The Farmer Boy, and How He Became Commander-In-ChiefHeady, Morrison
History
The Farmer Boy, and How He Became Commander-In-Chief
Heady, Morrison
Washington, George, 1732-1799
He was a handsome boy, uncommonly tall, strong, and active for his
age; could out-run, out-jump, out-ride any boy three years older than
himself; and, in wrestling, there was not one in a hundred who could
bring his back to the ground. Many stories are told of his wonderful
strength; and the spot is still shown, where, when a boy, he stood on
the banks of the Rappahannock River, and, at its widest part, threw a
stone to the opposite side,--a feat that no one has been found able to
perform since that day. It was said, that, a few years later, he stood
under the Natural Bridge, and threw a silver dollar upon the top of
it,--a height of two hundred and twenty feet; not less than that of
Bunker-hill Monument, and more than double that of the tallest hickory
that ever hailed down its ripened nuts upon your heads. Although there
were none more studious than he in the schoolroom, yet he always took
the keenest delight in every kind of active and manly sport, and was
the acknowledged leader of the playground. But he had qualities of
mind and heart far more desirable and meritorious than those of mere
bodily activity and strength. Such was his love of truth, his strong
sense of justice, and his clearness of judgment, that, when any
dispute arose between his playmates, they always appealed to him to
decide the difference between them, as willing to abide by his
decision, and make it their law. Although he had the courage of a
young lion, and was even more than a match in strength for many an
older boy, he was never known to have a fight at school, nor elsewhere
indeed, that I have ever heard; for such was the respect he ever
showed to the feelings and wishes of others, that he never gave an
insult, and, depend upon it, never received one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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