Newspaper Page Text
srrsfrvgsr r: im :.-rrra.y- tyisr-_r ~ » i
cntertauvmc-utij. of ftia guests, displayed j
tkgagce wliflltlity rejected ostentation. |
li. dU these arrangements, Mrs. Wash- 1
ingloa was a second self. Her Friday '
evening levees at which she was always
present, exhibited that perfect etiquette
which nmrksthe intercourse of the digni
fied and high bred. Commencing at
seven, mid closing at ten, they lent no i
more sanction to late hours than to levity.
The first lady of the nation still preserved j
the habits of early life. Indulging in no I
indolence, she left her pillow at dawn,
and ufler breakfast retired to her cham- j
her for an hour, for the study of the j
scriptures and devotion. This practice j
it is said, during the long period of’halfa
century, she never omitted. The duties
of the Sabbath were dear to iier. The
President and herself attended public
worship with regularity, and in the even
ing he read to her, in her chamber, the
scriptures and a sermon.
The spring of 1797 opened for them,
the most pleasing anticipations. The •
cares of high office were resigned, and j
ttley were about to retire, for the remain- J
der of their days, to the beloved shades of
Mount Vernon. The now turf springing
into fresh greenness wherever they trod,
the vernal blossoms opening to receive
them, the warbled welcome of the birds,
worn never more dear, as wearied with
the toils of public life, and satiated with
its honors, they returned to their rural
retreat, hallowed by the recollections of
earlier years, and by the consciousness of
virtue.
But in two years Washington was no
more. The shock of his death, after an
illness of twenty-four hours, fell like a
thunderbolt upon the bereaved widow.
The piety which had long been her
strength, continued its support, but her
heart drooped; and though her cheerful
ness did not utterly forsake her, she dis
charged her habitual round of duties,
as one who felt that tho “glory had de
parted.”
How beautiful and characteristic was
her reply to the solicitations of the high
est authority of the nntion, that tho re
mains of her illustrious husband might
be removed to the scat of government,
and a marble monument erected to mark
tho spot of their repose.
“Taught by the great example I have
had so long before me, never to oppose
iny private wishes to the will of my coun
try, I consent to the request made by
Congress; and in doing this, I »-eed not, 1
cannot , say what a sacrifice of individual
feeling I make to a sense of public duty.”
The intention of the Congress of 1799
has never been executed, nor the propos
ed monument erected. The enthusiasm
of the time passed away, and the many
and conflicting cares of a great nation,
turned its thoughts from thus perpetua
ating his memory, whose image, it trust
ed, would ever be enshrined in the hearts
of a great peoplo.
Scarcely two years of her lonely wid
owhood were accomplished, ere the lady
of Mount Vernon found death approach
ing. Gathering her family around her,
she impressed on thorn the value of that
religion which she bad tested from her
youth ouward to hoary hairs. Then
calmly resigning her sou! into the hands
of him who gave it, at the ago of seventy,
full of honors, she wns laid in the tomb of
Washington.
In this outline of the lineaments of
Martha Washington, we perceive that it
was neither the beauty, with which she
was endowed, nor the high station which
she has attained, that gave enduring lus
fre to her character, but her Christian
fidelity in those duties which devolve
upon her sex. This fitted her to irradiate
her home, to lighten the cares, to cheer
the anxieties, to sublimate the enjoy
ments of him who, in the expressive lan
guage of Chief Justice Marshall, was “so
favored of Heaven, as to depart without
exhibiting the weakness of humanity.”
Tntr& Female Nobility. —Tho wo
man, poor and ill-clad as she may be,
who balances her income and expendi
tures —who toils and sweats in unrepin
ing mood among her well-trained chil
dren, and presents them morning and
evening as offerings ol' love to her hus
band, in rosy health and cheerful clean
liness, is the most exalted of her sex.
