The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-22
Some Lessons From the Great
Patriots Career.
AN OBJECT LESSON TO EVERY
YOUNG AMERICAN.
True Loyalty Is Exemplified in the
Character of the Father of His
Country-His Faith in Right
Principles-A New Picture of
Washington.

! that today is the 165th anniversary of
/ the birth of our first president, and
that just a century ago he was pass
ing his last week in the White House
preparatory TO permanent retirement
from public life. 1t is fitting time.
he said, to consider the elements of
strength of this great man as a guide
and example for the young manhood
/ of our own time.
| 1t is one of the chief uses of great
men that they help to point the way
/ for those who follow. A false use OF
! them is often made in the form OF
servile imitation. But we can pay no
/ better nor wiser tribute to the great
/ than by means of an intelligent study
/ of their greatness. In mechanics, each
new invention must be tested by ac-
/ tual trial before its worth is known.
If the experiment is successful then
the worl1's working power is in
creased by some new combination of
mechanical forces. So each great man
] demonstrates the worth of the quail
ties which made him great. If We
could accurately analyze these quail
ties we should have an infallible form
ula for greatness. But while we can
not take a man TO pieces as we would
a machine and catalogue his virtues.
nevertheless every great life, jim
large measure, interprets for itself the
sources of its power. However COM
pick the conditions, some simple quail
| tiles stand out IN bold relief. like the
! index hand upon country guide post,
indicating, These are the elements
of true success
Such is the case with Washington.
The qualities which made him great
were neither complex not unusual. OF
course it is true that outward cir
Z on 30,
place in history. But ii is equally true
that the same circumstances would
have meant nothing to a man who did
not have within himself the capacity
for greatness. The conditions which
called out his latent strength may
never occur again, but his life is none
the less of priceless value as an OBJ
Ject lesson to every young American.
What then are the elements of char
acter which his life has proved to be
of value in a citizen? One would be
rash who should undertake a cata-
logue; but among his prominent char
acteristics the fOrmeost was his I'M
swerving loyalty. This is a word
which is much used and much abused
Men speak of loyalty to party when
they mean obedience to the party
whip; of loyalty to friends when they
mean the fiattering of their vanity or
pandering to their weakness; of 10y
atty to religion when what is meant
is an inSincere adherence to outgrown
creeds which really hinder the growth
of true religion. This is not the kind
of loyalty which made Washington the
father of his country. He was loyal TO
the best interests of his country as
those interests appearde to him in the
light of an honest and unbiased judg-
ment. In a sense he was disloyal to
England. of which he was a subject
and under whose flag he had served
as a leader. For he rebelled against
her power. But he was loyal to those
principles which gave to England her
permanence and power. And today
England unites with America to do
him honor as a fitting representative
of the worth of English character. He
was legal also in making his own
selfish interests subordinate to the
triumph of his cause. This is not say
ing that he did not have ambition. If
it were true it would do no credit to
his manhood. A man without ambi-
ton would lack the spirit of man.
His proper place would be within the
clustered walls of some secluded mon
aStery. What the world needs in its
progress is not monks but men. Wash
ington was not without ambition: but
his ambition as a man never inter-
fered with his action as a leader. His
clear vision of his duty was never
clouded by the shadow of himself. He
made his country'S cause his own, and
was content TO share her fortunes. 1t
may be said that many have done
more than this since many have laid
down their lives upon the altar of
their love of country. And no one can
dispute their claim to reverence. A
grateful nation will always hold sacred
the memory of her honored dead. But
what this age with its complex prob
lens needs to learn is that it is an
even greater pledge of loyalty to live
for country through the answering
devotion of a lifetime, than to
die for her in a frenzied mo-
ment Of intense excitement. Ar
mold fell badly wounded on the
field of Saratoga, which his skill and
bravery had helped to win. Had he
died then he would have been known
in history as one of the noblest and
most devoted among our nations he
roes But his undisciplined nature could
not stand the strain of lack of appre-
citation, of seeming neglect and cold
ness. And so his name has become a
synonym for reason-Benedict Ar
mold, the traitor. Washingtons 10y
atty was of a type which remained I'M
shaken amid every form of misrepre-
sentation and neglect, of abuse and
calumny. 1t was a bright star which
shone more clearly in the darkness and
lighted up the way to final victory.
Another striking quality in Washin-
ton was his earnest faith that right
principles must win. In a quite literal
sense he had no use for temporizing
policies. He was not a time-server,
and put no faith in easy compromises. |
He was neither q dilletante nor a skep-
tic. He believed in principles rather
than policies In any dilemma his mind
sought out the positive underlying
principle and then abided by difficult
ties of any kind. In that period of the
war when the cause of the colonies
seemed most desperate, he would not
have compromised one iota of what
seemed 70 him their just demands. In
the constitutional convention, when the
delegates seemed disposed to adopt a
scheme for a weak and inefficient form
of government for fear the states would
refuse to ratify a stronger form, Wash
ington, who was presiding over their
deliberations. arose and made that
memorable appeal to conscience which
made possible the adoption of our con-
stitution. 1T is too probable" he
said, that no plan we propose will
be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful
conflict is to be sustained. If, in or
der to please the people. we offer what
we ourselves disapprove, how can we
afterward defend our work? Let US
raise standard to which the wise and
honest can repair; the event is in the
hands of God" This was the key
note 20 his whole public life. By the |
power of his own sublime faith he car
ried with him the convictions of less |
raSOlltta minds and diffuced about |