The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-02
PRESS ON GEORGE WASHINGTON

20 George Washington sits aloft in deep serenity that has not failed at all times to elicit the admiration and deep respect Of the nation which he did so much to bring into efficient being. He is one of the nation s undeniable great men. one who most fortu- nately lived at the time when his peculiar qualities of greatness were of the sort then most needed. Perhaps there was never time in our history when Washington's ca pacities could have been nationally more valuable, and perhaps there has not been in our history any other man who could so ably and adequately cope with the situation of that time as Washington coped with 1t. He had pose, courage, intelligence, judgment and vision beyond the average. There were men associated with him in those formative days who were greater than he in this line or in that, but there was none who lowered so high above his fellows in sheer human stature. There are mountains that have more granite than. Nit. Everest. There are mountains that have more gold more silver i; more of this mineral or of that. But there
 is no mountain so great as Everest. Wash ington is the Mt Everest of his period, if not of succeeding periods. To their credit be it said, the men of his time recognized ; and admitted his totality of superiority, and Almost unanimously conceded him the lead ership, for which by nature he was so emi- nently endowed.
 o-. In the presence of a lamentable scandal in ' high official life at Washington, the New York Times feels impelled to say: If only by the force of painful contrast, the thoughts of Americans on Washingtons birthday will turn to the purity of his public character. He was violently accused of many things during his lifetime, but never of selfishness or sordidness in his service of his country, whether as commander of our armies on first president of the republic. Yet he was forced in his time to deal with corruption i, in others His wrath blazed against the lax , moral standards which too often manifested themselves in the Revolution, as they have Idone in wars before and since When Wash ington discovered laxity and corruption in public trust according to the Times: His D plan of action was to retain the confidence of the people by driving every exposed scOun- drel out of public life with whips of scorn, and then to call upon his countrymen by pre- cept and example to illustrate the austere virtue which should clothe men in official positions. This aspect of Washington 8 s spirit and public service might well be medi- tated upon today by those who are now in 2 power in the city that bears his name.'
 That the real Washington is sometimes lost in the cold marble of the image in which be is frequently depicted is the opinion of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, speaking from the seat of the capital in which Wash ington first presided over the nations desti- nies Says the Ledger philadelphia was | proud of him, and gave him it's homage for the man he was, the devoted patriot, the Father of his Country. But Philadelphia was mo more afraid of him than it was of Ben jamin Franklin or of William Penn. This pmty knew that for all his dignity, that at times became austerity. he was thoroughly human. The citizens of the cOuntry's first capital were aware that he had hot tenn per and could on occasion use torrid lam guage. They knew that he was fond of so- ciety and given to amusement and the pleas nres of the table. When he rode abroad in state or walked like anybody else they greeted him and he civilly returned their greeting He did not laugh much, for his mind was usually laden with serious preoccupatiOn for the nations welfare. But he could be for given the small 'glad-hand' arts and ruses of the petty politicians, in view of the spa , GiOus designs to which his mind and hand were set in behalf of the country whose des- z tiny he realized and to whose prosperity his life was given.
 Likewise the New York Herald We are loo much wont to regard Washington as q remote eighteenth century figure. As a mat ter of fact, his perplexities and decisions are still of close interest to every American and his policies still guide the nation. We are too much inclined to think of him as chill and stiff. He was one of our most human presidents and the perfection of his qualities should invite rather than repel study After a century and quarter we should still look hack to him for guidance" And we should look to him for guidance, without, however, , mnisterpreting his words to fit our personal a political schemes, as some have done in their partisan support of the policy of isolation which they mistakenly attribute to Wash