entered upon it at one of those moments, at once difficult and
favorable, when nations, surrounded by perils, summon all their
virtue and all their wisdom to surmount them. He was admirably
suited to this position. He held the sentiments and opinions of
his age without slavishness or fanaticism. The past, its
institutions, its interests, its manners, inspired him with
neither hatred nor regret. His thoughts and his ambition did not
impatiently reach forward into the future. The society, in the
midst of which he lived, suited his tastes and his judgment. He
had confidence in its principles and its destiny; but a
confidence enlightened and qualified by an accurate instinctive
perception of the eternal principles of social order.
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He served it with heartiness and independence, with that
combination of faith and fear which is wisdom in the affairs of
the world, as well as before God. On this account, especially, he
was qualified to govern it; for democracy requires two things for
its tranquillity and its success; it must feel itself to be
trusted and yet restrained, and must believe alike in the genuine
devotedness and the moral superiority of its leaders. On these
conditions alone can it govern itself while in a process of
development, and hope to take a place among the durable and
glorious forms of human society. It is the honor of the American
people to have, at this period, understood and accepted these
conditions. It is the glory of Washington to have been their
interpreter and instrument.
He did the two greatest things which, in politics, man can have
the privilege of attempting. He maintained, by peace, that
independence of his country, which he had acquired by war. He
founded a free government, in the name of the principles of
order, and by reestablishing their sway.
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When he retired from public life, both tasks were accomplished,
and he could enjoy the result. For, in such high enterprises, the
labor which they have cost matters but little. The sweat of any
toil is dried at once on the brow where God places such laurels.
He retired voluntarily, and a conqueror. To the very last, his
policy had prevailed. If he had wished, he could still have kept
the direction of it. His successor was one of his most attached
friends, one whom he had himself designated.
Still the epoch was a critical one. He had governed successfully
for eight years, a long period in a democratic state, and that in
its infancy. For some time, a policy opposed to his own had been
gaining ground. American society seemed disposed to make a trial
of new paths, more in conformity, perhaps, with its bias. Perhaps
the hour had come for Washington to quit the arena. His successor
was there overcome. Mr. Adams was succeeded by Mr. Jefferson, the
leader of the opposition. Since that time, the democratic party
has governed the United States.
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Is this a good or an evil? Could it be Otherwise? Had the
government continued in the hands of the federal party, would it
have done better? Was this possible? What have been the
consequences, to the United States, of the triumph of the
democratic party? Have they been carried out to the end, or have
they only begun? What changes have the society and constitution
of America undergone, what have they yet to undergo, under their
influence?
These are great questions; difficult, if I mistake not, for
natives to solve, and certainly impossible for a foreigner.
However it may be, one thing is certain; that which Washington
did,--the founding of a free government, by order and peace, at
the close of the Revolution,--no other policy than his could have
accomplished. He has had this true glory; of triumphing, so long
as he governed; and of rendering the triumph of his adversaries
possible, after him, without disturbance to the state.
More than once, perhaps, this result presented itself to his
mind, without disturbing his composure. "With me, a predominant
motive has been to endeavor to gain time to our country to settle
and mature its yet recent institutions; and to progress without
interruption to that degree of strength and consistency, which is
necessary to give it, humanly speaking, the command of its own
fortunes." [Footnote 91]
[Footnote 91: Washington's Writings,
Vol. XII. p 234.]
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The people of the United States are virtually the arbiters of
their own fortunes. Washington had aimed at that high object. He
reached his mark.
Who has succeeded like him? Who has seen his own success so near
and so soon? Who has enjoyed, to such a degree and to the last,
the confidence and gratitude of his country?
Still, at the close of his life, in the delightful and honorable
retirement at Mount Vernon, which he had so longed for, this
great man, serene as he was, was inwardly conscious of a slight
feeling of lassitude and melancholy; a feeling very natural at
the close of a long life employed in the affairs of men. Power is
an oppressive burden; and mankind are hard to serve, when one is
struggling virtuously against their passions and their errors.
Even success does not efface the sad impressions which the
contest has given birth to; and the exhaustion, which succeeds
the struggle, is still felt in the quiet of repose.
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The disposition of the most eminent men, and of the best among
the most eminent, to keep aloof from public affairs, in a free
democratic society, is a serious fact. Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, all ardently sighed for retirement. It would seem as if,
in this form of society, the task of government were too severe
for men who are capable of comprehending its extent, and desirous
of discharging the trust in a proper manner.
Still, to such men alone this task is suited, and ought to be
intrusted. Government will be, always and everywhere, the
greatest exercise of the faculties of man, and consequently that
which requires minds of the highest order. It is for the honor,
as well as for the interest, of society, that such minds should
be drawn into the administration of its affairs, and retained
there; for no institutions, no securities, can supply their
place.
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And, on the other hand, in men who are worthy of this destiny,
all weariness, all sadness of spirit, however it might be
permitted in others, is a weakness. Their vocation is labor.
Their reward is, indeed, the success of their efforts, but still
only in labor. Very often they die, bent under the burden, before
the day of recompense arrives. Washington lived to receive it. He
deserved and enjoyed both success and repose. Of all great men,
he was the most virtuous, and the most fortunate. In this world,
God has no higher favors to bestow.
The End.