Provocation: Abraham Lincoln and Cabin Building

       In addition to our social studies curriculum, where we learned about George Washington, we took some of our morning work time to also explore more about Abraham Lincoln's life to celebrate President's day. I set up a provocation for the students where they were asked how they would design and build a log cabin. To aid them, I set out the following materials: books on Abraham Lincoln and a Eric Sloan's book American Yesterday--which has tons of illustrations on early American houses, a few drawings of log cabin plans and blueprints, the My Plan paper, Lincoln Logs, and a Presidents Field Guide. 

       Here were a few of their creations they built based off of the plans they drew...

       The students then brought their plans to our morning to meeting to share with one another and discussed what worked and what didn't work when they were building their cabins, as well as what sorts of items they would house their cabins with and why. 

       Later on, we extended our learning by taking the book Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books to further practice our ability to infer the meaning of unknown words when reading:

The End of Washington's Story

       Washington declined a third election, delivered his famous farewell address and retired to Mount Vernon in 1797. Thereafter he devoted himself to agriculture, though in 1798, at the prospect of the war with France, he was chosen commander in chief of the United States army and accepted, though he was not called into the field. He died in December, 1799, from illness brought on by long exposure in the saddle. The news caused almost as widespread mourning in Europe as in America. The greatest statesmen and soldiers of every nation united in paying him tribute as a man, general, statesman and friend of humanity. The words of his old friend and companion, "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, "First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen," were without question literally true. He had avoided the snares of factional and partisan politics, had generously overlooked the harshest criticisms and had respected and used the abilities of his severest critics and opponents. Though a slave-holder at his death, he was in favor of the gradual abolition of slavery by legislation, and by his will he arranged that his one hundred twenty-five slaves should be emancipated at the death of his wife, so that the negroes of the two estates who had intermarried might not be separated." Washington's body and that of his wife, who survived him nearly three years, rest in the family vault at Mount Vernon. 

President Washington's Second Term

       During this term international affairs for a time overshadowed domestic issues. A war between France and England vastly aroused the sympathies of a group friendly to France, and there were some extremists who demanded that the nation go to its assistance. Another faction as vehemently urged neutrality or support for England. Washington, who saw clearly that the United States was too weak and insecure to be implicated in European quarrels, issued a proclamation of neutrality and refused to take sides. An unfortunate incident of this affair was the activity of Edmon, or "Citizen," Genet, a Frenchman whose defiance of the proclamation caused the government considerable anxiety. The French sympathizers were also greatly exercised over the acceptance of the Jay Treaty (1794) with England. This treaty was not so favorable to America as its sponsors wished, but it was the best that could be obtained, and it served the purpose of averting war with England, which Washington felt would be a national calamity.

       The power of the Federal government was vigorously exercised in this administration. In Pennsylvania in 1794 there occurred an insurrection in protest against the excise tax, to quell which Washington ordered out 15,000 militia. Trouble with the Indians was settled by Anthony Wayne's victory over them at Fallen Timbers in 1794, and by the negotiation of treaties. Other events include the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney; the erection of the first woolen mill in Massachusetts; the admission of Tennessee into the Union, and the development of two great political parties, by followers of Hamilton and Jefferson, respectively.

The Constitution and First Administration

       Five years after the signing of the peace treaty a new crisis called Washington again into public life. Under the Articles of Confederation affairs were steadily growing more chaotic, and in May, 1787, a convention was called to meet in Philadelphia to prepare a new form of union. To this body Washington was sent as head of the Virginia delegation; on its organization he was unanimously elected its president. In September the convention completed a new Constitution and gave it to the states for ratification. The influence that Washington exercised in the consummation of this great achievement is ably summarized in Woodrow Wilson's History of the American People:

       "It gave the convention great dignity that Washington had presided over its counsels and was heart and soul for the adoption of the measures it proposed. His name and quiet force had steadied the convention on many an anxious day when disagreement threatened hopeless breach. His fame and Influence infinitely strengthened also the measures proposed, now that they were completed. He supported them because they were thorough-going and courageous and cut to the root of the difficulties under which the country was laboring. Issue had been joined now, as he had wished to see it joined, between government or no government, and the country was to know at last where it stood in the most essential matters of its life."

