Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-02-23
President Points Out
lcontinued from Page One)

nrepared to make greater sacrh'ceS
for a just cause.
az, is doubtful if anyone outside OF
.sr,aiu great religious teachers ever
" ,horoughly impressed himself on
hsart of humanity as has George
lexington. No figure in America
heen the subject Of more me-
".;o, tributes and more unstinted
raise. And yet the subject never
rs N he exhausted and the public
s eem never seems to be decreased.
N.Y. larger our experience with az
tHe Of the world, the more familiar
ID" become with his life and teach
We the more our admiration en-
u.s. and the greater grows our
"a a.s;n,at,on of his wisdom. He rep
.ssanted the marvellous combination
- +be soldier, the patriot, ana tne
so.,,osynan, In the character of each
he stands supreme.
=" "as a brave soldier he won the
-poroIutionary War. AS an unselflsh
natriot he refused to use the results
~ that victory for his own benef1t,
XVI bestowed them all on his fellow
soountrvmen. AS a wise statesmen,
gathering around him the best talent
Of his time, ne created the American
penublic.. All the increasing years
only reveal to us how universally
great he was. If to set a mark upon
tbe minds of men which changes the
whole course of human events Is
teaching, then Washington ranks as
a prince of teachers.
"The world is not the same as that
into which he was born on that Febru-
arv day in 1892. 1t is better world.
The stately march Of civilization
which has since advanced so far, has
proceeded In course which he
marked out. The imposing edif1ce OF
human progress which has since been
raised so high rests to a large extent
mon the foundations which he
wrought. To those who wish more
civilization and more progress there
must be a continuing determination
TO hold to that course and to main
, tain those foundations. If any doubt
what benefit these have been. they
have but to compare the present
state of America especially. or even
cf the rest of the world, with what
it was when Washington was born.
History seems to indicate that he
led and directed transformation
that was growing with an increasing
strength over western civilization.
The fires of the Middle Ages had
burned out. The reaction from the
days of Cromwell had run its course
in England. The glory of the old
regime in France was declining. The
power of Spain was shifting to other
hands. But while the old was pass
ing the new had not yet begun. Ma
terially and spiritually. things were
at a low ebb in the Old World. 1t
: has been described as time
when poetry sank into dull
prose; when philosophy rarely
scared above the material or the
purely logical when the only
" earnestness existing took the di-
rection OF greed or self-indulg-
was corrupt; when public morals
were hcentious and when COM
d mon language was profane."
The finances of the people We're in
a cisordered condition. 1t was dis
5 tlnetly transition period in Amer
lea. The early settlers who had come
from the old country had passed
! away very large proportion of
s The inhabitants of the Colonies,
: estimated by some as nearly 80 per
J cent were native born. The pioneer
efusadlng tervor was gone. The new
awakening had not come. The at
. acnment to those institutions that
are represented by an order of no
Z Dlhty was breaking down. Both in
ue Old World and in the New the
anclent arlstocracy was crumbling;
put the modern democracy had not
, set arisen. An era was approaching
WMch was to give less and less at
tehtion to kings and more and more
% a., TO the people. In that era
figure.
NO doubt the most powerful in
n ,,ce which are working to estab-
nsh the new order was the revival
vi rehgion. This movement had been
started in England by John Wesley
ana George Whitefield in 1929. It
was distinctly an effort to reach the
.ollmon people. They went down
living nons lhose who were not otherwise
.acneo' preaching the gospel. In
nlnerlca, Jonathan Edwards led two
1 7sa movements, eliminating in
~ It, Whitefield came to this coun-
t,o ~ ana preached to great congrega-
, LUIS curing this period, and the fol-
liver ,vmers OF Wesley sent Bishop Asbury
ti eae IN III. These religious ac-
n, o,ties were distinctly popular
Elements, They rested on the
: n rneoiy that every human soul was
pree' They resplted in a leveiing
SSoupess; but 1t was not a leveling
xvi" II was a leveling up. They
tbni. every person that came under
90 se n, influence to a higher conception
! " me. A new recounitinn of shirt