The Washington times., 1932-05-30

as Inc DclSldh OhAINu
after those which Washington
The chief leaders in the NOV
as the Belgian Washington" and
the Belgian Franklin That re-
volt was ill-timed and unsuccess~
full, but it was a prelude which
led eventually. in 1880, to tie
achievement of Belgian independ-
ence, under a liberal constitution,
with those free institutions which
we today enjoy under our beloved
sovereign, King Albert.
Came to Virginia
In Belgium, our admiration for
Washington is such that we have
even tried to claim him as "one
of our own" through participation
in his ancestry. It is well known
that Nicolas Martiau, who came
to Virginia about 1920, was one OF
the ancestors of George Wasi1ing-
ton, but no man knows where
Martiau was born.
By some he is claimed as q
native of France, while other his
torians hold that he was Of Pei
gian origin. The name MAI
tiau' seems to link him with our
southern (Walloon) province, as
j. is a distinctive Walloon word,
the equivalent of the French
''marteau," meaning hammer"
=. Researches are now being car
ried on to discover the origin and
ancestry of Martiau, ands in the
absence of proof to the contrary,
We will maintain our claim, how
ever shadowy it may be, to some
part in the ancestry of your great
Founder. We are proud to think
that there may have been some
drops of Belgian blood in the
veins of the hero to whose in
comparable character and virtues
we now pay homage.
But it is not with Washing
toms ancestry til we need be
concerned today, but rather with
his deeds, his achievements, his
wisdom and above all, his noble
character.
Due Worlds Gratitude
America has furnished the
world the character Of Washing
ton. That, in itself, is enongh
to entitle America to the graft.
tude of the world. There have
been other great soldiers, able
statesmen and devoted patriots,
but in Washington we find
com ination of high qualities
which is rare among mortals.
THE elements were so mixed n
him that nature might stand up
and say to all the world, This
was man."
Other generals have won bril-
liant victories, but it was the
indomitabIe fortitude and trans.
cendent personality Of Washing
ton that enabled him to hold to-
gether an ill-equipped army of
raw recruits, to maintain their
courage through such bitter days
OF suffering as those at Valley
Forge, to mold them into first
class fighting men, to harass
and outwit his adversaries by
his superb strategy, and finally
to lead his troops to victory at
Yorktown.
Had Washington been. killed
at Yorktown, he would have been
revered as a great soldier, but
his fame would have been only
half complete. Fortunately, he
was spared to exercise his quail
tiles as a great statesman in
molding the 13 separate colonies
into one united and powerful
nation.
Had Guiding Hand
It was through his wise coun.
sci and rare tact that regional
differences and personal jealouSies
were composed. 1t was under
his guiding hand that your fun
damental institutions were es-
SabliShed and your feet placed
upon the path which has led
you to your high place among
the nations of the earth.
And, throughout it all, he had
no personal ambition, no thought
of self. He could have had die
tatorial power. had he wished
it-some even proposed a royal
crown-but he thought only of
his country's good. and having
served her long and faithfully,
retired to private life at Mt.
Vernon.
AS someone has remarked, Wash.
tngton's career changed the
worlds idea Of greatness" It gave
mankind a new ideal. No figure
in modern history has had an
equal influence on public con.
science.
His life has purified the ambi-
tions of great men and has set