The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-05
Washington in England.

From the New York Evening Post)
Mr. Frederic Harrison delivered an ad-
dress on Washington at the eommemoFa-
tion in London of the centenary of his
: death He said that nowhere was Wash
ingt0ns memory more revered than lin
these islands whose dominion he shook
on
Ill richt-minded Englishmcn now feel
/ that his work was a real gain. albeit it
might be a better lesson. to our nation.
/ The statesmen of our modern world had
been stained with duplicity. with offences
against the moral law. with self-seeking.
with cruelty. and with vice. and it was
consoling to feel that the last OF the chief
creators of nations had spotless record
as a man. a soldier. and a statesman. Some
of the words used by Tennyson in his ode
to Wellington" better applied TO Washing
ton. In many things he was the parallel
Of William the Silent. founder OF Holland
and of our own Cromwell. Each engaged
in a fierce civil war against the tyranny
OF kings and each showed organizing
genius Of the first order in welding into
nation the broken sections OF a people
whom he had saved from slavery But
whereas the work of Washington and Will
lam the Silent existed today. the direct
work OF Cromwell was speedily uudone In
the grand point of character Washington
stocd out greater even than William of
Orange Unlike Cromwell. Washington
was evidently by conviction q practical
Agnostic absorbed in the affairs OF the
world.
As to Washington's conduct of the war,
surely after q hundred years the Americans
might settle down and tell the truth To
tell the ignorant among their people that
Englishmen still looked back upon the war
with any sense OF humiliation was wan
ton defiance OF international courtesy I'M
worthy OF a great and gallant nation
Washington's logged courage and tenaeity
converted disasters and defeats into ulti-
mate victory Becoming President he
found nothing but raw material OF a nation
and a government. and he left au organic
body able to live and grow. 1t was to be
regretted chat Washington did not leave
to his people and to the world Z decisive
instance of q great ruler frankly accepting
for the whole term of his capacity that
paramount authority for the exercise OF
which the whole nation desired to retain
his services Moderu research profesSed TO
have discovered documents which proved
him a scuundrel; but most persons would
prefer to accept the opinion OF Mr.. I.ecky.
that Of all the great men in history Wash
ington was the most invariably judicious
and that there was scarcely rash word
or action, or judgment recorded against
him. His abstract intellectual powers
were certainly not of the first rank. his
mind having been slow without any brill
lance. elasticity. or imagination. But il
was character that made heroes. not
genius.
At the presenl tine Of anxiety and la-
tiopal crisis IL was impossible to close
such an address without thinking how val !
liable today would 1t be to our people If
they would only make themselves familiar
with the life OF Washington, with the story
Of that wretched colonial war, which our
ancestors waged for years in shame and
defeat il they could be induced to study
again the record of their obstinacy and de-
sire of distant empire which ended SO bit
.erly and yet so usefully in the tiual fail
lre. when proud and domineering king
ION resisted the just claims of free colo
nists and attempted to crush a nascent
republic As a sincere well-wisher OF the /
great republic OF the West; be might be
to ask Americans II Washington !
himself would have counseled all the /
hings that We have lately seen: IL he |
would nave approved of their clutching Mt /
ie,g empire on the other side Of the globe !
i he would have rejoiced to see millions
II coiored races OF various origin added 10 /
III the formidable problems of empire. race.
md economies, winch remained to be sow
I'd by the people who still honored the !
of George Washington, even while I
hey forgot his counsel and made light of
lis virtue !