Harvard College Library Gift of Miss Longfellow, Mrs. Dana, and Mrs. Thorp, 9 Jan.1895. ENTERED according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by G. P. PUTNAM & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. JOHN F. TROW, 49 Ann Street. New MS. Corrections of Shakespeare-Memoir of William Croswell by his Father-Elliot's and Clark's Lectures to Young Men, &c.-Fenelon and Madame Guion-Busy Moments of an Idle Woman-History of a Wasted Life -The Blood Stone-Shelton's Letters from up the River-Holiday Books-Webster's Wild Scenes, &c.- Homes of American Statesmen-Tuckerman's Month in England-Valentine's History of the City of New-York- Roemer's Dictionary of English and French Idioms- Bond's Minnesota-Invalid's Own Book-Flower of the Family-Simms's Yemassee-Miss Chesebro's Little Cross-Bearers-Mrs. Lee's Pierre Toussaint-Spiritu al Visitors Grimms' Household Stories-Hickock's Moral Science-Brillat-Savarin's Physiologie du Goût-Kings- ley's Hypatia-Sir Hudson Lowe's Letters, &c.-Reli- gions of the World, &c.-Macilwain's Memoir of Aber- Mrs. Mowatt's "Autobiography of An Actress "-Poole's 220 Chase's "English Serfdom and American Slavery"- The Barclays of Boston-Harris's Epic of the Starry Heavens-Maurice's Theological Essays Californian Monthly Magazine-Freleigh's Homeopathy-Stereo- Forbes's "Norway and its Glaciers"-Bartlett's "Pil- grim Fathers"-Cherry and Violet - Mrs. Bray's "Peep at the Pixies"-The Church of England. Rowland's Work on the Human Hair-The Athenæum- 450 F. Tennyson's Days and Hours Lady Bulwer's Be- Cochet's "La Normandie Souterraine "-French Copyright 226 340 Troussac's Meteorology-The Revue des Deux Mondes- 452 Nettement-Histoire de la Litterateur Sous la Restau- ration Le Desert et le Soudan Une Ambassade Française en Chine-Amoureuses et Grands Hommes -De l'Influence de Luther sur l'Education-Voyage Tschudi's "Thierleben der Alpenwelt "-Kaestuer's The- PUTNAM'S MONTHLY. A Magazine of Literature, Science, and Art. VOL. III.- JANUARY 1854.-NΟ. ΧΙΙ. WASHINGTON'S EARLY DAYS. THERE may, perhaps, be among our readers, especially the younger por. tion of them, some who are not as conversant as they would desire, with every particular of the early life and character of him whom it is our pride and happiness to call the Father of our Country. For the benefit of such we propose to give one or two papers about his boyhood, thinking that the little that is known of a life so interesting and important to us and to the world, can never be brought before the public in too many forms. With no ambitious but rather a patriotic aim we do this. It is a character we love to contemplate, to dwell upon; one that we think Americans of the rising race might profitably study more closely than they do. We find many intelligent persons who have only a very vague notion of the Washington they admire; they take for granted his perfections, but put off the examination into him to some other time, or perhaps lack courage to attack the large volumes in which authentic lives of him are mostly shrouded. But our Monthly travels as on the wings of the wind; and modest and unassuming as it is, wins easy way into parlors and workshops, ships and factories, wherever our tongue is spoken. Let it then be the bearer of a few words about our country's hero, words so few that every body will find time to read them, just to give a zest to real, full, satisfactory histories now existing or soon to be. We shall make use of all the authorities within our reach, not even rejecting tradition, which is often the vehicle of important truth where character is to be estimated. We dare not promise any thing new, but we shall try VOL. III.-1 to omit nothing that is interesting or illustrative; and if, on this modest plan, as may well happen, we fail to be "graphic," we shall be provided with what will more than supply the deficiency, in the aid of Mr. Darley's unfailing pencil, which is to accompany our sketches with such lifelike presentation of striking points and incidents as our readers will know how to value. Fortunately for us, Washington needs no embellishment from his biographer, nor invention in his illustrator. A simple recital of facts best shows the distinction between him and common men. It may be said that this difference is not discernible in his youth; that he was a boy among boys, and that an idea of his early excellence is merely a romantic deduction from the eminence of his virtue in after life. But even the few simple records that remain, plainly show that he was marked from the beginning; and the theory that his youth gave no promise of his future, seems to us as little sustained by wisdom and experience as the wildest notions of a precocious virtue would be. It is only to be regretted that the discernment of those about him should not have sufficed to make them treasure up every fact of his conduct and every particular of his conversation, that we might at least have tried to train up other boys to be the Washingtons of our days of peace and prosperity. Washington was born in the State of Virginia, county of Westmoreland, at a place called Pope's Creek, near the banks of the Potomac, that happy river, whose every tree and wave seems now to be glorified by close association with his memory. The dwelling was humble who describe it as a plain, four-roomed farm-house, with a chimney at each end, which chimney was carried all the way up on the outside, as is the case with many a building of the same date still standing. The surrounding landscape has few features of interest, being graced with little natural variety or careful cultivation. Its trees are very ordinary trees-wild figs, pines and hemlocks; -the land has no extraordinary fertility, but shows plainly enough the effect of imperfect tillage and laissez aller habits in the people, who make one suspect that the energy and determination which might have served the entire region was absorbed by George Washington, model as he was of promptness and thoroughness in all things, from the greatest to the least. But what a charm hovers over the whole! What other spot on earth makes the soul thrill like this? A vine-leaf-a sprig of cedara pebble, from that hallowed ground, is a possession, not only to the American but to every noble heart. The poet's words, so true to nature, rise unbidden to the memory as we pace those silent fields and woods. We do not wrest them from their highest meaning when we apply them to the place consecrated by the memory of Washington. Call it not vain-they do not err One needs little stretch of Fancy to hear the name of Washington whispered in every breeze that ruffles the bosom of the Potomac he loved so dearly. He always lived near it when he could. It was ever in his eye at home, and in his heart when he was absent. All his dreams of quiet happiness and he cherished such through life- were connected with its banks. It doubtless influenced his character, as every great feature of nature must influence those who study and delight in her as Washington did. His father re |