The Washington union., 1858-02-23

from David his ding and 10 olote him with the armor Of
saul No man saw this clearly than Washington,
or felt more deeply the necessity for burning the ships To
cut of all hope OF return to systems which had been left
behind them The rules for their government To be
suggested by the occasion which required them. The
law Of their self development must depend after ALL
upon the peculiar circumstances which attended It, II
want (Sad he, American character, that the powers
in Europe may e convinced act for ourselves and not
for others" Accordingly, after having established
cnrey the government credit and organized the great
OF the public service to command respect abroad
and inspire confidence at home he cut loose from all
banasng and onanglng alliances with the political sys
tens of Europe and turning the head of the American
column TO the Wilderness lac directed it upon that indie
pendent of seifdevelopment which has made us
what And yet how much did il cost him TO es
tabish that great principle Of intervention in foreign
affairs which necessary to secure us those opportn
ties which have used TO such adyantage On the one
hand he TO hold in check tho aggressive spirit Of
powerful nations abroad and the other he must
counter the suging Of popular violence which had
risen high that but he could have breasted them
In vain the of the people demanding TO he
assigned place In the great melee Of nations which was
going around them. Calm and nnmoved he held fast
against the press of this angry throng the door OF the
temple of war through which alone they could have
passed to the accomplishment of their purpose
mandng spirit, his voice alone could have settled the
raging fury Of that storm lie conquered peace for 9TH
cs but to do it, he encountered the shock of and
which, of all Others the most cruel in ts
quences upon himself. for it upon the popu
larity by the hard services of anxious years and
upon his supremacy in the affections Of people whose
love he priced beyond all earthly considerations. 1t
struck the SOUL and not the body it wounded spirit
which he BORE without one word OF complaint or re-
proach TO those whose ngratitude had caused it, Nor
did he relax the rens until ho had discharged all his du
ties and fulfilled his high purposes When he did
lay them down. he left it to poserty to defend his
ory, and to his deeds to vndicae themselves by
their oonsequences-a noble confidence which expert
has shown to have been not unwsely bestowed
He left order where he had found confusion harmony
instead of discord, government of law where he had
found of influence and for divided counscs and the
weakness of separate action in the States he su'sti
tued union Of them all, and combined sufficient
strength to accomplish the purposes of their general well
fare and their common good The constitution was
placed in his hands n dry parchment, skeleton
form He breathed into that form the life which gave it
motion, and organized social system which fitted to
the healthy discharge of all the functions that
sary to high and progressive civilization Well might
he leave it to such deeds to speak for themselves,
and to posterity to assign him his rank and his order
amongst the great which the consecrated OBJ
ccts of human love and admiration in the Pantheon of
history Far be 1t from to pronounce that high iudg
ment upon the great of the past Indeed il is
difficult to find amongst the captains and soldiers Of the
world, with whom he is to he classed, any who afford
parallel for him SO far what the world calls genius
is concerned, there were many superior to him but if
men are be measured by their achievements he NAV
bear comparison with the best of them all. He had
of that high literary culture which has ripened the
tastes and improved the minds of of the greatest
soldiers Of the world he endowed with the lofty
imagination which to he of the characteristics
of that order of genns He had Aristotle for his pre-
ceptor, he slept with Homer under his pillow, and
cared perhaps for such companion of his dreams His
imagination tcemed with of those mighty concep.
tons which sometimes the guiding gen that lead to
greatness but far too often the illusions which mislcad TO
destruction He had neither the learning nor coucnce
nor high intellectual training Of Caesar had he any
thing of the burning words and fervd thought of Napo
lcon which often aptivated the hearts OF his follow
eTs Like Numa, the great Roman statesman he loved
to commune with Nature and doubtless drew lessons
wisdom and virtue from his lonely medtations the
wilderness but his mind could have been so rapt
in the spirit of that communion to become the
sport Of its illusions. His Imagination could never
have called up Egeria from those silent Businesses
shade and solitude, nor impeisonatcd what he believed
to be the voice of Nature into creature whose love in
deed was human, but whose wisdom divine WASH
ingtons nature, doubtless, grew under such crcum-
stances Providence provided for it, but it's growth
was not on the ideal side it grew in it's moral
and intellectual faculties, in it's love of virtue and
truth, in fortitude temperance, and wisdom, and
above ALL in that high faculty of Judgment in which he
was perhaps, unrvalled amongst men, and which read
clearly the passing event with vision that could not
disturbed either by the false lights of selfish desires or
the colorng of prejudice partiay in which others
might seek to clothe the subject He stood in the midst
of great and snnge events and if they within the
range OF his vision he read them with Judgment which
too clear to be deceived The difficulties of his posi-
ton, appalling they often were he met with orti
tudc which shaken When emergencies arose
his wisdom rarely TO have been fault IN devisina
the true mode of meeting them In regard TO the future
of affairs he claimed of TINT pcscence with
which upon occasions, human genius in highest
forms to have been strangely giited- faculty
which, after all, il rarely given and always in stntcd
measure and in which the greatest human intcIlects
have too often trusted but to fall But Washington
looked for the lights which to guide his feet to n
higher than to the suggestions his own in
tellecthe sought them in the maxms of experience and
the laws of virtue Never did he act upon the principle
that the end may justify the means in the great
est military and civil emergencies did he yield to the
temptation to do evil that good might come of it, He
did not claim to direct the future to deal wisely with
the events of each day the great object of his life
In his opinion to deal wisely to do what is right
day and leave the event of tomorrow to Him who rules
the issues of human destiny He believed that the laws
OF virtue constitute the plan which Providence itself has
devised for human action and that it is most cxpcdicnt
for man to pursue it. His great h was that the slrest
mode OF attaining success s to deserve It, for il is
Providence alone which bcstow it, Here was the
secret of his success it this faith which led him TO
course of conduct that gave him much influence
men, and which produced good results because
deserved them In this respect his example stands alone
and unapproached by those who have been deemed
the greatest in the conduct of human affairs for which of
them has not at time thrown down the barriers df
law and the restraints of virtue accomplish objects
which they believed not to be otherwise attained
and by whose attainment they have vainy sought to JUS
tfy their faulsi He yielded to such temptations
in any emergency, and yet has achieved more
Faith to be the necessary accompaniment of high
genius; perhaps there has been great achievement
without it, The greatness of Columbus IL has been said
consisted not much in the discovery of America
the faith in his ica with which he prosecuted his
voyage But much depends upon what that faith is
founded for when united to great capacities 1t may lead