The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-20
WASHINGTON AS LEADER
Life and Character of the Father
of His Country.
WAS GODS CHOSEN TOOL
An Able Lecture Upon the First Presi-
dent by the Rsv. Mr.. Goodfriend
at the Emmanuel Presby-
terrain Church.

! At the Emmanuel Presbyterian church
the Rev. Mr. Gcodfriend delivered lee
ture on 1.-THE Life and Character of
George Washington
when God has an important work to
| accomplish, He raises up individuals and
agencies best adapted to carry out the
work
when Israel was to be delivered from
servitude 1t was necessary that leader
of great energy, wisdom and forethought
should come to the front to undertake the
gigantic task, and such a man was found
in Moses. who, by his attachment to his
kindred, his love of liberty, his education
at the court of Pharaoh, became emil
| nently fitted to become the leader, the
emancipation of Israel. And again, when
Israel was in captivity in Babylon. and
| the time of deliverance had come for
them to return to the promised land God
| raised up Cyrus on the throne of Persia
and Media, who, with Zerubbabel, Ezra
| and Nehemiah, succeeded in rebuilding
the walls of Jerusalem and in restoring
! the ancient worship to its pristine glory.
| And in modern times God raised up
| Wllberforce to stand in the British parla-
| ment to plead with all his God-given pow
ers of eloquence and logic for the public
| conscience to assert itself in the horrid
| traffic of human flesh. His eloquence won
| over to his side that greatest man Eng
land ever produced, Pitt, who, being de-
feated ten times in the attempt of freeing
the slaves, still persevered, but the elev-
| Venth time came out victorious.
| But why should I go back into history
| when the example before u.s. whose birth
day we celebrate the 22d of February OF
each year, is the most striking of any that
| history can present?
Washington as much chosen of God
as was Moses to lead Israel or Abraham
| Lincoln to proclaim the emancipation. 1t
| was important that the father of this ma
| ton should be a man of extraordinary
| endoWments, a citizen of no mean order
a character distinctly American, a leader
or great energy and wisdom, type of
noble manhood. of loftiest patriotism and
intlexible righteousness. Neither Hercules
nor Sampson would have answered this
purpose. The world needed more than
| physical strength. 1t needed a sound
| mind, a pure mind in a sound body. 1t
| needed a great soul. devoted to public in
| terests, coveting nothing except the we'll
| being of his fellow citizens. AS in the
| center of each grain there is a golden
|
| does the life and character of Washing
ton, by its simplicity by its unostenta-
| tiousness, by it's noble sentiments give
| caste to the American mind and character,
| HIS name Will go down to posterity, not
| alone for the reason that it is embodied in
| the history of the nation, but in the hearts
| OF a grateful people. 1t is we'll that in
| these days of hurry and hustle, of avarice
| and self-indulgence; we ask ourselves
| he inn is to
citizen of this glorious country of ours?
| Our nation is strong only in the strength
OF it's noble manhood and lofty citizenship
| Among the many answers that might be
| given none are so striking and effective
| as those found in the lives of the great
Americans George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln. James A. Garfield, U. S. Grant,
| Mckinley, Roosevelt. Dewey and thou
| sands of others whose names are prob
| ably uncalendared and too numerous to
mention, but whose names will go down
| In history in undimmed luster as time's
| noblest offspring. The history of Washing
| ton is too familiar to be recounted in de-
| tail. 1t is my purpose to simply recall
| some of the traits of his character of his
| magnificent personality, his unselfsh de-
| Votion, his glorious achievements in time
| OF war and in time of peace, his patience
| under all circumstances, his calmness in
| danger. his great courage and above all,
| the purity of his life-the things that made
| MIN loved and honored wherever his fame
| spread and his name became known. 1t
| Is by his character more than by any
| military ability, that he succeeded in in
| spring the colonies with a resistless brav-
| cry, that he changed the peasants into
| patriots, tempered them against the day
of danger and battle; patriots who never
| sheathed the sword until tyranny was
| crushed and those liberties sacred and
| profane We're won that made the united
| colonies the glory of the world, the chosen
guardians of liberty.
| Ills life will ever be a noble example
When kossuth visited this country he
| said of Washington: 'Iet him who looks
for monument to Washington look
around the United States. Your freedom,
your independence, your national power
| your prosperity and your prodigious
| growth are monument to him.
| There have been generals who had more
| or the military dash and possibly more of
| military talent. Caesars name is remem-
| bered as that of a great soldier a sagac-
ious statesman. The hero of Waterloo
| undoubtedly possessed great military gen.
| ius, and Nelson on deck, like our own
| Dewey, proved himself equal for any
emergency.
| We would not rob these Of their fame,
of the honors a grateful world bestows
| uPoii IFS peHe1dCtOTS. we would rather
place them side by side in the galaxy of
the worlds great men. But in that gal
aXy Washington stands without rival.
And we may ask in what realm lies his
| supremacy. Not in scholarship. Plato is
| still the master mind of the world. Not in
| oratory. Demosthenes on the crown is
| hardly eXceled.
| Washington was great in his conscience
and here we discover the man, the citi-
zen, the patriot, the general, the president
| Byron said: Whatever creed be taught,
| OF land be trod, mans conscience is the
| oracle of God" Washington consulted
this oracle in every act of his life. With
| out conscience no man can be accounted
| great. 1t is the kingly faculty of the soul.
| 1t is the monarch that crowns the man
with true dignity and enables him to
| WELD scepter of righteousness. Wash
| ington was also great in purpose. Chief
Justice Marshall said of him: More than
any other individual and as much as to
one individual was possible, has he con-
| IN in