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hO¥ WASHINGTON LOOKED.
i'- -__ ~T
THE PORTRAITS THE FATHER OF
1’ HIS COUNTRY SAT FOR.
Statuesque Pose and a Hitherto Un¬
published Description of His Ap¬
pearance—A Giant in Size.
I General Washington sat many times
for his portrait to different artists, says
the New York Tribune. The most cele¬
brated portraits of him are those of
Stuart, Trumbull and the Peales. The
first portrait painted by Sir Charles
Wilson Peale was executed in 1772.
Washington was then a Colonel in the
Virginia militia, and in the portrait he is
represented as wearing a silver gorget
engraved with the royal arms such as was
then worn by officers of the British
service as a badge of authority. A
feature appearing in a later portrait by
the same painter, after the Revolutionary
War, is a blue sash or scarf, said to have
been at the time the insignia of a Field
Marshal of France.
The Houdon head of Washington,
which has received the approval of the
Government by being printed upon post¬
age stamps, is the standard head. A cast
made by Houdon himself from his life
mask is now in New York in the posses¬
sion of the daughter of William Macdon¬
ald, the sculptor. It was preserved 1849 at
Mount Vernon for sixty years. In
the late Clark Mills brought it to this
city to use in modeling the equestrian
statue of Washington, for which he had
received a commission from Congress.
Mr. Mills sent a counterfeit back to
Mount Vernon and kept the original life
cast in his own possession until 1873,
when he presented it to Mr. Macdonald,
from whom it passed to his daughters.
This head is exquisitely modeled, and is
much finer and, it is said, more truthful
than the head Houdon subsequently made
for the statue he was employed to make
for the Virginia State House. The Hou
don head in New York is all in plaster
except the tip of the cue, which having
been broken off was replaced with wax.
Houdon, who at the time was at the
height of his fame as a sculptor, was
chosen by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin
Franklin, then in Paris, to execute the
statue which the Legislature of
had ordered. He came to America
the purpose, and arrived at Mount
in October, 1785. He was
entertained by Washington, who
great interest in all the details of
sculptor’s work. It is said
sought in vain for several days to
Washington in a statuesque attitude,
finally almost despaired. One day a
came to sell Washington a horse,
asked an exorbitant price for it.
ington fired up indignantly,/and in
anger assumed the attitude that
wanted. The sculptor whipped out
crayon and made a rapid sketch of
ington as he denounced the horse jockey.
Houdon not only secured a cast of
ington’s head, but also took back
him to France casts of different parts
his body, and accurate
from life. For his work he received
thousand guineas and expenses. He
cepted the order, it is stated, on
promise of his distinguished patrons
they would exert their influence to
for him the commission for the
statue which Congress had resolved
have made, a project which -was not
ried out until many years had elapsed.
■ It may be well for
memory and for the standard of art
America that the original plan of
gress, agreed to August 7, 1783, to
an equestrian statue of Washington made,
was not executed. The resolution
rected “that the statue be of bronze;
General to be represented in a
dress, holding a truncheon in his
hand and his head encircled with a laurel
wreath.” The statue was to be made in
France, but an American sculptor
Joseph Wright was employed to secure
a life cast of the face. Wright was a
man and trembled with awe when in
great Washington’s presence. When
had removed the mould from Wash¬
ington’s face, in his trepidation he let
fall and it was broken. Washington
not then permit a second trial, It
supposed that Wright gathered the
fragments of the broken
and put them together. A head
said to have been cast from this mask
stood in one of the rooms of the Capitol
and it is thought to have been destroyed
in the burning of that building in 1814.
There are other heads extant said to have
been modeled on another life-cast made
by Wright. These heads are distinguished
by a peculiar twist of the mouth. This
is explained by a statement made by
Washington himself to a member of his
family. When the mould was made the
sculptor had Washington lie down upon
his back at full length on a cot. Then
he oiled his features and daubed them
over with plaster. Mrs. Washington,
who was not apprised of the proceeding,
entered just as the sculptor had applied
the plaster, and the sight was so unex¬
pected and startling that she gave an in¬
voluntary scream. Washington, appre¬
ciating the ludicrousness of the situation,
could hardly control ihe muscles of his
face,and his efforts to repress a smile have
been recorded and perpetuated in marble
and bronze.
