EARNING THE PRIZES
As may be imagined, no time was lost in play or other occupations as
long as those packages remained unopened in the case. From the
examination of the outside George said he was sure they contained
complete outfits for the army. If this surmise was correct, what a
glorious time they would have when all dressed up in suitable uniforms!
“Mother, how can we all learn those maxims by heart when we have only
one book to study from?” asked George.
“I thought of that, too, and asked father to have his secretary copy
them on paper, so each of you could have a set to study,” said Mrs.
Parke.
“Oh, then you knew all about these prizes before they came, eh?” said
Martha.
“Yes, and now I’ll get the papers for you. Jim will have to have you
read his aloud and help him memorize them,” replied Mrs. Parke, going
over to the desk, where she took up a bundle of typewritten sheets to
distribute to the children.
“I wish to read a short introduction to these rules that were such a
guide to our great general. These ‘Contemplations’ formed the subject of
Washington’s early study and devotions. They exerted a direct influence
in the formation of his principles of action. His well-known habits of
private devotion to Deity were formed somewhat by imprinting on him mind
such passages as the following:
“‘An humble man leans not to his own understanding; he is sensible of
the deficiency of his own power and wisdom, and trusts not in it; he is
also sensible of the all-sufficient power, wisdom and goodness of
almighty God, and commits himself to Him for counsel, guidance,
direction and strength.
“‘I can call my own experience to witness that in the external actions,
occurrences and incidents of my whole life I was never disappointed of
the best guidance and direction when in humility and sense of my own
deficiency, or inability to direct myself, or to grapple with the
difficulties of my life, I have with humility and sincerity implored the
secret direction and guidance of the Divine Wisdom and Providence.
“‘And I dare appeal to the strict observation of any man’s
experience—whether those counsels and purposes which have been taken up
after an humble invocation of the Divine Direction have not always been
most successful in the end.
“‘Consider what it is that thou pridest thyself in and examine well the
nature of the things themselves, how little and inconsiderable they are;
at least how uncertain and unstable they are.
“‘Thou hast fine clothes, and this makes children and young men and
women proud, even to admiration; but thou art not half so fine and gay
as the peacock, ostrich or parrot, nor is thy finery so much thine as
theirs is, but it is borrowed from the silkworm, the gold mines, the
industry of the embroiderer, weaver, tailor, and is no part of thyself.
And hast thou the patience to suffer thyself to be abused into this
childish, pitiful, foolish pride?
“‘Thou hast, it may be, wealth, stores of money; but how much of it is
of use to thee? That which thou spendest is gone; that which thou
keepest is as insignificant as so much dirt or clay; only thy care about
it makes thy life the more uneasy.
“‘Thou hast honor, esteem; thou art deceived, for thou hast it not; he
hath it that giveth it thee, and which he may detain from thee at
pleasure; but suppose it were as fixed a reputation as a rock of marble,
and that it were the best kind of honor imaginable—the result of virtue
or worth—canst thou think it reasonable to be proud of the shadow, where
thou oughtest not to be proud of that worth that causeth it?
“‘Again: Thou art in great power, or place and authority; but thou art
mistaken in this; the power thou hast is not inherent in thyself. One of
the meanest of those whom it may be thou oppressest is as powerful as
thee, and could, it may be, overmatch thee in strength, wit or policy;
but thy power is invested in thee by those men whose promises, faith, or
voluntary assistance thou hast. This power depends upon the fidelity or
assistance of others, which, if withdrawn, leaves you like Samson shorn
of his locks. _Thy strength will go from thee, and thou wilt become
weak, and be like another man._’”
“Mother, you have read quite enough for one day. It will likely take us
a week to learn all that by heart, and that will be a week of this visit
lost!” cried George disconsolately.
“But suppose I entreat father to have you learn some verses from ‘Mother
Goose’ to recite to us instead of these maxims—do you think you could
memorize them quickly?” suggested Mrs. Parke.
“Oh, yes, mother! Do ask him that. We can learn ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’
or anything like that in no time,” hastily replied Martha.
“Ah! then it shows that the only trouble with memorizing these truly
great sayings is that you won’t bother to study what is good and
helpful! ‘Mother Goose’ is funny and amusing, and you promise to learn
any such verses quickly; that is why father wishes you to learn these
‘Contemplations’ and afterward wear the uniform of an American soldier;
because one cannot be frivolous and inclined to constant fun if he is to
be the custodian of his country’s safety,” declared Mrs. Parke.
“But can’t you see that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?’”
argued George impatiently.
“Have you any proposal to make better than the one father planned for
the earning of the prize packages?” asked his mother.
“Well, we might arrange it this way: For every set of contemplations or
maxims we learn each day we are to receive something from those packages
as a reward. If we learn a long paragraph like some you read to us just
now we ought to have some big item in the package. For a short verse or
paragraph you are to give us a glove or a shoe or a cap—if there are any
in the boxes,” said George.
“Yes, yes! That is a fine idea!” shouted the other children in chorus,
so that the ladies smiled.
“Well, as the main thing is to have you learn these valuable sayings by
heart, it may be better to serve them out to you one a day, and pay the
reward as you suggest. But remember, the prize is not what we are aiming
at—it is the memory of the great words, that will have its effect on
your after lives,” responded Mrs. Parke.
