The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-23

special. reasons for honoring the 22d of
February. For over half century. with
eVer-lhcreaslng popularity and public rec
osnlton, you have observed the occasion.
elmer as holiday or with patriotic ex-
students.
Washington. too, belonged 10 the broth
erhood OF the alumni of this institution.
having accepted the degree of doctor of
Jaws conferred upon him in 17S3-an honor
doubtless the more appreciated when he
recalled the events which gave him close
anu peculiar attachment to the city of
Philadelphia.
NO wonder that your great university
mas made the I'D of February its most
Impressive ceremonial and devoted its an
hual exercises TO special tributes TO the
memory of the first President of the Uni
ted States and the patriotic themes which
cluster thlckly about his life and work.
IN us entirety, Washingtons public life
Is as IamIilar to the American student as
the history of the United States. AS a
soldier he was peerless in the times in
which he lived, and as a statesman his
rank is fixed with the most illustrious in
any country or in any age.
But with all our pride in Washington We
not infrequently fail to give him credit for
his marvellous genius as constructive
statesman. 1t was committed to Wssh-
ington TO launch our ship of state He
had neither precedent or predecessor to
help him. He welded The scattered. and at
times. antagonistic colonies into an indie
structible union and nculcated the les
sons of mutual forbearance and fraternity
which have cemented the states into still
closer bonds of interest and sympathy
From the hour when Washington de-
clared in his Virginia home that he would
raise a thousand men and equip them at
his own expense to march 10 the defense
of Boston, he became the masterful spirit
of the continental army and the mightiest
single factor in the continents struggle
for liberty and independence.
A Shareholder himself, he yet hated slay-
cry and provided in his will for the eman-
| cipation of his slaves. Not a college
! graduate, he was always enthusiastically
| the friend of liberal education. He used
on every sui able occasion to impress upon
! Congress and The country the Importance
of a high standard OF general educa ton
/ and characterized the diffusing of knowl-
| edge as the most essential element of
| strength in the system of free govern
/ ment. That learning should go with hb-
| erty. and that liberty is never endangered
/ so long as it is in the keeping of intelligent
citizens, was the ideal civic code which
! his frequent utterances never failed to
/ enforce
! And how reverent always was this great
man, how prompt and generous his recog-
milton Of the guiding hand of divine prov
/ idence in establishing and controlling the
! destinies of the colonies and the republic.
AT the very hight of his success and
reward as he emerged from the revolu-
ton, receiving by unanimous acclaim the
/ plaudits of the people and commanding
] nd Cd, e l,a
world, he did MOI forget that his first Of
fetal act as President should be fervent
! supplication 10 the Almighty Being who
rules the Universe.
Not alone upon days of thanksgiving or
in times of trial should We as a people,
remember and follow the example thus
set by the fathers, but never in our future
as a nation should we forget the great
moral and religious principles which they
enunciated and defended as their most
precious heritage.
In an age of great activity of industrial
and commercial strife and of perpleXine
problems, we should never abandon the
simple faith in Almighty God as recognized
/ in the name of the American people by
Washington and the first congresses.
But if timely lesson is to be drawn
from the opinions of Washington on his
assuming the office of President, so also
| is much practical benefit 10 be derived
from the present application of portions
of his farewell address, a document ir
which Washington laid down principles
which appeared TO him "all important to
the permanence of your felicity as peo-
pie"
In that address Washington contends In
part % for the promotion of institutions
of learning; (2) for cherishing the public
credit; 60 for the observance of good faith
and justice toward all nations.
Cherish the pubic credit" How much
both of reflection and instruction is com.
bined in this simple admonition of the
father of his country. The United States
emerged from the bitter and prolonged
struggle of the revolutionary war ex-
hausted financially and with a hundred ex-
isting perpleXities and difficulties which
remained TO be solved before the financia
credit of the new nation could be estab
hshed at home and demonstrated abroad
But Washington knew how to gather
around him and place in positions of tht
greatest trust the able financiers ant
economists, whose names the country still
venerate and whose great work it still
enjoys. Hamilton and Morris and Gala
tin and others were successful in estab
fishing the treasury and inaugura ting The
financial operations of this government
upon prncles which recognized that the
most enduring basis of national credit was
national honor and that whatever Other
assets we might have or acquire that was
Indispensable first, last and all the time
if we would cherish the public credit. We
have been fully rewarded all along oul
history by adhering to the principles o.
Washington in keeping the public faith
Before half century had passed we haC
paid off our national debt and had bal
ance in the treasury. Another debt, tho
nIAIH I'd I'M con-