July 26, 2025 • 20 mins
Dive into the inspiring life story of George Washington, a man whose personal journey is intricately linked with the history of the nation he helped shape. This book offers not just a look into the American Revolutionary History but also an intimate portrayal of the Father of his Country. Carefully crafted to engage young readers, the book seeks to offer a clear and compelling picture of Washingtons exceptional character and invaluable contributions to the nation. Discover how he became an enduring symbol of American values and leadership in a story that unfolds within a childs comprehension.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fifteen, The Life of George Washington in Words of
One Syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of One syllable by
(00:21):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter fifteen, First in Peace. At the close
of the war and of the year seventeen eighty three,
Washington went back to Mount Vernon. He reached his home
to his great joy on the eve of Christmas Day,
and he was in a good state of mind to
keep the feast. The scene is at last closed, he wrote,
(00:41):
and I am eased of a load of care. I
hope to spend the rest of my days in peace.
Mount Vernon was locked in ice and snow for some time.
Washington wrote that he was so used to camp life
that he could not help feel when he woke each day,
that he must hear the drums be and must go
out to plan or to lead his troops. He was
now at his ease, and longed for the spring so
(01:03):
that his friends could come to him. My way of
life is plain, he said, I do not mean to
be put out of it. But a glass of wine
and a bit of meat can be had at all times.
He would not give notes of his life to those
who wished to write it up at this time, lest
it should look vain. I will leave it to those
who are to come to think and say what they
(01:25):
please of me, he wrote, I will not, by an
act of mine, seem to boast of what I have done.
As spring came on, friends flocked to Mount Vernon, and
Washington met them in a frank way. His wife, too,
was full of good sense and good cheer. She loved
to knit and had been used all through the war
to knit socks for the poor men who were in
(01:47):
the ranks. But as Washington took his rides through his place,
he felt the changes there since he had left. Old
friends were gone, and the scenes of his youth were
no more. Lafayette spent a few days with him, and
the love he felt for the brave young man was
as strong as at first. He wrote a sad note
to him when he was gone, which showed what a
(02:08):
warm place the young Frenchman had in his heart. He said,
as you left me, I asked if this were the
last night I should have of you. And though I
wished to say no, my fears said yes. I called
to mind the days of my youth, and found they
had long since fled to come back no more. I
must now go down the hill I have climbed all
(02:29):
these years. I am blessed with strength, but I some
of a short lived race, and may soon go to
the tomb. All these thoughts gave a gloom to the
hour in which I parted with you. Washington made a
trip through some of the states of the West, and
saw there was a chance for great trade there. He
wrote much of what he had seen, but his chief
(02:51):
joy was in his home and land, where he planted
trees and loved to watch them grow. He writes down
each month of what he sets out. Now it is
a choice slip of grapevine from France, or it may
be a tree that stays green all year round. Some
of the bushes he set out still stand strong in
their growth. On the place. He notes the trees best
(03:14):
for shade and which will not hurt the grass. He
writes of rides to the mill Swamp in quest of
young elms, ash trees, and white thorn and of the
walks he lays out, and the trees and shrubs he
plants by them. A plant of the way in which
he laid out his grounds is still kept at Mount Vernon,
and the places are marked on it for the trees
(03:34):
and shrubs. He owned five farms, and he kept maps
of each. He read much of soils, the way to
raise good crops, and the best style of plows and
farm tools to use. He rode the first half of
the day to see that all went well. When he
had dined, he would write till dark if he had
no guests. If friends came, he did all he could
(03:58):
to make them feel at ease and at home. He
was kind and loved by all. He would not talk
much of the war, nor of what he had done
in it. He took great care not to talk of
his own acts, so that if there had been a
guest who did not know the facts, he would not
have found out by a word from Washington that he
(04:18):
was one who had won a great name in the
eyes of the world. Though grave in his looks and ways,
he loved to see youth glad and gay. He was
fond of the dance, and it was long the boast
of more than one fair dame that she had danced
with the chief. There had been balls in camp in
the dark days of the war. Washington, as we have seen,
(04:40):
had been fond of the hunt in his youth, and
Lafayette sent him some hounds from France. So he took
up his old sport. But the French hounds did not
do well, and he found they could not be trusted.