       It is not surprising that when the votes of the first Electoral College were counted it was found that Washington was the unanimous choice for President of the United States, John Adams was honored with the Vice-Presidency. Washington was inaugurated in New York, - which was then the national seat of government. Standing on the balcony in front of the old Federal Hall, whose site is now occupied by the imposing Subtreasury, he took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, though the legal day for the ceremony was March 4. Difficulties in setting the new machinery in motion were responsible for the delay.

       From the first he displayed in civil affairs the same equalities of leadership and invariable good judgment which he had shown during his military career. He set about informing himself concerning all that had happened during the period of the Confederation - the relations of the new government to foreign nations, and the questions of internal administration and finance, which were soon to become pressing issues. He also chose a remarkably strong Cabinet, including Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, who, though directly opposite in their political opinions, were acknowledged leaders in the political life of the country.

       The selection of Alexander Hamilton as head of the Treasury Department was momentous in its results, for through his farseeing statesmanship the country was put on a sound financial basis. In accordance with Hamilton's program the national government assumed the debts of the states incurred during the war; a national bank and a mint were established; and a national income was provided for by duties on imports and a system of internal revenue.

       Other important events of the first four years under the Federal Constitution were the organization of the United States Supreme Court, the admission of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792) as states, the adoption of a decimal system of coinage, and the incorporation into the Constitution of the first ten amendments. So profoundly impressed were the people with the results of Washington's first term that there was a spontaneous demand that he serve again. Against his personal wishes he consented, and was unanimously reelected, being inaugurated in Philadelphia on March 4, 1793. The city of Washington did not become the national capital until 1800.

The Revolutionary War

       On June 15, 1775, two months after the Battle' of Lexington, Washington was unanimously chosen by Congress to be commander in chief of the Continental forces. Addressing the assembly the following day, he modestly accepted the honor, and assured the delegates that he would expect no remuneration except for his own expenses. He then departed on horseback for Boston, and on July 3, 1775, took command of the Continental army, in Cambridge. The old elm under which this ceremony took place is still preserved as a cherished relic. 

• Under The Washington Elm, Cambridge

       The military events of the long struggle which the colonies waged for independence are told in these volumes in the article on the Revolutionary War. The personal share of Washington in the hard-won victory cannot be overestimated; from the perspective of a century and a half it seems almost incredible that he did succeed. Difficulties beset him that would have broken the courage of a weaker man. His little army of barely 14,000 was lacking in arms, supplies, discipline and organization. There was no uniform policy among the colonies on any matters essential to the prosecution of the war, and authority was vested in too many officials and organizations to bring about any semblance of unity. There were bickerings, quarrels and plots. Yet, somehow, Washington overrode all obstacles. For one thing, he was loved and trusted by his men, and because of that trust they endured terrible hardships to uphold him.

       When the army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, in December, 1777, Washington informed Congress that he had 2,898 men unfit for duty because they were "bare- footed and otherwise naked." It is a matter of record that blood in the snow marked the path of those unshod troops as they marched into camp.

       As a military leader Washington was superior to any of the field commanders sent over by England. In fact his tactics in the movements on the Delaware River were characterized by Frederick the Great as the "most brilliant achievements recorded in military annals." Years later the old Prussian soldier sent his portrait to Washington, with this message: "From the oldest general in Europe to the greatest general in the world."

