Show fhe True Greatness of Washington W WASHINGTON ASHINGTON first in In war first in In r peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen II has become a hackneyed phrase Great must have been his achievements rare must have been his gifts and virtues to merit such an honorable honorable honorable honor honor- able and illustrious distinction Wherein Where Where- in lies the true greatness of Washington Washing Washing- ton the true grandeur of his character Generals are tried by examining the campaigns they have lost or won and statesmen by reviewing the transactions in which they have been engaged Hamilton would have been unknown to tous tous tous us had there been no constitution to write Brutus would have died in obscurity obscurity obscurity ob ob- had there been no Caesar to be slain Washington was a conspicuous figure in war and no less conspicuous in peace Whether on the field of arms or orin orin orin in the forum where ideas clash he was ever at the front But we hit very wide of the mark if in seeking an answer to this question we concern ourselves me merely ely with his victories on the field or his triumphs triumphs' in legislative halls If we weare weare weare are to find the fountain of his true strength and grandeur we must search V L with greater care and with deeper in- in sight II God only is great is the triumphant i expression with which Massilon commences commences commences com com- his oration on the deceased monarch of France Louis the Great It Itis Itis is in God that we find the attributes of true greatness Man is distinguished by the godlike qualities of justice benevolence benevolence benevolence bene bene- intelligence and power Were all these qualities auspiciously combined t in one person we should behold a mor mortal mortal mor- mor tal reflecting the image of his Maker r Judged by these standards Caesar whose intelligence and power were almost unlimited was not truly great the Duke of Marlborough of whom it was said with truth that he never a city which he did not take never fought a battle which he did not f win was not truly great Lord Bacone the great philosopher the corrupt judge the bad man has no claim to true greatness neither has Cromwell Napoleon Napoleon Napoleon Napo Napo- leon Alexander and too many others to whom this title is so often given Let us look at Washington as as asa a soldier as a statesman and as a man AS A SOLDIER Early youth had well fitted Washington Washing Washing- ton to undergo the hardships and privations privations privations priva priva- of a long and exhaustive war When he was a young man of twentythree twentythree twentythree twenty- twenty three he entered upon his first military career of any importance and after his first engagement he wrote home I heard the bullets whistle and believe me there is something charming in the sound It cannot be believed that Washington loved the barbarous act of war Such a belief runs counter to the many noble qualities which the man is represented to have possessed and would lead us to ascribe to him a nature far different from that which deserves well of mankind But in all his military engagements engagements engagements en en- he no doubt believed that they were undertaken for a righteous cause and that hat no considerations should I swerve swerve him from the path of duty Feeling therefore that it was his duty to take up arms for his country he joined the army of Braddock and upon the field which witnessed the defeat and death of t unfortunate officer he showed his lofty courage his martial qualities his matchless heroism and his genius to command But the War of the Revolution was to put to a severer test the brain and andr r heart of Washington He accepted with diffidence the command of the American forces and entered upon eight years of hard and faithful service He came as one appointed to a great duty not with rashness not with weakness not with bravado but in the perfect confidence of ofa a just cause and with the st stainless inless conscience conscience conscience con con- science of a good man At the very outset of the war Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington frankl frankly informed Congress that he would accept no pay for his services and only asked what was necessary for his actual expenses How different from t the hero of Ble Blenheim heim who caused the rr rolls muster-rolls of his army to be made out fi in a fraudulent manner and pocketed the money appropriated for soldiers who r had fallen in his own sight four years r before This unselfish and patriotic act of Washington gives us a deep insight Ft to the character of the man It shows the purity u ity of his is heart the depth of his fi patriotism patrIotIsm his IS love for the great and eternal principles of human liberty Washington was cool and calm in battIe battle battle bat bat- tle tIe and never if we except one or two instances let his passions outrun his hisa a judgment He had the faculty of discerning discerning discerning dis dis- the chief point to be reached and then bending every energy to reach a it He measured carefully every step To many he appeared Jacking lacking in decision decision decision deci deci- sion but the failure to comprehend was wason wason wason on their part not on his his' He was placed in a position where caution E delays and hesitations we were were e able Hence it is that his military 3 career is destitute of brilliant qualities and lacks the dash of Napoleons Napoleon's i tactics on the field of battle In the midst of all the calamities which overhung the country from 1775 to 1783 when the hope of others had faltered and despair had taken hold of the minds of many when the officers of t the e army were engaged in petty jealousies and the soldiers rs quarreling about their pay Washington preserved the same mental equilibrium the same self-composure self the same high sense of honor the same cool and determined bravery His patriotism was just as warm his hope just as strong It is these qualities which distinguished him as a commander which inspired courage in his despondent despond despond- ent soldiers and won for him the seif- seif respect and gratitude of his fellow In thinking of Washington as a soldier forget not his greatest attribute not not for ambition did he draw his sword but for his country and his 1 fellow AS A STATESMAN 1 Washington presented an extraordinary ary combination of mental and moral qualities ties As a statesman he had the loftiest ideal He possessed not one unhallowed thought not one slight for self Witness Witness Witness Wit Wit- ness his action just after the clo close e of the war when he rejected any and all propositions to establish a monarchy with him at the head He was not of that kind to grasp at crowns and Indeed he rises to a truly heavenly stature not when we follow him over the ice of the Delaware to the capture of Trenton not when we behold him victorious over Cornwallis at Yorktown but when we e regard him in noble deference to justice refusing the kingly crown which a faithful soldierly prof prof- He knew nothing of the arts of the politician or of the wiles of the demagogue dema dema- gogue gogu His blows were delivered in an I c. c r honorable way There was never the slightest lack of candor candor- or fairness in his methods He sought to control men through their reason and their conscience The only art he employed was that of presenting his views so convincingly as to force conviction on the minds minds- of his hearers and his readers Ready to hear argument and always open to conviction he adhered tenaciously tenaciously tenaciously tena tena- to the conclusions which he had finally reached Altogether modest he had confidence in himself trusted to the reason of his own mind believed in the correctness of his own judgment As a statesman Washington as in all other walks of f life followed ved the path which justice marked out for him He was patient faithful and seeing far-seeing and andin andin andin in all his counsels he preserved that same mens in m which never left him on the field Statesmanship cannot be judged upon theories It must be decided by results When that conclusive test is brought to bear President administration of the government in the eight years following his first election deserves the highest praise AS A MANTo MANTo MANTo MAN To complain of the character of that it is destitute of brilliant brilliant brilliant brill brill- qualities I use the words of ofEd Ed Edward ward Everett is to complain of a circle that it has no salient points and no sharp angles in its circumference forgetting that it owes all its wonderful properties to the unbroken curve of which every point is equidistant from the center Instead therefore of being a mark of inferiority this sublime adjustment adjustment adjustment adjust adjust- ment of powers and virtues in the character character character char char- acter of Washington is in reality its glory In all the phases of his great and eventful life whether living in retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment in the quiet bosom of his family or whether occupying official positions of power and influence no suspicion t ever arose that his heart was open to JJ the seduction of ambition and power power The passing from an obscure boy to t the first place in the hearts of his l countrymen did nothing to break down Y the austere simplicity of his manners or r shake the solid basis of his virtues He j was just benevolent intelligent and powerful and as justice and benevolence are higher than knowledge and power so are the just and benevolent higher than those who are intelligent and powerful only Washington combined them all A A character of virtues so w happily tempered by one another and f so so wholly una unalloyed Hoyed with any vices as wr that of Washington is hardly to be found on the pages of history TV W. 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