Ere the war had been long passed, it was found
that there was need of new laws by which the
states should be ruled. The chief men of the land
(05:01):
were called to Philadelphia to form them, and Washington went
from Mount Vernon to take part in the work. It
was then that the Code of Laws was drawn up,
which bears the name of Constitution of the United States.
These laws said that the states should be ruled by
a president. The choice for this post fell on Washington,
and in the spring of seventeen eighty eight he bade
(05:23):
goodbye to Mount Vernon and made his way to New York,
where he was to take the oath that he would
serve the land and be true to her in peace
and in war. As he passed through the towns, crowds
came out to cheer him. Flags were raised, guns roared,
and at night there was a great show of fireworks.
When he came to Trenton, the place where in the
(05:44):
pass he had crossed the stream in the storm, through
clouds of snow and drifts of ice, he found a
scene of peace and love. Crowds were on the bank,
the stream gleamed in the sun, the sky was blue,
and all held him with joy. On the bridge that
crossed the Delaware, an arch was raised and twined with
wreath of green and gay blooms. As Washington passed neath it,
(06:08):
a band of young girls, dressed in white and with
wreaths on their heads, threw bright blooms at his feet
and sang an ode that spoke the love and praise
that were in all hearts. At Elizabethtown Point, he was
met by men who had been sent from New York,
and led to a barge which had been made for
his use. It was filled with seamen of high rank,
(06:31):
who made a fine show in their white suits. Boats
of all sorts, gay with flags and some with bands
on board, fell in the wake of Washington's barge, and
as they swept up the Bay of New York, the
sight was a grand one. The ships at the wharves
or in mid stream dipped their flags and fired their guns.
Bells were rung, and on all the piers were great
(06:53):
crowds that made the air ring with their shouts. On
the last day of April seventeen eighty nine, washed Rington
took the oath in front of the hall where the
wise men of the land had been wont to meet
in New York. He stood in full view of a
great crowd, to whom this was a new and strange sight.
The states were to be as one, and this man,
(07:15):
whose name and fame were dear to them, was to
pledge himself to keep them so. On a ledge that
bulged out from the main part of the house was
a stand spread with a rich red cloth, on which
lay the Word of God, the Book of Books. Washington
was clad in a full suit of dark brown home
made cloth, white silk hose, and dressed sword with steel hilt,
(07:39):
and his hair was dressed in the style of the day.
As he came in sight, he was hailed with the
shouts of the crowds in the streets and on the roofs.
He came to the front of the ledge, close to
the rail so that he could be seen by all,
laid his hand on his heart, bowed three or four times,
and then went back and took his seat in an
arm chair near the stand. In a short time he
(08:02):
rose and went once more to the front with John Adams,
who was to be next him in rank, and the
friends who were to stand by him in this new field.
While the oath was read, wash ing Ton stood with
his hand on the word of God, and at the
close he said, I swear so help me God. One
of the men would have raised the book to wash
(08:24):
ing Ton's lips, but he bent his head and kissed it.
Then there was a cry of long Live George wash
ing Ton, and all the bells in the town rang
out a peal of joy, and the crowd rent the
air with their shouts and cheers. Wash ing Ton bowed
and made a speech that was full of good sense.
Then all went on foot to Saint Paul's Church to
(08:45):
pray that God would bless the land. Wash ing Ton felt,
most of all, as he wrote to his friends, a
fear lest he should come short of what the land
hoped to find in him. The eyes of the world
were on him. He had won fame in the field.
