Homes of American statesmen: . e too curious to in-quire how much of Washington would have been lost had therural life of which he was so fond, bounded his field of made the stage ready for the performer, as theperformer for the stage. In his public character, he was hotthe man of the time, but- for the time, bearing in his verylooks the seal of a grand mission, and seeming, from his sur-prising dignity, to have no private domestic side. Greenoughsmarble statue of him, that sits unmoved under all the vicissi-tudes of storm and calm, gazing with unwinking eyes at theCapitol, i
Homes of American statesmen: . e too curious to in-quire how much of Washington would have been lost had therural life of which he was so fond, bounded his field of made the stage ready for the performer, as theperformer for the stage. In his public character, he was hotthe man of the time, but- for the time, bearing in his verylooks the seal of a grand mission, and seeming, from his sur-prising dignity, to have no private domestic side. Greenoughsmarble statue of him, that sits unmoved under all the vicissi-tudes of storm and calm, gazing with unwinking eyes at theCapitol, is not more impassive or immovable than the Wash-ington of our imaginations. Yet we know there must havebeen another side to this grand figure, less grand, perhaps, butnot less symmetrical, and wonderfully free from those loweringdiscrepancies which bring nearer to our own level all othergreat, conspicuous men. We ought to know more of him ;but, besides the other reasons we have alluded to for our 8 HOMES OF AMERICAN Eoudons Statue, dearth of intelligence, his was not a writing age on this sidethe water. Doing, not describing, was the business of theday. Our own correspondent was not born yet; desperatetourists had not yet forced their way into gentlemens drawing-rooms, to steal portraits by pen and pencil, to inquire intodates and antecedents, and repay enforced hospitality by hold-ing the most sacred personalities up to the comments of thecurious. It would, indeed, be delightful to possess this kindof knowledge ; to ascertain how George Washington of Fair- WASHINGTON. 9 fax appeared to the sturdy country gentlemen, his neighbors ;what the troublesome man he speaks of in one of his lettersthought of the rich planter he was annoying; whether Mr. Paynewas proud or ashamed when he remembered that he had knock-ed down the Father of his Country in a public court-room ;what amount of influence, not to say rule, Mrs. Martha Custis,with her large fortune, exercised over the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectstatesmen, bookyear18
