The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-26
THE REAL WASHINGTON.

god? WAS lie as SooQ as sumo bio6i"-
pliers paint him or as bad others
depict him? The sanest estimate OF
the Father OF Ills Country that we
have seen since owen Wstor wrote
his seven Ages of Washington" was
that made by Professor Glenn Frank
1T the Union League Club OF Chicago
on WashinGton's birthday.
George Washington has suffered at
the hands OF his biographers, said
This just critic OF the Weems typo
OF hiosrapher" Il is a sad thing, for
nawless god never has as much
Inspiration for tho average man as II
robustly human good man. And George
Washington has been utterly hurt by
the men who have tried to turn him
into Il god Now they have said George
Washington could not lie Well. If
he could not some OF these biogra piers
that attempted TO defy him were not
hampered by tho same characteristic
inability"
Tho character of Washington has
not appealed to the average man and
the average schoolboy. because they
could not contemplate as human a man
who was SO good that he could not
be guilty OF falsehood. To them Wash
inSton seems too isolated and exalted
ever TO have been human A process
of dedication has gone on, and Wash
ington has been deihed out OF touch
with ordinary humanity so that tho
al Of I'M IN,
too many cases been lost 10 the aver
age person.
Following the type OF blographcr
who sought to defy Washington comes
the type who seeks To Willy the man.
lie is termed a Historical muckraker''
by Professor Frank, for history has
Its muckrakcrs Just the same as the
world of popular magazines to-day;
ne is described as "one OF those social
busybodios who have an appetite that
IS SO adjusted to the taste OF carbon
that at the first hint of a weakness
in great character or public servant
they Immediately pouncu upon it and
lift 1t into the dignity OF an attribute
OF his character" Muckrakcrs of this
class have delvcd into the private
record OF Washington. lie (tho
muckrakcr) has heard him in one in
stance swear in a time OF great ttress.
and he has Immediately spelled that
out into capital letters of profanity.
underscored.' Again, "hc read through
his letters and he found three or four,
or possibly five, references of admira-
ton OF many different women and
Immediately lie spells that out into
ict black characters of libcrQnism
lie finds an occasional glass OF wine in
the hands of George Washington. and
lie Immediately makes that spell out
incbriety ana drunkenness and so on
down tho list OF things" Whereas one
man attcmstcd - make out OF him
divinity. dnothcr biographcr has at
tempted to make out of him devil"
The third type OF biographer has
been obedient to biogra piers true
vision. lie measures the man In the
light OF reason Halfway "botween the
god and the rake. there is the real
Washington. the red blooded, some.
Tines passionate, sometimes unusual
forcetul, a human man, George Wash.
ington. the man who thought who
dreamed and aspircd; the man wi.c
had his little traces OF weakness anc
vanity. and all that, the same as tn,
rest Of us. man who could swear :
little If occasion demanded it and
pray little biz more when other ot
cas!on demanded. the splendid human.
The young American IS thrilled 10 lear,
that Washington was neither dlvinit,
nor devil, nor god nor rake. but
real man Washington was no
"suprenely ious"-,herc vas IN
more moonshina IN his morals tina
there was in his thinking" lie wa
"samcly and honestly moral" Jecki
said Of Washington: ',IIe carried nat
public life tho atric;cst standard q
private morals" That is the srea
issue in this country to-day: shall W
Insist upon as strict a standard {
public morality as OF private mora
ity?"
Fable and fact will never be inteI
woven in another such biography .
Parson Weems's life OF the nrst pres
dent the book in which the cherry tr,
story originated. History writing
now a strict sciencc. No longer is
permissible to alter the facts to
the historians fancy or theory III
day Of the footnote has come; fortl
with to the 1unlpile rightly goes ii
historical work that fails to cite =,
thority for its statements iistoI
now written Is not unsupported a
sertion. but cold fact. The ne
method has forever destroyed I,
vicious system of history writing win
alternatod fact with hciion. TO the mo
school OF historical writing 4 trut
seeking posterity will be cverlast!n
Is Indebted. Under the acid test Of t
new order Washington, like ma
others. is revealed as great pc
sonaiity and great human beit