THE YOUTH OF WASHINGTON
1.JUST as Washington was passing from boyhood to youth，the enterprise and capital of Virginia were seeking a new field for exercise and investment，in the unoccupied public domain beyond the mountains.The business of a surveyor immediately became one of great importance and trust，for no surveys were executed by the government.To this occupation the youthful Washington，not yet sixteen years of age，and well furnished with the requisite mathematical knowledge，zealously devoted himself.Some of his family connections possessed titles to large portions of public land，which he was employed with them in surveying.
2.Thus，at a period of life when，in a more advanced stage of society，the intelligent youth is occupied in the elementary studiesGeorge Washington as a young surveyorof the schools and colleges，Washington was carrying the surveyor’s chain through the fertile valleys of the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany Mountains；passing days and weeks in the wilderness，beneath the shadow of eternal forests；listening to the voice of the waterfalls，which man‘s art had not yet set to the healthful music of the saw-mill or the trip-hammer；reposing from the labors of the day on a bear-skin，with his feet to the blazing logs of a camp-fire；and sometimes startled from the deep slumbers of careless，hard-working youth，by the alarm of the Indian war-whoop.
3.This was the gymnastic school in which Washington was brought up；in which his quick glance was formed，destined to range hereafter across the battle-field，through clouds of smoke and bristling rows of bayonets；the school in which his senses，weaned from the taste for those detestable indulgences，miscalled pleasures，in which the flower of adolescence so often languishes and pines away，were early braced up to the sinewy manhood which becomes the“Lord of the lion heart and eagle eye.”
4.There is preserved among the papers of Washington a letter，written to a friend while he was engaged on his first surveying tour，and when he was，consequently，but sixteen years of age.I quote a sentence from it，in spite of the homeliness of the details，for which I like it the better，and because I wish to set before you，not an ideal hero，wrapped in cloudy generalities and a mist of vague panegyric，but the real，identical man，with all the peculiarities of his life and occupation.
5.“Your letter，”says he，“gave me the more pleasure，as I received it among barbarians and an uncouth set of people.Since you received my letter of October last，I have not slept above three or four nights in a bed；but，after walking a good deal all the day，I have lain down before the fire，upon a little hay，straw，fodder，or a bearskin，whichever was to be had，with man，wife，and children，like dogs and cats；and happyis he who gets the berth nearest the fire.Nothing would make it pass off tolerably but a good reward.A doubloon is my constant gain，every day that the weather will permit my going out，and sometimes six pistoles.”
6.If there is an individual in the morning of life who has not yet made his choice between the flowery path of indulgence and the rough ascent of honest industry，if there is one who is ashamed to get his living by any branch of honest labor，let him reflect that the youth who was carrying the theodolite and surveyor’s chain through the mountain passes of the Alleghanies，in the month of March，sleeping on a bundle of hay before the fire，in a settler‘s log-cabin，and not ashamed to boast that he did it for his doubloon a day，is George Washington；that the life he led trained him up to command the armies of United America；that the money he earned was the basis of that fortune which enabled him afterward to bestow his services，without reward，on a bleeding and impoverished country.
7.For three years was the young Washington employed，the greater part of the time，and whenever the season would permit，in this laborious and healthful occupation；and I know not if it would be deemed unbecoming，were a thoughtful student of our history to say that he could almost hear the voice of Providence，in the language of Milton，announce its high purpose，“To exercise him in the wilderness；There shall he first lay down the rudiments Of his great warfare，ere I send him forth To conquer！”
（FROM EVERETT ）
中文阅读
1.在华盛顿童年到青少年的过渡时期，弗吉尼亚州的企业和资本家在公众产业中找到了一个尚属空白的投资新领域，该产业的工作地点远在崇山峻岭中，由于政府从未着手这一调查工作，测量员的工作立刻成为人们希望的重要工作之一。当时华盛顿尚不满十六岁，却精通必备的数学知识，他热情洋溢地投身于这一职业。他的家族成员中有拥有很大部分的公共土地所有权的人，他因此受雇参与调查。
2.就这样，在人生的一段时间里，当上层社会的聪明的年轻人忙于在学校里学习各种基本知识的时候，华盛顿却携带着测量员用的链锁，行走于蓝岭富饶的山谷和阿勒格尼的大山间。日复一日，一个星期接一个星期，他都在野外度过。倾听瀑布发出的音乐之声，人造艺术哪里有大型锯机或者是杵锤这样尽心，哪里能够奏出这样有益健康的音乐。一天劳动下来，他脚冲着熠熠燃烧的篝火，躺在熊皮上休息。有时这个兢兢业业的年轻人会在沉睡中被印第安人作战的喊杀声吓醒。
3.华盛顿是在一所体育学校接受的教育，这培养了他快速浏览的能力，也注定了他将来要出入沙场，穿梭于战火硝烟与刀光剑影中。在学校，他放弃了被误称为快乐的那些令人生厌的放纵行为，在那里，青春之花经常会黯然憔悴、枯萎凋谢，而他已经早早地成长为肌肉矫健的男子汉，有着“狮子般的雄心和老鹰般锐利的眼睛”。
4.在华盛顿的文件中保存着一封信函，这是他在开始测量工作时写给一位朋友的，当时他只有十六岁。我引用了其中的一段话，尽管朴实，但我喜欢的偏偏就是这一点，因为我希望呈现在你面前的不是一个理想化的英雄，充斥着泛泛之论、含糊的颂词，而是一个真正的人，表里如一的人，同时具有他职业以及生活的所有特质。
5.“你的信，”他说，“给了我莫大的快乐，因为我是在一群野蛮而未开化的陌生人中收到你的来信的。自从你在十月份收到我的上一封信起，我已经有不止三四个晚上没有在床上睡觉了。走了一整天的路，我在篝火旁，躺在铺在地上的少量干草、稻草、饲料或者是一张熊皮上，就像猫狗一样，不管周围是什么人，与任何男人、女人还有孩子们在一起。最快乐的莫过于躺得离篝火最近躺下的那个人了。没有什么能比报酬更能让人宽容地忽视这一切了。如果天气允许的话，我每天外出通常就会得到一个达布隆（西班牙古金币），有时是六个皮斯托尔古西班牙金币）。”
6.如果有这样的人，在他年轻的时候，还没有在那铺满鲜花的放纵之路与通过艰苦而诚实的奋斗来实现职位晋升之路上做过选择，如果有这样的人，羞于通过任何诚实的劳动生存，那就让他想想这位年轻人：他扛着经纬仪，带着测量员的锁链行走在阿勒格尼的山间小路上。三月里，他在一家移民的小木屋里，睡在篝火旁的一捆干草上，却毫不羞愧地夸口说他这样是为了一天能挣到一个达布隆，这个年轻人就是乔治·华盛顿。生活使他得到锻炼，使他能够指挥美国的千军万马，他劳动的收入就是他财富的基础，所以他后来在一个满目疮痍的贫穷的国家服务却分文不取。
7.年轻的华盛顿在这个辛苦而有益健康的行业中度过了三年时间，在该时期的黄金时间里，只要季节与天气允许，他就回去工作。我不知道这样说是否得体，我们的一个喜欢思考的学生曾经这样说，他几乎能够听到上天的声音，用弥尔顿的话来宣布他的最高旨意--在荒野中锻炼他，在那里，他首次制定出他伟大战争的雏形，在此之前，我派他出来去征服！
（埃弗雷特）
APPOINTMENT OF WASHINGTON