The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-02-21

prop, support, and help build up the
weak and unfortunate.
n FEW years ago we stood by the side
of monument; and gazing up to it's
top, marveled at itsEreat height, and
at the skill Of man ifplacing stone up
on stone in such perfect order that each
but added strength to the other. 1t
was Washington's Monument: the
highest in the world erected to the
memory of man. AS we approach the
day when every village and hamlet,
every city and town throughout the
United States will do honor to the
memory of the immortal Washington,
by laying aside the cares of business. and
participating in some demonstration
wherein the life, struggles, and victories
of the great patriot and statesman will
be re-told as they have been during the
past three quarters of a century. we
ask ourselves, is not this monument.
we gazed at so idly, through curiosity.
OuC q lCiIOA VI VIC lIldil NIdlu, mag
niticent, sublime; first in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts Of his
countrymen; towering above the Ordi-
nary man, even as his monument
towers above that of the lowly shaft in
the church yard. What an incentive
to the young American; what guide
in life's battles is the character and life
of Washington. A character embodied
III thought and deed, that will dwell in
the minds of man down the centuries
till time is no more. Yet it is the history
Of all great men, that they began in the
humber walks Of life; and ever keeping
III the paths of duty and honor: with a
perseVerlng energy to overcome all
obstacles. and with an undying faith in
Almighty God, won their place in the
world and left history Of lives and
characters that will inspire and guide
mankind throughout all the coming
ages. While strictly speaking Wash
ington was not Of so humble parentage
as Lincoln or Grant. he was, neverthe-
less, at the time he lived. in what is now
designated the middle class. Left at
an early age, with widowed mother:
the eldest of five children, he was edu-
Gated and reared surrounded with all
those Christian virtues, with which a
fond mother encompasses her orphan
children, and perhaps, all those great
attributes of tenderness. industry and
vigilance that marked his life, were the
result of the solicitude and care that
mother bestowed upon him. She it
was who guided the principles, conduct
and habits Of his youth; and the crown
ing glory of his life was the love and
generation he held toward that mother.
But the greatest lesson for us today, in
the life of Washington, was his great
sense of duty; his upright course
through life in which he never faltered.
What he conceived to be his duty. he
would conscientiously perform, and
nothing could dissuade him. He valued
his conscience above all else. Ambition.
popularity, power influence, all were
compared with the sense
of duty well performed; obeying the
dictates of his conscience. We have
all to do our duty in that sphere of life
in which we are placed, and the greatest
pleasure in life is a consciousness of
duty performed. Let us, therefore, in
our humble way, endeavOr to do our
duty towards each other, our friends,
our superiors, and toward ourselves;
and while we may never rise to fame;
while we may never perform great acts
of herOism. or call forth the plaudits of
the world, we will find peace, con-
tentment and happiness in better and
purer lives; and consciousness of
having done our whole duty.