The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1916-02-18
WASHINGTON

History sad glorious which chronicles
struggle in which rights liberties passed through
awful baptism of fire and blood is eloquent with the deeds
of patriots warriors and statesmen but these all fall
into relation to and commanding figure
ing above the whole unapproachabe majesty whose
exalted character and bright with public and pr
vate virtue and vital with the essential spirit of wisdom has
burst all sectional and national bounds and made the
of Washington the property of all mankind.
This lustrious the worlds admiration and
enigma taught by fine instinct to venerate The
might of his character has hold upon the feelings
of all classes of men,
His genius it true was peculiar kind the genius
character of thought and the objects of thought solicited
and concentrated into active faculty He belongs that
class of Homers and Mtons Patos and
have impressed their characters upon nations
without pamperng national vices Such have nature
broad enough to include all the facts of peoples practical
life and deep enough to discern the spiritual laws which under
ie animate and govern those facts.
Washington in short had that of character which
is the highest expression and last result of of
for there method of building character through
mind Indeed character like his not built up upon
stone precept precep but through actual
tact of thought with things.
In him lofiness did exclude BREADTH but resulted
from it, justice did not exclude WISDOM but grew of it,
and the wisest we'll justest in America
pre-emineny distinguished his contemporaries for
moderation
In scrunzng the of his life discover the pro-
cess by which his character gradually its amazing
height we are arrested at the beginning by the character of
his mother temperate like him in the of words
from her clear perception and vigorous grasp of things
There familiar anecdOte recorded of her. which
abes us to understand the sincerity and genuine herm she
early nstled into his strong and aspiring mind At time
when his glory through Europe enthusi
as were crossing the Atlantic for the single purpose
ing him. when poets all the world sackng the die
tonares for hyperboes of panegr when the pedans
pubicanism calling him the American Cncnnatis and
the American Fabiusas if Washington honored play
ing the adjective to Roman, however lusous-she
her quiet dignity simply said to the voube friends who
striving to hater her mothers pride expression of
exutng praise chat he had been good son. she be-
heved he had done his duty man."
Under the care of mother who flooded common words
with such wealth of meaning the boy likely to mis-
take mediocry for excellence but naturally domest
cate in his heart lofty principles of conduct act from
them as matter of without expecting obtaining
praise The that early and in his first
occupation and through stirring events of the
French he built character day by day systematic
endurance OF hardship in constant sacrifice of nclnaoas
to duty; in tanning hot passions into the reason
in assduousy learning from other minds; wrngng knoy
edge which could not be taught him. reluctant gasp
Oh nty experience in the complete mastering every
ect which he fastened his intellect that whatever he
knew he knew perfectly and forever transmitting mind
and sending it forth in acts
Intellectual and moral principles which other men aziy
contemplate and talk about learned through process
which gave them todghness of muscle and bone man
mus sound at the and the surface his nature so
run at once OF integrity and sagacy speaking from the
level of his character and always ready to subsantae opn
ions with deeds without any morbid egot or preten
sion or Extravaganza simple modest dignied ncoruptbe:
never giving advice which did endorse as wise never
lacking fortude to bear which resulted from his
advice being overrued such not but exact that
recognition of commanding genius which INSPIRES universal
confidence.
Accordingly when the contest between the colonies and
the mother country assuming its form of civil
war; he was found to be leader in virtue of being
the ablest man crowd of able men, When he an
peared among the eloquent orators ingenious thinkers
the vehement patriots of the revolution his modesv and tenn
perate professions could his superiority he at
once by the nature of great character was felt to he
their eader lowered up over all their heads as natural
as the fountain sparkling in the July which, in its long
dark downward journey fogets the altitude of its parent
lake. and finds outlet our lower lands than
mounts by impatient instinct surely up to the level of its
far-off inland source.