Program and selections for the observance of Washington's birthday in the schools of Georgia [1904]

Program and SIctions
FOR THE OBSERVANCE of
Wasbington'sBirtbday
IN THE
Scbools of 6orgia

AtlUlt~'GL:
"*'':/ Geo. W. Harrls~'f1.
.1 -"6:.- The Franklin printing

'~p.ny

INTRODUCTORY.
To my Fellow Teachers of the State of Georgia:
You will find in the following pages a progr am and appropriate selections for the observance of Washington's Birthday. This excellent matter has been arranged by Miss Minnie Quinn, a teacher in the Calhoun School and a well-known contributor to the newspapers and magazines.
The best lessons d history will be found in the lives of men who have nobly served their fellow-men. A just appreciation of the character of Washington and the princi pIes illustrated by him can come only to those who read thoughtfully and gratefully the accounts of his wonderful career. The pupils of our schools should be able to tell, with enthusiastic interest, the incidents in his life which are most impressive-incidents which illustrate his selfcontrol, his executive ability, his manly gentleness, his courage, his devotion to home and mother, his patriotism, his patience under malicious criticism, his generosity, his hopeful faith in the progress of' education and good government, his trust in God.
Believing that a careful study of Washington will make your pupils better students, better playmates, and better <:'itizens, and wishing you success in the exercises which you plan for the Twenty-second of ]february, I am,
Yours very truly, W. B. MERRITT,
State School Commissioner.

I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I

SUGGESTED ORDER OF PROGRAM.

[To be amended according to number and capacity ofpupils.J

1. Song

.

.

By the School.

2. Reading

Washington.

By a Boy.

Selection from the Declaration of Independence.

3. Concert Recitation

Advanced Pupils.

4. Recitation

Our Country. .

By a Girl.

A Talk With Grandpa.

-5. Recitation.

..

By a Small Boy.

u. Song

John Henry Jones.

.

.

By the School.

Hail Columbia. 7. Declamation

Boy.

Washington's Greatness. (Everett.)

8. Recitation

.

Girl.

Washington. (Eliza Cook.)

9. Recitation

.

.:.Girl

10. Song

The Banner Betsey Made. By the School.

Star Spangled Banner.

11. Quotations about Washington:.. __ .__Various Pupils.

12. Recitation

.

Boy.

Washington. (Paul H. Hayne.)

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13. Concert Recitation

younger Pupils.

The Red, White and Blue.

14. Recitation ____ __ _

__ _ _ _

Boy or Girl.

Washington. (Hope.)

15. Recitation

.

By a Small Boy.

The Young American. 16. Quotations from Washington _. 17. Declamation

Pupils. Boy.

The Stars and Stripes. (Hill.)

18. Song



.

.School.

To Washington.

19. Declamation

.

Boy.

The Character of Washington. (Vance.)

20. Recitation

By Small Boy.

Like Washington.

21. Concert Recitation-

22. Song

The Flag.

School.

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue.

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WASHINGTON.
TUKE-AMERICA.
SONG BY THE SCHOOL.
We celebrate to-day Another natal day
Of Washington. Our country's Father, he Stood firm for Liberty; No nobler name can be
Than Washington!
The first in peace or war, Beloved both near and far,
Was Washington. Unselfish, true and brave, His gallant service gave Our country dear to save,
Brave Washington.
Then let us sing to-day On this, the natal day
Of Washington. Long may our Nation stand, Free from oppression's hand, 'Neath Stars and Stripes so grand,
For Washington. -Normal Instructor.

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CONCERT RECITATION.
OUR COUNTRY.
Our country! 'tis a glorious land! With broad arms stretched from shore to shore;
The proud Pacific chafes her strand, She hears the dark Atlantic roar;
And nurtured on her ample breast, How many a goodly prospect lies,.
In Nature's wildest grandeur drest, Enameled with her loveliest dyes!
Rich prairies decked with flowers of gold, Like sun-lit oceans roll afar;
Broad lakes her azure heavens behold, Reflecting clear each trembling star;
And mighty rivers, mountain-born, Go sweeping onward dark and deep,
Through forests where the bounding fawn Beneath their sheltering branches leap.
And cradled 'mid her clustering hills, Sweet vales in dream-like beauty hide,
Where love the air with music fills, And calm content and peace abide;
For plenty here her fullness pours In rich profusion o'er the land,
And, sent to seize her generous stores, There prowls no tyrant's hireling band.
Great God! we thank Thee for this homeThis bounteous birth-land of the free;
Where wanderers from afar may come, And breathe the air of liberty.

