[Illustration: Lafayette's Visit to Washington at Mount Vernon, in
1784]

In 1824, it was known that Lafayette, now an old man, longed to visit
once more the American people and the scenes he loved so well.
Congress at once requested President Monroe to invite him as the
nation's guest.

Forty years had wrought a marvelous change in America. The thirteen
colonies, in whose cause the young Frenchman came over the sea, had
been united into a nation of twenty-four states. The experiment of
laying the foundation of a great republic had proved successful. The
problem of self-government had been solved.

The United States had taken its place among the great nations of the
world,--a republic of twelve millions of prosperous and happy people.
Towns and cities had sprung up like magic. The tide of immigration
had taken possession of mountain and valley of what was then the far
West.

The people of the young nation were still rejoicing over the glorious
victories of Hull, Decatur, Bainbridge, Perry, and other heroes of
the sea. Less than ten years {203} before, General Jackson had won
his great victory at New Orleans.

Time had dealt heavily with the great generals of the Revolution.
Washington had been laid away in the tomb at Mount Vernon,
twenty-five years before. Greene, Wayne, Marion, Morgan, Schuyler,
Knox, and Lincoln were all dead. Stark had died only two years
before. Sumter was still living. Lafayette was the last surviving
major general of the Revolution.

The people of this country were familiar with Lafayette's remarkable
history since he had left America. They had heard of his lifelong
struggle against tyranny in his native land. They knew him as the
gallant knight who had dealt hard blows in the cause of freedom. They
cared little about the turmoils of French politics, but knew that
this champion of liberty had been for five years in an Austrian
dungeon.

Do you wonder that the grateful people of the sturdy young republic
were eager to receive him as their guest?

In company with his son, George Washington Lafayette, and his private
secretary, Lafayette landed at Staten Island, New York, on Sunday,
August 15, 1824. He spent the night at the house of Vice President
Tompkins. The next day, six thousand citizens came, in a grand
procession of gayly decked vessels, to escort the national guest to
the city. The cannon from the forts and from the men-of-war boomed a
welcome, while two hundred thousand people