New Britain herald., 1922-02-23
FAREWELL 70 REV. " 4. DOWNEY LS 2. ATTENDED BY OVER 300 PERSONS

f he was accorded n warm greeting that lasted for several minutes, He sai
 al the outset that t was with Il fee I Ing or importance of The occasion thi
 he had accepted the invitation of th Bishop Tierney Assembly, Fourth De
 gree Knights of Columbus, to delive
 the address on the occasion of th
 birthday of George Washington. II
 did moi realize until he reached th
 hall that the affair was one in hi l honor, and the assemhlage was O , such magnitude that he was force, to n deep sense of feeling and grati tude. The popular priest who ha many times in the past, both as
 preacher on the pulpit in loca churches and from the public stage
 earned the prestige of able ora
 tor, was at his best last night, Hi
 topic was on George Washington.
 and was as follows:
 Mir. Toastmaster, Reverend Fathers
 Members of Day Council Knight
 of Columbus and their friends:-
 The pleasure 1 experience in ad
 dressing this gathering on the ami.
 vers2ry of Americas foremost ctizer Is genuine and sincere. The observ.
 ance of this day is universal; from the Atlantic sea board to the Rock ies, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf
 every city every village, every settle
 ment seeks to discharge its share of
 the common debt due him. In distant
 Egypt and in far of Australia, Amer jeans will gather as we have gathered
 and in every capital of Europe the American flag will he displayed in re- spect to him whom we call the Father of our Country" Consequent- fly that l should be selected as the
 instrument through which the Knights of Columbus of New Britain pay homage 10 his memory, l esteem a great honor.
 Washington an Inspiration
 However the magnitude of the task has not escaped me. Since the birth of this nation Washington has been the inspiration of oratory; for two hundred years his achievements have been heralded, his virtues extoled and his ife's work eloquently vs- ualized, so that the eulogist of today must necessarily have recourse to the utterances of past generations. Though we are sepa1ated from him by the space of two centuries, we feel his presence still we accompany him on his surveys through unbroken wildernesses. we share with him the hardships of life in the open and his voice treasures us as it quieted the panic stricken, shattered remnants of Braddock's ill-fated expedition. But though Washington the youth may inspire us it is Washington the man who we admire the more. It is in- | deed strange that the century which | his birth also saw Louis AIF on the throne of France. His tory ascrbes to this monarch that pithy saying, which aptly expresses he sentiments of the age: "L'Etat test moi"-"I am the State" Yes. he king was the state, the king was he country, the king was all. Sub- ects there were but they existed merely for the king humanity for eighteen hundred years had dreamed lain dreams, and entertained false lopes that some day there would be |. reedom and liberty for all. 'Christs eachings did not beget nation of :. brothers, because man had spurned [ lis invitations, and in the age of r Washington we see despotic power There had been de- :. locracies in earlier times; Greece ad at one time nourished several '. epublics and the Swiss Confedera- :. ion had long been established, but = governments had been un- z, ried in a mighty extensive state. 7, -merica. this land of ours, is the suc- o essful result of this experiment, the :, realization of mankind's ,' reams, and the instrument which l' rovidence made use of to iberate :, ettered humanity was the Washing = ,n we honor this evening. .
 A Great Man
 In whatever guise we view him he :,
 truly great man. As general is e dare not assert he is the greatest ie whom history makes mention His n. lreer is outshone by that of the te outhfu Alexander who in twelve te ears conquered the entire known h ord the legions of Imperial Rome n, nder the mighty Caesar were far d ore formidable than the inexperi- b, lced soldiery who acknowledged tc 'ashington as their leader, and the cl rategic ability of the great Ma hi ,leon may have far surpassed the D; nius of our commander-in-ch chief, m lt however in military annals Wash D, gton must be assigned prominent be ace. He could boast of no Mace ev 'nian phalanX, of no well disciplined ve gions of no fully equipped we'll ol aimed veterans His army was small, to haf-clothed and half ne ,rved. It's personnel was constantly ne anging. due to short enlistments we q we of today cannot appreciate to c obstacles that confronted him in go ,torious campaigns. As we see ou ashington going among his men at on .lley Forge, sharing with them the in, TOTS of severe winter, sympathiz- go 7 with them in their lack Of food re- I clothing and shelter, his heart n within him at the sight Of bloody = ,t- prints in the snow of thost who ~ Il no shoes, we marvel that he n i'd accomplish what he did ac- K nplish. His men loved him as no
 Ter army loved it's chief he was lrageous and fearless in battle, he gf 5 alert to every opportunity and pf IS we inscribe his name on the oil of great military leaders.
 IS statesman and president his ger was equally illustrous. The N nciples of his administration are AN
 doubtful; they are evidenced in
 Constitution itself, in the great ., isures recommended and approved ,a