“Yes, yes, we know! We’ll let it affect our after life if you will but
let us have the soldiers’ outfits right now!” retorted George, so that
every one laughed at his reply.
“Well, then take the first paragraph and learn it well. As each one
knows it without error we will hear it recited and give the reward for
the study,” sighed Mrs. Parke, who feared the wonderful words would fail
to leave an impression such as her husband hoped for.
For the rest of that day very little commotion was heard about the Parke
house, but Jack appeared about four o’clock with the assurance that he
had mastered the first maxim.
Mrs. Davis heard him recite it while both ladies held a copy of the
paper. He had memorized the words, but seemed to have failed in
understanding them, so his recital was more like that of a parrot’s
speech.
“Just what I thought,” said Mrs. Parke, in an aside.
“Kate, we must add to this method of memorizing; each child should be
able to explain what the words mean and how they individually interpret
them.”
“Please give me my prize now and talk over the best way to impress our
minds when I am gone,” cried Jack, disappointed that he had not been
handed his package immediately upon rendering the maxim correctly.
With a sigh of despair his mother gave him the first reward—a khaki army
coat trimmed with blue braid and brass buttons. It was a very elaborate
affair, that any youthful general might be proud to wear.
The moment Jack saw it he gave a wild cheer and raced from the room to
call to his companions. From the lilac bushes, from the summer house,
from the cool back porch and from the hammocks swung under the maple
trees ran the friends who were eager to admire the prize won by the
first member of their army.
The boys had to try it on, and there followed many exclamations of
delight and approval. Then, as each wished it was his they remembered
the way to earn one, so they hurried back to their papers.
Thus, by learning the paragraphs in order as they came on the pages, the
children not only won rewards, but also imbibed the high and excellent
maxims followed by General Washington.
When the first few rules were learned Mrs. Parke gave the children new
ones. As she distributed them she said: “Before you go I wish to read
some splendid things Washington wrote as he supposes himself to be
standing before the Seat of Judgment, answering to God for the charges
given him to account for:
“‘I have given unto you all understanding and reason, to be a guide of
your actions, and to some of you more eminent degrees thereof.
“‘I have given you a conscience to direct you, and to check you in your
miscarriages, and to encourage you in well-doing; and I have furnished
that conscience of yours with light and principles of truth and practice
conformable to my will.
“‘I have given you the advantage of speech, whereby to communicate your
thoughts to one another and to instruct and advantage one another by the
help thereof.
“‘I have given you counsel and advice of faithful and judicious friends;
good laws in the place and country where you live; the written word of
God acquainting you with my will and the way to eternal life; the word
preached thereof; the sacrament both for your initiation and
confirmation.
“‘And the man who stands at the bar of judgment answering his God must
give a true and faithful accounting of all he did or hoped to accomplish
with the talents thus given him on earth.’
“Now, children, this last section of Washington’s words are to me most
important, as they embody the whole basis of his religious attitude. And
every one knows what an account he could render the Master for being a
Good Steward in the field.
“I am sure that his harvest must have been very acceptable to God, for
there were no tares mixed with his wheat,” said Mrs. Parke seriously.
“If our children—descendants of that noble character, Washington—can
render as good a record of works accomplished on earth when they appear
before the Throne of the Great Judge it will be a cause for great
rejoicing and thanksgiving for all,” added Mrs. Davis.
“Yes, I suppose it would, aunty, but you see times change and so do
folks, and ways change with them. George Washington just had to be good
’cause it was born in him, and God made him feel that he had to be an
example for America. Doesn’t it show it was so, when he never wanted to
quarrel in school, he never told a lie—even kept his mouth shut when
something was being asked that he knew all about—and the way he
sacrificed fun and good times just to study old dry stuff like these
maxims? Oh, he was, indeed, a queer boy!” sighed George, rolling his
eyes upward in earnest contemplation of the ceiling.
The ladies had great difficulty in maintaining serious faces at these
remarks, but they felt all would be ruined if they laughed outright, so
they managed, both of them, to remain stern and respectful.
“Haven’t we occasion to thank God that he was such a serious-minded boy?
What would the United States have done if he had been otherwise?” asked
Mrs. Parke.
“But it didn’t! If Washington wasn’t that kind God would have raised up
another Moses in the Land of Bondage, to lead the poor colonists out of
Egypt!” declared Martha triumphantly.
“You said yourself, while explaining some Bible reading the other day,
that it wasn’t the name or mortal man that did all the great and
glorious things, but the power of the Principle that influenced and
operated through a being. Then I could be as great as General Washington
if the test came and I was being moved to do glorious deeds through the
help of God,” said George, frowning over such a theological problem.
“Yes, you could, if you understood enough of the Truth and operation of
God, who _is_ Principle, to apply what you knew; but the Truth does not
operate blindly, remember, and Washington would never have been guided
as he was if he hadn’t applied his _thoughts_ seriously to finding out
the ‘deep things of God’,” said Mrs. Parke earnestly.
The children showed an eagerness to get away from further preaching, so
the ladies rose as a signal that the meeting was over. With grateful
sighs the youngsters hurried away to learn the next dry and, to them,
senseless maxim of Washington’s.