Still may her flowers untrampled spring, Her harvests wave, her cities rise;
And yet, till time shall fold his wing, Remain Earth's loveliest Paradise!
A TALK WITH GRANDPA.
" No school to-day ! No school to-day! The children shouted, wild with glee.
"But why?" said gravdpa. "Tell me, pray, Why such a thiug should be?
'Tis but the middle of the week! 'Twas Cbristmas lately, and New Year'sl
Don't burry off to hide-and-seek.: There's some mistake, my dears."
"No, no! There's anrely no mistake, A holiday we have again;
We're sure our ears were wide awake, The teacher said it plain."
"But why?" "Grandpa, you ought to know! On such a February morn
More than a hundred years ago, George Washinj:!;ton was born."
"George Washington? And who was he?" "A. manly boy that told no lies;
He grew to be a general, So brave, und j:!;ood, and wise I
A.nd first in war, and first in peace, First also in a nation's heart,
His birthday we shall never cease To love and set apart.

" You just pretend! you can't forget!" Said g-randpa, " Well, you've found me out!
I own I do remember yet, That following him about
For freedom's sake, my grandsire won A wooden leg! and proudly wore
The trophy when the war was done! You've heard the tale before."
JOHN HENRY JONES.
" I think I'll be like Washington, As dignified and wise;
Folks always say a boy can be A great man if he tries.
" And then, perhaps, when I am old, People will celebrate
The birthday of John Henry Jones, And I shall live in state.
" John Henry Jones is me, you knowOh, 'twill be jolly fun
To have my birthday set apart Like that of Washington."
WASHINGTON'S GREATNESS.
Washington added a new sister to the family of nations. Washington's existence called America into being. It was his character which set her upon her feet and sustained her there through every stage of doubt and disaster. It was the personality of Washington, which, like the white plume of Navarre at I vry, rallied the people in the hour of darkness and peril and need. It was the patience, tbe

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. undaunted courage, the undying hope, the noble gen. erosity,
the perfect devotion to right, the undoubting reliance upon

God, that drew men to Washington to get inspiration

from his virtnes, even as men sought the oracles of old.

There are those who will deny Washington's greatness,

on the ground that he lacked genius, that he was merely a

good, patient, dogged man, who was sustained by the peo-

ple, and achieved success through the mistakes of his op-

ponents. But he had to an eminent degree the genius of

the ruler, the gilt of control over men; and before ihis

genius men like Franklin and Jefferson and Adams, them-

selves born leaders, bowed in submission, and gave to him

their confidence, realizing that in him they had found one

greater than themselves, while the common people felt

that he was a born sovereign vf mankind.*

The year 1786 was the darkest in the history of the na-

tion. The people were broken, bankrupt, disheartened,

quarrelling among themselves, and the world was fast

coming to the conclusion that the new nation was a failure,

and would soon become a prey to the great powers beyond

the sea. The people had held to the idea of liberty, re-

gardless and to the exclusion of other ideas. They could

not understand the necessity for law and restraint, for giv-

ing up a part of their individual rights for the good of the

whole people. It was the character of Washington that

brought the people out of the wilderness, made them will-

ing to accept the Constitution, and made the nation a fact

as well as a name.

WILLIAM EVERET'.r.

"fbia selection rna;!' end bCte, and the remainder be spoken separately.



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WASHINGTON.
BY ELIZA COOK.
Land of the West! though passing brief the record of thine age,
Thou hast a name that darkens all on history's wide page!
Let all the blasts of fame ring out,-thine shall be loudest far;
Let others boast their satellites-thou hast a planet star.
Thou hast a name whose character of light shall ne'er depart-
'Tis stamped upon the dullest brain, and warms the coldest heart.
A war-cry fit for any land where freedom's to be won, Land of the West! It stands alone-it is thy Washington!
He stood the firm, the calm, the wise, the patriot and the sage,
He showed no deep avenging hate--no burst of despot rage,
He stood for liberty and truth, and dauntlessly led on, 'Till shouts of victory gave forth the name of Washington!
He saved his land, but did not lay his soldier trappings down,
To change them for the regal robe, and wear a kingly crown.
Fame was too earnest in her joy, too proud of such a sonTo let a robe and title mask her noble Washiugton I


