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Show WASHINGTON'S l'AHTUl)Y 'I 'I Hi American people enjoy a greater prosperity, a greater .security again.st war, and more opportunity in life, than any foreign country ever possessed. While these blessings are due mainly to the courage and industry indus-try of our people, they are due in part to the magnificent magnif-icent work of the leaders of the-people. Without such leaders, a nation stumbles in the dark, and may go off on some wrong road. Many of us will say that the top man of all these leaders was the one whose birthday we all celebrate on February 22. Without George Washington, it seems unlikely that this country would have achieved independence inde-pendence for many years, even if it ever gained it. It could not have made those rapid gains that came with a sudden burst of expansion when it obtained its freedom. If it had finally obtained its freedom. If it had finally obtained a population greater than that of Britain, independence would probably have come, either by war or peaceful settlement. Perhaps our country would have been given practical independence about like what Canada now has, only with the retention of a tie to the English government. George Washington s genius made the Revolutionary war a success. His military skill, and his magnetic power over his soldiers, kept the Eevolutionary army going. It was a pathetic little army of only a few thousand men, judged by modern standards, poorly clothed, poorly fed, poorly shod, and many of its soldiers sol-diers kept going home when they got tired or discouraged. dis-couraged. But Washington's genius kept it going. . So whatever blessin came from the freedom of our country, resulted largely from his power and leadership, and we should be grateful to him and never forget the Father of His Country. |