Judge — February 24, 1906 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON, A PRACTICAL MAN. EVERAL years before the death of the late Robert G. Ingersoll I spent two hours or more with him one after- noon at the Burnet House in Cincinnati. Thad gone with an Enguirer reporter, Charlie Scanlan, to interview him on politics—or, rather, to ask him why he was not doing party service in the Blaine campaign. His answer was brief,“ T have more against the Christian religion than I have against the Democratic party,” he said ; and the interview ended there. But that was not the real reason, He was not mak- ing campaign speeches be- cause the Republican leaders were afraid to let him talk be- fore the people. He had be- come too radical in his opinions of religion for them to take any risks with him in politics. In other words, the Republican leaders, unlike Colonel Inger- soll, had a lot more against the JUDGE'S FAVORITES. Democratic party than they VERA PINDAR WITH THE LEW FIELDS THEATRE company. hail against the Christian re- Your smile is like the sunshine ligion. And chases gloom away. lecture that evening, and we si fifty cents for this Manhattan cocktail? struck him Why. it's outrageous!” Bar-renper—"* Not at all. The cherry in that cocktail grew about two sprig taken from the tree that George Washington cut hours before dinner. The interview being over, Scanlan got up to leave, but the colonel wouldn't have it. + Now, boys," he begged in the most persuasive way, "don't go. Stay and talk with me, I'm bothered by all sorts of visitors, and if you'll only stay till it’s time for me to get ready for my lecture I'll close the doors, and not another caller shall get to me. I'm tired of them. Stay, won't you ? We stayed, and glad enough we were to do so, for he was in his bright- est humor and was simply delightful. He talked and talked, smashing idols right and left, Not at all logical was he, nor convincing, but always most interesting. Finally he came around to modern history. ‘And there's George Washington,” he chuckled. “I suppose you think George was perfectly all right.” + That seems to be the general impression,” I admitted. +L know it 1s; but let me tell you something about the immortal G.W. When the revolution was over, and it came time to pay off the hands, as it were, congress handed out Continental currency to the various offi- cers of the army. They hadn't been paid for a long time, and there was a good deal coming to each of them. Just what amount was due General Washington I don't know, but when his roll was handed out he waived it aside, and in the spirit of the true self-sacrificing patriots of those days he said to the congressional committee, ‘Gentlemen, I do not ask this large amount at your hands for my humble services in behalf of our beloved country. Take it back and give me in its stead only three thousand dollars in gold, That will satisfy me amply. I ask no more." Then he bowed his noble head and took the gold amid the plaudits of an admiring people. George was a great man, But was that the end of it? Hardly. The general took the money home with him, where he put it away safely in his sock, and before the year was out that three thousand dollars in gold would have bought enough Continental currency to have papered the walls of all the government buildings in Washington a foot thick. I said,” concluded the colonel with a contagious laugh, “that Washington was a great man, and he was. Don't you think so 2" Thad to admit that he was, but I questioned the authenticity of the story, though the way the colonel told it was fully as inter- esting as if it had been the truth and nothing but the truth. Wj. taurron. HONI SOIT. HERE'S no use talking,” sighed the young man who had re- BINGHAMIZED. ceived a note telling him that it could never be; ‘+ there's no Revereyo Mx. Mowe (eppolled)—" Merciful heavens! what has happened use talking, you can’t tell anything about women.” to Brother Parrot? | never heard such language.”" - ° vthi gray- Mr. Bencat Tictr—" Oh, he has just returned from a long visit to New York, You shouldn't tell anything about them,” replied the gray where he occupied a cage in the police-commissioner's office. * bearded philosopher, wagging his head sagely.