Evening star., 1932-02-22
President Pays Homage
address to Congress Stresses Courage and Accom-
plishments of Warrington and Their
Benefits to Posterity.

weakness ana OlSCOut1SeWeHt O1 lcSSei
men. Washington had courage without
excitement. discrimination without
passion.
The descriptions Of George Washing
| ton by his contemporaries give us no
clear picture of the inner man. the
Washington whose spiritual force so
palpably dominated his whole epoch.
As a mirror, hts own writings DO him
Indifferent justice, whilst the writings
Of others ars clouded by their awe or
are ohScured by their venom. We must
deduce mainly from other records why
he stood out head and shoulders above
extraordinary crowd, living at white
heat, comprising men as varied, as
brilliant, as versatile as the extraordi-
nary dem ands which the times made
| upon them. They were men flexible In
| intellect. and verSed in the ways of the
| world. Yet In every crisis, and for every
role, they turned to Washington. They
forced upon him the command of
Indian fighters; they made him a
general against trained British troops
they demanded that he be . constitu-
| tionalist and q national statesman
they insisted he must guide his country
through the skillful ambushes Of
European kings: they summoned him to
establish the nonexistent credit of an
tnsolvent infant Nation. Why did his
brilliant fellow patriots always thus
turn to him?
The answer Of history is unmistak-
able they brought their problems to
Washington because he had more
character, q finer character, a purer
character, than any other man Of his
time In all the shifting pressures of
his generation, all men acknowledged
| that the one irresistible force was the
overwhelming impact Of his moral
power. Motives and men were meas
ured by their stature when standing in
his shadow. Slander fell harmless
before him, sham hung It's head in
in the face, corruption skunk from his
quaking knees.
Virtues Are Recognised.
In his integrity all Our men Of genius
in his day found their one sure center
of agreement. In his wisdom and
authority they found the one sure way
TO practical fulfillment Of their dreams.
We need no attempt at canonization
Of George Washington. We know he
was human. subject TO the discourage
ments and perplexities that come to us
all. We know that he had moments of
deepest anxiety. We know of his suf-
ferings. and the sacrifices and anguish
that came to him. We know of his re-
sentiment Of injustice and misrepre-
sentation. And yet We know that he
never lost faith in our people.
Nor have I much patience with
those who undertake the irrational
humanizing of Washington. He had
indeed the fine qualities Of friendliness,
of sociableness, of humanness of simple
! hospitality; but We have no need to
lower our vision from his unique quail
| tiles Of greatness, or to seek to de-
preciate the unparalleled accomplish
ments of the man who dominated and
| gave birth to the being of a great
Nation.
What we have need of today in this
| celebration is to renew in our people
the inspiration that comes from George
Washington as q founder of human
| government, as the builder of a system
Of national life.
| It is of primary importance that We
Of today shall renew that spark of i'm
mortal purpose which burned within
him, shall know of the resolution and
the steadfastneSs which carried him
| forward to the establishment of a
Nation. That establishment was not a
momentary flash of impulse, in people
rebellious and passionate under oppres-
sion, destined to fade into the chaos SO
often born of revolutions. On the con-
trary. it was builded upon foundations
of principles and ideals which have
! given the power and strength that
made this Nation, and inspired the
establishment OF ordered liberty in a
score Of other nations.
Remembrance Of Trials.
| We have need to refresh to the re-
membrane Of the American people the
great tests and trials of character of
| the men who founded our Republic
We have need to remember the fiber of
those men who brought to successful
conclusion the eight years of Revolution.
We have need again to bring forth the
picture OF the glories and the valor Of
Lexington and Concord, Of Bunker Hill,
the suffering and fortitude of Valley
Forge, the victory of Yorktown. We
the sheer moral courage of the Declara-
ton OF Independence, the struggles of
the Continental Congress, the forming
Of the Constitution. We have need at
all times to review the early crises of
the Republic, the consolidation of the
Union, the establishment of national
solidarity, the building of an adminis-
tration of government, and the develop
ment of guarantees of freedom. No
incident and no part in these great
events, which have echoed and re-
echoed throughout the world for q CEN
tury and half. can be separated from
the name and the dominant leadership
of George Washington.
TIp0p these foundations IF Aiyiy,. io
spiration laid by our forefathers, and
led by Washington, our Nation has
builded up during this century and
half . new system of life, q system
unique to the American people. 1t is
haliowed by the sacrifice and glorious
valor Of men. 1t is assured by q glor-
ious charter Of human rights.
1t comprises q political system Of
| self government by the majority rest
ing upon the duties of individual men
to the community, and of the local
communities to the Nation. 1t is a
government designed in spirit to sus-
tain q dual purpose; to protect our
people among nations by great national
power, and to preserve individual free
dom by local self-government.
It comprises q social system free of
inherited position, based upon the ideal
|
the equal privilege Of men to strive
and to achieve, and the responsibilities
Of men to their neighbors.
| It embraces an economic system
! based upon the largest degree Of free
dom and stimulation to initiative and
enterprise which can be permitted and
still maintain the ideal Of equality
of opportunity among men.
Finally, 1t embraces q system Of re-
lationships to other nations based upon
no thought of imperialism. no desire
to dominate; . determined national
self-reliance in defense and independ-
ence in action; freedom from all COM
mitment to the unknown future. and
an aspiration to promote peace and
good will among all men.
! Perhaps no single part of this system