Show THE celebration the centennial anniversary of the inauguration of george washington as president of the united states received ampro appropriate atwate observance april 30 the e day was clealand cle clear arand and beautiful at the city hall court house tabernacle theatre and other public places the stars and stripes floated gaily in the gentle breeze all of the business houses were closed and the city lorethe wore the general aspect of a holiday at the Taber tabernacle naele shortly before nine C people began to flock to the tabernacle the hour seemed to be rather early but by several thousand perso persons no J were seated in the large building 0 at that hour the services were commenced by a prelude by professor joseph J daynes on the grand organ this was followed by a song hall hail bright smiling morning by professor evan stephens class of three hundred children the opening prayer was offered by elder elias A smith the children sang school thy feelings B R W YOUNG the orator of the day was waa then introduced trod by president angus M cannon and delivered the following eloquent address which was listened to with rapt attention por for a number or of years we have been celebrating the anniversaries of days important in the struggle for independence the skirmishes at lexington and C concord Ion cord the decia ration of independence the adoption of the constitution ind and other events in that patient battle for freedom have received national or local recognition but in the long train 0 of f events that culminated in the successful formation of the government none is of greater magnitude agni tude than the last other occurrences anticipated but the last realized the successful issue of our forefathers W hopes the preparation of the timbers the construction of the framework the driving of every nau nag are t indispensable steps stepa in the to building of a ship but of all the days in her early earl v career the proudest is the day 0 of launching when the labor of construction having ceased docked decked with flags with iio ina re ss 1 ve ceremony she glides into fh the e w water ater and rides upon the waves wave as a water fowl it is her day of birth so in the history of our country is this day our ou patriot ancestors fought at leang jedd ton but it required mae many ny battles and ana many years to determine the tn event of the struggle the dec arft tion that the colonies afire are and of 01 right ought to be free and in depeo but dent states stated was the assertion was by no means the accomplish ac comps ment of the desired result the rile successful issue of the wax war left un u solved the great problem of the 9 gov eminent of the colonies the ado tion of the con constitution tit ution by th the e W w was as to be f followed 0 U OW ed by the ratification of the colonies and the result was a matter of grave ainey lailay but the revolution was successful the colonies were des tilled ned to become free states the constitution ution was framed and ratified d finally the day came for the inching of the ship of state that mat day was the of april one ventury century sen tury ago the first wednesday in march 1141 ai been named as the occasion for the e inauguration but the hour for ingress congress to assemble came and there aare was not a quorum present the electoral vote was not count ed until the sixth day of april upon aich day george washington was declared elected president and john adams A dams vice president of the united states messengers were immediately dis to mount vernon va and w braintree Brain tree mass to notify these statesmen of their election washington set out for new york the wl temporary capital immediately pon receipt of the notification his journey aney was a triumphal march his ay was strewn with flowers he wa ovall eight days on the journey the stance may now be a accomplished c c om e 14 tt as many hours th the e b u 0 on n the e balcony of which the distinguished patriot took the oath of oe has now disappeared upon eite on wall street opposite the head of broad street is now situated the oe united states sub t treasury a and ri the IQ exact spot of the solemn cere er lony as nearly as can be Is asked by a heroic statue of the kill general in the attitude of raising hand from the scriptures after the e administration of the oath the april number of one of the leading P garines ga Ines gives an illustration of the me page which washington kissed pon taking flaking the oath it is the page oat relates the blessings of J jacob aco b pon his sons and which refe refers M to ph the fruitful bough by a well aase branches ruh run over the wall to TO him who was separate from his belthren bl re thren and whose blessings ached inched to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills a most acting atting fl in page to mark one of the sandest events in this history of 8 thiard the land of joseph and in the story tory 8 of the world the govern nt of the united states was then ted today it has finished its 11 first aist century the momentous character of the dai ay we have met to commemorate is ot to be judged alone by events 81 sequent quent to it to sense it truly we rau tast gaze back into the dark ages tai n preceded it we must contrast the sweets of liberty with the bitter of despotism to appreciate the 50 