The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-15
Judge of Circuit Court Tells
Mems Club of Interesting
Private Life of Father
Of His Country
PAYS TRIBUTE TO LINCOLN
Hundred Kenosha Men Hear Interesting
Story of Private Life of Washington
at Session Of Mems Club at Guild
Hall on Tuesday Evening.

Here where he loved to believe
himself a private citizen, he was
sought out, nevertheless, by those ac
lively engaged in public life and his
counsel continually given toward the
founding of this great republic, ever
lastingly cemented as such and as a
union by the immortal Lincoln, and
whose noble Destiny we all hope and
pray, is under God Is guidance, to lead
men into universal brotherhood, that
they may dwell together in unity and
bring the world to everlasting peace.
That is the ideal and the purpose of
this nation in world affairs, none other
but in behalf Of humanity and if we
keep our eyes on the horizon, march
ing steadily toward that goal, with
thoughts only upoa the great essen
tials, this great composite people,
whose heart strings reach into the ut
termost corners of the earth, will,
by God s decree, / believe bring
about His hish purpose of Peace on
Earth, Good Will to Men,"
This was the present day message
from the life and work Of Washington
presented to more than q hundred of
the men OF the city by Judge E. B.
Belden of Racine and Kenosha, who
spoke before the Mems Club of ST.
Matthew s Church on Tuesday evening
and gave one Of the most charming
addresses ever heard before an organi-
cation in Kenosha. It was sno hack
neyed address on Washington, but dis
cussing Washington as the Citizen :"
Judge Belden went into unfrequented
paths about Mount Vernon and brought
out a new different Washington than
most of his hearers had known from
their reading of history. He forgot
most of the facts about the First in
War General Washington and only re-
ferred briefly to the First in the Hearts
Of His Countymen President Washing
in Peace George Washington, Gentle
man Farmer of Virginia who found his
highest satisfaction in life in making
two blades of grass grow where one
had grown. Judge Belden told inter-
estingly of the home life of Washing
ton and he declared, CHAD he not been
| forced to be the Father of His
Country he would have been known
to the world as the Father of Farming
in the United States" The judge
spoke of the pleasant home life of
Washington, of his grace as an enter
tainer, of his love for work and his
capacity for lots of it, of his interest
in local politics and local institutions
| in his home village and of his human
| side. 1T was an unusual and degrees
ing picture of a great man who ap-
pealed nightly to the people who
heard of it, The charm Of it all was
that it was made up of real stories Of
Washington which had been gathered
by Judge Belden first hand in his
ramblings about Mount Vernon.
Prefacing his remarks on the per-
sonal side of Washington, Judge
Belden gave a discussion of Washing
ton and Lincoln and in it he gave one
of the most beautiful tributes to the
two great Americans ever heard in
Kenosha. He said in part:
ct do not invite your attention this
evening to Washington as public
man or as soldier, but as a citizen.
And even as such it has been most
difficult for me to restrict myself
within reasonable bounds of the time
allowed for this feature of our even
ing's intercourse.
Most of Washington IS life was ac-
lively public, and but comparatively
little of it was passed as strictly
private citizen. For forty-five years
he was at the front in all the great
events that made this union Of free
and Independent states possible.
Nor shall I undertake to determine
or even to suggest whether Washing
ton or Lincoln was the greater man.
Probably nenther was greater than the
other. Each was great in his time and
each served his time with peculiar
fitness and efficiency and probably,
more usefully than he could have done
in the others time and conditions.
Abraham Lincoln did not look like
George Washington, nor in many ways
act like him. The martyred president
had the training, mannerisms and
1-~~~~s~~~~~~~~~-~~-~-~
1Cnntinned on mage u