The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-23

OF HB unOOktd TOT ue6Ih NOT q word Act OF his
private or pnphc life but was dictated apparently
by TINS sublime devotion. In proof OF this compare
nm now with those Two men whose careers were
Napoieon. In contrast with their splen-
dla victories and the subjugation OF great
nations to their Will. the EXPLOITS OF Washing
seem poor and small. But we must remember
that Their achievements were stimulated by selfish
ness and ambition, and that they were all in the
lne Of passions whose gale they trimmed their sails
TO go by IL Is easy comparatively to scud before
the Wmo, out seamanship Is better displayed IN
De@tlhg INTO harbor against the breeze around
the points and among the shoals, than IN the
QUICKEST run across the ocean. Another point
achievements that some have said WASHINGTON
would nave surprised men with II MS acultles naa
II TINS was 30 that rule OF his spirit which
made him refuse such distinction made him
was instanced " asningtons refusal, alter the War
lor independence to become KING, u ID nttlng
response To those who would say that though wash
ingtOn had the power, he had not the opportunity
TO achieve greatness as did Alexander or Napoleon.
In the religious character OF washington there APP
pear the same pecullarites which mark his other
relations IN life and show the
GRANDEUR OF THE NAN.
He had much OF the principle though but little, 1t
must be confessed, OF the sentiment OF devotion.
IL does not appear That he took q deep and
spiritual delight in religious questions any more
than IN poetry, works OF art, in the beauties
Of nature. The truth IL that his natural DISPOSE
tion did not incline hum that way, and hence, ap-
parenty, he was more moral than pious, neverthe-
less ne had devOut reverence for the first cause
OF all things, and sublime and never failing trust
affairs alike OF nations and OF men. He spoke
once oil the pure and benign light OF revelation"
rengion." But precisely what his theoioS SIe
opinions were 1t Is not easy TO determine. for on
that matter ne held his peace. And yet in his
latter years he had no more belief in the popular
theology than had John Adams or Benjamin
Franklin, although, unlike them, he was not given
to speculations. His whole religious life was free
rom cant and oigotry and intolerance. Washing.
toms religion was in his general devoutness and
WIS communal trust In GOD; IN MS sell command
ne thought slavery wrong and wicked, and set Tree
ms M b3ndmen by mis- last VIII. And this was the
KIND Of religion which Washington lived and Illus
trated, and not SIMPLY protested, throughout his
And now, is it not, should 1t not be on the part
OF us all cause OF the veliest gratitude to God,
on TINS the anniver sary OF the birthday Of such
noble man, that he was put
INTO OUR COUNTRY's HISTORY
as Moses and samuel were put into the history of
Palestine, to make it great and good and glorious
that the character OF Jesus is too exceptional
too high for All men everywhere and under all the
conditions OF life to initiate. However this may
be, certainly the reverence and admiration which
we should all OF US feel and pay towards the Father
OF his Country should Call upon US, in the name OF
consistency and all holy aspiration to examine
ourselves and see II there be IN US, there in
him the same love OF truth, tins devotion to the
onward look towards all that Is wisest and
best both here and hereafter. And II that
were 30, let each one OF us ask himself, first
this practical question Gould there be to day IN
that capital founded by Washington and contain
y, u u
a triner with the right and true interests of his
country, brutal scorner OF the laws Of virtue and
devouonf And II such one should beithere among
the soced rulers OF the land, whose iault Is It that
he Is there-his alone, or ours alsOS Can the peO-
pie themselves have had before them when choos-
ing such representatives this 1ncarnate ideal OF
what statesman should be, and are they holding
now the statesmen who have read this lie of Wash
ington and VINO met IN the city that bears his
name the duty OF laboring in spirit ike his for
the business anu the true enlargement Of the great
estates they guardS WHAT Is the spirit in which
AvBRAGE CONGRESSMAN OF TODAY
IS ii is described to US in the records Of his
swer one month after his first accession to the
Presidency he said the ofice-seekers demanded
TO public patronage seem TO come together in a
knot, IT does appear to me that our people are fast
approaching the point where IT can be SAID That
TO 1--we at the expense OF the other eighth" What,
then, must be our sad reflections to-day when We
perceive that this abomnabie sel1shness and
greed has not been buried IN the graves OF
half million men, but stands instead
upon those graves in the persons OF our
most conspicuous politicians that it may scramble
with better chance TOR place what. therefore,
we need to learn, one and all, from the example
OF Washington is TO be faithful as he was-iaith-
ful in all our house. Had Washington failed in
fidelity TO his great cal-had he said to himself as
many among US are now saying to themselves,
my circumstances are easy enough here, amid
my parks and farms and forests, and, therefore, l
conflict between my feeble country and the most
powerful Empire OF the world - or, II after having
and his power for himself more than Tor the DIS
charge OF the great duties to which he was called,
we should nave now to mourn, as we read OF ii,
and lament that thus another dark page had been
added TO the
RECORD OF HUMAN FRAILTY.
And yet II would have been but specimen in
larger type OF that practical infdehty and moral
and spiritual failure wnich so many are printing
III smaller way upon their allowance of time
and opportunity. Every private soldier is required
10 be faithful as much as every officer who has
charge OF campaign Every common citizen is
required 10 rule his passions and discipline his
faculties as the great founder or our freedom did.
Not every man Is called as was washington 70
create nation, or as was Lincoln, to save 1t from
destruction; but certainly every human soul Is
called TO Itself from itself through devotion to
God and humanity and goOd-tO save its life by
losing II. ana lose its life by saving 1t, alter the
manner OF Jesus and all that are with HIM
truly great. In the last place, Mr.. Powers said
that from the example OF Washington we learn
that our religion should be one Of principles and
services, instead Of emotions and sacrifices simply.
This idea the preacher referred to eloquently and
at length, touching upon the points that possibly
If Washington could have manifested more or the
enthusiasm or religion 1t might have been better,
and yet the danger ever IL OF substituting pietism
for practical religion, and this was danger to be
guarded against not only in their own church but
ia tue country at large.
such was he. His course Is run;
But white the races of mankind endure,
Let his orr AT ztpn and