Before her shall tho proudest dame bow
!ier jeweled head, and the bliss of a happy
heart dwells with her forever. If there
is one prospect dearer than another to the
soul of man—if there is one act more
likely to bend the proud and inspire the
broken-hearted, it is for the'smiling wife
to meet her husband at the door with his
host of happy children. How it stirs up
the tired blood of an exhausted man,
-when he hears the rush of many feet upon
the staircase —when the crow and carol
of their young voices mix in glad confu
sion : a id the smallest mounts or sinks
iuia his arms amidst a mirthful shout.
God! there was a halo from every couu
tca uicc that beamed around the group !
Thera was joy and a blessing there.
There aie seven! if-eight old rumsellers
in (hr Connecticut State prison.
•grtwix.cj
TIIE WASHINGTONIAN:
AUGUSTA. JUNK 24, 1843.
Washington Total Abstinence Pledge.
We. whose names are hereunto annexed, desirous
of forming a Society for our mutual beneft,
and to guard against a pernicious practice,
which is injurious to our health, standing and
families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen,
not to drink any
Spiritous or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE.
i Rev. W. T. Brantly,
“ W J.Hard,
“ C. S. Dodd,
“ Gfo. F. PIEHCB,
i Col. John Miu.kdof.,
CtJr We desire to say to our readers,
on this visit of the Washingtonian, that
we have nothing to do, and will have no
thing to do, with any of the exciting
subjects of the day, not directly connect
ed with the known objects of this paper. |
The promotion of the cause of Temper- j
ance, and the diffusion of useful know- j
ladge, at which we aim, are alike bene- j
ficial and necessary to all, and the col-,
lisions with others, resulting from de- 1
votion to these objects, will be met I
cheerfully and fearlessly, in hope of there-1 :
by effecting good ; but collisions arising 1
from other causes, we seriously depre
cate, and most positively refuse to en- 1 ■
counter.
Temperance is an indispensable pre
requisite to the virtues which adorn hu- 1
man character and sweeten social life, j'
and its prevalence should not be delayed ;
by any thing calculated to excite oppo
sition in any mind, or any class of eoci- i
ety. Even the ranks of tho vicious
should not be unnecessarily aroused
against us. Their reformation is our
earnest desire—our constant aim, butj
whether it be a religious or a mere I
moral reformation, it must of necessity j
be preceded by the reform we plead, and
therefore it is so important that the path
leading to it should be clear of all ob
stacles, and that the door thereof should
1 ever be wide open to welcome all comers.
For reasons like these, we are determin
! ed to assume no position, nor engage in
any controversy that might justly pro
duce in any mind, a spirit of opposition
to the Washingtonian enterprize.
To the Ladies. —Like the ancient
; Knights of chivalry, the Washingtonians
are seeking to relieve distressed damsels,;
captivated, imprisoned, oppressed and;
abused, by the degraded and unfeeling
slaves of alcoholic potations. They have
. entered tho lists with these tyrants, and ■
if cheered by your smiles, blessed by
your prayers, and aided by your active j
exertions, they will never desert them
until your captivity is ended, your pris
ons opened, and your rights acknowledg-;
ed and sacredly regarded. If they suc
ceed, and succeed they must, unless you
fail them, your captivators shall love their
captives with a heart unpolluted by a
stronger love for rum, —your husbands’
faces shall not be disfigured with the
signs of midnight devotions at the shrine
ofßachus, —your sons, brothers, fathers,
shall not exchange the divine image fori
that of the brute, the human heart for
that of tho demon, and the mind that
lifts their eyes to heaven, for the instinct j
of the swino that only leads, with eyes
and heads to the ground, to the swill. \
If they succeed, and succeed they will,;
they shall, unless you are recreant to the
cause, your daughters shall in future be
led to the hymenial altar by, lords of ;
themselves and protectors of women, in
stead of base slaves of appetite and cow
ardly tyrants of the defenceless.
Can we then appeal to you in vain ?
