East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-04-14
wAsHINGToN's MOTHER.

II the giver is to be measured by
the gift, then in all the annals of the
race it would be difficult to find
greater than "Mary' the mother OF
Washington"
Quite overshadowed by the mighty
| renown of her illustrious son, Mrs
| Washington has never come in for
her fun share of the worlds homage
and gratitude. Modest, unassuming.
| retired from the gaze of the world
! absorbed in the discharge of her do
nestle duties, she made her great
gift TO men and passed off the stage
as quietly and unostentatiously as she
had lived and labored.
But Mary washington was. in every
essential sense of the term, great
woman-not brilliant, to be sure. like
De Stael or fascinating like Desamier
but possessed of an abundance of the
soundest common sense and Judgment
and in moral worth the peer of any
woman the world ever saw.
In the makeup of Mary Washing
ton there was no ''foolishness. no
levity. no 'trifling." She was a SER
ious woman-not in any way morose
or melancholy. but always desperate
ly in earnest, ever going about her
work as if under the Great Task
masters eye"
She brought her son up to be in
earnest, to take hold of the hand of
life with deep and genuine serious
ness-the seriousness of a high and
uncompromising principle. She was
rearing the man who was to fulfill the
ideal of the great Apostle-"and hav>
ing done all to stand'-firm as
rock, no matter what came.
Mary Washington, again. had an
extraordinary amount of self-reliance.
To the end of her days she persisted
in keeping separate establishment.
When repeatedly urged by her chill
dren to make her home with them
because they loved her and wanted
her with them-she invariably ans
wered: Il thank you for your dutiful
and affectionate offers, but my wants
are few and l feel perfectly compe-
tent to take care of. myself"
When her son-in-law offered to as
sumo the direction of her affairs, she
said Keep my books in order for
your eyes are better than mine, but
leave the executive management to
me-"
That sublime self-reliance she in
stilled, early and +ate, into the soul of
the man who, in the dark days of the
Revolution, was to look within him
self for the Inspiration he could find
nowhere else.
Had Washington failed the cause of
liberty would have failed along with
him. But thanks to his great moth
er's teaching, he looked within
when all was dark, took courage and
fought on till the cause was won.
And when the struggle was over.
and independence had flowered into
manhood. and her son had been made
president, this most level-headed
clear-eyed of women did not suffer
any mental dizziness. George appears
to have deserved well of his coun-
| try, but, my dear sirs, we are having
too much flattery. Still, George win
not forget the lessons I have taught
| him-he will not forget himself,
/ though he is subject to so much
! praise She knew that she had
done her work well and that its fruits
| were sure.
The mother of Washington great
in her unerring common sense: great
| in her unconquerable self-reliance
great in her integrity which could be
neither bribed nor frightened from its
straight path of duty. How fortu-
nate is our country in having at the
head waters of its history a charac-
ter so grand and inspiring.