Homes of American statesmen: . eived that for whichhe labored. Who dare imagine the complacency—only lessthan divine, with which the retrospect of such a life may befraught ! Let us indulge the thought that when in the heatof party, the lust of power, or the still deadlier hunger forwealth, we depart from his spirit, he is permitted to see thatthe dereliction is but temporary and limited; that his countryis true to him if his countrymen sometimes err; that there isfor ever imprinted, on the heart and life of the nation, the con-viction that in adherence to his precepts and imitation of hischar
Homes of American statesmen: . eived that for whichhe labored. Who dare imagine the complacency—only lessthan divine, with which the retrospect of such a life may befraught ! Let us indulge the thought that when in the heatof party, the lust of power, or the still deadlier hunger forwealth, we depart from his spirit, he is permitted to see thatthe dereliction is but temporary and limited; that his countryis true to him if his countrymen sometimes err; that there isfor ever imprinted, on the heart and life of the nation, the con-viction that in adherence to his precepts and imitation of hischaracter there is safety, happiness, glory ; in departure fromthat standard, deterioration and decay. It must be so, for canwe conceive him blest without this ? As if to stamp the American ideal with all perfection, it 60 HOMES OF AMERICAN STATESMEN. is remarkable that Washington stood pre-eminent in manlystrength and beauty, and that a taste for athletic exerciseskept him, in spite of illnesses brought on by toil, anxiety, and. Washingtons Tomb. exposure, in firm health during most of his life. His pictureat sixty-two, that which he himself thought the best like- WASHINGTON. 61 ness that had been taken of him, exhibits one of the loveli-est faces that an old man ever wore. And it is marvellous howany one that ever looked into the clear blue depths of the eyein Stuarts unfinished picture, could be persuaded to believeWashington stern, cold, and unfeeling. Some have eventhought it added to his dignity to represent him thus. Allthe historians in the world could not prove such a contradic-tion to the stamp of nature. But the picture by Pine—theold man, faded somewhat, and a little fallen in outline, wearsthe face of an angel; mild, firm, modest, sensitive, aspiring,glorious ! It meets your gaze with a tenderness that dimsyour eye and seems almost to dim its own. Of all the por-traits of Washington, this and the half-imaginary one madeby Mr. Leutze from a miniature taken when Wash
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectstatesmen, bookyear18