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THE BANNER BETSY MADE.
We have nicknamed it "Old Glory" As it floats upon the breeze,
Rich in legend, song and story On the land and on the seas;
Far above the shining river, Over mountain, glen and glade
With a fame that lives forever Streams the banner Betsy made.
Once it went from her, its maker, To the glory of the:wars,
Once the modest little Quaker -Deftly studded it with stars
And her fingers, swiftly flying Through the sunshine and the)hade,
Welded colors bright, undying, In the panner Betsy made.
When at last her needle:rested And her cherished work was-done,
Went the banner, love-invested, To the camps of Washington;
And the glorious Continentals In the morning light arrayed
Stood in ragged regimentals 'Neath the banner Betsy made.
How they cheered it and its maker, 'fhey the gallant sons of wars,
How they blessed the little Quaker And LeI' flag of stripes and stars:;
,Neath its folds, the foemen scorning,_ Glinted bayonets and blade,

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And the breezes of the morning Kissed the banner Betsy made.
Years have passed, but still in glory With a pride we love to see,
Laureled with a nation's glory Waves the emblem of the fl'E:e;
From the rugged pines of Northland To the deep'ning everglade,
In the sunny heart of Southland Floats the banner Betsy made.
A protection all have found it, And beneath it stands no slave
Freemen brave have died around it On the land and on the wave;
. In the foremost front of battle Borne by heroes not afraid
'Mid the musket's rapid rattle, Soared the banner Betsy m.adl:'.
Now she sleeps whose fingers flying With a heart to freedom true,
Mingled colors bright, undyingFashioned stars and field of blue;
It will lack for no defenders When the nation'::; f0es invade,
For our country close to splendor 'Neath the banner Betsy made.

QUOTATIONS ABOUT WASHINGTON.

(BY MEMBERS OF SCHOOL.)

Washington, whose sword was never drawn but in the

.cause of his country, and never sheathed when wielded in

his country's cause!

John' Qwincy Adams. ~

15

As long as human hearts shall anywhere pant, or Luman tongues anywhere plead, for a true, rational, c02lstitutional liberty, those hearts shall enshrine the memott, those tongues prolong the fame of George Washington!
Robert O. Winthrop.

There has been but one Washington,-and God, in his

goodness, gave him to us. Let us cherish his dust and re-

vere his memory.

J. W. Savage.

A great and venerated character like that of WashingtOD, which commands the respect of an entire popu1ation, however divided on other questions, is not an isolated fact in history, to be reg-arded with barren admiration-it is a dispensation of Providence for the good of mankind.
Savage.

Our first and best! his ashes lie Beneath his own Virginia,sky. Forgive, forget, oh! true and just and brave, The storm that swept above thy ~acred grave!
J. G. Whittier.

And still we trust the years to be Shall prove his hope was destiny, Leaving our flag, with all its added stars, U nrent by factions and unstained by wars.
. John G. Whittier.

His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke; and as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder.
Thomas Jefferson.

Washington is the purest figure in human history.

.

w: E. Gladstone.

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It needs no prophet's eye to scan along the line of time, the majestic outline of our nation's destiny, when the fruits of our free government shall be more and more developed, until this vast continent shall 'be peopled with freemen from sea to sea; when the fame of the nation shall reach the farthest islands and shores; when our star of empire, radiant with the beams of liberty, shall have grown to such magnitude, as to attract the eyes ano guide the steps of all nations; and when some queen of Sheba sh~ll come over seas and continents to behold onr greatness, and see the happy results of the wisdom of Washington.
Savage.
WASHINGTON.
BY PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE.'
Bright natal morn! what face appears Beyond the rolling mist of year,,? A face whose loftiest traits combine All virtues of a stainless line Passed from great sire to son; The face of him whose steadfast zeal Drew harmonies of law and right From chaos and anarchic night.; Who with a power serene as Fate's Wrought from rude hordes of turbulent States, The grandeur of our commonweal: All hail! All hail! to Washington!
Freedom:he wooed in such brave guise Men gazing in her luminous eyes Beheld all heaven:reflected shine Far down those sapphire orbs divine; And worshipped her so chastely won;

