The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-18

litical greatness" He has made it for
ever clear that high moral character is
indispensable to supreme political lead
ership. The only men we can safely
trust with the high affairs of state are
men of pure life and noble motive. A
nation is known and nation is made
by the character of the men it
crowns 1t is righteousness that
exalteth nation, righteousness in
carcerated in character. On God and
God-like men we build our hope. 1t
is impossible to lay too much emphasis
on moral character as qualification for
political preferment. The most effect
ual way to damn city and destroy
nation is to elect to its chief offices men
of loose morals and reprobate faith. The
old Book is forever true which says
ssBy the blessing of the upright the
city is exalted, but it is overthrow by
| the mouth of the wicked" An immoral
man can never be source of good to
his city or nation. The State is as d.
vine as the church and requires for
it's administration men of incorruptible
| character It is a matter of thanks
giving and hope that the man whom we
have placed at the head of this nation,
President Mckinley, is a man of pure
life and deeply religious character.
When will we be wise enough to insist
that only men of this type of char
acter shall be eligible for legislators,
Governors, Mayors and members of
| City Councils. To put men over our
civic affairs whom we would not trust
our businesses with is to commit po-
litica1 suicide.
| It is a fact abundantly testified to by
history that all great ages have been
ages of faith and all great men have
been men of faith. We do wrong to
| the memory of Washington and do
harm to ourselves if we do not recog-
nize his deep and genuine religious
faith. He was reverent and devout. He
was a member and officer in the Epis-
copal Church. He remembered the
Sabbath day to keep it holy He was
a constant and regular worshiper at
| the house of God. He was a strict OBJ
server of the Sabbath. He never al
lowed the sanctity of the day to be
broken up by visitors or by anything
that would divert his mind from things
divine. He used the day to nourish in
his soul the divine and Christian life.
He was a Christian in faith and char
acter, in profession and practice. His
patriotism was of an exalted character
because his piety was so genuinely sim
cere. All his state papers and public
| addresses reveal constant dependence
on Almighty God There is nothing more
| beautiful in his career than his con-
slant and reverent recognition of God
in the affairs of daily life AS Alfred
the Great in the morning days of Eng
lands history, and as Milton and Crom-
we'll and Gladstone in later days, so this
man whom we honor as the father Of
| his country, walked with God and
nursed his soul to greatness in the faith
of Jesus Christ. No estimate of his
| character and service is fair or full
| that does not give a high place to his
| religious faith and righteous character.
He, himself, recognized that the springs
| of his life and the source of his sue
| cesses were in God who gave him wis
| dom and endowed him with power. He
! took not the credit of his successes to
himself. He ascribed his conQuests to
a higher power. He felt that God
standeth in the great assembly of kings
and lordly states" and not unto US but
unto Him belongeth the praise of our
victories. When Washington was in
| formed that the Constitution had been
accepted and adopted by the different
| States he said 1--WE may with kind
Of pious and grateful exultation trace
| the finger of Providence through
! these dark and mysterious events that
| led the States one after another to
adopt the Constitution, thereby laying
a lasting foundation for tranquility and
| happiness when we had too much rea-
son to fear that confusion and misery
were coming rapidly upon u.s." In an
hour when the highest honors OF his
| life were about to be conferred upon
him, passing through Philadelphia on
his way to be inaugurated, brilliant
reception was given him by the popu
lace. In reply to their congratula-
tons he expressed his sense of the d.
vine goodness in the following words:
when I contemplate the interposi-
| ton of Providence, as it was visibly
manifested in guiding US through the
revolution, in preparing US for the re-
ception of the general government, and
in conciliating the good will of the peo-
| pie of America toward one another
after it's adoption, I feel myself OPP
pressed and almost overwhelmed with a
| sense of divine munificence." In his first
inaugural address he says, mo people
can be bound to acknowledge and adore
| the invisible Hand which conducts the
affairs of men, more than the people Of
the United States. Every step, by
which they have advanced to the char
acter of an Independent ration, seems
| to have been distinguished by some
token of providential agency
Equally beautiful and reverential
were his closing words to Congress
when he resigned his commission as
General of the army: IT consider it an
| indispensable duty to close this last
solemn act Of my official life by COM
mending the interest of our dearest
| God; and those who have the superin-
! tendence of them to His holy keeping"
| I wish that whenever his memory is re-
| called on platform or pulpit, some of
| his wise words might be rehearsed in
| the ears of the people. When the chill
dren celebrate his birthday in the pub
| lie schools let them repeat the golden
words which he spake on one occasion
when he said, "Of all dispositions and
| habits which lead to political prosper
| ity. religion and morality are indis-
pensable supports" These he says are
| the great pillars of human happiness
and the "firmest props of the nations
stability. Write that sentence over the
! door of every schoolhouse in the land,
engrave it in gold on the walls of every
hall of legislation in the land hold
| it up before the eyes of every City
| Council, impress it on the conscience of