The defender of his country--the founder of liberty,
The friend of man,
History and tradition are explored in vain
For a parallel to his character.
In the annals of modern greatness
He stands alone;
And the noblest names of antiquity
Lose their lustre in his presence.
Born the benefactor of mankind,
He united all the greatness necessary
To an illustrious career.
Nature made him great,
He made himself virtuous.
You May Also Like / View all maxioms
Washington--a fixed star in the firmament of great names, shining
without twinkling or obscuration, with clear, beneficent light.
Washington--a fixed star in the firmament of great names, shining
without twinkling or obscuration, with clear, beneficent light.
Were an energetic and judicious system to be proposed with your
signature it would be a circumstance highly honorable read more
Were an energetic and judicious system to be proposed with your
signature it would be a circumstance highly honorable to your
fame . . . and doubly entitle you to the glorious republican
epithet,
The Father of your Country.
First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his
countrymen.
First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his
countrymen.
First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his fellow
citizens.
First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his fellow
citizens.
That name was a power to rally a nation in the hour of
thick-thronging public disasters and calamities; that read more
That name was a power to rally a nation in the hour of
thick-thronging public disasters and calamities; that name shone
amid the storm of war, a beacon light to cheer and guide the
country's friends; it flamed too like a meteor to repel her foes.
A nobleness to try for,
A name to live and die for.
A nobleness to try for,
A name to live and die for.
Where may the wearied eye repose,
When gazing on the Great;
Where neither guilty glory glows,
read more
Where may the wearied eye repose,
When gazing on the Great;
Where neither guilty glory glows,
Nor despicable state?
Yes--one the first, the last, the best,
The Cincinnatus of the West
Whom envy dared not hate,
Bequeathed the name of Washington
To make man blush; there was but one.
The purely Great
Whose soul no siren passion could unsphere,
Thou nameless, now a power and mixed read more
The purely Great
Whose soul no siren passion could unsphere,
Thou nameless, now a power and mixed with fate.
America has furnished to the world the character of Washington!
And if our American institutions had done nothing else, read more
America has furnished to the world the character of Washington!
And if our American institutions had done nothing else, that
alone would have entitled them to the respect of mankind.
