The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1896-02-22

Had any of the bullets aimed at him in
the French and Indian war laid him
low, the Resolution would have failed
before it began. Had he fallen at Trcn-
ton or Princeton Or Monmouth or White
Plains or Germantown, the struggle
would have stopped, tbo colonies would
have been conquered, and, though the
separation tom the mother country
must have come, for it was SO writ III
the book Of fate, yet it would havo been
deferred for a long time, for there was
mono among the patriot leaders who
could measure up to Washing II. In
him was embodied the cause Of Amer
lean Independence, and he was tho in
CarnatiOn Of duty, of self sacrifice and
OF the lOfticst patriotism.
The late humoriSt, Artcmus Ward,
once referred TO Washington as the only
great man who never 'SlOpped over.
There is much in the hOmely expression.
How many Of tho worlds heroes have
"Sloppcd over" How many havo posed
before the world aud said and done
things for which their friends hiushed
and because Of which even they in after
years hung their heads with shame!
And yet rarely did Washington lose that
majestic self possession, his matchlcSS
poiSo, and not once did &c fail i'll dis
playing good, hard, common sense. Who
ever heard Of foolish expression that
fell from his lips or OF Il silly thing done
by him:
He vivifled and pervadcd the RcvOlu.
| tion from its birth to tho end 1t was
his spirit which breathcd the breath Of
! life into its nOStrilS. Amid all disCOur-
agcments, when the skies wcro the dark
est, when corruption prevailed i'll high
places, when base men COnSplred TO ruin
him, when Shc tongue of Islander YVES &C
tive, when the warmest Of friends doubt
cd and faltered, he was never swaycd
hairbreadth from tho limo of duty.
He saw rs if with the eye of omnls,
cienco the end from tho beginning, and
nothing could shake that abiding faitl
in heaven and in the triumph of the
cause of liberty.
He could hc stern, as when no refused
the prayer Of Andre, and it is easy to be
lieve that had he been able to lay his
hands on Arnold he would, in his con
summing wrath have smitten him doa'
TO the earth. He could be tender, a
when at Trenton no stood with sympa
thetic words beside the bed Of the dyin!
Hessian commander, but the ono a.
swaying, all controlling motive OF hi
life was his love for his native land. II
recoiled from the offer of the crown @
, his country as he would have recoile
from tho rattle Of a snake in his path
? He was good, he was unsoliish, and h
, was great in tho highest acceptance {
the term.
+ And vet Washington must not be del
fed, for he had his failings. There Is II
! doubt that when he confronted tn
, trcachcrous lee at Monmouth he curse
, him roundly, as he deserved to be cur
/ ed, but tho recording angel blotted OF
the words with q tear. y Henry War
S Bcecher declared that when he lcarne
g that Washington swore at Monmouth
Y heavod sigh Of relief and said: "Goo'
i Now ] know he was one Of u.s. /
y could exchange a shady joke with kn'
o when crossing the Delaware; he con
II not but know that he possessed ono
@ tho handsomest figures in America, al
r who shall find fault if no occasional
~ posed for his countrymen to ADM
10 him?
70 To our mind the sweetest picture
70 which Washington appears is when,
a. his way to become the first prcslde'
I'd he turned aside to bid his aged moth
ir goodby. The massive man, i'll the prll
o. Of his magnificent powers, with t
~ strength of a giant, picked up that fra
I'd wasted form as if it were that of an
"a FAINT, and, holding her to his vast che
IL kissed her again and again and mlngl
in his tears with hers. What greater croN
Id of glory could woman crave than to
no the mother of George Washington?
D. Let us thank heaven that he died VIII
I'd he did. He had rounded out to the I
Id his matchlcss life's work. There v
nothing left for him to do. He escaI
he the quicksands into which other +
nd have been tempted, and, folding
tin hands, lay down and passed away III
in fullness of years with his fame at
no zenith, and, like tho star set in the he
on ems, too firmly placed for aught to DIR
it aside from its marvellous orbit
rm EDWARD S. ELLIS