! Washington, according to Houdon’s
measurements, was six feet two inches in
height. He was a giant in size and phys¬
ical strength. Looking over the exten¬
sive collection of old letters and memo¬
randa relating to Washington, in the
possession of Doctor Joseph M. Toner, of
this city, who is now engaged in editing
Washington’s diaries, I found a copy of
«D interesting account of Washington’s
personal appearance, written by one who
had seen him. It was a letter penned by
David Ackerson, of Alexandria, Va., in
1811, in answer to an inquiry by hie son.
Mr. Ackerson commanded a company in
the Revolutionaay War.
“ Washington was not,” he -wrote,
“what ladies would call a pretty man,
but in military costume, a heroic figure
such as would impress the memory ever
afterward.”
The writer had a good view of Wash¬
ington three days before crossing the
Delaware.
“Washington,” he says, “had a large
thick nose, and it was very red that day,
giving me the impression that he was not
so moderate in the use of liquors as he
was supposed tc be. I found afterward
that this was a peculiarity. His nose was
apt to turn scarlet in a cold wind. He
w r as standing near a small camp-fire, evi¬
dently lost in thought and making no ef¬
fort to keep warm. He seemed six feet
and a half in height, was as erect as relax an
Indian, and did not for a moment
from a military attitude. Washington's
exact height was six feet two inches in
his boots. He was then a little lame from
striking his knee against a tree. His eye
was so gray that it looked almost white
and he had a troubled look on his color¬
less face. He had a piece of wollen tied
around his throat and was quite hoarse.
Perhaps the throat trouble from which
he finally died had its origin about
then. Washington’s boots were 13. enor¬ His
mous. They were No.
ordinary walking shoes were No. 11.
His hands weye large in proportion, and
he could not buy a glove to fit him and
had to have his gloves made to order.
His mouth was his strong feature, the
lips being always tightly compressed.
That day they were compressed so tightly
as to be painful to look at. At that time
he weighed 200 pounds, and there was no
surplus flesh about him. He was tre¬
mendously muscled, and the fame of his
great strength was everywhere. His large
tent when wrapped up with the poles was
so heavy that it required two men to place
it in the camp wagon. Washington would
lift it with one hand and throw it in the
wagon as easily as if it were a pair of
saddle bags. He could hold a muskel
with one hand and shoot with pre¬
cision as easily as other men did with
a horse pistol. His lungs were
his weak point and his voice was never
strong. He w-as at that time in the prime
of life. His hair was a chestnut brown,
his cheeks were prominent, and his head
was not large in contrast to every other
part of his body, which seemed large and
bony at all points. His finger-joints and
wrists were so large as to be genuine
curiosities. As to • his habits at that
period I found out much that might be
interesting. He was an enormous eater,
but was content with bread and meat, if
he had plenty of it. But hunger seemed
to put him in a rage. It was his custom
to take a drink of rum or -whisky on
awakening in the morning. Of course
all this was changed when he grew’ old.
I saw him at Alexandria a year before he
died. His hair was very gray and his
form was slightly bent. His chest was
very thin. He had false teeth which did
not fit and pushed his under lip outward.”
$
1 A Colored Prodigy.
Charleston, S. C., is the home of one
of the most wonderful little algebraists of
the age. He is a little boy who is only
thirteen years of age, black as was ever
made of pure African ore, and as uncouth
in some respects as a young Caliban. It
was said of him, by a gentleman who
knows him well, that he is “remarkable
for almost everything but his personal
pulchritude.” He is absolutely at home
with x, y and z in all their possibilities.
He knows all about co-efficients and pow¬
ers and square roots, and he can’t be beat
on the binomial theorem. The wonder
of it is that his parents are very humble
people, who wouldn’t know a square root
if they fell over it on a country highway.