But how would he rule the state? There was still
much to be done. Great Britain held some of the
(09:05):
posts at the west on the plea that debts due
to some of her men had not been paid. The
red Men were still a source of fear to the
homes in the wild West, and there was no hard
cash with which the states could pay their debts. He
found that his time was no more his own. From
dawn till dark men came to him, and he saw
(09:27):
that he must be saved from this, or he could
do no work. Missus Washington joined him, and soon days
were fixed for the cause of friends. The house was
kept well, but there was no waste. One who dined
there wrote that there was no show. The President set
a short grace as he sat down. One glass of
(09:48):
wine was passed each, and no toasts were drunk. He
was kind to his guests and strove to put them
at their ease. He was strict in the way he
kept the lord's day. He went to church, and he
would have no calls on that day. As to Missus Washington,
those who knew her at the time speak of her
as free from all art. She met her guests in
(10:10):
a well bred way as one who had ruled in
a great house. She too was more fond of their
home at Mount Vernon than of the new rank, and
place to stay at home was the first and most
dear wish of her heart. Washington was touched to the
quick when he heard that I some one had said
that there was more pomp at his house than at
(10:32):
Saint James, where King George held his court, and that
his bows were much too stiff and cold. Washington wrote,
I grieve that my bows were not to his taste,
for they were the best I can make. I can
say with truth that I feel no pride of place,
and would be more glad to be at Mount Vernon
with a few friends at my side, than here with
(10:54):
men from all the courts of the world. He then
goes on to tell how they treat their guests. At
two or three o'clock each Tuesday, they come and go,
They go in and out of the rooms, and chat
as they please. When they first come in, they speak
to me, and I talk with all I can. What
pomp there is in all this? I do not see.
(11:16):
The red men, who could not be kept in peace,
roused the land once more to arms, Washington did not
wish for war, but he had to call out troops.
They went forth and laid waste Indian towns. Wash Ington
thought it would be a good plan to meet the
Indian chiefs and talk with them. Three chiefs came to
him and said that they would go to the rest
(11:37):
and try to make peace. Wash ing Ton made a
set speech and told them it would be a good
work to do, or else those tribes, if they thieved
and killed as they had done, would be swept from
the face of the earth. He had thought much of
the state of the Red men in the land. He
had but small faith in the fools for the youth,
(11:57):
save as far as to teach them to read and night.
The true means to do them good, he thought, was
to teach them to till the ground and raise crops
in the same way as the white folks. And he
said if the tribes were pleased to learn such arts,
he would find a way to have them taught. In
the end, General Saint Clair had to be sent out
with troops to put the Red Men down. Washington's last
(12:20):
words to him were to be on the watch, for
the Redskins were sly and would wait for a chance
to find him off his guard. But Saint Clair did
not pay heed to these wise words, and the Redskins
got into his camp. Some of his best men were slain,
and the whole force was put to rout. When the
news was brought to Washington, he said in a quick way,
(12:42):
I knew it would be so here on this spot.
I took leave of him and told him to be
on his guard. I said to him, you know how
the Redskins fight us, I warned him, And yet he
could let them steal into his camp and hack and
slay that army. He threw up his hands and his
frame shook as he cried out, Oh, what a crime,
(13:03):
What a crime. Then he grew calm and said that
Saint Clair should have a chance to speak, and he
would be just to him. Saint Clair was tried and
was found free from guilt. Washington's mother died at Fredericksburg, Virginia,
August twenty fifth, seventeen eighty nine, aged eighty two. When
her son first went to war, she would shake her
(13:25):
head and say, ah, George should stay at home and
take care of his farm. As he rose step by step,
and the news of his fame was brought to her.
She would say George was a good boy, and she
had no fear, but that he would be a good
man and do what was right. In the year seventeen
eighty nine, a great war broke out in France, in
which Leuis the sixteenth lost his crown and his head,
(13:48):
and deeds were done that you could scarce read without tears.
Men seemed like fiends in their mad rage, and like
wild beasts in their thirst for blood. In seventeen ninety three,
France made war on England, and in seventeen ninety seven
sought to break up the peace of the United States.
But of this I will tell you by and by.