       Coupled with his genius as a soldier was an abiding faith in the justice and ultimate triumph of the American cause. Toward the close of the stiniggle a movement was started to have Washington assume the title of king, but his repudiation of such a course was voiced in language as vigorous as he could make it. His great popularity never undermined his modest sense of his own worth or his deep-rooted conviction that the American nation was destined to be a democracy in which kings could have no part. On November 2, 1783, he took final leave of his faithful army, and the following December appeared before Congress to resign the commission tendered him over seven years before. He said: 

"Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of action, and, bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have long acted, I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all employments of public life." "You retire," replied the president of Congress," from the theatre of action with the blessings of your fellow-citizens; but the glory of your virtues will not terminate with your military command: it will continue to animate remotest ages."

       On Christmas Eve Washington arrived at Mount Vernon, where, during the interval before the organization of the government under the Constitution, he enjoyed once more the life of plantation owner and private citizen. 

"The Shot Heard 'Round the World" by Liberty's Kids

At Mount Vernon

Washington's Home in Mount Vernon.

       The period between the close of the French and Indian War and the outbreak of the Revolution brought to Washington some of the happiest years of his life. In January, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, an attractive and wealthy young widow with two children, John and Martha Parke Custis. The management of his own and his wife's property provided an outlet for his business instincts, and he entered whole-heartedly into the public affairs of Virginia colony as a delegate to the House of Burgesses, to which he had been elected before his marriage. These duties, with those of a good churchman and a hospitable colonial gentleman, rounded out a life completely wholesome and happy. The Mount Vernon mansion was always filled to over- flowing during the hunting season, but none of its inmates enjoyed the pleasures of the chase more than the master himself.

       As relations grew strained between the colonies and the mother country, Washington for a long time hoped that an agreement might be reached without resort to war, and he was very guarded in his utterances. In 1769, however, he drew up a nonimportation agreement which was adopted by the House of Burgesses, and from that time on he refused to permit any of the banned articles to be brought into his house.

       As a member of the provincial convention, held in August, 1774, at Williamsburg, he vigorously upheld the right of the colonies to govern themselves, and, moved by reports about the effects of the Boston Port Bill, exclaimed in an impassioned speech, "I will raise a thousand men and march with them, at their head, for the relief of Boston." Virginia sent him as one of its six delegates to the First Continental Congress, and in this and the succeeding Congress, held in 1775, he was clearly one of the commanding figures, though he let others make the speeches.

Washington's Grave in Mount Vernon.

• President Washington's Receptions

The Early Military Career of Washington

       Not long before he died Lawrence Washington had used his influence to have his brother appointed an adjutant-general over one of the several military districts into which Virginia colony was divided. This division was rendered necessary by the threatened encroachments of the Indians and of the French, who were establishing posts along the Ohio. Washington's eager pursuit of the study of military tactics was interrupted by the trip to the West Indies, but he resumed his duties as adjutant general after his return, and late in 1753 was requested by Governor Dinwiddle to carry a message of warning to the French forces in the Ohio Valley. It was a hazardous mission for a young man of twenty-one, and the selection reflects favorably upon Washington's reputation for reliability and good judgment. In November, accompanied by an experienced frontiersman, he started on his 600-mile journey After many narrow escapes from the Indians and the perils of the wilderness, he completed his mission and reported to Governor Dinwiddle on January 16, 1754, at Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia. Shortly afterwards he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Virginia regiment.

       A skirmish with the French in the summer of 1754, which was not decisive, was followed by a reorganization of the Virginia, troops and Washington's temporary retirement from things military. Early in 1755, however. General Braddock arrived from England with two regiments of British regulars, and offered the young colonial a place on his staff, with the rank of colonel. Promptly accepting, Washington entered eagerly into the preparation of the campaign, and on July 9 took part in the disastrous fight at Fort Duquesne. How the English regulars were mowed down by bullets fired from behind trees, and how the Virginians under Washington saved the little army from annihilation by fighting under cover, as did the French and Indians, is known to every American school boy. The troops succeeded in withdrawing from the field, but Braddock was fatally wounded, and died four days later. Washington later reorganized the colonial troops and was their chief commander until 1758, when he retired to Mount Vernon to rest. It was with great satisfaction, however, that, in November, 1758, he accompanied the British forces to the smoking ruins of Fort Duquesne, which was renamed Fort Pitt in honor of England's great Prime Minister. 

