Providence for conducting the war, by his energy, prudence, and
constancy, to that triumphant assertion of Independence which has built
up the great North American republic. To Washington the historian
naturally turns, as to the grandest object of contemplation, when he
laid aside his victorious sword--that sword which, with those he had
worn in his earlier career, he bequeathed to his nephews with words
characteristic of his nobleness: "These swords are accompanied with an
injunction not to unsheathe them for the purpose of shedding blood,
except it be for self-defence, or in defence of their Country and its
rights, and in the latter case to keep them unsheathed, and prefer
falling with them in their hands to the relinquishment thereof."
The United Colonies in America had such a man as Washington to control
the destinies of our country in the making. The new nation had such
a man for a leader during the early years of trial and promise. The
nation today has the records, accomplishments and deeds of the national
hero, Washington, to ever honor, venerate and imitate. The school
children of the great state of New Jersey should be happy to learn from
the life of this great man lessons of service, respect for law and
order, truthfulness and patriotism.
QUOTATIONS
According to Captain Mercer, the following describes Washington when
he took his seat in the House of Burgesses in 1759:
"He is as straight as an Indian, measuring six feet two inches in
his stockings, and weighing one hundred and seventy-five pounds. His
head is well shaped, though not large, and is gracefully poised on a
superb neck, with a large, and straight rather than prominent nose;
blue-gray penetrating eyes, which are widely separated and overhung by
heavy brows. A pleasing, benevolent, though commanding countenance,
dark-brown hair, features regular and placid, with all the muscles
under control, with a large mouth, generally firmly closed."
Houdon's bust accords with this description.
* * * * *
To the man of all men for whom his manly heart felt most tenderness,
to Lafayette, it is that he wrote the beautiful letter of February 1,
1784, unaware that his rest was only temporary, and that he was to
become the first President of the country he had given life to:
"At length, my dear marquis, I am become a private citizen on the
banks of the Potomac, and under the shadow of my own vine and my own
fig-tree, free from the bustle of a camp and the busy scenes of public
life, I am solacing myself with those tranquil enjoyments of which the
soldier who is ever in pursuit of fame, the statesman whose watchful
days and sleepless nights are spent in devising schemes to promote the
welfare of his own, perhaps the ruin of other countries, as if the
globe was insufficient for us all ... can have very little conception.
I have not only retired from all public employments, but I am retiring
within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walk of private
life with heart-felt satisfaction. Envious of none, I am determined to
be pleased with all; and this, my dear friend, being the order for my
march, I will move gently down the stream of life until I sleep with
my fathers."
_J. J. Jusserand_
Among these men whose union in purpose and action made the strength
and stability of the republic, Washington was first, not only in
the largeness of his nature, the loftiness of his desires, and the
vigor of his will, but also in that representative quality which
makes a man able to stand as the true hero of a great people. He
had an instinctive power to divine, amid the confusions of rival
interests and the cries of factional strife, the new aims and hopes,
the vital needs and aspirations, which were the common inspiration
of the people's cause and the creative forces of the American
nation. The power to understand this, the faith to believe in it,
and the unselfish courage to live for it, was the central factor of
Washington's life, the heart and fountain of his splendid Americanism.
_Henry van Dyke_
"How did George Washington look?" asked Nell;
"What was he like? Won't you please to tell?"
Thus I answered: "A courtly man,
Wearing his honors as heroes can.
Erect and tall, with his six feet two;
Knee-breeches, buckles, frills and queue;
Powdered brown hair; blue eyes, far apart;
Strong-limbed and fearless, with gentle heart;
Gracious in manner toward every one--
Such, my Nellie, was Washington."
Washington one day came across a small band of soldiers working very
hard at raising some military works, under command of a pompous little
officer, who was issuing his orders in a peremptory style indeed.
Washington, seeing the very arduous task of the men, dismounted from
his horse, lent a helping hand, perspiring freely, till the weight at
which they were working was raised.
Then, turning to the officer, he inquired why he, too, had not helped,
and received the indignant reply: "Don't you know I'm the corporal?"
"Ah, well," said Washington, "next time your men are raising so heavy
a weight, send for your commander-in-chief." And he strode off,
leaving the corporal dumbfounded.
An American sailor landing in England shortly after the close of the
War of the Revolution took a first-class seat in a stage coach, but
was told to get out, as such seats were reserved for gentlemen. "I am
a gentleman," said the sailor. "Who made gentlemen out of fellows like
you?" asked the coach guard. "George Washington," said the sailor; and
he kept his seat.