(14:10):
In the meantime, the four years which was the full
term Washington was to rule, came to an end. He
had no wish to serve for two terms, but the
choice fell on him, and he once more took the
oath on March fourth, seventeen ninety two. In seventeen ninety six,
as France was still at war, it was thought best
that Washington should hold his place for a third term,
(14:31):
But this he would not do. He made up his
mind to leave these scenes and to give up that
sort of life, and those who pled with him could
not move him. He took leave of his friends in
a way that moved them to tears, and his farewell speech,
though in plain style, touched all hearts and made them
feel what a loss it was to part with so
(14:53):
great and good a man. On March fourth, seventeen ninety seven,
John Adams took the oath and bound himself to serve
as president for a term of four years. Washington was there,
and as he rose to leave the house, there was
a great rush to the door, as all wished to
catch the last look of one who had for so
(15:13):
long a time the first place in their hearts. So
great was the crush that it was feared there would
be loss of limbs, if not of life. As Washington
stood in the street, he waved his hat as cheer
on cheer rose from the crowd, and his gray hair
streamed forth in the wind. When he came to his
own door, he turned to the throng with a grave
(15:34):
face and tried to say a word or two, but
tears rose to his eyes. His heart was full and
he could not speak, but by signs he soon set
off for Mount Vernon, the dear home of his heart.
He had been there but a few months. When the French,
by their acts, seemed to want to bring on a
war with the United States. They took our ships at sea,
(15:56):
and there was no way left but to stand up
for our rights. President Adams wrote to Washington, we must
have your name. If you will let us have it,
there will be more in it than in the host
of men. If the French come here, we shall have
to march with a quick step. Washington wrote to President Adams.
I had no thought that in so short a time
(16:18):
I should be called from the shade of Mount Vernon.
But if a foe should come in our land, I
would not plead my age or wish to stay at home.
He saw the dark clouds that showed a storm, and
he feared his days of peace would be few. It
was with a sad heart that he felt his rest
was at an end. But he had so strong a
sense of what was right that he did not hold back.
(16:42):
He said he would do all he could for the troops,
but he would not take the field till the foe
was at hand. For months, Washington led a life full
of hard work. He had much to do for the troops,
and at the same time work at home, he would
write for hours and took long rides each day. To
his great joy, there was, in the end no war
(17:03):
with France. He seemed in first rate health up to
December twelfth, seventeen ninety nine. On that day a storm
set in, first of snow, then of hail, and then
of rain, and wash ing Ton was out in it
for at least two hours. When he reached the house,
his clerk, mister Lear, saw that the snow hung from
his hair and asked him if he was not wet through. No,
(17:27):
said Washington. My great coat kept me dry. But the
next day his throat was sore and he was quite hoarse,
And though much worse at night, he made light of
it and thought it would soon pass off. When he
went to bed, mister Lear asked him if he did
not think it best to take something. Oh, No, said Washington.
Let it go as it came. But he grew worse
(17:48):
in the night, and it was hard for him to breathe,
and though his wife wished to call up one of
the maids, he would not let her rise lest she
should take cold. At daybreak, when the maid came in
to light the fire, she was sent to call mister Lear.
All was done that could be done to ease him
of his pain, but he felt himself that he had
(18:09):
but a short time to live. Mister Lear was like
a son to him and was with him night and day.
When mister Lear would try to raise and turn him
so that he could breathe with more ease, Washington would say,
I fear I tire you too much. When Leir told
him that he did not, he said, well, it is
a debt we must all pay. And when you want
(18:32):
aid of this kind, I hope you'll find it. His
black men had been in the room the whole day,
and most of the time on his feet, and when
Washington took note of it, he told him in a
kind voice, to sit down. I tell you these things
that you may see. What a kind heart he had,
and how at his last hour he thought not of himself.
(18:54):
His old friend doctor Craig, who stood by his side
when he first went forth to war in the year
seventeen fifty four, was with him in these last hours.
When death was the foe that Washington had to meet.
He said to doctor Craig, I die hard, but I
am not afraid to go My breath cannot last long.
(19:15):
He felt his own pulse and breathe his last On
the night of December fourteenth, seventeen ninety nine. His wife,
who sat at the foot of the bed, asked, with
a firm voice, is he gone? Leir, who could not speak,
made a sign that he was no more. Tis well,
she said, in the same voice, All is now at
(19:36):
an end, and I shall soon join him. Thus lived
and died this great and good man, first in war,
first in peace, and first in the hearts of those
who loved the land of the free. Praise did not
spoil him or make him vain, But from first to
last he was the same, wise, calm, true friend, full
(19:57):
of love to God and of good will to men.
