2
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS.
H. H. MULLIN. Editor.
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tor in advance.
Telltale Footprints of Old.
A man never knows when lie is cov
ering up his tracks; lie never knows
how lons they will stay covered or
who will get on his trail, says the Bal
timore Sun. Up in Canada, where
they are digging for the new Toronto
water works, the diggers found in the
blue clay 70 feet below the water line
the footprints of a gentleman who had
tramped around that way some years
ago; The geologists disagree as to the
exact time, some holding that the
freshness of the footprints indicates
that it was only 50,000 years ago, while
•others believe that the toe-nail prints
indicate that it has been about 100,000
years since the gentleman passed that
way. Not that this slight discrepancy
matters to the gentleman or to us; for
nobody had to sit on the fence there
and wait for him 50,000 years, even if
he did happen to be late.
. Sir Robert Hart, for many years in
spector general of Chinese customs,
lias made a striking suggestion as to
the i>ossib!e future of China. The
world has long wondered what would
happen if that great country of 400,-
000,000 people should awake to its full
power and stand up like a giant among
nations. Sir Robert's idea is reassur
ing. The Chinaman is a lover of
peace. China would turn round to tho
rest of the world and say, "Gentlemen,
there must be 110 more fighting." The
strongest nation would become a bene
ficent policeman, keeping us little fel
lows in order. Sir Robert says that it
is a curious statement, but not so un
reasonable as it seems to those who do
not know China.
What boy born during the current
year will be the Abraham Lincoln or
the Charles Darwin of the century?
Both Darwin and Lincoln were born on
February 12, 1800. The same year
saw the birth of Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Kdgar Allan Poe, Alfred Ten
nyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, to say
nothing of scores of men famous in
other branches of learning.
Few people will have had the cour
age to sit down 13 at a table for the
greetings of a new year. Hut five
and-fifty years ago Lord Roberts was
one of 13 who sat, down to dinner on
New Year's day at Peshawar. Eleven
years later—though most of tlieni had
been through the Indian mutiny and
a half of them had been wounded—
they were all alive. And Lord Rob
erts is still very much alive.
Minnesota is the banner state in the
matter of female labor, statistics show
ing that every third girl in the slate
bet ween the ages of 16 and 20 is a
wage-earner, while in Minneapolis and
St. Paul every second girl works for
hire. The woman question up there
seems to have been solved by putting
the woman to work.
Tests made by the Swedish naval
authorities lead them to declare that a
rifle bullet which will go through a
five-inch piece of wood will not go
through thru' inches of pasteboard.
Why not pasteboard navies, then, and
reduced appropriations ?
Down in Sharon, Pa., a preacher re
cently announced that he hoped all the
ladies of tho congregation except the
elderly ones would remove their hats.
It is needless to say that, one minute
after his request was made not a lady
in the church had nor hat on.
A Cleveland judge has ruled that a
young girl has a perfect right to sit on
her sweetheart's knee. This seems
fair enough, but can't a man even ask
her to get off when his foot's asleep?
You frequently encounter the chap
who dwells upon the great things that
he would do if he had the money. But
the really great thing, from the com
mercial viewpoint, is to get the money.
Mr. Rockefeller has a new joke. Be
sides his native geniality he is bound
to keep up his reputation as a member
of the American Humorists' associa
tion.
Petrified remains of whales have
been found on bill tops in California.
When whales were younger they may
have been good climbers.
ION ■ UF& INC IDCN 13 j
'SIT T&E/VTOA/, &ySV\£,CJ <3> ?•*=£>-__ o
HOUGH the pages of Ameri
can history are adorned
with tho names of many
great men, none are bright
er and moie beautifully
described in letters of
chased gold than those of
Washington and Lincoln.
jar
Students ot history
are divided In their
judgment which of
tho two men is the greater. But it is
not really important that this question
be decided. Destiny planned a certain
line of work for both men, and they did
that work well. Their innate ability is
only partly responsible for their suc
cess; it was their unselfishness and de
sire to do well whatever they under
took which helped them lo succeed
where others might have failed. If Lin
coln deserves praise because necessity
spurred him onto greatness, Washing
lon deserves as much credit because he
became great without being driven on
by necessity. Destiny demanded a
double role of Washington—she made
him a soldier and a statesman, and he
performed both well. His trials as
president were almost as great as those
he encountered as commander-in-chief
of the army. He was placed at the head
of a new form of government, and did
not have precedents to guide him in
his undertaking. It was his early train
ing which taught him to think calmly
and with judgment. Ilis mind once
made up, to act without fear.