bonous orious mission of the constitution us 18 among whom abe blessings of 1 life i te liberty and property are whose form of govern W is based upon that principle of ine origin that all men are cre equal A before ore the law it is difficult ul to conjure up the demons of ard bession Wes P assion sion and a nd tyranny that have sway over mankind DaB almost the tenuously cott from the inception of i species the world was in bOli dage age nations were ruled by to who owed their position he e accident of birth the right of the people to a voice in their own government was scarcely asserted men were largely treated as chattels their property their freedom and even their lives were sacrificed at the bidding of the tyrant their re religious livious views were bent into conformity despotism asserted empire over body and soul there was little or no law save the caprice of monarchy it is impossible for citizens of this republic to picture the miseries of such days think of it that a nation of human beings became body and soul the property of a single man a tyrant a usurper sacrilegiously claiman claiming to rule by divine right there could be no progression as there could be no happiness under such circum atances luther broke the chains of religious gou despotism the anglo saxons made mad great inroads i upon th the e prerogatives of royalty mens mi minds ado were unshackled and havi having u g once sipped of liberty they thirsted for a deeper draught england though the freest of nations had not yet progressed to perfection and sought to burden the colonies without the right under the principles of government the chief cause of the american revolution was the r right lit of arbitrary government asserted by the mother country and disputed by the colonies so long as the colonists were let alone aize they were good subjects but by interference noninterference non they learned the lessons lemons that afterwards prompted them to rebellion they learned to regulate their own affa affairs I 1 they loved independence in r religion and would not brook enforced conformity to the established church they refused to recognize the divine right of the british king to rule and were especially ally incensed at george III and his ministry the th people I 1 E of the colonies claimed the rulf full rights of englishmen they resented as unconstitutional the efforts of the british parliament to tax them without representation despite their protest with blind fatuity the ministry insisted upon measure after measure in derogation of the claims of the colonies parliament taxed importations forbade the erection of iron works and the manufacture of steel in america placed an interdiction upon the felling felling of pine trees authorized search warrants and ana passed confiscation laws no step sep of the british ministry excited as much indignation as the stamp act providing that no contract should be of binding force uness written on paper bearing the royal stamp the muffled bells of several large cities tolled funeral peals flags were hung at half mast turbulent crowds assembled the eloquent and fearless patrick henry exclaimed tarquin and caesar had each his brutus charles I 1 had his Cromwel lland dage george ill III may P profit crofit 1 by their example be concluded el eded upon being interrupted with ted with the theory cry of treason Treaso nl with a rare patriotism with a homely devotion to principle the colonists entered I 1 nto into a solemn compact to import eko BO goods from great britain until the stamp act was repealed but parliament added to the repeal a 9 resola tion that it had a right to bind the colonies in all cases whatever other taxes followed and the spirit of resistance became stronger conflicts between the british soldiery and the populace occurred in new york and boston the boston tea party a arty 1 ly and resistance to the port ti bill i 1 were followed by annulment of the massachusetts charter bad led to wore until finally the smothered flames of rebellion burst violently forth upon the common at lexington the occasion demanded men fortunately they were at hand A group of great men educated in the school of patriotism were at hand to control the popular efforts greatest in this resplendent galaxy of stars was the immortal hero whose first inauguration we come to commemorate this is the man of whom lowell says in his inspiring apostrophe to virginia mother of states and undiminished diminished nn men thou thon davest us a country giving tam him nor is the praise too high washington was a man whose worth and talents did not lie upon the surface he was modest in demeanor and he accepted no office or trust without an earnest and sincere expression of unworthiness not characterized by brilliance without the showy attributes which have raised far less able men to prominence by soundness of judgment and persistence of purpose he showed himself to be one of the most successful of generals and one of the most sagacious statesmen of any age called unexpectedly to the command of the continental forces he accepted reluctantly with a sense of his unfitness for the responsibilities of the office but having accepted he refused all compensation for his services and entered into the cause of the colonies with a fixed determination characteristic te of the man not