The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-23
THE AMERICAN HOLIDAY.
There Are Nearly Thirty of Them
Washington's a Favorite.

There are in the United States nearly
thirty holidays of one kind or another
but only five of them receive anything
like general erVance-Christmas
Thanksgiving day. election day, Fourth
of July and the Twenty of Feb
ruary. We have NO national holiday,
but by the proclamation of the presi-
dent of the United States and the ac-
ton Of the different states we get
something that resembles it Washing
toms birthday comes as near to a real
recognition by the whole nation as any
other, the orly flaw being that IN Mis-
sissiDpi, where there ara no statutory
holidays, It is observed only by exer-
cises in the public schools. But the
day itself stands forth unique and dis
tinct as the natiOn'S greatest tribute
to any individual.
AS time goes on we seem to be reach
ing a higher appreciation of Washing
toms character. We have had in the
past decade numerous new books ex-
plotting sides of his private life that
belong more to yellow journalism than
to literature, but the splendid point is
that not even in their microscopic in
yestigatons have these writer's found
anything that detraets from the real
elevation of the man. America has
furnished to the world the character
of Washington. And if our American
institutions had done nothing else, that
alone would have entitled them to the
respect of mankind said Daniel Web
ker Hill.
It has been smartly said thai we have
made of Washington a chrOIao. ana per
haps we owe something to the indus
trious literary microscopists for their
discoveries as to some of the human
traits which he possessed. Certain it IS
that each time we go back to study his
work and life we return refreshed with
the nobility of plain, simple GIty--duty
not only in doing that which 4 man
Il and a patriot should do. but in keeping
himself clean and upright. 7 hope.
wrote Washington in his Moral Max
inns, Il shall always possess HfmleSS
and virtue enough to maintain %nat /
I consider the most enviable OF all titles,
the character of an honest man He
did that with absolute success and he
was enabled to do It by the observance
of another of his maxims: Associate
with men of good quality if you esteem
your own reputation, for 1t Is better &c
be alone than in bad company
With this vantage his life along high
er lines moved nobly to its goals lie
knew misrepresentation and abuse OF
the most narrowing and discouragIng
kind, but he kept on, and time cleared
his good name of all the status that
bad men sought to put upon il in the
times of stress and passion To perse-
we're in ones duty and be silent is the
best answer to calumny," he said, and
never was a truth better illustrated
i than in his own experience.
We have on Christmas the opportll-
fty for love and charity. at Thanksgiy-
ing the occasion for gratitude, on cleo
ton day the right of government OF
the Fourth of July the display OF pat
riotism and on the fifth OF our greai
| holidays which is the first in the Neal
comes the call for duty-duty as shown
in the life of a great man who did his
work well and lived up to his ideals
without Sinking any task or fearing
/ any danger.=Saturday Evening Post.