We want your aid—at this moment we
wish you to enter the field of labor as
agents for the Washingtonian, to procure
as many cash paying subscribers as pos
sible. Remember, in laboring for it,,
, vou are laboring for your sex—its digni- 1
! 1 ty, peace and happiness.
We would in conclusion call your at
■ | tention to the communication of our fair
! correspondent, “ Amelia,” and beg you,
Dr. F. M. Robertson,
Dr. D. Hook,
S. T Chapman, Eeq.
James Harper, Esq.
nl*n»«rtfc ■r > —"rl»iir»w
| individually, to imitate the magnanimous
example she has promised for the sex.
A Liquor seller’s eyes opened. —
j A Fact. —Business or pleasure carried a
merchant in the up-country. In his
route, he lodged a night at a beautiful
village, where he had one large customer
in the articles of brandy, rum, gin, &c.
Rising early next morning, he walked
forth to enjoy the freshness of a most
lovely morning, and to protract the plea
sure enjoyed on the occasion, rather than I
return into the house after his walk, he
seated himself by the Court-house, in the |
middle of the public square, from which
point he could still keep within the range
of his sight, one of the most romantic
and interesting prospects ever beheld.— j
His enjoyment was complete, until start- i
led by the thought, that no one seemed j
|o relish the healthful air nor the captiva
ting scenery, but himself. He was alone
—not another intelligent being was any
where to be seen. 1 How is this?’ he said
to himself; ‘where are the people? can I
they be insensible to the charms of this,
earthly paradise ? can they be such slug
gards as to sleep to this hour of the day V j
Perhaps, at this thought, some fears
, crossed his mind, of the ability of his j
I customer to pay him for his liquors, if
i dependant for the means on such an in- j
dolent population.
However this may be, he had no fur-1
ther time to give expression to his mu- 1
sings, for suddenly his attention was
arrested by wild, discordant and horrible j
noises from the direction of the house of!
| his liquor customer. Before he could;
i form any opinion of its cause or object,;
the door of the house flew open, and out i
came or tumbled one over another, a
j crowd of reeling, screaming, swearing,
and fighting wretches. What a sight!
What a contrast to the serene beauties of
i the place ! One bleeding, wretched look
ing demoniac, was particularly conspicu
ous, —he was franticly running and
stumbling from one to another, calling!
| upon each to “sec him a fair fightbut
j finding all too much occupied with their
j own drunken rage and madness to heed j
him, and seeing the merchant at the
Court-house, he put ofi' to him with all
the speed and directness that drunken- j
ness, rage, and partial blindness from the
blood over his eyes, would allow—crying
out all the way, “ Come, sir, and see me
a fair fight!” This was continued until
he was immediately over the merchant,
spitting blood upon his clothes, and mo
mently endangering him with a tumble
j upon his person.
j This was enough!—the merchant was
I thunder struck—appalled. He had fur
nished the liquor—he had, for a trifling
; profit, been instrumental in converting
J this thriving and happy population into
j a horde of drunken demons!—he had
; changed this scene of quiet innocence
into a pandemonium—a bedlam—a hell!
i It was enough! One rum-seller was '
| cure d forever. Praise and thanks to j
j God! He is now profitably employed
j in a legitimate, useful and honorable bu- j
j sincss.
The Reprover effectually repro
j ved! —At a meeting of citizens in one i
of the towns of the sunnv South, assem
bled to discuss the propriety of legislative !
prohibition of the retail of spirituous li-'
quors, a wholesale merchant of a neigh
j boring city, greatly edified the assembly
j by an energetic argument in favor of the
! proposed legislation. His bold and truth
| ful picture of the evils of this traffic,
and the horrors and miseries resulting
j from it, produced an impression so sol
jemn as to be marked by a respectful
! pause in the discussion.
