But this eager desire for a true Americanism did not stop at our foreign policy, or our domestic politics.  He wished it to enter into every part of the life and thought of the people, and when it was proposed to bring over the entire staff of a Genevan university to take charge of a national university here, he threw his influence against it, expressing grave doubts as to the advantage of importing an entire “seminary of foreigners,” for the purpose of American education.  The letter on this subject, which was addressed to John Adams, then continued:—­

“My opinion with respect to emigration is that except of useful mechanics, and some particular descriptions of men or professions, there is no need of encouragement; while the policy or advantage of its taking place in a body (I mean the settling of them in a body) may be much questioned; for by so doing they retain the language, habits, and principles, good or bad, which they bring with them.  Whereas by an intermixture with our people, they or their descendants get assimilated to our customs, measures, and laws; in a word, soon become one people.”

He had this thought so constantly in his mind that it found expression in his will, in the clause bequeathing certain property for the foundation of a university in the District of Columbia.  “I proceed,” he said, “after this recital for the more correct understanding of the case, to declare that it has always been a source of serious regret with me to see the youth of these United States sent to foreign countries for the purposes of education, often before their minds were formed, or they had imbibed any adequate ideas of the happiness of their own; contracting too frequently not only habits of dissipation and extravagance, but principles unfriendly to republican government and to the true and genuine liberties of mankind, which thereafter are rarely overcome; for these reasons it has been my ardent wish to see a plan devised on a liberal scale, which would have a tendency to spread systematic ideas through all parts of this rising empire, thereby to do away with local attachments and state prejudices, as far as the nature of things would or indeed ought to admit, from our national councils.”

Were these the words of an English country gentleman, who chanced to be born in one of England’s colonies?  Persons of the English country gentleman pattern at that time were for the most part loyalists; excellent people, very likely, but not of the Washington type.  Their hopes and ideals, their policies and their beliefs were in the mother country, not here.  The faith, the hope, the thought, of Washington were all in the United States.  His one purpose was to make America independent in thought and action, and he strove day and night to build up a nation.  He labored unceasingly to lay the foundations of the great empire which, with almost prophetic vision, he saw beyond the mountains, by opening the way for the western movement.  His