This boy will soon arrive at a station
where higher education for infants must
be pushed up a notch two. naturally A great
many of his fellow pupils are
quite jealous of his reputation at his
school. Physically he is something
unique, as described by the News and
Courier. His bead, like the earth, is
flattened at the “poll.” Its development
is largely made up of a protruding prom¬
ontory (a Cape of Good Hope) and a
backward range of the brain behind the
ears. He dresses in the most careless
manner imaginable. Altogether, he is
little, odd and a genius. He is a pupil
in one of the colored public schools, and
his teacher is quite proud of his prodigy
in science and anomally in anatomy.
A Model Industrial Town.
The Westinghou.se Air Brake Company
is about to build a Pennsylvania town on
the model of Pullman near Chicago. The
site is Wilmerding, on the line of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, near Pittsburg.
Six hundred acres have been purchased,
on thirty of which the air-brake manu¬
factory is in course of erection. The
balance of the land is to be divided into
forty-two plats, containing 742 building
lots, upon which dwellings will be erected
for the 1200 workmen in the employ of
the company. One million dollars will
be expended on the §3,000,000 manufactory in building proper,
and not less than
and beautifying the miniature city.
Natural gas will be used for light and
fuel, and water will be suppled from the
Monongahela River. Two hundred houses
are already in course of erection.— Times
Democrat.
The custom of selling fruit by auction
is growing in the larger cities.
If atij r dealer says he has the W. I. Douglas
without uame and price stampetl fraud. on
bottom, put him down as a
I
■J
K & ! !
I
i "w# V
W. L. DOUGLAS
$3 SHOE GENTLEMEN. FOR
Best in the world. Examine his
#5.00 GENUINE HAND-HEWED SHOE. L—
#4.00 HAND-SEWED WELT SHOE. SHOE.
#.{.50 POLICE AND FARMERS’
#3.50 EXTRA VALUE CALF SHOE.
&■$ All made in Congress, Hutton and Lace. shoe,
W. L. DOUGLAS
S3 SHOE FOR
LADIES.
Best Material. Best Style. Best Pitting.
* n 0 t W > . 1 Ii!? 3 DOUCHLAsi’ BROCKTON, MASS.
For Sale By
C. J. EDGE,
Columbus fia.
urify mm
BLOOD.
But do not use the dangerous alkaline
and mercurial preparations which destroy
your nerveus system and min the digestive
pewer of the stomach. The vegetable king¬
dom gives us the best and safest remedial
agents. Dr. Sherman devoted the greater
part of his life to the discovery of this relia¬
ble and safe remedy, and ail its ingredients
are vegetable. He gave it the name of
Prickly Ash Biifars I
a name every one can remember, and to the
present day nothing has teen discovered that
is so beneficial for KIDNEYS the BLOOD, and f° for r th the 0
LIVER, for the remedy is well
STOMACH. This now so
and favorably known by all who have used
it that arguments as to its merits are use¬
less, and if others who require a correct¬
ive to the system would but give it a trial
the health of this country would be vastly
improved. Remember the name—PRICKLY
ASH BITTERS. Ask your druggist for it.
PRICKLY ASH BITTERS C3.,
ST. LOUIS, MG
Dobbins’ Electric Soap
THE BEST FAMILY SOAP
m THE WORLD.
It is Siriclly Pure. Uniform in Quality.
HE original formula has for which been we paid modified £50,000
twenty changed years in the ago slightest. never This la or
N«aj> with
identical In quality to-day
that made twenty years ago.
TT contains nothing that call in.
* jnrethe finest fabric. It bright¬
ens colors and bleaches whites.
TT washes flannels and blankets as no other soap
A in the world does—without shrinking—Raving
them soft and white and like new.
READ THIS TWICE
1
WHERE J is a jpreat KAVinj? cf time, of labor,
of soap, of fuc!, and of the fabric, where Hob
bins’ Electric Soap is used according to tlircc
tions.