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If still she panted, fresh from strife, And blood-stains flecked her garments' rim, They could not make its whiteness dim; For, shed by. hearts sublimely true, Such drops are changed to sacred dp,w. The chrism of patriot light and li (e Baptizing first our Washington.
She wove for him a civic crown; She made so pure his hale renown, All glories of the antique days, Waned in the clear immaculate blaze Poured from his nature's noontide sun; No slave of folly's catchword school, His instincts proud of blood and race She tempered with sweet human grace, 'Till his broad being's rounded flow Sea-like embraced the high and low, Swayed by the golden-sceptred rule, The equal will of Washington.
Through shower and sun the seasons rolled, November's gray and April's gold; They only raised (more calmly grand), His genius of su~reme command, Whose course, ip blood and wrath begun, Grew gentler, as the mellowing lights Of peace made beauteous sky and sod; His evening came; he walked with God; And down life's gradual sunset-slope He hearkened to the heavenly hope"Look up! bebold the fadeless heights. Which rise to greet thee-Washington! "

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THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE.
Oh, flag of a resolute nation, Oh, flag of the strong and free,
The cherished of true-hearted millions We hallow thy colors three!
Three proud, floating emblems of glory, Our guide for the coming time;
The red, white, and blue, in their beauty, Love gives them a meaning sublime.
Thy red is the deep crimson life-stream Which flowed on the battle plain,
Redeeming our land from oppression, And leaving no servile stain.
Thy white is a proud peoples' honor, Kept spotless and clear as light;
A pledge of unfaltering justice, A symbol of truth and right.
Thy blup, is our nation's endurance, And points to the blue above;
The limitless, measureless azure, A type of our Father's love.
Thy stars are God's witness of blessing, And smile at the foemRn's frown;
They sparkle and gleam in their splendor, :Bright ~ems in the ~reat world's crown,

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WASHINGTON.
BY JAMES BARRON HOPE.
Not Cmsar's genius, nor Napoleon's skill Gave him proud mast'ry o'er the trembliug earth;
But great in honesty, and sense, and will, He was the" mall of worth."
He knew not North, nor South, nor West, nor East; Childless himself, Father of States he stood,
Strong and sagacious, as a knight turned priest, And vowed to deeds of good.
Compared with all earth's heroes, I may say He was, with even half his virtues hid,
Greater in what his hand refrained Than they were great in what they did.
And thus his image dominates all time, Uplifted like the everlasting dome
Which rises in a miracle sublime Above eternal Rome.
On Rome's once blooming plain, where'er we stray, That dome majestic rises on the view,
Its Cross aglow with every wandering ray That shines along the blue.
So his vast image shadows all the lands, So holds forever man's adoring eye,
And o'er the Union which he left, it standsOur Cross against the sky.

THE AMERICAN BOY.
Look up, my young American! Stand grimly on the earth,
Where noble deeds and mental power Give titles over birth.
A halIow'd land thou claim'st, my boy, By early struggles bought,
Heaped up with noble memories, And wide, aye, wide as thought!
What though we boast no ancient towers Where "ivied" streamers twine,
The laurel lives upon our soil, The laurel, boy, is thine.
A nd when thou'rt told of knigthood's shield, And English battles won,
Look up, my boy, and breathe one word, The name of Washington.
SAID BY WASHINGTON.
To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means for preservi ng peace.
Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections.
The name of an American must always exalt the jnst pride of patriotism.
From the gallantry and fortitude of her citizens, under the auspices of heaven, America has derived her independence.

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Observe good faith and justice toward all nations; cuI. tivate peace and harmony with all.
The ever favorite object of my heart is, the benign influence of good laws under a free government.

"THE STARS AND THE STRIPES/,

From the speech which Mr. HilI delivered on the

occasion of the presentation of the flag to the city of

Atlanta by the people of Ohio is clipped this para-

graph. Said he :

"My COUNTRYMEN: Have you studied the wonderful

system of free constitutional government? Have you

compared it with former systems and noted'how our fathers

sought to improve their defects? Let me commend this

study to every American citizen to-day. To him WhO

love's liberty it is more enchanting than romance, more

bewitching than love, and more elevating than any other

science. Our fathers accepted this plan with improvements

in the details which can not be found in any other system.

With what a noble impulse of patriotism they carne together

from distant States and joined their counsel to perfect

their system, thenceforward to be known as the American

system of free constitutional government. The snows that

nightly fall on Mount Washington are not purer than the

motives which begot it. The fresh dew-laden zephyrs

from the orange groves of the South are not sweeter than

the hopes which its advent inspired. The flight of our

symbolic eagle, though he blow his breath on the sun,

can not be higher than its expected destiny. Have the

motives which inspired our fathers become all corrupt in

their children?

