We know nothing about his father, except that he was kindly and affectionate, attached to his wife and children, and apparently absorbed in the care of his estates.  On his death the children came wholly under the maternal influence and direction.  Much has been written about the “mother of Washington,” but as a matter of fact, although she lived to an advanced age, we know scarcely more about her than we do about her husband.  She was of gentle birth, and possessed a vigorous character and a good deal of business capacity.  The advantages of education were given in but slight measure to the Virginian ladies of her time, and Mrs. Washington offered no exception to the general rule.  Her reading was confined to a small number of volumes, chiefly of a devotional character, her favorite apparently being Hale’s “Moral and Divine Contemplations.”  She evidently knew no language but her own, and her spelling was extremely bad even in that age of uncertain orthography.  Certain qualities, however, are clear to us even now through all the dimness.  We can see that Mary Washington was gifted with strong sense, and had the power of conducting business matters providently and exactly.  She was an imperious woman, of strong will, ruling her kingdom alone.  Above all she was very dignified, very silent, and very sober-minded.  That she was affectionate and loving cannot be doubted, for she retained to the last a profound hold upon the reverential devotion of her son, and yet as he rose steadily to the pinnacle of human greatness, she could only say that “George had been a good boy, and she was sure he would do his duty.”  Not a brilliant woman evidently, not one suited to shine in courts, conduct intrigues, or adorn literature, yet able to transmit moral qualities to her oldest son, which, mingled with those of the Washingtons, were of infinite value in the foundation of a great Republic.  She found herself a widow at an early age, with a family of young children to educate and support.  Her means were narrow, for although Augustine Washington was able to leave what was called a landed estate to each son, it was little more than idle capital, and the income in ready money was by no means so evident as the acres.

Many are the myths, and deplorably few the facts, that have come down to us in regard to Washington’s boyhood.  For the former we are indebted to the illustrious Weems, and to that personage a few more words must be devoted.  Weems has been held up to the present age in various ways, usually, it must be confessed, of an unflattering nature, and “mendacious” is the adjective most commonly applied to him.  There has been in reality a good deal of needless confusion about Weems and his book, for he was not a complex character, and neither he nor his writings are difficult to value or understand.  By profession a clergyman or preacher, by nature an adventurer, Weems loved notoriety, money, and a wandering life.  So he wrote books which he correctly believed would be popular, and