He was born on the banks of the Po
tomac river in a farmhouse; though the
house was far better than a log cabin,
it was not the mansion it is supposed
to have been. It was a large, roomy
place, with a deep sloping roof and a
big outside chimney at either end. He
was one of many children. His father
was rich in crops and land, though he
had little real money. Most Virginia
farmers planted tobacco, and when mon
ey was scarce they traded this product
for food and clothing. His early years
were spent on the farm, with plenty of
"xercise and little schooling. George loved to
tramp across the fields, forests and to swim
in the streams. His education was gained at
a country school where he was taught for three
hours a day. Limited as his education was,
ho was fond of reading, and he had a book
into which he copied everything he wished to
remember. In this book lie put many rules
which ho himself had formulated. These are
only a few of the many:
"Labor to keep alive in your breast that lit
ilo spark ot celestial fire called conscience."
"Think before you speak."
"Whisper not in the company of others."
Lawrence, one of the half-brothers, had been
sent to England to school, and the parents
had planned the same for George, but the
father died suddenly, and Mrs. Washington
realized she could not afford to send him across
the ocean. The boy had spent considerable
time on the wharf and talking to seamen had
awakened a desire for adventure. These sto
ries created a desire to earn a living as a sail
or, and he suggested it to his mother. Mrs.
Washington did not like the idea of having
George leave home nor did she approve of his
career. He was sent back to school to study
surveying. When not studying he was training
his company of boys to become soldiers, and he
often got very impatient when they made mis
takes.
Shortly after his brother Lawrence had mar
ried the daughter of Lord Fairfax a member of
this family took a great interest in the boy.
He had such a fancy for the lad he put him to
surveying a large tract of land in the Shenan
doah valley. Though the work was no easy
task, he was so strong and enthusiastic he
acquitted himself exceedingly well. He did
not go alone —a boy, George Fairfax, went as
his aid. They rather enjoyed the now expe
rience of hunger, cold and facing Indian strat
egy. In later years George recalled his expe
rience of roughing it in the Shenandoah val
ley with great pleasure. This work was sud
denly interrupted by sickness in the family.
Lawrence, his lialf-brothor, was ill and the phy
sicians sent him to the West Indies. George
went along to keep him company, only to bo
takan with smallpox. Although Lawrence
started for home, he died after his return.
This was a great shock to George, for the
brothers were exceedingly devoted; but tho
sting of this loss was partly forgotten by a
commission togo to the French who were
building forts k;i English territory.' !£e w&*
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18, 1909
made major at the age of 22
and sent on a perilous jour
ney of over a thousand miles.
He had many narrow es
capes in his journey over
mountains, fording streams
and through forests where
Indians lay in hiding. After
his interview with the French commander he
started for home. The journey back was
worse than going, for the rivers were exceed
ingly treacherous. The French governor re
fused to heed English commands and continued
to build forts, so George Washington was ap
pointed to command soldiers to march against
the French in the spring. This was tho begin
ning of a war between the French and English,
which lasted seven years. Gen. Braddock was
sent over from England and George was made
a colonel and commanded the Virginia troops.
Though Braddock was a capable general, ho
did not understand the art of fighting tho In
dians and refused to heed young Washington's
advice. The general was shot in one of these
engagements. With this the Redcoats began
to run, but Washington tried to call them back.
All day he was in the midst of the fight. Four
bullets went through his coat and two horses
were shot under him.
The war at an end, Washington returned
home. He was anxious to see his mother, whom
ho had not seen in some time. Though Mrs.
Washington was not a brilliant woman, she
had plenty of good Judgment and common
sense, and was always ready to give her son
wis* counsel. Proud though she was of her
boy * energy and desire to serve his country
she was careful not to spoil him by excessive
praise. She loved to hear of the hazards of
war, but she emphasized the dangers more
than her boy's success.
Hardships and long-fought campaigns had
done much to impair his health, and he went
to Williamsburg t« consult a physician. On
this trip he met Mrs. Martha Custis, widow of
Daniel Parke Custis, one of the wealthiest
planters in the colony. They were married
some five months later. Very little is known
of her except that she was petite, pretty and
exceedingly devoted to her husbsad. She was
vary proud of his successes, and used all her
energy to make his trials as easy as she could.
There are those who attribute Washington's
first step upward to his marriage. This is cer
tainly untrue, for be was on the road to suc
cess when he married her. Whenever Wash
ington went on a long campaign his wife took
up headquarters where she might be near him.
These winterings gradually became a regular
custom. She seldom complained, although she
frequently had to put up with inconvenient
headquarters. When Washington was chosen
commander-in-chief of the army he did not ac
cept the place with great eagerness, for he
knew it was to be a long and
hard fought war, and a posi
tion latent with responsibili
ty. The struggle was as dif
ficult as he imagined, for
many times during the war
the soldiers were ready to
lay down their arms and go
home, but his courage never failed him and
he pushed on.
