The times., 1896-02-14

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~ ed him in statecraft
He never won battle (for Trenton was
only skirmish, the honors were about
even at Monmouth, and the French al
lies helped to do the trick at Yorktown).
He never put forth state paper of great
Importance, and he made no discovery
in the field of knowledge. And yet he
will always stand peerless and alone as
the perfect American and as one of the
grandest and most heroic figures on the
pages of human history. The world has
never seen his superior, and, without at
tempting to forecast the possibilities of
the future, it is safe to say that no one
will ever attain, in the estimation of
men, the place held by him. He will al
ways rank as first in peace, first in war
and first in the hearts Of his country
men,"
And the explanation of all this is
simple. From his earliest boyhood he
said that no man is hero to his valet,
but Washington was an exception to the
truth. Precious few characters can stand
microscopic dissection. A close scrutiny
reveals spots on the sun, but there was
no blemish in the character Of Washing
ton. Those who studied him the most
closely, who were admitted to his inner
most intimacy. found their admiration
grow with their knowledge. There is no
test to which he can be subjected from
which he does not emerge like pure gold
from the fire.
In boyhood he displayed the traits
which are the most admirable in the
youth of today. He was truthful, manly
and an athlete of prodigious attain
ments. In these times he would have
figured, had he chosen to do so, as the
star player ON the champion baseball or
football team. He easily would have
covered the most skillful golf player
with confusion, have left Zimmerman
behind ON bicycle and distanced the
fleetest of sprinters. If we can conceive
the degrading thought, he would have
taken one of the big pugilistic cham
pions of the day in his right hand and
the other in his left and ended their
yawping by cracking their heads to-
gether. When but boy, he stood many
a time ON the shore of the Potomac and
hurled stone to the opposite bank-a
feat which not one person in ten thou
sand can perform today. Ben Franklin
was the only man in America who could
swim so well, and Nathan Hale, the
martyr, alone could equal him in jump
ing. In wrestling bouts, running and
horsemanship none of his friends could
approach him.
He bounded upon the bare back of the
vicious colt, whose eyes shot fire and
whose every nerve was a-quiver with
deviltry, and began fight with the in
fernal beast-a fight which meant tho
death of one Of them, and Washington
did not die.
He scorned meanness in every form
and always played fair. When the other
boys fell into fierce wrangle and were
about to fly at each other, his decision
soothed the angry passions. What he
said was accepted without protest, for
the painting lads knew that Young George
Washington was always right.
And what nerve, what grit, he had |!
He could tramp a thousand miles
through the dismal woods, buffet tho
crunching ice when he was knocked
from the raft into the Allegheny, plunge
through the snow, sleep in the wintry
forest without fire with his garments
frozen stiff. look calmly in the face Of
the treacherous Indian who fired at him
when only few PAGES away and then
pull Gist away when he was throttling
the red devil and compel him to let the
miscreant go. He feared not to expose
himself to the bullet and tomahawk at
Braddock's slaughter and proved on
many a battlefield Of the Revolution
that he knew not the meaning of per-
sonal fear.
Few men were more often exposed to
death than he, and he was never wound
ed. Is it hard TO believe that heaven
held him under its special protection
until the work mapped out for him to
do was done?
The one impressive fact about Wash
ington is that at no other time In the
history of our country has the success Of
great cause centered wholly III one
man.
We might have lost every officer who
figured in the war of 1912 or with Mex
ico and the enu wouId nave been the
same. In the tremendous civil war, il
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas,
Meade or any or all of score of others
had never been born, the Union would
have lived. There were heroes waiting
to step into their places, and the ranks
held men capable Of being developed
into as good leaders as they.
Ont there was only one Washington.