Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-02-28

VI lie WHICH cOniIOulS them. w ne
the tidlngs Of Bunker Hill were carrie,
to Washington. he anXiously asked tn
courier this question: Did the militia
fight well?" When told that they did
he replied. Then the liberties Of tn
country are safe" That principle il
] our ground of hope today. On this ma
tional birthday we re-echO Washing
toms words and declare that the lib
critics Of the country are safe" wheI
its citizens. from the humbest to the
greatest, are good men doing their re
spective duties well. 1t was in Wash
ingt0n's genius Of character" that We
find his greatest element of strength
George Washington was a well round
ed man. That means in ordinary, ev
eryday language he was a good mar
wherever you study him.
George Washington was ready to sac
rifice his all for American liberty. | do
not suppose he was any more willing
to sacrifice his all than thousands and
tens of thousands Of other men. But
the simple fact was that George Wash
ington had more to sacrifice than al
most any other man of his day. First,
he was home body. He had to give up
all the endearments Of his Virginia
/ plantation life. The glory Of war and
! the pride Of craftsmanship never ap-
pealed to him, as they often do to the
selfish ambition of the modern poll
tician. How pitiful," he once wrote to
n friend, "in this age Of reason and re-
ligion. is that false ambition which
desolates the world with fire and sword
for the purpose Of conquest and fame.
/ hope to spend the remainder OF my
life in cultivating the affections Of good
men and in the practice Of domestic
virtues" But though George Wash
ington was essentially a home man,
and loved his own fireside above all
thronerooms, yet at the call Of duty
he sacrificed his life's desire and drew
his sword as the commander Of the
American armies.
WnshinEtOn's Great Sacrifices.
The sacrifice Of his ease and comfort
was not the only sacrifice he was will
ing TO make. When he became COM
mander of the American armies, he
placed his head and life in jeopardy in
more ways than one. When the Dec
laration of Independence was being
signed in Independence hall. Benjamin
Franklin, | think ii was. turned to
some of his colleagues and said, I'VE
must all hang together now or else we
shall all hang separately" That was Il
figure of speech that may not have
been true of every signer of the Dee
laration. but it would certainly have
been true of the man who was rightly
regarded as the head and front of the
revolt. If the Revolution Of 1II6 had
failed. whosoever escaped, George
Washington, as the leader of the
American armies, would have been
shot or hung or decapitated. AS the
greatest leader of that time be would
fAye had to lay down his life as a
warning to all future consplrators
Washington not only ran the risk of
the battlefield. but also the risk Of the |
executoners AK.
George Washington placed his prop |
erty also in jeopardy. His wife was
not only rich in ner own right, but |
Washington himself was considered |
one of the wealthest men in all Amer
lea. | have seen it stated that he was
worth at the time Of his death over
S75O.0OO. That, of course, was fabu-
lous fortune in his day. Yet Wash
ington was ready to sacrifice all he
owned as we'll as his peace of mind and
his head upon the altar of principle if
America could only be free.
When a great crisis comes, are you
and | similarly ready to make sacri-
fee for principles sake? When we see
might triumph over right and injustice
pver Justice, are we ready to say Here
is my life Here is my property Here
is the property of my loved ones.
stake everything in the struggle which
wage to make all men freeT Have
we the same faith in a Divine PrOVi-
dence as George Washington had? Are
we as true to principle as he. as ready
as he to put liberty, property and life
itself in peril for the sake of right? Do
we feel it is better to die right than to
live wrong?
George Washington was also stead
fast, though he had to battle against
and overcome the mismanagement OF
the American statesmen and the jeal-
Dusies of his own generals. Some peO-
pie think that the only battles Wash
ngton had to fight were those against
the English and the Hessian soldiers
George Washington was not always
first in the hearts Of his countrymen
rs he was first in war and first il
peace. No sooner was be placed IN
command than his enemies at home
began to conspire against him. After
The capture of Fort Washington h. the
British these home enemies tried to
vrest the commanders sword out OF
George Washngton's hand and give II
o Major General Charles Lee. When
3urgoyne surrendered to Horatio
Gates at Saratoga, the Conway cabar
ried to supplant the old leader with
his new conquerOr from the north.
The Enemies In Camp.
Not only did Washington have to
contend with his jealous army officers,
,ut he had to fight his enemies. who
we're working against his plans in con-
,ress. Instead Of giving to him an
rmy recruited from men who had en-
listed for two or three years, or for the
var, these enemies voted to him an
rmy made up of men who had enlisted
or few months or year. No sooner :
would Washington plan battle or 4 :
than he would find that a :
arge part of his soldiers discovered c
hat their terms of service had expired
nd That they were entitled to p1ck up :
heir things and go home. 1T IS i'm !
occ;lIo g., r,o In oou,pace Of