The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-03-01
WASHINGTON.
A Tribute to the Man and a Lesson
s " From His Life. .s''.t

A Tribute to the Man and a Lesson
- From His Life. hft's5
Last Sunday morning at the Con-
gregational church, Rev. G. Ernest
Smith preached very thoughtful SER
mon from the text found in Psalms
XIV: IL. "What Man is he that Fear
eth the Lord. him shall He teach His
Way" The service had some refer
ence to George Washington and les
sons from his life. The following are
some of the thoughts of the sermon:
"The honors paid to the great and
good men who have livedin the nations
past, have good effect in the nations
life; they quicken its consci ence and
purify it's ideals. 1t is said of the art
ist that he keeps by him some gems of
bright color such as the emerald, the
sapphire, and the ruby, SO that cast
ing look upon them he may keep his
eye toned upon color. So with these
object teachings, the attention given
to the character and deeds of worthy
public men keep the thought toned up
on the colors of patriotism and civic
rig hteousness. We cannot realize how
much Of the greatness OF our nation is
involved in the fact that it's founders
we're men of high character and of true
patriotism. Maybe we are inclined
sometimes to idealize our heroes un-
duly, bu. It does not matter if we IDEAL
ize their virtues. No human repre-
sentative is excellent in every quality.
Emerson says that The Code. OF fable
are the shining moments Of great men,
Nature seems to exist for the excellent.
The search after the great is the dream
Of youth and the most serious occu-
patton of manhood. This hero wor-
ship marks the upward tendency of all
human desire after excellence and is
prophetic of the great purpose of God
in the future of man.
"Washington was no doubs great as
soldier. Frederick the Great con-
sidered him, taking all circumstances
into account. tine greatest soldier of
the century, but his real greatness was
moral greatness. Who can estimate
what the greatness and nobility of the
France of today would have been if
Napoleon Bonaparte had possessed
the character of Washington. The
moral grandeur of Washington has
never been surpassed in the history of
the world: his influence is felt and his
name revered wherever Christianity
and civilization have warmed the hu.
man heart into a desire for political
and religious liberty.
sit has been recently said of Crom-
well that he was the best thing that Eng
land has ever produced. that, through
him the thought of personal rights be-
came a weapon powerful enough utter.
ly to destroy that citadel of iniquity,
called, the divine right of kings. II
this is rightly said of him, his faults,
like the faultsof many great men,
were neither fewnor ordinary. What.
ever his sincerity may have been, his
greatness was stained through with
cruelties and tyrannies, and his life
was characterized by monumental ego.
tism and personal ambition.
ut was not weakness, but strength.
in Washington which caused him TO
put away ambition it wasthe sense
of righteousness dominant in the char
acter. If Washington were now livir o
what partisan side he would now take
in present day problems we know not,
but personally, we know he would be
found on the conscience side of every
question. He realized the truth of tn at
afterward great saying of Mr.. Seward:
There is a higher law than the consti-
tuition In Washington's character
we realize four supreme Christian facts
found in all great and successful man
hood, beyond the endowments of intel
lect, character, conscience, faith in
God and conviction carried into pres
emit day action. All great men iudg-
ing by their influence for good upon
the world have been pre-eminently
men of conscience. egf tafa
st is said of the seven great works
Of fiction-in language. that they deal
with conscience, and the seven great
est dramas, that they are studies OF
conscience and Of duty that all greas
living books in literature have been
conscience books. Auwriter brings