* * * * *
No nobler figure ever stood in the forefront of a nation's life.
Washington was grave and courteous in address; his manners were
simple and unpretending, his silence and the serene calmness of his
temper spoke of a perfect self-mastery; but there was little in
his outer bearing to reveal the grandeur of soul which lifts his
figure, with all the simple majesty of an ancient statue, out of the
smaller passions, the meaner impulses of the world around him. What
recommended him for command was simply his weight among his fellow
landowners of Virginia, and the experience of war which he had gained
by service in border contests with the French and the Indians, as well
as in Braddock's luckless expedition against Fort Duquesne. It was
only as the weary fight went on that the colonists learned little by
little the greatness of their leader, his clear judgment, his heroic
endurance, his silence under difficulties, his calmness in the hour of
danger or defeat, the patience with which he waited, the quickness and
hardness with which he struck, the lofty and serene sense of duty that
never swerved from its task through resentment or jealousy, that never
through war or peace felt the touch of a meaner ambition, that knew no
aim save that of guarding the freedom of his fellow countrymen, and no
personal longing save that of returning to his own fireside when their
freedom was secured. It was almost unconsciously that men learned
to cling to Washington with a trust and faith such as few other men
have won, and to regard him with a reverence which still hushes us
in presence of his memory. Even America hardly recognized his real
greatness till death set its seal on "the man first in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts of his fellow countrymen."
_J. R. Green_
Washington is the mightiest name on earth, long since mightiest in
the cause of civil liberty, still mightiest in moral reformation. On
that name a eulogy is expected. It cannot be. To add brightness to
the sun or glory to the name of Washington is alike impossible. Let
none attempt it. In solemn awe pronounce the name, and in its naked,
deathless splendor leave it shining on.
_Abraham Lincoln_
LIFE OF WASHINGTON[E]
[E] Reprinted by permission from "The Book of Holidays," by J. W.
McSpadden. Copyright 1917 by Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
The story of George Washington's life has been often told, but it is
worth repeating. It was an active, busy life from his earliest days,
beginning as it did away back in Colonial times when the country
was wild and unsettled. Washington was born in Westmoreland County,
Virginia, in 1732. There is no reliable record of his early education,
but it has been supposed that the first school he ever attended was
a little old field school kept by one of his father's tenants, named
Hobby, who was both sexton and schoolmaster. Even at this early age
George was fond of playing at war. He used to divide his playmates
into parties and armies. One of them was called the French and the
other American. A big boy named William Bustle commanded the French,
and George commanded the Americans. Every day, with cornstalks for
muskets and gourds for drums, the two armies would turn out and march
and fight.
George was not remarkable as a scholar, but he had a liking for
mathematics. He was of a more serious turn of mind than most boys of
his age. His last two years at school were devoted to engineering,
geometry, trigonometry, and surveying, and at sixteen years of age
he was appointed a public surveyor. His new employment brought him a
handsome salary, and well it might; for it took him into the perils
and hardships of the wilderness, often meeting savage chieftains, or
fording swollen streams, climbing rugged mountains, breasting furious
storms, wading through snowdrifts, sleeping in the open air, and
living upon the coarse food of hunters and of Indians. But everywhere
he gained the admiration of the backwoodsmen and the Indians by his
manly bearing and his wonderful endurance.
In the year 1751 the frontiers of the colony of Virginia were
constantly being attacked by the French and the Indians, so it was
decided to divide the colony into military districts under a major;
and when he was but nineteen, George Washington received one of these
appointments. Two years later he was sent to the French, who were
becoming threatening, to find out their intentions and to warn them
against invading Virginian territory. This important mission made it
necessary for him to journey six hundred miles through the wilderness;
but he carried out his instructions successfully, and traveled the
whole distance without an escort....
In 1755 George Washington served under the British officer, General
Braddock, showing great bravery under fire at the battle of
Monongahela, against the French and Indians, which would probably not
have been lost if the general had taken Washington's advice.
In 1759 Washington married a widow named Martha Custis, with two
children, John and Martha Parke Custis. He was a great favorite with
the two youngsters, and used to order toys, dolls, and gingerbreads
for them from London. Mrs. Custis had a large estate and so had
Washington, and the management cf them took up all of his time.
When the disputes between England and the American colonies
were at their height, in 1774, he became a member of the First
Continental Congress, and the following year was chosen by that body
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental army. For this position his
training and his surveying experiences had thoroughly fitted him. He
took command of the troops at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 3,
1775; but it was a poor army that he found under him. It was in want
of arms, ammunition, and general equipment. Washington, however, kept
it together with patience and skill during the trying years of the
Revolution. The war lasted six years and ended with the surrender of
the British commander, Cornwallis, at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.
