
 There is an increasing interest in the efforts of educators to 
 realize the ancient ideal, "a sound mind in a healthy body." 
 You are to be congratulated in having here at McDonogh, 
 on this wide estate, so many opportunities for strengthening 
 and perfecting that delicate and wonderful instrument of the 
 soul, the human body. But some may say, "All cannot be 
 large and powerful like Washington, and some may have 
 infirmities which are beyond remedy." To such there comes 
 the comforting assurance that the will is superior to the flesh. 
 Dr. Kane, the arctic explorer, always a man of delicate health, 
 once said, "The will can lift the body out of its boots." 
 
 Lord Nelson had but one eye, and a left arm only, and 
 was generally sick when the sea was rough, but he became 
 the greatest of naval heroes and won the battle of Trafalgar. 
 
 The Duke of Turenne, the ablest general France has 
 produced next to Napoleon, was a physical coward. One 
 day, as he was mounting his horse upon the eve of a great 
 battle, he said to his trembling knees, "You would tremble 
 worse if you knew where I am going to take you to-day." 
 Never forget that while physical perfection is greatly to be 
 desired the soul may be and should be king of the body. 
 
 Martha Washington survived her husband two years and 
 a half. Shortly before her death she destroyed her entire 
 correspondence with him, not wishing that their confidences 
 should become a subject for public discussion. The letter 
 which follows is devoted to domestic affairs, but there are 
 allusions which suggest matters of general importance. 
 
 Philadelphia, July llie 29111 1794 
 My dear Fanny 
 
 I am glad to hear by your letter of last week that you and 
 your children are all well — I thank you for your kind offer of 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS I3 
 
 having the curtains taken down — I shall be obliged to you to 
 make Caroline take all the curtains and winder curtains down 
 and all the cotton curtains washed before they are put away — be 
 so good my dear Fanny to have everything in the garrets cared 
 out, to air all the beds and bed clothes of all sorts and kinds 
 A good airing now may serve till the spring. 
 
 I am truly sorry to hear that Mrs. Craik is so much afflicted, 
 as it was an event that she must have expected long before it 
 happened, I really pity them both — I have often been told that lie 
 was a very promising youth. 
 
 I think that the President is very much tlie same as he was 
 when he came home, the complaint in his back confines him a 
 good deal to the house, he has never been on horseback since 
 his return nor does he seem to have any inclination to ride on 
 l)orseback — 
 
 Nellie went up to the Delaware works last week to Mr. Morris 
 Country seat she was to return tomorrow but there has been so 
 much rain that it will be very inconvenient to travel for this day 
 or two — when the rain holds up — this is the third day it has been 
 raining. 
 
 Wash and myself are very well Mr. Dandridge is better — I 
 don't know what is the matter with him— he has never been well 
 since he came from Mount Vernon — he was sick all the time he 
 was there in the fall — 
 
 My love to the children— the President joins me in love to 
 you — be so good as to remember me to Mrs Craik and all inquir- 
 ing friends. 
 
 I am my dear Fanny your most affectionate 
 
 M. Washington. 
 
 1 expect to go to Germantown sometime this week I hope 
 the change of air will be of service to us all— it is about six miles 
 from this city. 
 
 The Fanny addressed was a niece of Mrs. Washington and 
 the wife of her husband's nephew, George Augustine Washing- 
 
J4 THRKE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 ton. After his death, she became the second wife of Mr. Lear, 
 a warm friend of the President, whom he served as secretary, 
 and who has given us the fullest account of his death. 
 
 Mrs. Washington was short in stature ; she had light hair 
 and hazel eyes. Mr. Custis, her first husband, was nearly twice 
 lier age when he married her, she being but sixteen. While 
 in every way fitted to adorn her high station it will be seen 
 from this letter that she was also an excellent housekeeper. 
 She was very industrious, and during the dreadful winter 
 at Valley Forge set an excellent example to the wives of 
 officers by knitting stockings for the soldiers. This letter 
 was written in Philadelphia, where Congress had just been in 
 session, having adjourned June 9, 1794. Its meetings had 
 been held in the old State House, now called Independence 
 Hall, one of the most celebrated buildings in the United 
 States ; for here the Declaration of Independence was voted 
 July 4, 1776, and here assembled the Convention, presided over 
 by Washington, which framed the Constitution of the United 
 States. The famous bell of Independence Hall first rang out 
 the message of freedom. Whitt'er, in his patriotic poem 
 entitled "Independence Bell," describes the scene which then 
 took place. 
 