Great and good men have been born into the world,
but none of those whose name and fame rank as
high as that of George Washington. End of Chapter fifteen,
End of the Life of George Washington. In words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard
Chapter fifteen, The Life of George Washington in Words of
One Syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of One syllable by
(00:21):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter fifteen, First in Peace. At the close
of the war and of the year seventeen eighty three,
Washington went back to Mount Vernon. He reached his home
to his great joy on the eve of Christmas Day,
and he was in a good state of mind to
keep the feast. The scene is at last closed, he wrote,
(00:41):
and I am eased of a load of care. I
hope to spend the rest of my days in peace.
Mount Vernon was locked in ice and snow for some time.
Washington wrote that he was so used to camp life
that he could not help feel when he woke each day,
that he must hear the drums be and must go
out to plan or to lead his troops. He was
now at his ease, and longed for the spring so
(01:03):
that his friends could come to him. My way of
life is plain, he said, I do not mean to
be put out of it. But a glass of wine
and a bit of meat can be had at all times.
He would not give notes of his life to those
who wished to write it up at this time, lest
it should look vain. I will leave it to those
who are to come to think and say what they
(01:25):
please of me, he wrote, I will not, by an
act of mine, seem to boast of what I have done.
As spring came on, friends flocked to Mount Vernon, and
Washington met them in a frank way. His wife, too,
was full of good sense and good cheer. She loved
to knit and had been used all through the war
to knit socks for the poor men who were in
(01:47):
the ranks. But as Washington took his rides through his place,
he felt the changes there since he had left. Old
friends were gone, and the scenes of his youth were
no more. Lafayette spent a few days with him, and
the love he felt for the brave young man was
as strong as at first. He wrote a sad note
to him when he was gone, which showed what a
(02:08):
warm place the young Frenchman had in his heart. He said,
as you left me, I asked if this were the
last night I should have of you. And though I
wished to say no, my fears said yes. I called
to mind the days of my youth, and found they
had long since fled to come back no more. I
must now go down the hill I have climbed all
(02:29):
these years. I am blessed with strength, but I some
of a short lived race, and may soon go to
the tomb. All these thoughts gave a gloom to the
hour in which I parted with you. Washington made a
trip through some of the states of the West, and
saw there was a chance for great trade there. He
wrote much of what he had seen, but his chief
(02:51):
joy was in his home and land, where he planted
trees and loved to watch them grow. He writes down
each month of what he sets out. Now it is
a choice slip of grapevine from France, or it may
be a tree that stays green all year round. Some
of the bushes he set out still stand strong in
their growth. On the place. He notes the trees best
(03:14):
for shade and which will not hurt the grass. He
writes of rides to the mill Swamp in quest of
young elms, ash trees, and white thorn and of the
walks he lays out, and the trees and shrubs he
plants by them. A plant of the way in which
he laid out his grounds is still kept at Mount Vernon,
and the places are marked on it for the trees
(03:34):
and shrubs. He owned five farms, and he kept maps
of each. He read much of soils, the way to
raise good crops, and the best style of plows and
farm tools to use. He rode the first half of
the day to see that all went well. When he
had dined, he would write till dark if he had
no guests. If friends came, he did all he could
(03:58):
to make them feel at ease and at home. He
was kind and loved by all. He would not talk
much of the war, nor of what he had done
in it. He took great care not to talk of
his own acts, so that if there had been a
guest who did not know the facts, he would not
have found out by a word from Washington that he
(04:18):
was one who had won a great name in the
eyes of the world. Though grave in his looks and ways,
he loved to see youth glad and gay. He was
fond of the dance, and it was long the boast
of more than one fair dame that she had danced
with the chief. There had been balls in camp in
the dark days of the war. Washington, as we have seen,
(04:40):
had been fond of the hunt in his youth, and
Lafayette sent him some hounds from France. So he took
up his old sport. But the French hounds did not
do well, and he found they could not be trusted.