No, no, forever no! Patriots

North; patriots Sou th, patriots everywhere? Let us hallow

this year of jubilee by burying all our sectional animosities."

BENJAMIN H. HILL.

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TO WASHINGTON.
[ADAPTED TO THE AIR OF :MARYLAND, :MY :MARYLAND.]
To-day we meet thy praise to sing, Great Washington, our Washington I
In song we'll let our voices ring,
o Washington, our Washington!
For when, their hearts with freedom swelled, Our fathers foreign rule expelled, Thy leadership was ne'er excelled,
Great Washington, George Washington.
The freedom of our land they gained, With Washington, brave Washington,
'Till not one British foe remained, Oh Washington, great Washington.
You ruled the land from sea to sea, The beauteous birthland of the free, And grateful we will ever be
To Washington, wise Washington.
For happy homes, for liberty, Great Washington, dear Washington,
Our hearts will ever thankful be 'ro Washington, great Washington.
We would thy grateful children be, Unselfish, loyal, brave like thee, For 'twas thy wisdum made us free,
Our country's pride-our Washington.

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THE CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON.
BY ZEBULON B. VANCE.
The compositton of a man is threefold; physical, intellectual, and moral.
It is the justly proportioned composition of these three that constitutes the real excellence of perfect manhoodthat creature made a little lower than the angels, the noblest work of God.
Perhaps no character in history can be pronounced truly great without this combination; certainly not if the moral attributes be deficient.
All of these qualities which belong to the "noble family of truth," which engender love of country, and promote the good of mankind and the glory of God, are born and. bred in the nature of man, from which likewise spring the evil qualities which afflict and debase the world. That system of ethics, therefore, which best succeeds in developing the excellencies of our moral nature is the one which most commends itself to our race. The noble characters which it produces are justly held up as living, practical examples of the excellence of its principles.
Viewed with reference to these facts, George Washington may be justly considered one of the greatest men whom the world has produced.
Greater soldiers, more intellectual statesmen, and profounder sages have doubtless existed in the history of the English race-perhaps in our nwn country-but not one who to great excellence in these fields has added such exalted integrity, such unaffected piety, such unsullied purity of soul, and such wondrous control of his own spirit. He illustrated and adorned the civilization of Christianity more than all the dogmas of all the teachers.

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The youth of America who aspire to promote their own and their country's welfare should never cease to gaze upon his great example, or to remember that the brightest gems in the crown of his immortality, the qualities which uphold his fame upon earth and plead for him in heaven, were those which characterized him as the patient, brave, courteous, Christian gentleman.
In this respect he was a blessing to the whole human race no less than to his own countrymen, to the many millions who celebrate the day of his birth.
LIKE WASHINGTON.
He went to the war with a general's hat, And feathers and sword-I should like to do that. He fought and he fought, till the enemy ranThat's how I shall do it when I am a man. But, perhaps, I had better be thinking how I may be a little like Washington now; For they say that his being a hero began A very long time before he was a man. Re learned very early to tell what was true, An excellent thing {or a hero to do. For every small boy it would be a good plan To learn the same lesson before he's a man.

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THE FLAG.

Unfurl, bright stripes-shine forth, clear stars-swing out-

ward to the breeze,

Go bear your message to the wilds-go tell it on the seas,

That poor men sit within your shade, and rich men in their

pride-

That beggar-boys and statesmen's sons walk 'neath you,

side by side;

You guard the school-house on the green, the church upon

the hill,

And fold your precious blessings round the cabin by the

rill.

While weary hearts from every land beneath the shining

sun,

Find work, and rest, and home, beneath the Flag of Wash-

ington.

-Primary Education.

26
GEORGE WASHINGTON..
(From "Short Hi~tory of the English People.")
With the rejection of the efforts at reconciliation began the great struggle which ended, eight years later, in the severance of the American colonies from the British crown. The congress of delegates from the Colonial legislatures at once voted measures for general defense, ordered the levy of an army, and set George Washington at its head. No nobler figure ever stood in the forefront of a nation's life. Washington was grave and courteous in addre~s; his manners were simple and unpretending, his silence and the serene calmness of his temper spoke of a perfect selfmastery; but there was little in his outer bearing to reveal the grandeur of soul which lifts his figure, with all the si~ple 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 and 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 a 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 uncon-

27
sciously 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.-John Richard Green. (English Historian, 1837-83.)