 How they shouted ! what rejoicino:! 
 How the old bell shook tlie air, 
 Till the clang of freedom ruffled 
 The calmly gliding Delaware! 
 How the bonfires and the torches 
 Lighted up the night's repose 
 And from flames, like fabled Phoenix, 
 Our 'glorious Hberty arose. 
 
 That old Slate House bell is silent, 
 Hushed is now the clamorous tongue, 
 But the spirit it awakened 
 Still is living, ever young. 
 

 
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INDEPENDENCE HALL. 
 
 INDEPENDENCE HALL IN 1S76. 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS I^ 
 
 And when we greet the smiling sunHgiit 
 ■ On the fourth of each July, 
 We will ne'er forget the bellman 
 Who betwixt the earth and sky 
 Rang out loudly "Independence," 
 Which, please God, shall never die ! 
 
 This bell had often been used before to sound alarms or 
 lead rejoicings. About midnight, October 23, 1781, a tired 
 horseman rode into the city and knocked so loudly at the 
 door of Thomas McKean, President of Congress, that a 
 watchman threatened to arrest him. But his rudeness was 
 overlooked when his tidings were told. When the watch- 
 man, going his rounds, next announced the hour, he added 
 "All's well, and Cornwallis is taken." Then this old Liberty 
 bell roused the people from their slumbers with its loudest 
 peals of rejoicing. 
 
 Note. — Professor John Fiske in a recently published work 
 entitled "Old Virginia and Her Neighbors" affords us a glimpse of 
 the domestic life of Mrs. Washington. It is given in a letter from 
 Mrs. Edward Carrington to her sister, written about 1798. She and 
 Col. Carrington were visiting at Mt. Vernon. After telling how 
 Washington and the Colonel "sat up until midnight absorbed in 
 reminiscences of bivouac and hard fought field," she continues : 
 
 "Let us repair to the old lady's [Mrs. Washington's] room, which 
 is precisely in the style of our good old Aunt's, that is to say, nicely 
 fixed for all sorts of work. On one side sits tlie chambermaid with 
 her knitting ; on the other side a little colored pet learning to sew. 
 An old decent woman is there with her table and shears cutting out 
 negroes' winter clothes, wiiile the good old lady directs them all, 
 incessantly knitting herself She points out to me several pairs of 
 nice colored stockings and gloves she has just finished, and presents 
 me with a pair half done, which she begs I will finish and wear fof 
 her sake." 
 
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 Phikulelphia was at this time the larq^est city in the 
 Union. It had sixty thousand inhabitants. Now it has 
 more than one niilHon one hundred and fifty thousand. 
 Marvelous growth for a hundred years ! It was at the date of 
 this letter the seat of government. Washington with his 
 family was still detained in the city by executive business, 
 though Congress had adjourned. 
 
 It is worth remembering that nine different places have 
 served as the capital of our country. Named in their geo- 
 graphical order from north to- south they are as follows : 
 New York, Princeton, Trenton, Philadelphia, Lancaster, York, 
 Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington — the last continuously 
 since 1800. 
 
 Washington was now serving his second term. He was 
 first inaugurated April 30, 1789. Since that time inaugu- 
 rations have taken place on the 4th of March, although, for 
 several reasons, it would be better to have them occur on the 
 former date, which marks the time when the new government 
 went into full operation under the Constitution. Washington 
 declined an election for a third term. 
 
 We have had two kinds of government in this country, 
 Colonial and National. The colonies were ol three kinds as 
 to the manner in which they were governed. Proprietary, 
 Provincial and Charter. The first was ruled by a man called 
 the Proprietor, who had obtained by purchase or otherwise 
 great privileges from the King of England. Maryland under 
 Lord Baltimore is an illustration of this. Other colonies, 
 like New York and Virginia, were ruled by governors sent 
 out directly by the English sovereign. 
 
 The third kind, like Connecticut, received a charter from 
 the king, which defined their duties and guaranteed their 
 rights. Such charters were highly prized : you will remember 
 the incident of the Charter Oak. The colonies sometimes 
 
THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ry 
 
 came together in the persons of their delegates, to act as one, 
 for example in times of common peril, especially during the 
 Revolution. They were, however, first called the "United 
 States of America" in the Declaration of Independence, in 1776. 
 For five years after this they were held together by their 
 mutual interests in the war, without any written bonds of union, 
 being governed, with general consent, by the will of Congress. 
 
