other, the liberty to whose protection his life had been devoted, was the ornament and boon of human nature.

Washington could not depart from his own great self. His country was free. He was no longer a general. Sublime spectacle! more elevating to the pride of virtue than the sovereignty of the globe united to the sceptre of the ages! Enthroned in the hearts of his countrymen, the gorgeous pageantry of prerogative was unworthy the majesty of his dominion. That effulgence of military character which in ancient states has blasted the rights of the people whose renown it had brightened, was not here permitted, by the hero from whom it emanated, to shine with so destructive a lustre. Its beams, though intensely resplendent, did not wither the young blossoms of our Independence; and Liberty, like the burning bush, flourished, unconsumed by the glory which surrounded it.

To the illustrious founder of our Republic it was reserved to exhibit the example of a magnanimity that commanded victory, of a moderation that retired from triumph. Unlike the erratic meteors of ambition, whose flaming path sheds a disastrous light on the pages of history, his bright orb, eclipsing the luminaries among which it rolled, never portended "fearful change" to religion, nor from its "golded tresses" shook pestilence on empire.

What to other heroes has been glory, would to Washington have been disgrace. To his intrepidity, it would have added no honorary trophy, to have waded, like the conqueror of Peru, through the blood of credulous millions, to plant the standard of triumph at the burning mouth of a volcano. To his fame, it would have erected no auxiliary monument to have invaded, like the ravager of Egypt, an innocent though barbarous nation, to inscribe his name on the pillar of Pompey.

ROBERT TREAT PAINE.

3. A STAR IN THE WEST.

THERE's a star in the West that shall never go down
Till the record of valor decay;

We must worship its light, though it is not our own,
For liberty burst in its ray.

Shall the name of a Washington ever be heard

By a freeman, and thrill not his breast?

Is there one out of bondage that hails not the word
As the Bethlehem Star of the West?

"War! war to the knife! Be enthralled, or ye die !" Was the echo that woke in his land;

But it was not his voice that prompted the cry,
Nor his madness that kindled the brand.
He raised not his arm, he defied not his foes,
While a leaf of the olive remained;
Till, goaded with insult, his spirit arose,
Like a long-baited lion unchained.

He struck with firm courage the blow of the brave,
But sighed o'er the carnage that spread;
He indignantly trampled the yoke of the slave,
But wept for the thousands that bled.

Though he threw back the fetters and headed the strife,
Till man's charter was fairly restored,

Yet he prayed for the moment when Freedom and Life
Would no longer be pressed by the sword.

Oh, his laurels were pure! and his patriot name
In the page of the future shall dwell,

And be seen in all annals, the foremost in fame,
By the side of a Hofer and Tell.

The truthful and honest, the wise and the good,
Among Britons, have nobly confessed
That his was the glory, and ours was the blood,
Of the deeply stained field of the West.

ELIZA COOK.

4. WASHINGTON A MODEL FOR YOUTH.

To Americans the name of Washington will be forever dear, a savor of sweet incense, descending to every succeeding generation. The things which he has done. are too great, too interesting, ever to be forgotten. Every object which we see, every employment in which we are. engaged, every comfort which we enjoy, reminds us daily of his character.

Every ship bears the fruit of his labors on its wings and exultingly spreads its streamers to his honor. The student meets him in the still and peaceful walk; the traveller sees him in all the smiling and prosperous scenes of his journey; and our whole country, in her thrift, order, safety, and morals, bears inscribed in sunbeams, on all her hills and plains, the name and glory of Washington.

By him are our rulers at the present time, and at every future period, taught how to rule. The same conduct will ever produce substantially the same effects, the same public well-being, the same glory, the same veneration. To be wise and good; to forget or restrain the dictates of passion and obey those of duty; to seek singly the public welfare, and lose in it personal gratification; to resist calmly and firmly the passions, and only pursue the interests of a nation, is the greatest secret of ruling well.

The youth of our country who wish to become great, useful, and honorable will here find the best directions and the most powerful incitements. To be great, useful, and honorable they must resemble him. Let them remember that greatness is not the result of mere chance or genius; that it is not the flash of brilliancy, nor the desperate sally of ambition; that it is, on the contrary,

the combined results of strong mental endowments, vigorous cultivation, honorable design, and wise discretion. It is not the glare of a meteor, glittering, dazzling, consuming, and vanishing, but the steady and exalted splendor of the sun, a splendor, which, while it shines. with pre-eminent brightness, warms, also, enlivens, adorns, improves, and perfects the objects on which it shines; glorious indeed by its lustre, but still more glorious in the useful effects produced by its power. Of this great truth the transcendent example before us is a most dignified exhibition.

Let our youth imitate, therefore, the incessant attention, the exact observation, the unwearied industry, the scrupulous regard to advice, the slowness of decision, the cautious prudence, the nice punctuality, the strict propriety, the independence of thought and feeling, the unwavering firmness, the unbiassed impartiality, the steady moderation, the exact justice, the unveering truth, the universal humanity, and the high veneration for religion and for God always manifested by this great man. Then will future Washingtons arise to bless our country.

TIMOTHY DWIGHT.

5.

WASHINGTON AS A LEADER.

To thee, beneath whose eye

Each circling century

Obedient rolls,

Our nation, in its prime,

Looked with a faith sublime,

And trusted in "the time

That tried men's souls,"

When from this gate of heaven
People and priests were driven,
By fire and sword;

And where thy saints had prayed,
The harnessed war-horse neighed
And horseman's trumpet brayed
In harsh accord.

Nor was our fathers' trust,
Thou Mighty One and Just,
Then put to shame ;
"Up to the hills" for light
Looked they in peril's night,
And from yon guarded height
Deliverance came.

There, like an angel form

Sent down to still the storm,

Stood Washington!

Clouds broke and rolled away;

Foes fled in wild dismay;

Wreathed were his brows with bay,

When war was done.

God of our sires and sons,

Let other Washingtons

Our country bless,

And, like the brave and wise

Of by-gone centuries,

Show that true greatness lies

In righteousness.

JOHN PIERPONT.