Show A FATHERS COUNSEL A counsel is good for his children blessed are they who obey it our heavenly fathers counsel is good for the sons and daughters of adam blessed have been the nations who have sought it and practiced it and greatly blessed would be the nations of the earth today if they would seek unto the prophet of god for the mind and will of god to guide them in their duties but the counsels to which we now call special attention are those given by the father of this country george washington in his farewell address here are a few of them it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness that you should cherish a cordial habitual and immovable attachment to it accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as the palladium of your political safety and prosperity watching for its preservation ovation with jealous anxiety aj discountenancing c U n n ne ing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned and and frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enable the sacred ties which now link together the various parts in contemplating the causes which may disturb our union it occurs as a matter of serious concern that any grou ground nd should have been furnished for characterizing parties by geographical eions northern and southern atlantic and western whence designing men may endeavor to excite a 1 belief that there ther e is a real difference 4 of local interests and views one of the expedients of party to acquire aire influence within particular etric districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of the districts you T ou cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart burnings which sp spring ri ng from these misrepresentations a th they ey tend to render alien to each 0 other th er those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection the very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual I 1 to obey the established government all obstructions to the execution of the laws all combinations and associations under whatever plausible character with the real design to direct control counteracts counteract or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities are destructive of this fundamental pon principle ciple and of fetal tendency they serve to or organize anize faction to give it an artificial and extraordinary force to put in the place of the delegate will of the nation the I 1 will vill of the party often a swall small but artful and enterprising minority of community and ana according to the alternate triumphs of different parties to make the public administration the mirror of the ill con carted and incongruous projects of faction rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome escine plans digested by ammon common counsels and modified by mutual interests towards the preservation of your governments government and the permanency of your present happy state it is requisite not only that you should steadily discountenance ir irregular lar opposition to its acknowledged led authority tho rity but also that you should resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles however specious the pretexts one method of assault may be to effect in the forms of the constitution alterations which will impair the energy of the system and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown in an all the changes to which you ma may be invited remember that time a and habit are at least as necessary to fix the true character of governments as of other human institutions that experience is the surest standard by which to test the real tendency of the exi existing constitution of a country still that facility in changes upon the credit of mere cypoth hypothesis esis and opinion exposes to pe perpetual al change from the endless va variety e of hypothesis and opinion ber especially that for the efficient management of your common interests in a country so extensive as ours a government of as much vigor as is consistent with the perfect security of liberty is indispensable liberty itself will find in such a government vern ment with powers properly gro properly perly ROZ distributed buted and adjusted I 1 its surest guardian it Is indeed little else than a name where the government is too feeble to withstand the enterprises of faction to confine each member of the society within the limits prescribed by the laws and to maintain all in the secure and tranquil enjoyment of the rights of person and property f the alternate domination of one faction over another sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities is itself a fright frightful fal despotism but this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism the disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors turns tarns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty without looking forward to an extremity of this kind which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight the common and continual mis chiefe chiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise people to discourage and retain it there is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of free government ern ment ent and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty this within certain limits is probably true and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism may look with indulgence if not with favor upon the spirit of party but in those of the popular character in governments purely elective it is a spirit not to be encouraged cou raged from th their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose and there being constant danger of excess the effort ought to beby force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it A fire not to be quenched it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame lest instead of warming it should consume of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political pro prosperity rity and we are na ceale sup supports porto in vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness these the firmest props of men and citizens the mere poUt politician ician equally with the pious man ought too to respect and cherish them A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public feli felicity elty let it simply be asked where is ie the security for property for renti reputation tation for life if vie the sense of religious dobli obligation aaion desert the oaths which are the ae instruments of investigation in the courts of justice and let us with caution indulge the supposition that ean can be without religion whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality ean can prevail in exclusion of religious principle clin in offering to you my countrymen these counsels of an old and affectionate friend I 1 dare not hope that tiey they will make the strong and lasting impression which I 1 could 4 wish that they will control the usual current of the passions or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations but if I 1 may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit some ional good that they may now and then recur i to moderate the fury of party spirit to warn against the mischief of foreign intrigue to guard against the imposture of pretended re patriotism this hope wid wd be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare by which they have been dictated 1 I now have these them counsels been pred and let the present condition of the U united cited states government and people answer that question and then let the political and philosophical seers of this country peer into the future and tell us what that present condition will produce in the near future unless there is a speedy and an honest return to the correct principles upon which this government was founded |