The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-02-25

all warriors, and the abilities of al
the statesmen who have preceded
him. and subtract their vices, Georg'
Washington is the result.
Washington. maintained that calm
repose, divine equipoise of temper
that distinguished his life up to tn,
moment Of his death. But few
moments before his breath ascendet
in the upper air, as his physicians say
he requested permission. of them tc
die without further interruption
His physicians may have intruded up
on his comfort, but every act they die
accelerated his departure.
1t is too late in the history of the
world to pronounce eulogiums upor
the character Of Washington. This
has already been done in every
quarterof the globe and over
and over again, but l will steI
aside for a moment and attempt
to parry the thrusts of a sickly sent l.
mentality bornof citaneous piety, tina I
have been aimed by some water core d
historians at the character of Wash
ington. They say he was mortal, and
that being born after the snakes had
taken possession of the Garden OF
Eden he inherited human infirmity.
With bated breath, they say that or
two or three occasions he swore aloud
and this in their opinion disfgures
the landscape of life. They forget
that exalted virtues and towering
passions walk side by side, and that
no great man or woman ever lived al
virtue or all passion. Any man in
capable of lofty Indignation and be-
reft OF the phrase to give it tongue
may grace the mysterious calm of q
spiritual seance, but he would be less
than a shadow in the roar of battle, il
he could not rise in his stirrups and
hurl an electric curse at stalking
treason.
Washington never wasted his pro
family, it was not of the paragorit
type; and he never used it in homoe-
pathic doses; it was always gorgeous
irridescent, tumultious and elephan
tine. His first attempt made a hero
of coward; the second drove &
trecherous general from the army
and the last made General. st. Clail
one of the most cautious as he was
the most gallant and chivalrous Of
American generals.
T 1t is altogether hypercritical tt
shudder over judiciously selected pro
family when it is used to spice tire
mendous events. Expressions that
under ordinary circumstances would
seem profane and even sacriligious
have met the approval of the most re-
ligious, when that profanity was duly
seasoned with patriotism. When
Ethan Allen demanded the surrender
of Fort Ticonderoga the officer in com.
mand asked him by what authority
he made the demand. Allen replied
by the authority of the Great Jehovah
and the. Con tinental Congress. This
exuberant massing of secular and de.
vine authority paralyzed Delaplace.
the officer in command, and he hand
ed his sword to Allen as if it were a
pleasure and he would have thrown
in chrome if he had had one. This
expression CT Ethan Allen and like
expressions of Washington have be-
come part of the PATRIOTS catechism
of America, and no dauby sentimen n.
talism will ever obscure it.
In conclusion upon this subject of
profanity, have this to say, that in
my candid opinion any man who
could ride in the tempest of war fol
seven years, harried by treason and
incompetency and outlawed by the
minions of degenerate Legitimacy
without drawing upon the vocabula airy
of nationalized profanity would be toe
near jelly to participate in the final
resurrection.
I say without fear of contradiction
that without Washington the colonies
would not have achieved their indie.
pendence, and without Washington
after they did, we have but little as
surance that our form of government
would have been that of a republic
Alexander Hamilton, man of collos
sal ability, was not well disp oset
toward a republic. He feared the
luctuation Of party spirit and believed
in the superior steadfastness of a more
centralized and consolidated power
But Washington had sublime faitf
in the ability of the people to rule
He had fought for liberty and he In
tended to give it to mankind, Hamil
ton, though dangerous in his power o.
independent leadership, stood awed IL
the presence of Washington, over
Swallowed by his unearthly majesty
and at last followed wherever he led
Washington was the wonderful pro
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