Ancestry and Youth of George Washington

       The family of the first President came of a line of well-born Englishmen. They were the Washingtons of Sulgiave Manor, in Northamptonshire, who traced their ancestry to a Nonnan knight of the twelfth century. About the year 1657 John and Lawrence Washington, brothers, emigrated to America, and shortly afterwards purchased estates in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The eldest son of John was Lawrence Washington, the grandfather of the future President. His second son, Augustine, manned Mary Ball as his second wife, and the first child of this marriage, George, was born on February 22, 1732, on the family estate at Bridges Creek, in Westmoreland County. When George was three years old his parents removed to an estate on the Rappahannock River, in Stafford County, and there the boy's first school days were spent. He went to his classes in an old-fashioned school house where the sexton of the parish acted as teacher.

       At the age of eleven George lost his father, and his widowed mother sent him to the old homestead at Bridges Creek to live with his half brother, Augustine. There he attended school until he was nearly sixteen, geometry and surveying being included in his studies. While he was not an apt classical student, he made excellent progress in surveying, and throughout this school period he cultivated robust health by outdoor exercise, such as horseback riding and athletic games. It was when he was thirteen that he wrote the rules of good behavior now so well known.

       Soon after he left school George went to live with his eldest half brother, Lawrence, who was occupying that portion of the estate known as Mount Vernon. Lawrence Washington had married the daughter of William Fairfax, who was the manager of the great estate of his cousin. Lord Fairfax, the head of the family. Lord Fairfax conceived a great liking for young Washington, and presently entrusted to him the task of marking out the boundaries of the Fairfax estate. George began his duties in 1748, when he was but a few days past sixteen, and for many months he endured the hardships of a surveyor in the wilderness. His work was so well done that he was subsequently appointed public surveyor of Culpeper County, and his surveys were considered admirable examples of thoroughness and accuracy.

       In 1751 George accompanied his brother Lawrence on a trip to the West Indies. The journey was undertaken in the hope of restoring the elder brother's health, undermined by service in the British navy. In 1752, a few months after the brothers returned to Virginia, Lawrence died, and George found

himself the guardian of his niece and one of the executors of the estate. The death of this niece a few years later made him master of the mansion and the beautiful grounds about it - the Mount Vernon that is today a sacred place to all loyal Americans. 

• George Washington's "Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior In Company and Conversation"

True Heroism

TRUE HEROISM

Let others write of battles fought

On bloody, ghastly fields,

Where honors greet the man who wins.

And death the man who yields;

But I will write of him who fights

And vanquishes his sins.

Who struggles on through weary years

Against himself and wins.

He is a hero, staunch and brave.

Who fights an unseen foe,

And puts at last beneath his feet

His passions base and low;

Who stands erect in manhood's might.

Undaunted, undismayed;

The bravest man that drew a sword

In foray or in raid.

It calls for something more than brawn

Or muscle to overcome

An enemy who marcheth not

With banner, plume and drum -

A foe forever lurking nigh,

With silent, stealthy tread,

Forever near your board by day.

At night beside your bed.

All honor, then, to that brave heart,

Though poor or rich he be.

Who struggles with his baser part -

Who conquers and is free!

He may not wear a hero's crown,

Nor fill a hero's grave.

But truth will place his name among

The bravest of the brave.

Under The Washington Elm, Cambridge

UNDER THE WASHINGTON ELM, CAMBRIDGE

Eighty years have passed, and more,
Since under the brave old tree
Our fathers gathered in arms, and swore
They would follow the sign their banners bore,
And fight until the land was free.

Half of their work was done.
Half is left to do -
Cambridge and Concord and Lexington!
When the battle is fought and won.
What shall be told of you?

Hark! 'tis the south wind moans -
Who are the martyrs down?
Ah, the marrow was true in your children's bones.
That sprinkled with blood the cursed stones
Of the murder-haunted town!