Ere the war had been long passed, it was found
that there was need of new laws by which the
states should be ruled. The chief men of the land
(05:01):
were called to Philadelphia to form them, and Washington went
from Mount Vernon to take part in the work. It
was then that the Code of Laws was drawn up,
which bears the name of Constitution of the United States.
These laws said that the states should be ruled by
a president. The choice for this post fell on Washington,
and in the spring of seventeen eighty eight he bade
(05:23):
goodbye to Mount Vernon and made his way to New York,
where he was to take the oath that he would
serve the land and be true to her in peace
and in war. As he passed through the towns, crowds
came out to cheer him. Flags were raised, guns roared,
and at night there was a great show of fireworks.
When he came to Trenton, the place where in the
(05:44):
pass he had crossed the stream in the storm, through
clouds of snow and drifts of ice, he found a
scene of peace and love. Crowds were on the bank,
the stream gleamed in the sun, the sky was blue,
and all held him with joy. On the bridge that
crossed the Delaware, an arch was raised and twined with
wreath of green and gay blooms. As Washington passed neath it,
(06:08):
a band of young girls, dressed in white and with
wreaths on their heads, threw bright blooms at his feet
and sang an ode that spoke the love and praise
that were in all hearts. At Elizabethtown Point, he was
met by men who had been sent from New York,
and led to a barge which had been made for
his use. It was filled with seamen of high rank,
(06:31):
who made a fine show in their white suits. Boats
of all sorts, gay with flags and some with bands
on board, fell in the wake of Washington's barge, and
as they swept up the Bay of New York, the
sight was a grand one. The ships at the wharves
or in mid stream dipped their flags and fired their guns.
Bells were rung, and on all the piers were great
(06:53):
crowds that made the air ring with their shouts. On
the last day of April seventeen eighty nine, washed Rington
took the oath in front of the hall where the
wise men of the land had been wont to meet
in New York. He stood in full view of a
great crowd, to whom this was a new and strange sight.
The states were to be as one, and this man,
(07:15):
whose name and fame were dear to them, was to
pledge himself to keep them so. On a ledge that
bulged out from the main part of the house was
a stand spread with a rich red cloth, on which
lay the Word of God, the Book of Books. Washington
was clad in a full suit of dark brown home
made cloth, white silk hose, and dressed sword with steel hilt,
(07:39):
and his hair was dressed in the style of the day.
As he came in sight, he was hailed with the
shouts of the crowds in the streets and on the roofs.
He came to the front of the ledge, close to
the rail so that he could be seen by all,
laid his hand on his heart, bowed three or four times,
and then went back and took his seat in an
arm chair near the stand. In a short time he
(08:02):
rose and went once more to the front with John Adams,
who was to be next him in rank, and the
friends who were to stand by him in this new field.
While the oath was read, wash ing Ton stood with
his hand on the word of God, and at the
close he said, I swear so help me God. One
of the men would have raised the book to wash
(08:24):
ing Ton's lips, but he bent his head and kissed it.
Then there was a cry of long Live George wash
ing Ton, and all the bells in the town rang
out a peal of joy, and the crowd rent the
air with their shouts and cheers. Wash ing Ton bowed
and made a speech that was full of good sense.
Then all went on foot to Saint Paul's Church to
(08:45):
pray that God would bless the land. Wash ing Ton felt,
most of all, as he wrote to his friends, a
fear lest he should come short of what the land
hoped to find in him. The eyes of the world
were on him. He had won fame in the field.
