Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-06-15
George Washington.
things

Delivered at the commencement exercises Of
the Philllpsburg high school by John Thomas,
May ~, 1893
Each generation has had its heroes.
Every country has had her generals,
her statesmen, her authors. her patri-
OTIS and he. divines. To these they
point with pride. These they call
their great men, and they are not
born but made. When in the history
of a country a crisis comes the people
search for some man with little
more ability, greater integrity and
much more will power than his fellow
men. This man is required to step
forward and take the responsibility of
the issue. Fortunate Is he who is
fully equipped when the call is made.
A little over century ago there was
time when the American colonies
were ripe for revolution, and a leader
was IN demand. George Washington
was the one man who was fully pre-
pared, not so much by the force of
his genius as by his purity and by
the trustworthiness of his character.
He was to the eighteenth century as
was Charlemagne to the eighth. In
his youth he was perfect type of hu-
manity, but this honor must fall on
that noble mother for the care and
guidance she gave HIM. BY the in
culcation of good habits she laid the
foundation for future efficiency, Ev-
cry talent conferred upon HIM was
put to the best possible use. Purity,
honesty and truthfulness were not all
of his virtues. It's hard to tell which
to admire most ardently, the nobility
of his character, the frmness of his
patriotism, ar the purity Of his con-
duct.
He must have had his faults for he
was human. He may have had strong
passions, but he controlled them. He
had a violent temper, bus he subdued
it. He was slow In thought and
speech, deliberate in action, and I'M
falteringly followed the dictates of
his own conscience. He carefully
weighed plan of action, but having
once set to work he faltered not be-
fore the end He believed that the
conviction Of duty implies the highest
reason and the strongest obligation of
which our nature is susceptible. He
stood firm before the thunder of bat
tie, yet he obeyed the still small voice
as promptly as child. Patriotism,
nobility and soldiership are all syn,
onyms Of duty, aud these qualities all
eliminated in his life. Only the con-
scious, self-sacrifcing spirit, the pur-
ity Of motive with which he entered
and carried to completion any under.
taking, enabled HIM to, establish the
liberties and independence of his
country. 1t was not by the brilliancy
of his generalship, but by his patriot
Ism that he kept the confidence of his
countrymen. There must have been
something fascinating in his appear
ance and nature, without seeking
honor, being modest and retiring in
disposition, yet his presence was the
occasion for the widest enthusiasm.
Surely the purity of his motive and
the self-denial of his acts had much
to do with his popularity.
In victory he was calm and consid-
crate, and in defeat he was self-con-
trolled and hopeful. Throughout he
was magnanimous and pure, To
Washington and his policy we owe
our liberties and our independence
At the close Of the revolution had
Washington been ambitious he could
have formulated our government into
a kingdom, for he held the kingly
crown in his own hands. But God
had proffered something better for
him, and a nation was blessed, for his
patriotism was greater than his ambi-
ton. We as the sons of American
liberties honor HIM, not when we fol-
low him over the ice Of the Delaware,
not when we behold him victorious
over CORVALLIS, but when we see him
refusing a kingly crown which con-
fdipg soldiery offered, and when we