Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-02-23


nj last that light sinks away into the
twilight after the glowing sunset has
covered the clouds with garments OF
gold.
Goodness, Not Brilinncc, Needed.
What the world most needs today is
NOT brilliant men. but good men; not
men with the scintillating genius or
Aaron Burr. but men with the good
ness of a Father Washington. The
world doesnot need an orator who can
make n brilliant speech and then with
n dissolute private life repudiate all
the noble sentiments he enunciated In
that speech. But the world does neeo
good men-men who are honorable IN
their homes. men who are honorable In
their business dealings, men who are /
conscientiously faithful in every duty
of life which confronts them. when
the tidings of Bunker Hill were carried
TO Washington, he anxiously asked the
courier this question: Did the militia
fight well?" When told that they did,
he replied. Then the liberties of the
country are safe" That principle Is
our ground of hope today. On this ma
tional birthday we re-echo Washing
toms words and declare that the I'D
critics of the country are safe" when
its citizens. from the humblest to the
greatest. are good men doing their re-
spective mites well. 1t was in Wash
incton's genius of character that we
! find his greatest element of strength.
| George Washington was a well round
| cd man. That means in ordinary, ev-
| crvday language he was a good man
wherever you study him.
| George Washington was ready to sac
rifice his all for American liberty. L 90
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
inpton had more to sacrifice than al
most any other man of his day. First
he was n home body. He had to give up
all the endearments of his Virginia
plantation life. The glory of war ana
the pride of craftsmanship never ap-
pealcd to him. as they often do to the
selfish ambition of the modern poll
tician. How pitiful," he once wrote to
a friend. lin this age of reason and re-
ligion. is that false ambition winch
desolatcs the world with fire and sword
for the purpose of conquest and fame
/ hope to spend the remainder or IN!
life in cultivating the affections OF gooo
men ard in the practice OF domestl'
virtues" But though George Wash
incton was essentially a home man
and loved his own fireside above al
throneYooms, yet at the call of dut!
he sacrificed his life's desire and drew
his sword as the commander OF tn
American armies.
wasLiagton's Great Sacrifices.
The sacrifice of his ease ana comIor
. was not the only sacrifice he was VII
ing TO make. When he became con
, nander of the American armies, b
placed his head and life in jeopardy
n more ways than one. When the De'
, laration of Independence was DelIl
q signed in Independence hail. BenJaml
? Franklin. | think it was, turned
! some of his colleagues and said, w
4 must all hang together now or else
4 shall all hang separately mat was
o figure of speech that may not hay
Z been true of every signer of the DE
o laration. but it would certainly ma
q been true of the man who was right
% recorded as the head and front OF q
= revolt If the Revolution OF lii0 d;
failed whatsoever escaped, Geor
Washington, as the leader OF t
4 American armies, would nave De
n shot or hung or decapitated. AS [
greatest leader of that time, he Wou
10 have had to lay down his life as
- warming to all future consplrato
n. Washington not only ran the FISK
or the battlefield, but also the risk or I
ne executioner's AK.
or George Wa arlington placed his pr
ts erty also in jeopardy. His wlfe
II. not only rich in her own right,
no Washington himself was consider
ar one of the wealthiest men in all AN
100 lea. have seen it stated that he
worth Mt the time of his death o
ar SI5OOO0 That, of course. was Ia
INF lous fortune in his day. Yet wa
rid ington was ready to sacrifice all
ar owned as we'll as his peace of mind
, n his head upon the altar of principle
q America could only be free.
ov When a great crisis comes, are
led and similarly ready to make sa
are fee for principles sake? When we
nd might triumph over right and inJus
TO over justice, are we ready to say: ID
.ote is my life. Here is my property. i
are is the property of my loved ones
live stake everything in the struggle WI
ark / wage to make all men freeT ID
nan we the same faith in Divine III
mig dence as George Washington had!
TAX we as true to principle as he, as re
tied as he to put liberty, property and
nv? itself in peril for the sake of right!
hon we feel it is better to die right tina
orb live wrong?
r he George Washington was also st
aos- fast, though he had to battle aga
apd ovarcomo the miSmaua yemen