Who was the greatest president of all, Washington or Lincoln? I will not tell you what the historians and academics believe, based on certain criteria. You may agree or disagree in their findings, but it is interesting.
We, obviously, see
m to have more knowledge of Lincoln than we do of Washington. I had to dig a little more to learn of George. Here are some of the things I found.
George, son of Mary and Augustine Washington , was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father was a farmer and a public servant. When George was 6 they moved to the farm known as the Ferry Farm and this is where he spent his childhood until his father died when George was 11.
. George’s half brother, Lawrence had married well and lived at Mt. Vernon.
According to legend at the age of six, George was given an axe. (What is a six year old to do with an axe? Chop something, of course). A cherry tree being close by, George gave it a couple of whacks. Father spotted the damage and suspecting the boy, demanded an answer. And George, for all time, replied. “I can not tell a lie. I did it with my little hatchet.” So, we learn his value of honesty, even at that young age. .
Records show he had little formal education. Older half brothers were schooled in England, but George’s father died young, so George did not have that opportunity. . His education, besides the basics of math, reading and writing, came from observing the conduct of others, mainly his brother, Lawrence and members of the Fairfax family. From them he learned the role of honor to humanity and hospitality. His breeding entitled him to the upper tier of colonial Virginia gentry and their acceptable behavior.
After his father’s early death, Lawrence became his mentor.
But at the age of sixteen George became a surveyor. This opportunity gave him access to forests and their nature. Information that held him in good stead during the Indian wars. With the right connections he became an officer for the Virginia militia in the French, Indian Wars. This brought him experience.
When his brother, Lawrence passed away George inherited the extensive landholdings there. When he married Martha Custis, a widow with children and lots of land, he became a large landholder. That was important in colonial days. Tobacco was the main crop for farmers at that time. In later years Washington would give up tobacco for crop rotation and better farming methods. He and fellow Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, wanted the best from and for the land and instituted scientific studies to achieve that goal.
That was, of course, besides his work in Virginia politics and his military escapades.
And that is, partially, how he became the Father of our country.
But back to the cherry tree. After Washington’s death an itinerant Anglican preacher named Mason Locke Weems wrote his biography in 1800. The book was such a success that he wrote other revisions.
It wasn’t until the 6h revision done in l806 that he included the story of the cherry tree and the ‘I can not tell a lie’. Historians are not sure whether the story is true or whether the writer made it up to promote Washington’s honesty. It was such a good story that it has withstood the test of time and will always be a part of our remembrance of George Washington.
In February, 1974, I was writing a weekly column, ‘In The Fields’, for the Oxford Press. This is what I wrote about Abe Lincoln.
In the present day of problem after problem the birthday of Abraham Lincoln can be an enlightened reminder of the humanness of this great man.
Keith Jennison has written a book, “The Humorous Mr. Lincoln,” which contributes to a better understanding of Lincoln. Jennison has this to say.
Mr. Lincoln’s use of humor changed through the years. During the wilderness years he told jokes and stories without trying to prove anything at all; he told them simply because it was natural for him to do so. After he became a lawyer he found his wit and his acute sense of the ridiculous were effective courtroom tools. As a politician he handled the weapon of satire as a stiletto or a broadax as the occasion demanded. During the first few months of his presidency he used humor many times as a round-about way of saying no. As his responsibility grew and became almost unendurable he took to telling jokes again, trying to lessen the tension in himself and those around him.
He got along well with the circuit judges. With one of them he got in a discussion about horse-trading, and the discussion ended with an agreement that Lincoln and the judge would trade horses at nine-o’clock the following morning. Both horses were to be unseen until the moment of the trade. Promptly at nine the judge appeared, leading the sorriest specimen of a horse ever seen in those parts. In a few moments Lincoln appeared carrying a wooden sawhorse over his shoulder. He set down the sawhorse and inspected the judge’s animal.
“Well, judge,” he said, “that is the first time I ever got the worst of it in a horse trade.”
In dealing with a job-seeker, Lincoln told a fable.
“Well, sir, it seems like there was once an old king who was going hunting one day with all his courtiers. He soon met a farmer on the road. The farmer told the king it was going to rain. But the king’s astrologer didn’t think so. About an hour later there came a loud burst that proved the farmer to be right, so the king cut off the astrologer’s head and sent for the farmer and offered him the vacant office.
“It ain’t me that knows when it’s going to rain,” he said. “It’s my jackass. He lays his ears back.”
“Then your jackass is hereby appointed court astrologer,” said the king. Afterward the realized it was the biggest mistake of his life, because every
jackass in the country wanted an office.
The two pieces on Washington and Lincoln are not really comparable, but each will give you a better understanding and appreciation of our most beloved presidents.
My deceased husband, Jim Stout, was a wood carver at an early age. When he was in high school he did some drawings of presidents. This led him to carving bookends out of walnut of Washington and Lincoln. They are some of my most prized possessions.
I recall the wonderful creamed lima beans at grandmother’s house. Some of my children like limas. We’ll have limas instead of green beans. One of the toddlers loved eating corn at my table. Corn, plain corn, no casseroles. Just the plain stuff. No question about the mashed potatoes. So that was it. Stay with mashed potatoes, the beef and the noodles, I’m not crazy. There was blueberry pie, strawberry-rhubarb pie, and ice cream for the children.
In a few weeks I’ll have another round of family. What do you think the menu will be this time?