But how would he rule the state? There was still
much to be done. Great Britain held some of the
(09:05):
posts at the west on the plea that debts due
to some of her men had not been paid. The
red Men were still a source of fear to the
homes in the wild West, and there was no hard
cash with which the states could pay their debts. He
found that his time was no more his own. From
dawn till dark men came to him, and he saw
(09:27):
that he must be saved from this, or he could
do no work. Missus Washington joined him, and soon days
were fixed for the cause of friends. The house was
kept well, but there was no waste. One who dined
there wrote that there was no show. The President set
a short grace as he sat down. One glass of
(09:48):
wine was passed each, and no toasts were drunk. He
was kind to his guests and strove to put them
at their ease. He was strict in the way he
kept the lord's day. He went to church, and he
would have no calls on that day. As to Missus Washington,
those who knew her at the time speak of her
as free from all art. She met her guests in
(10:10):
a well bred way as one who had ruled in
a great house. She too was more fond of their
home at Mount Vernon than of the new rank, and
place to stay at home was the first and most
dear wish of her heart. Washington was touched to the
quick when he heard that I some one had said
that there was more pomp at his house than at
(10:32):
Saint James, where King George held his court, and that
his bows were much too stiff and cold. Washington wrote,
I grieve that my bows were not to his taste,
for they were the best I can make. I can
say with truth that I feel no pride of place,
and would be more glad to be at Mount Vernon
with a few friends at my side, than here with
(10:54):
men from all the courts of the world. He then
goes on to tell how they treat their guests. At
two or three o'clock each Tuesday, they come and go,
They go in and out of the rooms, and chat
as they please. When they first come in, they speak
to me, and I talk with all I can. What
pomp there is in all this? I do not see.
(11:16):
The red men, who could not be kept in peace,
roused the land once more to arms, Washington did not
wish for war, but he had to call out troops.
They went forth and laid waste Indian towns. Wash Ington
thought it would be a good plan to meet the
Indian chiefs and talk with them. Three chiefs came to
him and said that they would go to the rest
(11:37):
and try to make peace. Wash ing Ton made a
set speech and told them it would be a good
work to do, or else those tribes, if they thieved
and killed as they had done, would be swept from
the face of the earth. He had thought much of
the state of the Red men in the land. He
had but small faith in the fools for the youth,
(11:57):
save as far as to teach them to read and night.
The true means to do them good, he thought, was
to teach them to till the ground and raise crops
in the same way as the white folks. And he
said if the tribes were pleased to learn such arts,
he would find a way to have them taught. In
the end, General Saint Clair had to be sent out
with troops to put the Red Men down. Washington's last
(12:20):
words to him were to be on the watch, for
the Redskins were sly and would wait for a chance
to find him off his guard. But Saint Clair did
not pay heed to these wise words, and the Redskins
got into his camp. Some of his best men were slain,
and the whole force was put to rout. When the
news was brought to Washington, he said in a quick way,
(12:42):
I knew it would be so here on this spot.
I took leave of him and told him to be
on his guard. I said to him, you know how
the Redskins fight us, I warned him, And yet he
could let them steal into his camp and hack and
slay that army. He threw up his hands and his
frame shook as he cried out, Oh, what a crime,
(13:03):
What a crime. Then he grew calm and said that
Saint Clair should have a chance to speak, and he
would be just to him. Saint Clair was tried and
was found free from guilt. Washington's mother died at Fredericksburg, Virginia,
August twenty fifth, seventeen eighty nine, aged eighty two. When
her son first went to war, she would shake her
(13:25):
head and say, ah, George should stay at home and
take care of his farm. As he rose step by step,
and the news of his fame was brought to her.
She would say George was a good boy, and she
had no fear, but that he would be a good
man and do what was right. In the year seventeen
eighty nine, a great war broke out in France, in
which Leuis the sixteenth lost his crown and his head,
(13:48):
and deeds were done that you could scarce read without tears.
Men seemed like fiends in their mad rage, and like
wild beasts in their thirst for blood. In seventeen ninety three,
France made war on England, and in seventeen ninety seven
sought to break up the peace of the United States.
But of this I will tell you by and by.
(14:10):
In the meantime, the four years which was the full
term Washington was to rule, came to an end. He
had no wish to serve for two terms, but the
choice fell on him, and he once more took the
oath on March fourth, seventeen ninety two. In seventeen ninety six,
as France was still at war, it was thought best
that Washington should hold his place for a third term,
(14:31):
But this he would not do. He made up his
mind to leave these scenes and to give up that
sort of life, and those who pled with him could
not move him. He took leave of his friends in
a way that moved them to tears, and his farewell speech,
though in plain style, touched all hearts and made them
feel what a loss it was to part with so
(14:53):
great and good a man. On March fourth, seventeen ninety seven,
John Adams took the oath and bound himself to serve
as president for a term of four years. Washington was there,
and as he rose to leave the house, there was
a great rush to the door, as all wished to
catch the last look of one who had for so
(15:13):
long a time the first place in their hearts. So
great was the crush that it was feared there would
be loss of limbs, if not of life. As Washington
stood in the street, he waved his hat as cheer
on cheer rose from the crowd, and his gray hair
streamed forth in the wind. When he came to his
own door, he turned to the throng with a grave
(15:34):
face and tried to say a word or two, but
tears rose to his eyes. His heart was full and
he could not speak, but by signs he soon set
off for Mount Vernon, the dear home of his heart.
