Evening star., 1932-02-22

OF tne Dlrtn OF washington.
just 100 years ago in this city
Daniel Webster. in commemorative Of
the birth of George Warrington. said:
piles Of Washington will celebrate his
birth with no less of sincere admiration
than We now commemorate II. When
they shall meet. as We now meet, to
do themselves and him that honor so
surely as they shall see the blue sum-
mts of his native mountains rise in
the horizon, 50 surely as they shau be-
hold the river on whose banks he lived.
and on whose banks he rests, still doW-
ing on toward the sea. 50 surely may
they see, as We now see. the nag of
the Union floating on top OF the Cap
itol And then, as now. may the sun
In its course visit no land more free,
more happy, more lovely, than this,
our own country"
The time that Webster looked for
ward to is here. We "other di.ciples
of Washington" whom he foresaw are
gathered today. His prophesy Is borne
out, his hope fulfilled. The nag still
floats from the top Of the Capitol" It
has come unscathed through foreign
war and the threat Of internal division
Its only change Is the symbol OF
growth. The l3 stars that Washington
saw, and the "a that Webster looked
upon, now are 48. The number Of
those who pay loyalty to that flag has
multiplied tcnfold. The respect for 1t
beyond our borders, already great
when Webster spoke q hundred years
ago, has increased-not only In pro-
portion to the power it symbolizes, but
even more by the measure In which
ether peoples have embraced the ideals
for which it stands. To Webster,s ex-
precision OF hope We may reasonably
answer, yes, the sun In its course
visits no land more free. more happy,
more lovely. than this, our own coun-
try" Proudly We report to our fore
fathers that the Republic Il more
secure, more constant, more powerful.
more truly great than at any other
time In its history.
Today the American people begin .
period Of tribute and gratitude TO this
man whom we revere above all other
giving day they will commemorate his
birth in every home, every school. every
church and every community under
our flag.
Life and Accomplishments.
In all this multitude of shrtnes and
forums they will recount the life his
tory and accomplishments OF Wash
ington. It is q time In which We will
pause to recall for our own guidance.
and to summarize and emphasize for
the benefit of our children, the ex-
periences, the achievements. the dan
gers escaped, the errors redressed-all
the lessons that constitute the record
OF our past.
The ceremonial of commemorating
the founder of our country is one Of
the most solemn that either an indi-
vidual or a nation ever performs. Car
ried out in high spirit it can be made
one of the most fruitful and enriching.
1t is a thing to be done in the mood
OF prayer, Of communing with the
spiritual springs Of patriotism and Of
devotion to country. 1t is an occasion
for looking back to our past, for TAX
ing stock of our present. and. in the
light Of both. setting the compass for
our future. We look back that We may
recall those qualities of Washington S
character which made him great, those
principles OF national conduct which
he laid down and by which we have
come thus far. We meet to re-estab-
il>H CUR COIlthcC WIN LIlcui, Ic1lcW Oul
fidelity to them.
From this national revival Of interest
in the history of the American Revo-
luton and Of the independence of the
United States will come renewal of
those inspirations which strengthened
the patriots who brought to the world
Z new concept Of human liberty and q
new form of government.
So rich and vivid is the record OF
history that Washington in our Gay
lives again in the epic Of the founda-
ton of the Republic. He appears in
the imagination of every succeeding
generation as the embodiment of the
the courage, the patience. the
the craftsmanship. and the
absence of all mean ambition, which
scattered communities OF
the forest and the frontiers into a
unity of free and independent people.
1t Is not necessary for me to at
tempt eulogy Of George Washington.
That has been done by masters OF art
and poetry during more than a hun
dred years. To what they have said
I attempt to make no addition.
Nation Eulogy In Itself.
The true eulogy Of Washington is
this mighty Nation. He contributed
more to its origins than any other man
The influence of his character and Of
his accomplishments has contributed
to the building of human freedom and
ordered liberty. not alone upon this
continent but upon all continents. The
part which he played in the creation
Of our institutions has brought daily
harvest of happiness 10 hundreds Of
CT humanity. The inspira-
tions from his genius have lifted the
vision of succeeding generations. The
definitions Of those policies in govern
ment which he fathered have stood the
test of $50 years of strain and stress
From the inspiration and the ideals
which gave birth to this Nation. there
has come the largest measure OF lib
erty that man has yet devised. So
were the foundations of this
free Government laid that the struc-
ture has been able to adapt itself to
the changing world relations, the revo-
lutions Ct invention and the revelations
of scientific discovery, the fabulous In
crease of population and of wealth, and
yet to stand the kaleidoscope COM
plexities of life which these changes
have brought upon it.
What other great. purely human In
stitution. devised in the era of the
and the candle, has so mar
grown and survived into this
epoch of the steam engine, the air.
plane, the incandescent lamp, the
wireless telephone and the battleship?
If we are to get refreshment to our
ideals from looking backward to WASH
ington, we should strive to identify the
quality in him that made our Revolu-
ton a success and our Nation great.
Those were the qualities that marked
out for immortality.
Patience and Steadfastness.
We find they were not spectacular
qualities. He never charged with q
army up the capital streets
of conquered enemy. Excepting only
Yorktown and Trenton, he won no
striking victories. His great military
was in the strategy of attri-
ton, the patient endurance Of adver-
sity. steadfast purpose unbent by defeat.
The American shrine most associated
with Washington is Valley Forge, and