On horseback he went wherever it seemed possible to sell a book, his samples in his saddlebags. He was a natural orator, a born entertainer, an expert violinist; and these gifts he turned to good account in his book-selling activities.
If a political meeting was to be held near any place he happened upon, Weems would hurry to it, make a speech, and advertise his wares. A religious gathering was his joy; there he would preach and exhort--and sell books. Did young people assemble for merrymaking, Weems was in his element, and played the fiddle for the dancing. If he arrived at the capital of a State when the Legislature was in session, he would contrive to be invited to address the Solons--and procure their subscriptions.
[611] Weems probably knew more of the real life of the country, from Pennsylvania southward, than any other one man; and he thoroughly understood American tastes and characteristics. To this is due the unparalleled success of his _Life of Washington_. In addition to this absurd but engaging book, Weems wrote the _Life of Gen. Francis Marion_ (1805); the _Life of Benjamin Franklin_ (1817); and the _Life of William Penn_ (1819). He was also the author of several temperance pamphlets, the most popular of which was the _Drunkard's Looking Glass_. Weems died in 1825.
Weems's _Life of Washington_ still enjoys a good sale. It has been one of the most widely purchased and read books in our history, and has profoundly influenced the American conception of Washington. To it we owe the grotesque and wholly imaginary stories of young Washington and the cherry tree, the planting of lettuce by his father to prove to the boy the designs of Providence, and other anecdotes that make that intensely human founder of the American Nation an impossible and intolerable prig.
The only biography of Weems is _Parson Weems_, by Lawrence C. Wroth, a mere sketch, but trustworthy and entertaining.
[612] Weems to Wayne, Dec. 10, 1802, Dreer MSS. _loc. cit._
[613] Same to same, Dec. 14, 1802, Dreer MSS. _loc. cit._
[614] Weems to Wayne, Dec. 17, 1802, Dreer MSS. _loc. cit._
[615] Same to same, Dec. 22, 1802, Dreer MSS. _loc. cit._
[616] Same to same, April 2, 1803, Dreer MSS. _loc. cit._