Show years but add of washington on the anniversary of the birth of george washington a national holt day and one tint inspires and iro a new consecration to the ideals and institutions of a free and independent government bought with the blood of patriots it Is fitting that a review of the life and works of this great american be made in every home and before every group history presents us with rew char d ackers so worthy of admiration and esteem it presents us with few lives despite detractors who in the eirls das of the nineteenth century published so called intimate cameos that were manifestly fictitious so worthy of outstanding among the errors and absurdities of so called are those in the life of george washington written by her mason L beems and published alio icar after the death of the father of ills country 0 o one not even so great and pow erful a man as washington could entirely live down in history the rep of a goody goody prig with which the well meaning but alous scottish divine smothered him llie cherry tree story fiction of the whole cloth has had but few rivals in publicity and his done the memory of this greit man of red blood and unflagging courage more harm than good the real washington fortunately as the generations have come and gone the real wash ington the washington alio was the leading figure of thought and judg ment in the continental congress who led with spirit and masterful generalship alie of the nevola aton who guided the building of the tenets of faith in a new governmental structure the federal constitution who for two terms served as the first of the united st its fortunately the real washington has stood out stronger and gi eater us a as an executive us a as a pitr lot us a ann as a force in moral leadership as the years have passed in iet unborn he will grow alian shrink in universal ai the mental gifts of george wah ington were not of the di kind ills talents were not and yet his good judgment founded upon nn wisdom forceful and appealing lie was not nn ora tor e patrick genri who labored with him for a repeal of the tous stamp act he vias not as diioli 1 ing and as as either john or samuel adams and yet both of them le intense stress and the excitement of the proceed ot the continental congress turned to washington for his thought ful advice und deliberate conclusions and adams from the floor declared the quirt almost silent eider the unerring son of westmoreland george washington having been born in westmoreland county on february 22 1732 deserved immortal this was in september 1771 L all of the colonies were represented at the alne except georgia the aco pie of that state were in deep sym pathy with the congress but their roial governor presented the appoint ment of delegates washington was a man of unusual power because his traits of character were so finely proportioned and adjusted and so firmly controlled by a heroic will and fine moral faculty he could withstand alike disaster and obloquy lie could reject the of ambition he was moved by but one aspiration to pro mote the good government of his country and the happiness and pros of the people lie well de boned the noble title that will go with his name throughout the ex of human history just a word about the origin of washington his personal life and his career as n soldier a statesman and as an executive lie ars the of john washington who emigrated in igiel fram angl ind the family hid been of high social and financial standing ills grandfather acquired great land hold ings along the potomac Io tomac and high so clil and public position the ances aral home was inherited by Augut lne washington who was the father of george and five other children george washington became interested in surveying and while a mere lad ed the great fairfax estates lie later surveyed the proposed canal route between st maris georgia via st marks florida and to the river in time he inherited the great mount vernon estate from an older brother lie became active in colonial military life and was bukk ly promoted lo 10 colonel won important point W hen orders came front the arlt ish down that any field should be superior to a colonial officer oven of higher rank colonel washington took the issue to general sharley the commander in chief and won after tits military career as n colonial officer he was elected to the house of burgesses of virginia jn atti he married mrs martin custas the wealthiest widow in mr glela and for several years lived a i a great planter at li home overlooking t potomac an 1 the marsh binds of vie great caal tal city which now bars his name in he again became active in public affairs as a member of the convention which as the right of the colonies to self go eminent he then declared the cardinal principle that taxation and representation could not be just ly se pirated great in military leadership on june 15 ian colonel washing ton was elected by the continental congress the commander in chief of the merlein merl cin forces he assumed command with alo declaration that he did not feel himself equal to the task but with a consecrated will to brak the british yoke he went quietly into the mobilization of hla forces and into the manner of their training and equipments the battle of bunker had already taken place with much credit to the patriots but the military forces were without leadership or discipline lie brought order out of chaos it Is unnecessary here to go into alie history of the war the great con between two master generals washington and cornwallis ls the odds were against goneril washington he conquered and he was conquered he never his sut feil along with his men were intense the story of valley forge will live in the sympathetic hearts of americans he finelly won through generalship for oven british historians have de dared washington the strongest and ablest warrior of his day and genera ja alon he was not a meteor of war like alexander or Ia but a r genius masterly farewell after the smokes of the revolution cleared with the victory of the patriots alie convention met in 1787 and be was chosen its dent I 1 rom tills came the federal constitution which gladstone dog dared to be the soundest code of org laws ever framed in any na s alon ha was elected I 1 resident of the newly created union and he declared in acceptance tint he did so walh more diffidence and tance than he ever be fore he was elected reelected re in 1792 ills farewell address to congress ered in 1798 three beirs prior to his death will live through the ages as one 0 the greatest ablest and wisest of stale documents w |