Evening star., 1934-02-18

VI been set by our present IeFO-
4 Y luton, the celebration of the
2O2nd birthday of the leader
of our first revolution has a vital
contemporary interest that was lack
ing in the more extensive celebration
of his 200th birthday.
When the busy men who today are
fathering our country in much detail
turn to the codification of history they
will find it hard to regiment the man
whom they may place on their agenda
as the former father of his country.
That mountain of rock is not mall
cable. George Washington IS the hlgn
peak Of indivldualism. rugged type.
He was born of its strain, nursed in
its tradition; he was its giant product
His ancestors came to America to
escape RECOMMENDATION. They proved oy
action that "every mans house is his
castle" was not just a phrase they
forgot when they touched their COW
licks to episcopal or governmental au-
thority. 1t was a shibboleth which
beat in their pulses.
So determined were they to have
religious, personal and political Tree
dom-so determined each to live his
own life in his own way-so ready each
to rely on the gamble of his own ef-
forts-that each set out to make his
own castle in the new land. AS surely
as conquering religious zeal sent the
Crusaders across Europe and the
Turks across Asia Minor, individual
ism started and kept up the migra-
ton across the North Atlantic.
Our type of conquest received Its
impetus from individuallsm's spell ana
our character was formed in the mold
of individualism's initiative. 1t was
the pervading common quality OF the
pioneers of all the thirteen colonies
in their varying local customs under
the influence of differences OF eli
mate, soil and occupations.
Took Government With Them.
The movement in Washington's
Virginia had been up the streams as
it had been up the Connecticut the
Hudson and the Susquehanna. Ihe
government did not precede the set
tiers to blaze the way for them. Ihey
took government with them, or MADE
government after they had roofs over
their heads. cleared ground for hrst
crop and laid in a Winter supply OF
venison. They did not follow the
European custom of living close To-
gether in villages from which they
went forth to till their fields. Each
built himself log hut for his castle
in his own clearing. There was no
soyietism in his cosmos. He ponceo
hi Oyrro castle
This system led to certain amount
of lawlessness, of ',hich royal COVER
nors complained. But what were royal
governors to do against this intran-
sigent individualism which had given
up touching the cowlick to great loroS
as we'll as to petty squires? Tne gov
ernors were having an experience OF
early American public opinion, IN
which men thought and acted Tor
themselves and, whether wisely or
foolishly, took the consequences.
They had inaugurated new phi
losophy in the world, In absolute con-
trast to that of the rival Spanish COL
onization to the southwark, which was
to move so swiftly to its decadence'
By the time Washington was born
this American philosophy had become
an established tradition. His birth
place was well forward from the coast
toward the frontier OF the time, ana
his generations part was to make fur-
ther advance inland-into the val
lev of the Shenandoah and over the
Blue Ridge into greater valleys be-
yond.
weerns Ierends Dismissed.
We have long since dismissed the
Parson weems legends about his boy
hood Parson Weems was an 1ngenu-
Gus, hero-worshiping rural clergyman
of the stage coach days He did not
tell his apocryphal stories over the
radio as inside dope, but wrote them
in a little book which endured much
longer than the best sellers OF our
time. Indeed, he was quite lacking
the resources, not to mention the
means of communication, OF later
specialists in propaganda, with their
stories about the frank and rejoicing
"I did it with my little hatchet" as
whole cherry orchards were felled-
Despite all the scholarly research
and all that has been written to i'm
press the real Washington" upon US,
we still visualize him as we see him
on the postage stamp. which makes
him appear the veritable grandfather
of his country. We well might alter
nate this with one of him in the
vigor of middle age, before he had
false teeth. This would make him less
venerable and more like his natural
self. We forget that he was ever
young. We forget the genesis of the
man and how it made the man.
When our present departmental
fathers turn their attention to coding
history they may give us a scientific
solution of how Washington, who had
not enough formal schooling to qualify
him by college board, achieved so i'm
pressive and dignified an English style.
This is really more puzzling than how
Abraham Lincoln. who never came as