The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-02-28
WASHINGTON HIS THEME.
Rev Cleveland Takes Part in the
Union League Club Cele-
bratiOn.
Talks Upon Washington and the
American Idea.

At the observance of Washington's
birthday Saturday by the Union
League Club, of Chicago, Rev. HI. A.
Cleveland, of this city, made the
prayer at the opening of the exercises
in the afternoon at which Theodore
Roosevelt delivered the address, At
the banquet in the evening Mr.
Cleveland responded to the toast,
Washington and the American
Idea," which was an eloquent and able
effort and we much regret that time
and space does not allow of it's repro
ductiOn, entire in our columns, but
only brief mention of some of it's
leading points.
After congratulating the club upon
the movement which it had inaugural
ed in celebrating the anniversary of
the birth of the father of this cOun-
try and of it's far-reaching effects, he
proceeded to pay most eloquent
tribune to Washington and the high
motives by which he was actuated.
If, he said, complete and incorrup-
tible integrity is greatness, if the peo-
pie and entire devotion to their well
fare constitutes any element of great
ness, if choosing a great cause and
subordinating and sacrificing ones
self continuously to it's service, if
high patriotism and unerring wisdom
in craftsmanship constitutes great
ness, then George Washington was
surely great man." He showed how
Washington was put forward by men
who are recorded as being great them
selves, and knew a great man when
they saw him, and they agreed that
Washington was their best man. No
saint was more worthily canonized,
nor to ancient heroes divine honors
as justly decreed as to our Washing
ton is this day decreed the profound
homage of America. The searchlight
of history has found nothing against
him to annul, no written word would
we erase nor deed deplore. He
wrenched an empire from George III,
and set an unfading star forever in
the consultations of nations. Inspir-
ed and guided by him our fathers
launched new republic, and in this
they did deed whose significance and
far-reaching influence is outmatched
by no chapter in the political history
of the world. He then dwelt upon the
glory of the republic, showing that
never as today has the character and
work of Washington been so appre-
ciated, and that the increasing test of
our peoples progress will be the ven
Grafton they pay to Washington, be-
cause he was the incarnation of fed
eral conscience, and without him it is
not conceivable that independence
and union could have been affected.
'We may make mistakes but we
shall mend them. Some things are
better with us now than they were
little while ago. Slavery is gone;
some of us heard of it when it went
Disunion has gone and gone forever
We have begun the reform of great
cities, and the refOrmer is popular.
By an by we shall begin to pay our
national debt, as we were doing four
years ago. and to order our clothes
from our own shops" He spoke of
the flag and the respect which should
be given it, and declared that we do
not want any more war, but want
our flag to wave forever over the ''land
of the free and the home of the
brave" He closed with few eloquent
remarks on our national pride, and
said the supremely important thing
is to see that every man among us
continues to own his own vote and
that he uses it honestly, intelligently,
and to serve the American idea.