Evening star., 1932-02-22
A Task Left Unfinished.

n
fee to the butchering enemy, provided
that would contribute to the people
ease Wrote the harried Washington
when danger Of defeat ct the hands of
the invalers who faced him was less
cause for anguish than the stsbbing
criticism and rldicule Of fellow country
men who stood at his back.
Like many other men, the idea Of
mar tyrdom involved in a personal sac
rif1ce of some sort that would retire
him to the relative peace Of surrender
must have appealed to him nightly,
for, above all things, George Washing
ton was very human; not mere Mil
tary surrenoer. Of course, but surren-
der to the doubts that assaied him
from all sides, surrender to the sight Of
suffering men. surrender to the theory,
amply supported by plenty Of evidence
everywhere, that he and his handful Of
loyal followers had embarked upon a
madcap enterprise that would surely
bring failure and Worldwide derision:
surrender especially to the clamors OF
those who, because they suffer. demand
some victim in precipitation.
1t required stubborn courage and
admirable qualities Of leadership,
amounting perhaps to genius, to con-
duct military campaign under the
odds that faced Washington But these
were as nothing compared with the
spiritual and intellectual courage that
enabled him, in the face of bitter per-
sonal attack at times and lack Of real
support a large part Of the time, to
make OF his life the inspiring victory
that this Nation celebrates today.
, In Enthusiastically American fash
ion We have set about making this 2Ooth
anniversary Of the birth OF George
Washington a celebration that in some
respects. at least Is the biggest ever"
The magnitude of the observance
planned is appalling The money and
the time and the effort that have been
spent to resurrect the life and TIE
achievements Of this man as objects of
public worship during the next nine
months are probably unparalleled in
modern times.
This unique observance in all OF its
many phases will have been truly
worth while il 1t is able to remove
some Of the folklore and manifestations
Of dedication often associated with the
memory Of Washington. and, for the
first time, to bring him down to the
level Of men who can understand a
man, but who shy at a god.
Washington's greatness did not spring
from mastery Of military science or
mastery of statecraft but from a depth
Of character that mastered his fellow
man through steadfast devotion to
ideals, at times all too hay to come
within the vision OF the multitude.
One of the greatest Of his triumphs-
a victory we need most to emulate to-
day-was his triumph over the doubt
OF the ultimate wisdom and righteous
ness OF the cause he embraced. The
foundations that he and the men Of
his time laid for a new Nation are too
strong and too deep to be shaken by
the passing tempests that time will al
ways bring. His legacy is the founda-
tions: our Job is to continue the fabrica-
ton Of the structure that they support.
q task that requires as much patience,
as much courage. as much wis
dom, as much faith. There Is
danger In complacently accepting the
belief that Washington completed what
he began: that the projections We cher
ish in his own character represent per-
,, lection of the ideal toward which ne, a
mortal. strove.