What if the storm-clouds blow?
What if the green leaves fall?
Better the crashing tempest's throe
Than the army of worms that gnawed below;
Trample them one and all!

Then when the battle is won

And the land from traitors free,

Our children shall tell of the strife begun

When Liberty's second April sun

Was bright on our brave old tree!

The Twenty-Second of February by Webster

       Gentlemen, a most auspicious omen salutes and cheers us, this day. This day is the anniversary of the birth of Washington. Washington's birthday is celebrated from one end of the land to the other. The whole atmosphere of the country is the day redolent of his principles, - the hills, the rocks, the groves, the vales, and the rivers, shout their praises, and resound with his fame. All the good whether learned or unlearned, high or low, rich or poor, feel this day that is one treasure common to them all; and that is the fame of Washington. They all recount his deeds, ponder over his principles and teaching, and resolve to be more and more guided by them in the future.

       To the old and young, to all born in this land, and to all whose preferences have led them to make it the home of their adoption, Washington is an exhilarating theme. Americans are proud of his character; all exiles from foreign shores are eager to participate in admiration of him; and it is true that he is, this day, here, everywhere, all over the world, more an object of regard than on any former day since his birth.

       Gentlemen, by his example, and under the guidance of his precepts, will we and our children uphold the Constitution. Under his military leadership, our fathers conquered their ancient enemies; and, under the out-spread banner of his political and constitutional principles, will we conquer now. To that standard we shall adhere, and uphold it, through evil report and good report. We will sustain it, and meet death itself; if it comes, we will ever encounter and defeat error, by day and by night, in light or in darkness - thick darkness if it come, till:

"Danger's troubled night is o'er,

And the star of peace return."

Welcome to Lafayette by Edward Everett

       Welcome, friend of our fathers, to our shores. Happy are our eyes that behold those venerable features. Enjoy a triumph such as never conqueror or monarch enjoyed - the assurance that, throughout America, there is not a bosom that does not beat with joy and gratitude at the sound of your name. You have already met and saluted, or will soon meet, the few that remain of the ardent patriots, prudent counselors, and brave warriors, with whom you were associated in achieving our liberties. But you have looked around in vain for the faces of many who would have lived years of pleasure on a day like this, with their old companion in arms and brother in peril.

       Lincoln and Greene and Knox and Hamilton are gone! The heroes of Saratoga and Yorktown have fallen before the only foe they could not meet! Above all, the first of heroes and of men, the friend of your youth, the more than friend of his country, rests in the bosom of the soil he has redeemed. On the banks of the Potomac, he lies in glory and in peace. You will revisit the hospitable shades of Mount Vernon; but him whom you venerated, as we did, you will not meet at its door. His voice of consolation, which reached you in the Austrian dungeons, can not now break its silence to bid you welcome to his own roof.

       But the grateful children of America will bid you welcome in his name. Welcome, thrice welcome, to our shores; and whithersoever, throughout the limits of the continent, your course shall take you, the ear that hears you shall bless you; the eye that sees you shall bear witness to you; and every tongue exclaim with heartfelt joy: ''Welcome, welcome, Lafayette!"

Questions and Answers About George Washington

1. Tell something of Washington's ancestors.

He was descended from an ancient family in Cheshire, of which a branch had been established in Virginia. His English ancestors were allied to those of the highest rank. His mother belonged to the most ancient Saxon family of Fairfax, of Towcester in Northumberland.

2. Where was Washington born?

Near the banks of the beautiful Potomac, in Westmoreland County, Va. It was a very small place called Bridge's Creek.

3. How old was he when his father died?

Ten years old.

4. How did he always treat his mother?

With the greatest respect and attention : and as you follow him through life you will find him "Speaking what is just and true. Doing what is right to do Unto one and all."

5. "Hail, patriot, chief, all hail! Historic fame
In purest gold hath traced thy glorious name!
Earth has Niagara, the sky its sun.
And proud mankind its only Washington."