\ E trial will demonstrate its great merit. It
' ■r will pay you to make that trial.
iH Y IRE all host T.SiinSES, it is extensively irni
tated and counterfeited.
Psware cf Imitations.
YNSIST upon Electric. Don't t?»ke
A Magnetic, Electro Magic, Philadelphia Electric,
or r.n y other fraud, simply because it is cheap. Ask They
will ruin clothes, and are dear at any price. for
--- o.<s- aoBSBEffg’ EEiECTK5€
and take no oilier. Nearly every grocer ft o?n Mains
to Mexico keeps it in stock. If yours hasn't u, he
will or !er from his nearest wholesale grocer.
yjEAD carefully the inside wrapper around each
Ja each bar, and be careful to You follnw nCS'ito
on outside wrapper. casmot
wait longer before trying for yourself this olu, reliable,
a nd truly wonderful
Dobbins’* Electric* Bom.
Ti Sum Ci
Manufacturers of
!'imS§1||SP • ■ ft 1
pBwi mj v i
----l-c. C4S1 ■
t
m SS STEELING PIANOS,
WHICH FOE
Quality of Tone, Beauty of Design,
FINISHandadaptabilityforstand- ing in Tune have equal. j
no
Every Piano Warranted for Five Years
And satisfaction guaranteed to every purchaser.
Also Manufacture the Woeld-Renowked
STERLIN G ORGAN
Factories, Derby, Conn. 1
HEW HOUSE! HEW GOODS!
NEW PRICES.
M. L,. PARKER 9
HILTON GEORGIA,
-IlEAr.UR IX -
General Merchandise, Dry - Goods,
Groceries, Boots, Shoes, Clothing:, &c.
Has just opened at the Hudson <0 Johnston corner a stock of fresh
goods which low prices and courteous treatment must sell.
Cash paid for Country Produce—Chickens, Butter, Eggs, &c.
C. SGHOMBURG >
WATCHMAKER AND JEWELER KM
DEALER IN
DIAMONDS, FINE JEWELRY
1
WATCHES, CLOCKS a ad SILVERWARE,
Repairing Watches, Clocks and Jewelry a Specialty.
No. 1115 Broad St, Columbus, Ga.
HARRISON’S SHOE STOKE,
il32 BROAD ST., COLUMBU S, GA
Everybody is invited to call and look at our stock o£
BOOTS AN® SHOES.
REGULAR “ALLIANCE” PRICES
ON EVERYTHING.
Hamilton Buggy Company ■N
HAMILTON, OHIO,
Manufacturers of Hamilton Grades of Vehicles.
BUGGEES.
EDITORIAL SPECIAL BUGGY OF ANY STYLE VEHICLE.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Proportion, Durability, Perfection of Finish.
This “ Mirror " finish work is the best medium-priced work in the United States.
WRITE FOR CATALOGUE. HAMILTON BUGGY CO,
“Talbott” Engines;’
BUY FROM MANUFACTUERS
DIRECT AND SAVE MIDDLE
MAN’S PROFIT.
Engines, Boilers, Saw Mills, Corn Mills, and
General Machinery
Eagle” Cotton Gins, “Boss” Cotton Press, Cotton Seed Elevaters, Etc Ft,
Write us for CircularsNaming Your Wants.
FACTORY I TALBOTT & SONS. MACON GA
RICHMOND, VA.
J C Weaver, Manager
PRICES YOU SHOULD HOT RESIST
CHANCELLOR* & PEJARCE
COLUMBUS, GA.
Continue to sell every thing in their store at close prices
preparatory to moving in their new quarters.
The stock must be reduced at once.
Clothing, Hats, Furnishing, and Evervtning.
Call or mail your orders direct to them.
CHANCELLOR & PEARCE
COLUMBUS, GA.
4^-ment F\ur Merchant and Tailoring depart
GT is full of the latest and most at¬
tractive Suitings in the south.
I
A
7 j
/
v '*t'
v°rT
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CARRIAGES.
K? 50‘
years EXpex-icene
Established 1839