Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-16

have been conquered, and, though the separation from the mother country must have come, for it was so writ in the book of fate, yet it would have been deferred for long time, for there was none among the patriot leaders who conld measure up to Washington. In him was embodied the cause of Amer ican independence and he was the in- carnation of duty, of self sacrifice and of the loftiest patriotism.
 The late humorist, Artemus Ward, once referred to Washington as the only great man who never "slopped over.' There is much in the homely expression. How many of the worlds heroes have "slopped over r How many have posed before the world and said and done things for which their friends blushed and because of which even they in after years hung their heads with shamel And yet rarely did Washington lose that majestic self possession, bis matchless poise, and not once did he fail in dis playing good, hard, common sense. Who ever heard of foolish expression that fell from his lips or of silly thing done by him?
 He vivified and pervadad the Revolu- ton from its birth to tho end. It was his spirit which breathed the breath of life into its nostrils. Amid all discour- agements, when the skies were tho dark est, when corruption prevailed in high places, when base men conspred to ruin him, when the tongue of islander was ac- tive, when the warmest of friends doubt ed and faltered, he was never swayed a hairbreadth from the line of duty He saw as if with the eye of omnis- cience the end from the beginning, and nothing could shake that abiding faith in heaven and in the triumph of the cause of liberty.
 He could be stern, as when he 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- Running wrath, have smitten him dead to the earth. He could be tender, as when at Trenton he stood with sympa- thetic words beside the bed of the dying Hessian commander, but the one all swaying, all controlling motive of his life was his love for his native land. He recoiled from the offer of the crown of bis country as he would have recoiled from the rattle of a snake in his path. He was good, he was unselfish, and he was great in the highest acceptance of the term.
 And yet Washington must not be dei- fled, for he had his failings. There is no doubt that when he confronted the treacherous Lee at Monmouth he cursed him roundly, as he deserved to be curs- ed, but the recording angel plotted out the words with tear " Henry Ward Beecher declared that when he learned that Washington swore at Monmouth he heaved sigh of relief and said: "Good NoY know he was one of us!' He could exchange a shady joke with Knox when crossing the Delaware; he could not but know that he possessed one of the handsomest figures in America, and who shall find fault if he occasionally posed for his countrymen to admire him? ...
 To our mind the sweetest picture in which Washington appears is when, on his way to become the first president, he turned aside to bid his aged mother goodby The massive man, in the prime of his magnificent powers, with the strength of Q giant, picked up that frail, wasted form as if it were that of an in- fant, and, holding her to his vast chest, kissed her again and. again and mingled his tears with hers. What greater crown of glory could woman crave than to be the mother of George Washington?
 Let us thank heaven that he died when he did. He had rounded out to the full his matchless life's work. There was nothing left for him to do. He escaped the quicksands into which other feet have been tempted, and, folding his hands, lay down and passed away in the fullness of years with his fame at it's zenith, and, like the star set in the heav- ems, too firmly placed for aught to draw it aside from it's marvellous orbit.
 EDWARD s. ELLIS.