6. Why do they call him ''Historic Fame?"

" I thought he was the ''Father of his Country." Because he never spared himself in any way and was

always first in "battle. The bullets often razed his hair and riddled his cloak, but he would tell his soldiers, "Stand fast and receive the enemy."

7. When did the Revolutionary War begin?

April 19, 1775.

8. What cry was repeated everywhere?

War has begun! To arms! To arms! Liberty or death!

9. What was needed at once? 

A commander-in-chief.

10. Who was appointed to fill this place? 

George Washington.

11. How did he influence the soldiers?

He inspired them with reverence and enthusiasm. His height was six feet two, and he seemed born to

command.

12. When did the British finally leave Boston?

March 17, 1776, in seventy-eight ships and transports.

13. After the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, what did Washington do?

He went to see his mother at Fredericksburg, for he had not seen her in six years.

14. Who went with him?

Lafayette. And they found her at work in her garden. Lafayette began to tell her of the world-wide love bestowed upon her son, but she interrupted him by saying, ''I am not surprised at what George has done, for he was always a good boy."

15. Tell us something about Washington after he resigned command of the army.

He went to Mount Vernon to live, and, as he had spent so much of his own money during the war, he was obliged to practice very close economy; but he would accept nothing from Congress, for he had served his country from love alone.

16. What was his especial delight?

He took especial delight in beautifying the grounds about his house. Dinner at Mount Vernon was at half-past two, and if there was no company he would write until dark. He loved his wife's children as well as if they were his own, and always found time for his family; but the quiet of his house was soon to be disturbed.

17. In what way?

The unanimous choice of the nation was that he should fill the presidential chair, and he was forced to

accept.

18. When and where did the inauguration take place?

April 30, 1789, in New York City.

19. What did the people do in 1789 when he took the oath of office?

All the bells in the city were rung, the people cheered and there was a thundering of artillery. Then

they went to St. Paul's Church on foot, where services were held. Brilliant illuminations and fireworks con- cluded the day.

20. Why did Washington accept a second term of office if he was so anxious for a quiet home life?

The people would have no one else, and he was obliged to accept to keep peace in the country he loved so well; but it was with a heartfelt sense of relief that he left the seat of government in 1797 and entered once more upon the quiet home life at Mount Vernon.

21. How did he spend the remaining years of his life?

In repairing houses that were fast going to ruin, making and selling a little flour each year, and amusing himself in agricultural and rural pursuits. He died in December, 1799, and his last words were, " 'Tis well, 'tis well." -  From "How to Celebrate Washington's birthday," published by E. L. Kellogg & Co.

'Twas not in vain the deluge came,

And systems crumbled in the gloom,

And not in vain have sword and flame

Robbed home and heart of life and bloom;

The mourner's cross, the martyr's blood.

Shall crown the world with holier rights.

And slavery's storm, and slavery's flood

Leave Freedom's ark on loftier heights.

- James Q. Clark

President Washington's Receptions

In classic Palladian style, on the western side, the main house is flanked by advancing,
single-story secondary wings creating a cour d'honneur. See and read more at Wikipedia.

        He devoted one hour every other Tuesday, from three to four, to these visits. He understood himself to be visited as the "President of the United States" and not on his own account. He was not to be seen by anybody and everybody; but required that everyone who came should be introduced by his secretary, or by some gentleman that he knew himself. He lived on the south side of Market street just below sixth. The place of reception was the dining room in the rear, twenty five or thirty feet in length, including the bow projecting over into the garden. Mrs. Washington received her visitors in the two rooms on the second floor, from front to rear.

       At three o'clock or at any time within a quarter of an hour afterward, the visitor was conducted to this dining room, from which all seats had been removed for the time. On entering, he saw the tall, manly figure of Washington clad in black velvet; his hair in full dress, powdered and gathered behind in a large silk bag; yellow gloves on his hands; holding a cocked hat with a cockade in it, and the edge adorned with a black feather, about an inch deep. He wore knee and shoe buckles; and a long sword with a finely wrought and polished steel hilt. The scabbard was white polished leather.

