Valdez daily prospector., 1912-02-22
GEORGE WASHINGTON.

his country and ninety million people, the children of the ma ton of which he was the found CT, have paused for a brief mo- ment to offer up thanks to an all- wise Providence who createth all things. Ninety million Ameri- cans, no matter on what portion of the earth their lot has been cast, will observe this day as a day of rejoicing in their liberty; and there are untold millions of the carth'S inhabitants who have greater measures of liberty and freedom because of his having lived his life. Millions of peoples in foreign countries who have never heard of WaShingtOn'S name and who know but little of the country of which he was the father. have enjoyed blessings which were brought about through inc influence of his power for good. That influence of good has been lasting and has affected the inhabitants of inc earth and will continue in do SD for all time to come.
 , George Washington. statesman, military officer and father of his country, was born in WeStmOre- land, Va, February 9, i732. His father died while he was yet in his childhood but he was carefully trained by worthy mother. He had little schooling but was bril- liant at figuring. He learned to be a surveyor and followed his profession for some time in map ping out the mountains and val 1pyS of his native state. It was the wish of his mother that he should enter the navy of Britain, but Providence ruled otherwise. He enlisted in the army and rose rapidly being made adiuiant gen cral of militia of one of the bOrd- or districts in three years. He fulfilled the promise of that rlO- Hucni preacher of the period, Samuel Davies, who predicted "that heroic youth. Colonel Washington would one day render to his country some dis tinguishrd service. He married Martha Curtis. a widow, in Janu- ary. i159. and al the age of 30 was easily in" greatest soldier in inc colonies when he retired and settled down In he life of gen f.,,
 tined to bc the father of his coun- try and il was tO him all eyes were turned when the clouds gath cred in the political heavens and danger threatened. He was of a modest and retiring nature and would face any danger chcerfully but could not face praise. He was one of the first to recognize that a complete break with the moth or country was necessary to en- sure the complete peace and pros perity of inc colonies. He was independently rich. as riches were counted in those days, yet he did not hesitate to fake up the work that he and he alone was so emi- nently fitted IO carry to success and offered tO raise 1000 men and support them al his own expense and march with them to inc relief of Boston.
 He became -chief of the American army on June t5, l775, and as one retraces the weary years between that date and his laying down of office on De- cember g, l783, it is clearly per crivcd that the issue of Inc mighty struggle which was to re- suit in the berth of a nation de- pended on him. Had he lost heart at the supineLcss and bickerings of the people at large, had he Frown weary of correcting the blunders of incompetent subordi- nates, had he disdaincd to put down wretched cabal among his own officers, had his nerves giv- en way at inc sight of tho misery and suffcrings of the battlefield, had he been other than George Washington, the patriot and com marder, the course of history might have been changed and the United States might have died in it's birth and forever or come in- to existence years later and un- der far different auspices. His was the noblest figure that any people has ever set in the fore font of it's life and history. While he lived and fought on with his ragged and poorly equipped