After which, Dr. addressed the
j assembly—acknowledging the justice of
■ the remarks of the last speaker, and sug
gesting if legislation was indispensable
!to arrest the practice, the propriety of
extending it to the very root of the evil,
j the whole-sale traffic in liquors. If the
! source was dried up, the streams flowing
i from it would of necessity be dried up
also. He said, a retailer could only do
j mischief on a small scale, as he dealt out
! the poison in gill cups, tumblers, &c. ;
whilst the larger merchant, his friend the
last speaker, for example, dealt it out by
: barrels, pipes and hogsheads—in fact,
, : they supplied all the retailers throughout
the land ; and to them therefore, should
be ascribed, at least in part, the wide
; spread moral desolations his friend had so
ably described.”
He resumed his seat, amidst an inter- j
est so intense as to be felt. But the mer
chant was a “ whole-souled fellow,” as |
Mr. Taylor would say, and instantly j
! arose and relieved the anxious feelings of j
the assembly:
i “Mr. Chairman,” he said, “I acknow
ledge myself justly rebuked—l am grate- ■
! ful to my friend for showing me the con
nection between my barrels, pipes and i
hogsheads, and the vice, poverty and
misery that covers our land as with a j
pall. As the only assurance I can give 1
of my sincerity, I now pledge myself at
; once and forever, to give up this traffic. j
He was as good as his word.
We have received the eighth number
of “The Planter,” a weekly paper,
published in Columbia, So. Carolina, by
j Dubose & Johnson, and edited by J. J.
; Dubose.
We shall be glad to exchange with its
! conductors, and take much pleasure in
! commending it to the favorable notice
|of southern planters, as, both from its
matter and neat mechanical execution,
we think it will richly merit their patron
age.
To advance the prosperity of our
country, nothing, unless it be the promo- j
! tion of temperance, can be more impor
| tant than the improvement of agricul
; hire :—the value therefore, which we at
tach to The Planter, from the columns of
; which, we confidently expect often to
'enrich our own with valuable materials
j on this subject, may be readily apprccia
i ted.
From the Chronicle and Sentinel.
The last Washingtonian contained a
brief report of the first day’s proceedings
in the trial of Wm. 11. Platt. In a con
versation with some of the counsel for the
defendant, the writer of that article has
! learned that strong exceptions have been
1 taken to the following paragraphs :
“Our readers will remember the mur- j
| der of Wm. U. Harding, by Wm. 11. j
j Platt, which occulted in this city in j
I March last. It produced deep excite-1
ment at the time, which has however j
principally subsided. On Thursday last
the prisoner was put upon his trial be
fore his honor Judge Schly.” * * *
“ It is to be regretted that two Jurors
were found to have “formed and express
ed opinions,” who nevertheless had an
swered differently on their oaths. Can it J
be possible that public justice will slum
ber on and sutler such outrages to be per
petrated within the very thresholds ofi
her sanctuary ? We hope not.
Every day’s experience serves but to
confirm the conviction, that the law
ought to be so changed as to transfer the 1
trial of all criminal cases to special Ju- j
rors selected from the Grand Jury list— :
under proper restrictions. It would be
better for the innocent, as well as the '
public—men having a proper defence, j
could rely upon the justice of their cause, j
i whilst the guilty would not “goumvhipt
|of justice” through the instrumentality
of the corrupt and venal.
To the first paragraph, it is said that
the use of the term “ murder ” was calcu
j lated to prejudice the defendant before
; the public in advance of a fair trial.
The term, it may be remarked, was
not used in its technical sense, (meaning
the highest crime known to the law,) but
j in the popular and general received sense
I of killing ; but if it had been used in the
former sense, it was the term under
which the defendant was arraigned—and
was sufficiently qualified by another
statement in the article, viz : that the
i defendant plead “ Not Guilty .”
