The Irish standard., 1905-02-25
In His Early Life He Had Little Fondness
For Church Going, But Was Very
Much Given to Dancing.
Tolerance Was Part Of His Character, His
Attitude Towards Catholics Always
Respectful

y
there may be observed tendency to
make it's leaders or it's great men su-
perhuman, without flaw or taint. An
Interesting phase of the usual process
of herobuilding is seen in the United
States. Keen, practical, alert, the
American has gulped lown his heroes
with the same appetite that his ances-
tors did. We seem to have discarded
from the lives Of our greatest men Of
the past all human faults and feelings
and failings. We have enclosed their
greatness in glass of the clearest crys-
tai, ana hung up sign, "Do not
touch," says the Republic.
Indeed, with such characters as
Washington and Lincoln, until recent
years we have practically adopted the
monarchical maxim that ''the king can
do no wrong" This had bad effect
on the psychology Of our people. We
forgot that our heroes were men, after
all, limited by human limits and influ-
eaced by human passions.
A saner piont of view now prevails.
We do not want our exceptional men
reduced to dull negations. We want,
as a people highly endowed with the
dramatic faculty, to see them as they
lived, struggling, aspiring, defeated,
triumphant. The process Of canoniza-
tion has lost us more than we gained
both in example and in interest. Many,
no doubt, with the greatest veneration
for our first citizen, have sympathized
with the view expressed by Mark
Twain, when he said that he was a
greater man than Washington, for the
latter couldn't tell lie, while he
could, but wouldn't We have end
less biographies of Washington, and
the press has dripped with eulogies
upon his fame and achievements. But
altogether they do not give us such a
clear knowledge of the man as DR..
Weir Mitchell's humanizing sketch Of
Washington. The time has certainly
come when we can put the shadow
boxes of. humanity round our historic
portraits. not because they are orna-
mental in themselves, but because they
will make them examples-not mere
idols.
Let us forget for moment that
Washington was great historical
figure. Let us try to focus the lenses
of observation so closely upon him
that we will see him, not as massive
mutiny against the existing political
order, but as a man.
Washington's religion was of his
time and special surroundings. Thack-
cray gives picture of it in 'Penden-
MIS-" 1t was the time of fox-hunting
English clergymen who took their re
sigion none too seriously. Deism was
in the air. Overseas there was a
bleakness upon belief that amounted
to a crude and comfortable scepticism.
To drink enormously, to fill your spac-
ious country house with friends, to
believe that God was very amiable
and long-suffering being in the clouds,
to treat your slaves not too harshly-
that was the code of your roistering
Virginia gentlemen.
In Washinyton's early life he had
little fondness for churchrgoing. He
was very fond of learning and decided
1y not of an ascetic temperament. In
his diary as young surveyor he noted
that "the hours at present are melan-
choly dull Neither the rugged tolls
of war, nor the gentler conflict Of AS
sembly Balls" When at Mount Ver-
non he frequently went ten miles to
Alexandria to attend dances.
After his marriage he was elected
vestryman in the two parishes of
Truro and Fairfax, and from that
election he was quite active in church
affairs. Soon otter he bought pew in
Christ church in Alexandria. But he
was by I'D means regular attendant
For instance, we know from his dairy
that in 1850 he went just sixteen
times! Like all the planters who liked