During all this time Washington had had to contend with the greatest
difficulties. The troops were poorly paid or equipped; often there
were disputes among the officers, and Congress did not know the army's
needs; but the General always kept the confidence of his men until
victory was assured....
In 1783 Washington bade farewell to his army, and for the next six
years lived the simple life of a country gentleman on his estate at
Mount Vernon, attending to the affairs of his homestead and property.
In 1789 he was again called from private life, to become first
president of the United States. Congress was sitting at New
York, for which city he started, in April. He disliked fuss and
ceremony, but the people could not be restrained from showing their
love and admiration. His progress through New Jersey was amid
constant cheering, ringing of bells, and the booming of cannon. At
Elizabethtown he embarked on a splendid barge, followed by other
barges and boats, making a long water procession up the Bay of New
York, the ships in the harbor being decorated with colors, and firing
salutes as it passed. The inauguration took place on April 30, 1789,
at the old City Hall, in Wall Street, Broad Street being crowded
with thousands of people as far as the eye could reach. In 1793, he
was re-elected for a second term of four years, after which he bade
farewell to the people and retired into private life. On the 12th of
December, 1799, he caught a severe cold in making the round of his
plantations and died two days later, in his sixty-eighth year. In
number of years he had not lived a long life, but how much was crowded
into it!
Most of the portraits of Washington show him as a serious-looking
gentleman in a wig, and the earliest biographies of him would lead us
to believe that he was always on his dignity. But our first president
was, in fact, a very genial man, with a hearty laugh, who enjoyed
going to the theater, was fond of fox-hunting and was a thorough
sportsman, and, as he himself admitted, had a hot temper. Towards
young people and children he was always very gracious and kind....
Like Lincoln, Washington was very athletic. Both of our two great
presidents were tall men: Washington was six feet two inches; Lincoln
was six feet four. When he first visited the Natural Bridge, in
Virginia, Washington threw a stone to the top, a distance of about
two hundred feet, and, climbing the rocks, carved his name far above
all others....
In all the positions which he was called upon to fill, in his
remarkable life, whether as host at his home, as surveyor, as general,
or as president, Washington showed the same desire to give the best
that was in him for his people, his country, and for humanity at
large. He endeared himself to the lowly and he gained the admiration
of the great. He was never influenced by mean motives, and those who
were under him loved him. Thus it was that among Americans he came to
be regarded as "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of
his countrymen;" and when his death became known on the other side of
the Atlantic Ocean, the armies of Napoleon in France, and the fleet of
Great Britain, his former enemy, did homage to his memory.
Washington's birthday was celebrated even during his lifetime, and
he had the satisfaction of receiving the congratulations of his
fellow-citizens many times upon the return of this day, frequently
being a guest at banquets given in honor of the occasion. In fact,
after the Revolution, Washington's birthday practically took the place
of the birthday of the various crowned heads of Great Britain, which
had always been celebrated with enthusiasm during colonial times. When
independence was established, all these royal birthdays were cast
aside, and the birthday of Washington naturally became one of the most
widely celebrated of American holidays....
Let us not forget what we owe to Washington, or make him merely a
name--an excuse for a holiday. Let us remember him as a real, flesh
and blood man--one of the greatest known to history.
He gave us a nation to make it immortal;
He laid down for Freedom the sword that he drew;
And his faith leads us on through the uplifting portal
Of the glories of peace and our destinies new.
_J. Walker McSpadden_
SELECTIONS FROM THE RULES OF CIVILITY
(_Copied by Washington at the age of fourteen from an old translation
of a French book of 1595._)
Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were
your enemy.
When you see a crime punished you may be inwardly pleased; but always
show pity to the suffering offender.
Superfluous compliments and all affectation of ceremony are to be
avoided; yet, where due, they are not to be neglected.
When a man does all he can, though it succeed not well, blame not him
that did it.
Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.
In your apparel be modest, and endeavor to accommodate Nature, rather
than to procure admiration; keep to the fashion of your equals.
Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own
reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor in earnest; scoff at
none, although they give occasion.
Gaze not at the marks or blemishes of others, and ask not how they
came. What you may speak in secret to your friend, deliver not before
others.
Nothing but harmony, honest industry, and frugality are necessary
to make us a great people. First impressions are generally the most
lasting. It is therefore absolutely necessary, if you mean to make any
figure upon the stage, that you should take the first steps right.