The 2nd paragraph, it is alledged,
' might be construed iuto a “ reflection
j upon the Jurors sworn to try the case.”
j This cannot be done in strict justice to
the language used. But as this might
be mistaken, it may be well to remem
: ber that none of the Jurors, sworn to try
’ the case, “ wer e found to have formed |
, and expressed opinions.” Two Jurors,
! however, who were sounded, were so
; found —the one by the Court, the other
> by “ triers ” selected from the Jurors
» sworn in chief—the one objected to on
t the part of the State, the other on the
; pari of the prisoner.
i Certainly, then, there could have been
• no iutention tq prejudice the defendant
, ior pre-judge his case—no partiality in
t' the matter.
The remainder of the paragraphs con
tained merely an expression of opinion
upon the general question of selecting
jurors, and invoked such a change of the
I laws upon that subject as would remedy
the evils complained of, and prevent the
; recurrence of such circumstances in our
courts of justice.
This explanation is given merely be
cause the Washingtonian is now edited
by a committee of gentlemen, and the
1 writer of the article feels unwilling that
! the cause which the paper advocates
I should be prejudiced by a popular excite
| ment; or that the editorial committee
i should be held responsible for the act of
! a single one of its members, who is alone
; responsible for the article, and who pen
i ned it without consultation or advice
! from any quarter.
It was inserted to give interest to the
paper, which is now devoted in part to
the communication of general intelli
| gence. S. T. C.
To the Editors of the Washingtonian :
Gentlemen—l find upon inquiry, that
the Editorial committee of the ‘Augusta
Washingtonian’ is composed of married
men, except one—and the public is there
fore left to conclude, from good ground
■ of presumption, that all of you, except
that “loneone,” have felt, and know
something of the influence and power
! of woman.
Therefore, I will not consume your
time, by pointing out to you, the smile or
the frown—the glance of the eye, or the
stamp of the foot —the art and the man
agement —and the thousand and one lit
tle go-ahead principles essential to victory
and success, which the gentler sex pos
sess by nature. All of you understand
very well: a more domesticated com
mittee could not have been started—l
mean, better behaved men at home. —
And yet, notwithstanding your own ex
perience, and the light derived from his
tory on this subject, you have had the
hardihood and temerity to make your
j first appearance in a new dress, without
; knowing our tastes, or consulting our
1 opinions on these points on which your
j success will depend. Now, if Mr. Jones
| or Mr. Guieu had done such a thing, wo
i could not have been at all astonished;
I because they have no one to control or
! influence their movements. —there is no
peg in their offices to hang* 4 Jur hat" or.
I love to read Mr. J.’s paper —you dont
tsee any of these everlasting duns, tor -
: menting delinquent subscribers who wont
pay up like honest men. The country
is spared this unpleasant goaring, and the
Editor, in his arm chair, is allowed to
“ live, move, and have his being,” with u
, tolerable degree of composure. Well,
I then, what has saved Mr. J.—kept him
' from going down, broken-hearted, carc
j worn, into an early grave ? Why, the
cash system to be sure. And who told
j him about the cash system ? Why, it
I was a young lady; and it was a long
time before this old bachelor would yield
to her persuasion. At length he tried it,
and has been getting on, as smoothly as
my velvet cape ever since.—And she told
him something else about the cash sys
tern, which he has not said any thing
about, but which I will tell to all of my
acquaintances—it is this : Dont attempt
to marry or to print on credit— cash is
the only thing that can or will sustain
the marrying or printing business —it is
alike essential in either branch of indus
try.
Let me ask you married Editors, if
you dont know that we can read—that
we can judge of good reading, and that
we hove tongues to tell where we get it.
You know, that when you are out in the
morning, at business, we can see nearly
every lady in town—that we can praise
or abuse, talk the same thing over often
er, without missing a single word, and do
more, in less time, than any of you can :
you are well aware of the fact, also, that
i when we combine and determine to carry
! out any measure, nothing, from a pistol
|to a blunderbuss, can stop us in our
object. Who finished the Bunkerhill
Monument ?—Who has effected nearly
| a complete re-organization m society ?
| And in this place, this city of Augusta,
our works are thick around you. We
j have now on hand a project connected
with the trade and commerce of the
1 State, that when carried out will eclinse