. The home of Washington; or, Mount Vernon and its associations, historical, biographical, and pictorial . word. He was a man of considerable attainmentsas a scholar, physician, and divine; and his benevolence wasunbounded. When a boy of fourteen years, he was foundat night teaching half-clad, half-fed children, who gatheredeagerly around him; and all through life he was ready toshare a crust with the unfortunate. He used wit and humorfreely on all occasions. Whether in private or public, inprayers or preaching, says Bishop Meade, it was impossiblethat either the young or old, the grave or the
. The home of Washington; or, Mount Vernon and its associations, historical, biographical, and pictorial . word. He was a man of considerable attainmentsas a scholar, physician, and divine; and his benevolence wasunbounded. When a boy of fourteen years, he was foundat night teaching half-clad, half-fed children, who gatheredeagerly around him; and all through life he was ready toshare a crust with the unfortunate. He used wit and humorfreely on all occasions. Whether in private or public, inprayers or preaching, says Bishop Meade, it was impossiblethat either the young or old, the grave or the gay, could keeptheir risible faculties from violent agitation. He would praywith the negro servants at night, and fiddle for them by theroad-side by day. For many years he was a travelling book-seller, preaching when invited, haranguing the people at 90 MOUNT VERNON courts, fairs, and other public gatherings, and selling theBible out of one hand and Paines Age of Reason out of theother, alleging as an excuse for the latter performance, that healways carried the antidote with the j^oison. His fund of. MASON L. WEEMS. anecdote was inexhaustible; and after giving a promiscuousaudience the highest entertainment of fun, he found them ingood mood to purchase his books. At Mount Vernon he wasalways a welcome guest, for Washington loved his goodnessof heart and overlooked his foibles. Mr. Weems died atBeaufort, South Carolina, in May, 1825, at an advanced age. After the Revolution, for reasons not clearly seen, Washing-ton attended Christ Church, at Alexandria (of which he was avestryman), instead of Pohick. Others of the latter parish fol-lowed, and after a while regular services ceased in tliat part of AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 91 the countrj. Washington owned a pew in Christ Church fromthe establishment of the parish, in 1764, and occupied it con-stantly after 1783, until his death. Some of his name haveheld possession of it ever since. Judge Bushrod Washington
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