The Lesson of Washington's Life 



THE SPIRIT OF COMMAND WEDDED TO THE 

 SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS" 



BY DANSKE DANDRIDGE^ 



I N" reply to a question b}^ Louis Philippe, 

 afterwards king of France, the Father 

 of His Country declared that he had 

 never said or written anything he wonld 

 care to recall ; nor had ever done anything 

 which he regretted. What other man, 

 nearing the end of a long public career, 

 conld say the same? 



The extraordinary part of this state- 

 ment is that it was a perfectly justifiable 

 one. If he made any mistakes — and tliere 

 is no man so perfect as to be infallible — 

 history does not record them. Always 

 wise, just, and serene, his character is 

 written on his face for all to read. 



In the career of this, singular man we 

 see what height can be attained by force 

 of character alone, without the aid of 

 brilliant intellect. He had good, solid 

 attainments, and great will-powTr, but he 

 was no scholar, and could not even spell 

 correctly. Yet no man understood better 

 the practical conduct of life. 



His most salient characteristic was his 

 perfect mastery of himself. No one can 

 hope to rule others w^ho has not. first 

 learned to rule himself, and this is the 

 great lesson taught us by his life. Ma- 

 caulay, in one of his essays, refers to "the 

 sobriety, the self-command, the perfect 

 soundness of judgment, the perfect rec- 

 titude of intention, to which the history 

 of revolutions furnishes no parallel, or 

 furnishes a parallel in Washington alone." 



This great man, who moves so majes- 

 tically, if with rather a stiff and ponderous 

 tread, across the page of history, had a 

 character of great humanity. It is told 

 of him that on his way back from one 



of his Indian campaigns, he and one com- 

 panion were making their way through 

 the forest on foot, with a treacherous In- 

 dian guide. This guide suddenly turned 

 and fired on them. "Are you hurt?" 

 asked Washington of his companion. 

 "No," he replied. They rushed on the 

 Indian and captured him as he was re- 

 loading, and the companion wished to 

 kill him. But Washington would not 

 allow this. They sent him away, pretend- 

 ing to believe his statement that his gun 

 had gone off by accident. Soon after his 

 return he visited the gallery of the house 

 of burgesses of Virginia, when Mr. Rob- 

 ertson, w^ho was the speaker, saw him, 

 and said, "Gentlemen, it is proposed that 

 the thanks of this house be given to Major 

 Washington for the very gallant manner 

 in which he has executed the important 

 trust lately reposed in him by his excel- 

 lency the governor." The house rose as 

 one man and faced him. Taken by sur- 

 prise and overcome by embarrassment, he 

 in vain sought for words, but could only 

 faintly articulate, "Mr. Speaker ! Mr. 

 Speaker!" until Mr. Eobertson took pity 

 on him, and called out, "Sit down, Mr. 

 Washington, your modesty is equal to your 

 valor." It was John Quincy Adams who 

 said that he had the spirit of command 

 wedded to the spirit of meekness. 



His sense of personal dignity was great. 

 On one occasion Lord Howe sent a message 

 under a flag with certain proposals to 

 "G. Washington, Esq." Washington or- 

 dered the messenger to be informed that 

 there was no such person in the army. 



His humility is well-nigh incomprehen- 



[*Mrs. Danclridge writes with a sympathetic pen. Her aunt married a Washington. Martha 

 Custis was a Miss Dandridge.] 