       He stood always in front of the fireplace, with his face toward the door of entrance. The visitor was conducted to him, and he required to have the name so distinctly pronounced that he could hear it. He had the very uncommon faculty of associating a man's name and personal appearance so durably in his memory, as to be able to call anyone by name who made a second visit.

       He received his visitor with a dignified bow, while his hands were so disposed of as to indicate that the salutation was not to be accompanied with shaking hands. This ceremony never occurred in these visits, even with his most near friends, that no distinction might be made.

       As these visitors came in they formed a circle around the room. At a quarter-past three, the door was closed and the circle was formed for that day. He then began on the right and spoke to each visitor, calling him by name and exchanging a few words with him. When he had completed his circuit, he resumed his first position, and the visitors approached him in succession, bowed and retired. By four o'clock the ceremony was over.

       On the evenings Mrs. Washington received visitors, he did not consider himself as visited. He was then as a private gentleman, dressed usually in some colored coat and waistcoat, often brown with bright buttons, and black on his lower limbs. He had then neither hat nor sword; he moved about among the company conversing with one and another. He had once a fortnight an official dinner, and select companies on other days. He sat,it is said, at the side in a central position, Mrs. Washington opposite; the two ends were occupied by members of his family, or by personal friends. by William Sullivan.

The Real Martha Washington.

• What to See
• Virtual Tour of Mount Vernon 

Farewell, Address To His Officers

1st pupil --

       This took place March 15, 1783. In the midst of his reading - for he addressed his officers by aid of a manuscript - Washington made a short pause, took out his spectacles, and begged the indulgence of the audience while he adjusted them, at the same time observing:

       "Gentlemen, I have grown gray in your service, and now find that I am growing blind."

       An eye-witness speaks of the act as being "so natural, so unaffected, as to render it superior to the most studied oratory! It found its way to every heart, and you could see sensibility moisten every eye!"

2nd pupil --

       The speech, by James Otis, against the "Stamp Act," fully illustrates the feeling prevalent against it: "England may as well dam up the waters of the Nile with bulrushes as to fetter the step of freedom, proud, and firm in this youthful land. Arbitrary principles, like those against which we now contend, have cost one king of England his life - another his crown - and they may yet cost a third his most flourishing colonies.

       "We are two millions, one-fifth fighting men. We call no man, Master!

       "Some have sneeringly asked: 'Are the Americans too poor to pay a few pounds on stamped paper?' No! America, thanks to God and herself, is rich. But the right to take ten pounds implies the right to take a thousand.

       "Others, in sentimental style, talk of the immense debt of gratitude which we owe to England. And what is the amount of this debt.  We plunged into the wave, with the great charter of freedom in our teeth, because the fagot and the torch were behind us. We owe nothing to the kind succor of the Mother Country - Tyranny drove us from her, to the pelting storms which invigorated our helpless infancy."

       The Act was passed by the British Parliament, March 22, 1765 - but was the occasion of so much excitement, overt resistance, and such violent protests, that it was repealed the following year, and a little later a "Bill of Indemnity" was passed for the benefit of those who had incurred its penalties.

3rd pupil --

       As indicative of the spirit of the times in which Washington lived, the following extract from Webster's ''Supposed Speech of John Adams on the Declaration of Independence" may be an illustration:

       "Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote. It is true, indeed, that in the beginning we aimed not at independence. But there's a Divinity that shapes our ends. The injustice of England has driven us to arms; and, blinded to her own interest, for our good, she has obstinately persisted, till Independence is now within our grasp. We have but to reach forth to it and it is ours. Why, then, should we defer the Declaration? If we postpone independence, do we mean to carry on or give up the war? Do we mean to submit, and consent that we ourselves shall be ground to powder, and our country and its rights trodden down in the dust? I know we do not mean to submit. We never shall submit. The war must go on. We must fight it through. And if the war must go on, why put off longer the Declaration of Independence? That measure will strengthen us. It will give us character abroad. Sir the Declaration will inspire the people with increased courage. Read this Declaration at the head of the army; every sword will be drawn from its scabbard, and the solemn vow uttered to maintain it or to perish on the bed of honor. Publish it from the pulpit; religion will approve it and the love of religious liberty will cling round it, resolved to stand or fall with it. Send it to the public halls; proclaim it there ; let them hear it who first heard the roar of America's cannon; let them see it who saw their brothers and their sons fall on the field of Bunker Hill, and in the streets of Lexington and Concord, and the very walls will cry out in its support.

       ''Sir, before God, I believe the hour is come. My judgment approves this measure and my whole heart is in it. All that I have and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now here ready to stake upon it - and I leave off as I begun - that, live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and, by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment - independence now; and independence forever."

Tribute To Washington

TRIBUTE TO WASHINGTON.

(Recitation for a Older School Pupil.)

by Eliza Cook

Land of the West! though passing brief the record of thy age,

Thou hast a name that darkens all the world's wide page!

Let all the blasts of fame ring out - thine shall be loudest far;

Let others boast their satellites - thou hast the planet star.

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 it for any land where freedom's to be won.

Land of the West! - it stands alone - it is thy 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 dauntlessly 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 scepter 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 the 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 a noble WASHINGTON.

Ode For Washington's Birthday

Ode For Washington's Birthday

Welcome to the day returning.
Dearer still as ages flow;
While the torch of faith is burning,
Long as Freedom's altars glow.
See the hero that it gave us
Slumbering on a mother's breast.
For the arm he stretched to save us,
Be its morn forever blest!

Hear the tale of youthful glory
While of Britain's rescued band;
Friend and foe repeat the story.
Spread his fame o'er sea and land.
Where the red cross, proudly streaming.
Flaps above the frigate's deck,
Where the golden lilies gleaming
Star the watchtower of Quebec.

Look! the shadow on the dial
Marks the hour of deadlier strife;
Days of terror, years of trial,
Scourge a nation into life.
Lo, the youth became the leader!
All her baffled tyrants yield!
Through his arm the Lord has freed her.
Crown him on the tented field.

Vain is empire's mad temptation --
Not for him an earthly crown;
He whose sword hath freed a nation
Strikes the offered scepter down.
See the throneless conqueror seated.
Ruler by a people's choice;
See the patriot's task completed;
Hear the father's dying voice. 

By the name that you inherit,

By the sufferings you recall,
Cherish the fraternal spirit,
Love your country first of all.
Listen not to idle questions,
If its bands may be untied;
Doubt the patriot whose suggestions
Whisper that its props may slide.

Father! we whose ears have tingled
With the words of doubt and shame;
We, whose sires their blood have mingled
In the battle's th tinder-flame ;
Gathering, while this holy morning
Lights the land from sea to sea;
Hear thy counsel, heed thy warning,
Trust us, while we honor thee.

Washington's Birthday

Among the gifted author's utterances was the following noble ode, written for Washington's birthday, February 22, 1878, for a religious journal.

by William Cullen Bryant.

Pale is the February sky,

And brief the mid-day's sunny hours;

The wind-swept forest seems to sigh

For the sweet time of leaves and flowers.

Yet even when the summer broods

O'er meadows in their fresh array,

Or autumn tints her glowing woods,

No mouth can boast a prouder day.

For this chill season now again

Brings, in its annual round, the morn

When, greatest of the sons of men,

Our glorious Washington was born.

Lo, where, beneath an icy shield,

Calmly the mighty Hudson flows,

By snow-clad fell and frozen field

Broadening the lordly river goes.

The wildest storm that sweeps through space,

And rends the oak with sudden force,

Can raise no ripple on his face

Or slacken his majestic course.

Thus, mid the wreck of thrones, shall live

Unmarred, undimmed, our hero's fame,

And years succeeding years shall give

Increase of honors to his name.