 On March 2, 1781, Congress assembled under the direction 
 of a set of laws called the Articles of Confederation, on which 
 all the states had agreed ; but these laws were soon shown 
 by experience to be very defective, and after much discussion 
 they were laid aside and all the people of the states decided 
 that they would be governed in accordance with another series 
 of fundamental laws which, taken together, are called the 
 Constitution of the United States. 
 
 As mentioned before, this went into operation at the time of 
 Washington's inauguration, and has remained, with but few 
 amendments, the law of the land ever since. All laws made 
 by Congress or the legislatures of the states must be in accord 
 with the Constitution. 
 
 To repeat, it will be seen that our country as a nation 
 has been governed in three different ways, as follows : For 
 the first five years the will of Congress was supreme; from 
 178 1 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation were the law of 
 the nation ; since that time we have been under the Consti- 
 tution, 
 
 Some reference should be made to three persons men- 
 tioned in the letter of Mrs. Washington. Mr. Dandridge 
 to whom she alludes was doubtless a relative, as this was her 
 maiden name, she being a daughter of Mr. John Dandridge. 
 'Mrs. Craik was the wife of Dr. James Craik who for forty- 
 five years was devotedly attached to Washington, sharing 
 many of his dangers, and was present at his bedside to per- 
 
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 form the last sad offices of affection in the closing scene. 
 Washington once spoke of him as "My compatriot in arms, 
 my old and intimate friend." 
 
 Dr. Craik has given us an interesting fact in connection 
 with his commander at the battle of Monongahela where 
 General Braddock was defeated and mortally wounded. An 
 Indian chief told him some years after, that he had been on a 
 visit to Colonel Washington, who, he believed, was under 
 the especial protection of the Great Spirit and bore a charmed 
 life ; for in this fight he had fifteen fair shots at him, and had 
 also ordered his warriors to fire at him. Washington was 
 unhurt, although every other mounted officer was either killed 
 or disabled, and he received four bullets through his coat and 
 had two horses shot under him. 
 
 The "Mr. Morris" mentioned was Robert Morris, the great 
 financier, who again and again aided the government by raising 
 money to feed, clothe, and equip the soldiers. It has been 
 said that without him the campaign which resulted in the 
 surrender of Cornwallis could not have been undertaken. Yet 
 he spent four of his last years in a debtor's prison, it being 
 then the cruel custom to imprison for debt. He had engaged 
 with Gouverneur Morris in large commercial enterprises in the 
 East Indies and China and finally lost his fortune. 
 
 Washington and his wife wrote to Mrs. Morris, shortl}' 
 after the imprisonment of her husband, urging her to come to 
 Mt. Vernon and stay under their roof as long as she should find 
 it convenient, saying, "Be assured that we ever have and still 
 do retain the most affectionate regard for you, Mr. Morris and 
 the family." Gouverneur Morris, who was so closely associ- 
 ated in business with Robert Morris, was the person into 
 whose hands was placed the draft of the Constitution of the 
 United States for final revision. He was a man of dauntless 
 Courage. Being in Paris during the French Revolution, his 
 
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 carriage was attacked by a mob who cried "Aristocrat." 
 He thrust his wooden leg out of the carriage window and 
 shouted, "An Aristocrat ! yes, one who lost his leg in the 
 cause of American Liberty !" They cheered, and let him pass. 
 One other scene is suggested by this letter. On the day 
 of the funeral of Washington, Congress was assembled in 
 Independence Hall. A profound sadness oppressed the 
 members. Although four days had elapsed since his decease, 
 such were the difficulties of communicating intelligence that they 
 had just learned of the event. The next morning, John 
 Marshall, afterwards for thirty-four years Chief Justice of the 
 United States, arose on the floor of Congress and delivered a 
 brief but eloquent eulogy upon the character and services of the 
 illustrious dead ; he concluded his address by reading resolu- 
 tions ot respect which had been prepared by General Henry 
 Lee of Virginia, These close with the familiar words which 
 will always be associated with the name of Washington, — 
 "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his fellow- 
 citizens." 
 
 Note. — Tills is the Henry Lee who was called "Liglit Horse 
 Harry," father of General Robert E. Lee. The noble words 
 quoted by Marshall are printed in his speech as given here; but 
 on December 26 General Henry Lee by invitation delivered a 
 tribute to Washington before both houses of Congress, and in his 
 oration he changed "fellow-citizens" to "countrymen," and added 
 in the same sentence the words, "he was second to none in the 
 humble and endearing scenes of private life ; pious, just, humane, 
 temperate and sincere ; uniform, dignified and commanding, his 
 example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of 
 that example lasting."