New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22
THE GREAT VIRGlNlAN.
DR.. S. U'eu Mitchell at URauersafy
of Pennsylvania.

ras celebrated to-day by the University of Penn
sylyania at the Academy of Music. Governor
Pennypacker presided and DR.. S Weir Mitcheh
was the orator of the day. His topic was "eofse
washington in His Letters" A feature of The
event was the comforting of honorary degrees upon
, Alexander {. Humphreys. president "l Stevens "
stitute Hoboken. \. J., Doctor OF Science, "oVU
row Wilson, president of Princeton thiFers,'S'
William Peterson, president of McG1h umVetsi's'
Montreal; John s. Sargent the celebrated por.id,'
artist and Brigadier General Leonard "ooo
L. S. A.. Doctor of Laws.
Addresses were made by Governor Pennypacker
and Provost Harrison, of the UNIVERSITY
DIR. Mitchell said In part
The eighteenth century history Of our country
groups itself ABOUT Central figure We hes n5
escape from the presence of the great II Is
nor easw to oompreilend the which produced
tbs amazing ing fTntasS S6 eansd and carried
Revolution many who II prs een throng
the mist OF years they rise in our inagination ana
gro-ped about the crave Srgnia tbs ronze
statues friends and allies surT4ona , te s in
where the great Kaiser Maximiiiah' k"e's -
Among these makers of empire We're ,I great
and he had little learning. There too, w e',ar
statesmen of more ORIGINAL ntslleft dh1 bee better
had he been free 70 choose But by me fbs eJ n
peril ana man was the master Of them all and used
them. as he used himself with but one ampi''oi'-
What was there the man which still makes fbaS
him stand for us larger Or hH eqerson9 u In some
ways the difference seems clear HIS unsealS me
w egSn hO5 IL had in perfsetion both and
physical he who is Si1ho nsen re1 his Which
gave him such hSpef fpn eS
t. have the force OF No ' ao9St men
also possessed these characterstics nut notie 10
m him. but does adequately dessribs be
great historic personage who has sv sre lot And
vet We know of him all that we need 10 kiTw
Spirit of the reporter intrusive in history gives us
| details which are common TO many men anu Wv
not His he so vs. 20 nina his patsnss his
strong passions. his splendid physical nhoot tsrms
of life this because the lives OF the gren,ess
always Sye IS naV be- so o. or is this stately figure
Still waiting for the revealing biog-apher The T Sas
eft of Frederick and of cromwell? It would seem
to be easy for What e rep 9nd in incident What
personality was ever more clearly pun, a loDpy
ef m vane to the thoughfu lies less
in the attained serenity OF the statutss9ue cor
rect apprehension Of the process by which the the
crude Virginia a. boy gr re n9 t99 u
There rises before me- as write. the figure of the
Forced to- depend on his own fxertons he learns
survey land and accepts daliy s ,b ' iaV
We him at the camp fires OF the me- bo forests
Indian and in the sneTs OF tr eas AT nineteen
he is sent as envoy the aggressive trench en-, Oh
the frSn b5 ne he seven ss Years Var little think
ing What it was bring forth and what to teaGn,
defeat with Braddock. one of the few VINO h NO,
Praise aa RECORD Of exasperating struggles with
ignorant Governors, inefficient Legislators oruNen
the fox hunting squire. the accomplished farmer.
master of slaves still longing for War-the e
sion of arms. Did he dream that he shouio see
too much of it. ana would some day write that ne ne
hope foF Of cemmeree Would become the
tain peacemaker and all war would De az al, &
Hast t0 Of ali he is twice President Then come
two happy years at g Mount a ds U death that
which earth dened-the peace which Is past uiiu0i
Ny purpose to-day is to speak to you Of Wash Wash
gton find him in NH, his written n, wo to share
with what got out Of months nor of patient STUDY
q These he's are a in fourteen voiumes-eight thousand
pages in all. He was the NEST productive ,,ot OF
m nee some two thousand enrey from his own
hand Mr. Ford tells me that In all e enls None
are mere notes, and the letter OF that "a! was 10
The handwriting demands word Of fa oomm witS
Wrote to announce Ar1lold's treason 1t betrays
sign Of the eotNn that f sw9u h9HH with the sad
loneliness of the great. wrung from THIS fahaoli
ke most great rulers George washington
silent To be called upon Tor p9nnG seeTn
strative, and. De Iauzun says. drident John
IS, said Ms e bad IT BEEN Ma for his critic
had he had that virtue for both tongue and pen.
This reserved gentleman confessed himseif reauly
ing personal of his views or OF what ne scenes 70
to himself be, in his letters gives US 1Teeiy ~
know what he thought he was InofaiS anu
mentally 1t is an autobiography quite innocently
with all his love of ceremony and his personal
dignity-a with whom no one took H1erues
how humby and how simply he writes OF ms qg,
fects. He says Il have no genius for war ne
finds 1t hard TO learn this busineSs.waI sill
vans defeat "AH of u.s. he says. want en-
perience in moving men unon a large scale' our
knowledge of military matters is limited
AS critic of war. he the first to insist
again and again that the command OF tne sea VIZ" as
important What the r' nS b, nee adve,saries
on land. He predicts Burgoynes disaster, ana
tells Greene that such defeats as his are victories;
II with half-fed. il-clad men. with constant lack
Of and powder and at last Win Iiieit
everywhere and country in ruins II. with such
means he baffed for seven years foe rich in men
money and sea power if with little he accom-
nlished all he do. there must at least ne
a label this form Of greatness. -
oosl1re in war there in these letters many
evidences of tenderness and humanity Ihey are
shown early in life. when he SAYS that he woud
readily die in torture TO save the frontier people
from Indian cruelty They appeaF in ms extreme
unwillinnress to make reprisals on innocent men
He steadily refused he says. 'to avenge cruelty
conduct. and pleads mercy for TIE torres WINE
Sir Henry Clinton is carrying on savage warfare
rrhie man had no children He was the ancestor
of a nation. Let not repettion of his praise lose
for you the true value of the man. He lefI 10 JUS,
courage a story of heroic conduct. exau1ple OF
lifelong duty-the unequalled life or an uiequdileu
day.
WALL STREET HAS A PARTIAL HOLIDAY.