ato to abandon the cause while hope remained prom from the moment he assumed command at cambridge in the summer of 1775 until the surrender of cornwallis at yorktown in 1781 his experiences perien ces were of a character to have hav thrice ethrice discouraged a less earnest patriot and a less patient and persevering man it was with the greatest difficulty that he procured men and supplies his troops were often without adequate food or clothing his regiments were so reduced in numbers at times that but a mere handful followed him in the contest he has been for his reverses and retreats it is said with truth that he won but few victories and comparisons pari parl sons are upon these grounds alone sought to be made between washington and napoleon or others of the great captains of the world that his victories were less numerous must be conceded but such comparisons are wrong we must look into the surrounding circumstances no general has ever labored under greater difficulties than washington with raw ragged and ill III fed troops troop few in numbers often denied the support of congress which at best beat was weak and enforced its requisitions with difficulty criticised criticized by his compatriots to fo his seeming inactivity often throw upon his hie own individual resources to equip his troops and reen re en force his battalions opposed by veteran troops more numerous than his own and perfectly equipped and supplied and comman commanded ed by trained officers he was placed at a disadvantage that must be considered in estimating the military talent of this remarkable man he seemed never to despair burdened with troubles suffering under grievances that would have overwhelmed another man he worked steadfastly towards the goal it would have been an easy matter for him it would have been distinctively human to have answered the taunts of his friends in a moment of despair by throwing himself and his battalions upon the stronger foe and to have perished himself and to have hopelessly ruined the cause he represented by suffering a glorious defeat such was not the character of the man he was content to suffer the he ignominy of criticism and disfavor and that too without murmur circumstances were such as he describes in his farewell address that the passions agitated in I 1 n every direction were liable to mislead amid appearances somewhat dubious vicissitudes of fortune ofton often discouraging in situations in which not want of success has countenanced the spirit of criticism 11 criticised criticized no he was denied the privilege of exculpating himself in fear of divulging his weakness to the enemy and even of discouraging his friends by pictures so dark campaign after cam campaign year after year some sometimes timeo with success often with defeat he pursued his plan of wearing out the patience of the enemy by avoiding engagement until the opportunity presented itself to strike an effective blow if success be the true criterion of greatness then was washington a great soldier for in the end he succeeded victo victory 1 under such adversity fairly justlee justified d the sentiment of lowell that virginia gave us a country in giving us him when the implements of war were thrown aside the colonies col onles were confronted with the difficult problem what to do with independence now they had won it the confederation was a failure without authority to enforce obedience to its decrees with the privilege to request but without the right to demand it became an object of contempt tem t it was necessary to find a auml substitute in order to at home and enforce it abroad A convention was called when it assembled in 1787 washington the soldier became its presiding officer and one of its leading spirits when two years later upon the ratification of the constitution by a majority of the states steps were taken to put in operation the government it provided for the eyes of all were turned towards george wash ington of virginia as the chief magistrate the characteristics of the man endeared him to the people he was modest not assumedly but truly so he was patient long suffering and benevolent his personal bona character was beyond reproach his ability was of the high est eat order and his patriotism had been fully demonstrated certainly in the early history of our country was washington first in war in peace and in the hearts of his countrymen country men the wisdom of his eight years administration both in the men he called to his side in the measures he advanced and in the principles he sought to inculcate at every opportunity port unity started the government well forward upon its destined course the smoothness with which the machinery of the government works now did dia not characterize its earlier history problems are now solved and questions determined which were then to be met washington and his companion patriots were the pilots who steered the ship through the narrow and dangerous channels into the open and unobstructed ted sea and yet the sea has not been altogether unobstructed nor the course of the ship entirely free from danger new questions of great importance involving in a degree the utmost safety cf the government and the survival of freedom have arisen and have been disposed of foreign war has twice visited us the horrors of civil strife a |