There is a destiny which has the control of our actions not to be
resisted by the strongest efforts of Human Nature.
Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distresses of everyone,
and let your hand give in proportion to your purse; remembering
always the widow's mite, but that it is not everyone who asketh that
deserveth charity; all, however, are worthy the inquiry, or the
deserving may suffer.
I consider storms and victory under the direction of a wise
Providence, who no doubt directs them for the best purposes, and to
bring round the greatest degree of happiness to the greatest number.
Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person's mind,
than on the externals in the world.
To constitute a dispute there must be two parties. To understand it
well, both parties and all the circumstances must be fully heard;
and to accommodate differences, temper and mutual forbearance are
requisite.
Idleness is disreputable under any circumstances; productive of no
good, even when unaccompanied by vicious habits.
It is not uncommon in prosperous gales to forget that adverse winds
blow.
Economy in all things is as commendable in the manager, as it is
beneficial and desirable to the employer.
It is unfortunate when men cannot or will not see danger at a
distance; or seeing it, are undetermined in the means which are
necessary to avert or keep it afar off.
Every man who is in the vigor of life ought to serve his country in
whatever line it requires, and he is fit for.
Rise early, that by habit it may become familiar, agreeable, healthy,
and profitable. It may, for a while, be irksome to do this, but that
will wear off; and the practice will produce a rich harvest forever
thereafter, whether in public or in private walks of life.
SAID BY WASHINGTON
To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of
preserving peace.
There is a rank due to the United States among nations which will be
withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness.
The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that
disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself
has ordained.
The very idea of the power and right of the people to establish
government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the
established government.
If there was the same propensity in mankind for investigating the
motives, as there is for censuring the conduct, of public characters,
it would be found that the censure so freely bestowed is oftentimes
unmerited and uncharitable.
Where is the man to be found who wishes to remain indebted for the
defense of his own person and property to the exertions, the bravery,
and the blood of others, without making one generous effort to repay
the debt of honor and gratitude?
There is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists
in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between
virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine
maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of
public prosperity and felicity.
Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence the jealousy of a
free people ought to be constantly awake.
The name American must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism.
To the efficacy and permanency of your union a government for the
whole is indispensable.
Every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest
should be indignantly frowned upon.
Let us impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves, to
the whole family of mankind.
Let us erect a standard to which the wise and honest may repair.
'Tis substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring
of popular government.
It is incumbent upon every person of every description to contribute
to his country's welfare.
It would be repugnant to the vital principles of our government
virtually to exclude from public trusts, talents and virtue, unless
accompanied by wealth.
Give such encouragements to our own navigation as will render our
commerce less dependent on foreign bottoms.
I have never made an appointment from a desire to serve a friend or
relative.
Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial
fire, conscience.
WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL TO THE ARMY
(_Dated at Rocky Hill, near Princeton, New Jersey, November 2, 1783_)
It is universally acknowledged that the enlarged prospects of
happiness, opened by the confirmation of our independence and
sovereignty, almost exceed the power of description. And shall not the
brave men who have contributed so essentially to these inestimable
acquisitions, retiring victorious from the field of war to the field
of agriculture, participate in all the blessings which have been
obtained? In such a republic, who will exclude them from the rights of
citizens and the fruits of their labor?
To those hardy soldiers who are actuated by the spirit of adventure,
the fisheries will afford ample and profitable employment; and the
extensive and fertile regions of the West will yield a most happy
asylum to those who, fond of domestic enjoyment, are seeking personal
independence.
Little is now wanting to enable the soldier to change the military
character into that of a citizen but that steady and decent behavior
which has distinguished not only the army under this immediate
command, but the different detachments and separate armies through the
course of the war. To the various branches of the army the General
takes this last and solemn opportunity of professing his inviolable
attachment and friendship. He can only again offer in their behalf his
recommendations to their grateful country and his prayers to the God
of armies. May ample justice be done them here, and may favors, both
here and hereafter, attend those who, under the divine auspices, have
secured innumerable blessings for others!
With these wishes and this benediction the commander-in-chief is about
to retire from service. The curtain of separation will soon be drawn,
and the military scene to him will be closed forever!
WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS
(_To the People of the United States--September 17, 1796_)
Friends and Fellow-Citizens:
The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive
Government of the United States being not far distant, and the time
actually arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating
the person who is to be clothed with that important trust it appears
to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct
expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the
resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number
of those out of whom a choice is to be made....
[Illustration: Statue of Washington at West Point
Presented to the United States Military Academy by a Veteran of the
Civil War
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.]