He had been there but a few months. When the French,
by their acts, seemed to want to bring on a
war with the United States. They took our ships at sea,
(15:56):
and there was no way left but to stand up
for our rights. President Adams wrote to Washington, we must
have your name. If you will let us have it,
there will be more in it than in the host
of men. If the French come here, we shall have
to march with a quick step. Washington wrote to President Adams.
I had no thought that in so short a time
(16:18):
I should be called from the shade of Mount Vernon.
But if a foe should come in our land, I
would not plead my age or wish to stay at home.
He saw the dark clouds that showed a storm, and
he feared his days of peace would be few. It
was with a sad heart that he felt his rest
was at an end. But he had so strong a
sense of what was right that he did not hold back.
(16:42):
He said he would do all he could for the troops,
but he would not take the field till the foe
was at hand. For months, Washington led a life full
of hard work. He had much to do for the troops,
and at the same time work at home, he would
write for hours and took long rides each day. To
his great joy, there was, in the end no war
(17:03):
with France. He seemed in first rate health up to
December twelfth, seventeen ninety nine. On that day a storm
set in, first of snow, then of hail, and then
of rain, and wash ing Ton was out in it
for at least two hours. When he reached the house,
his clerk, mister Lear, saw that the snow hung from
his hair and asked him if he was not wet through. No,
(17:27):
said Washington. My great coat kept me dry. But the
next day his throat was sore and he was quite hoarse,
And though much worse at night, he made light of
it and thought it would soon pass off. When he
went to bed, mister Lear asked him if he did
not think it best to take something. Oh, No, said Washington.
Let it go as it came. But he grew worse
(17:48):
in the night, and it was hard for him to breathe,
and though his wife wished to call up one of
the maids, he would not let her rise lest she
should take cold. At daybreak, when the maid came in
to light the fire, she was sent to call mister Lear.
All was done that could be done to ease him
of his pain, but he felt himself that he had
(18:09):
but a short time to live. Mister Lear was like
a son to him and was with him night and day.
When mister Lear would try to raise and turn him
so that he could breathe with more ease, Washington would say,
I fear I tire you too much. When Leir told
him that he did not, he said, well, it is
a debt we must all pay. And when you want
(18:32):
aid of this kind, I hope you'll find it. His
black men had been in the room the whole day,
and most of the time on his feet, and when
Washington took note of it, he told him in a
kind voice, to sit down. I tell you these things
that you may see. What a kind heart he had,
and how at his last hour he thought not of himself.
(18:54):
His old friend doctor Craig, who stood by his side
when he first went forth to war in the year
seventeen fifty four, was with him in these last hours.
When death was the foe that Washington had to meet.
He said to doctor Craig, I die hard, but I
am not afraid to go My breath cannot last long.
(19:15):
He felt his own pulse and breathe his last On
the night of December fourteenth, seventeen ninety nine. His wife,
who sat at the foot of the bed, asked, with
a firm voice, is he gone? Leir, who could not speak,
made a sign that he was no more. Tis well,
she said, in the same voice, All is now at
(19:36):
an end, and I shall soon join him. Thus lived
and died this great and good man, first in war,
first in peace, and first in the hearts of those
who loved the land of the free. Praise did not
spoil him or make him vain, But from first to
last he was the same, wise, calm, true friend, full
(19:57):
of love to God and of good will to men.
Great and good men have been born into the world,
but none of those whose name and fame rank as
high as that of George Washington. End of Chapter fifteen,
End of the Life of George Washington. In words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard
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