When the sky looked blackest ho would plan
some campaign to make of defeat a victory.
A happy illustration of this was when one
Christmas night tho soldiers wore quite ready
to give lip and go home. They were camping
on the banks of the Delaware. Pointing to
the other side, ho said: "Our enemy is camp
ing there." They were Hessian soldiers, and
since it was Christmas night, they were cele
brating. It was with difficulty the army
crossed, for the night was wild, dark and cold.
But in spite of the great blocks of ice on the
river, Washington managed to get his army
across, and a victory was the result. A more
difficult year was spent in Valley Forge. It
was a long, cold winter, tho soldiers hungry
for food, and they did not have enough clothing
and blankets to keep themselves warm. Many
times they were on the verge of mutineering.
It was only by means of his tact and good
judgment that he brought harmony into camp
and gave tho war a successful ending.
After leaving the army he went back homo
and spent much time improving the farm. The
Mount Vernon estate gradually became an ex
pensive affair. Here he kept open house, and
never a day went by without his receiving call
ers and friends. Some of the dinners and
levees were often elaborate, and he struggled
hard not to appear bored, lie had hoped to
spend the rest of his life among these pleasant
surroundings. Ho often told his friends: "Let
those wlio wish such things as office be at the
head of things. I do not wish them. All I do
sire now is to settle down at Mount Vernon
and to enjoy my farm." But after the constitu
tion was ratified and the votes of the electors
were opened and counted it was found that
everyone had voted for Washington. During
his presidency he had many knotty problems,
but he met them all with good sense and judg
ment. Because lie played tho double role of
commander of the army and the first president
of this nation equally well he is entitled to the
name, the Father of His Country.
"END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS."
"The end justifies the means." This motto,
from the cont-of-arms of Washington, will no
doubt flash into the minds of certain admirers
of the father of his country who glance at the
genealogical tree, which is England's latest
contribution to tho oft-debated question of
Washington's ancestry.
"Let no man fancy he knows sport," said the
late Moncure D. Conway, "unless he has family
treed an ancestor of George Washington." Yet,
despite the many clever scholars and antiquar
ians of America who have tried their hands at
this "sport," it has remained for a fellow of
tho Royal Historical society of England, Rev.
Frederick W. Ragg, to convey to us the latest
interesting revelation regarding the ancestry
of our first president.
Barring those that champion the truly demo
cratic standpoint, less prevalent to-day than
it was in 1620, which scorns to connect itself
with old world titles and abhors royalty, there
remain many liberal souls among us who do
not grudge to one who was acknowledged first
in war and first in peace a share in the homage
accorded the first family of England.
Edward I.was himself a mighty warrior, and
first in many wars; his prowess was early e«cer>
cised on the Turks, during the last crusade
ever embarked on by England's kings, and
when the throne became his own he success
fully carried e«t his project of uniting England,
Scotland and Wales. He brought the famous
stone of Scone to Westminster abbey, and
under him England became a mighty nation.
He was a monarch wise and groat, even though
he had little leaning toward democratic govern
ment and did not display special fondness for
Magna Charter. Edward Longslianks was not
an ancestor to he despised by his descendant
George, of kingly bearing and equally long legs.
That this direct line of descent has not until
now been established may seem a bit surpris
ing in view of the exhaustive research that has
been devoted to the Washington ancestry. The
reason is, however, not difficult to understand
when one reflects that such research has been
concerned exclusively with the male line, whilo
this royal blood is introduced into the family
by Margaret Butler, who married Laurence.
Washington in 15SS.
Mr. Worthington Cliauncey Ford and otherr
who have made a special study of the Washing
ton pedigree trace the line back to John Wash
ington of Whitfield, five generations back ol
tho aforesaid Laurence and his wife Margaret
These students state that this Margaret Butlei
was the daughter of William Butler of Tighes.
Sussex, but do not follow the Butler pedigree
back of this point. Here Mr. Ragg has taken
up the quest, and after careful study of old
records, tombstones, and entries in church reg
isters has proved that William Butler, father of
Mrs. Laurence Washington, stands tenth in
direct descent from Edward I.
Reference to the above genealogical tree just
completed by Mr. Ragg, and verified since its
arrival in America by various genealogical ex
ports, who have pronounced it satisfactory, will
show conclusively that George Washington is
in tiio sixteenth generation in direct descent
from the monarch in question, and is, there
fore, the great-great-great-great-great-great
great-great-great- great-great-great-great- graud'
son of Edward I. Plantagenet.