Continuing Lessons from Washington’s ‘Farewell Address’

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Continuing Lessons from Washington’s ‘Farewell Address’
Gary L. Gregg
February 21, 2019 Updated: February 21, 2019
 

This Feb. 22 marks the 287th winter since George Washington was born to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. The second son of a moderately successful planter, he would, of course, rise to become one of the most consequential figures of the millennium.

Among his great attributes was his ability to exit his responsibilities on terms that left his station and those around him better than when he began.

Nowhere is that more the case than when he left the presidency in 1797. After establishing the office, setting the essential precedents, keeping the nation out of a foreign war, and loaning his valuable reputation to the cause of the new government, he left behind a “Farewell Address” that continues now, more than 200 years later, to be read each year on the floor of the U.S. Senate. But, how many pay attention to its chastising lessons?

https://m.theepochtimes.com/continuing-lessons-from-washingtons-farewell-address_2809225.html

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I had never read the entire address.

Two items pop out for me:

Towards the preservation of your government and the permanency of your present happy state, it is
requisite, not only that you steadily discountenance irregular oppositions to its acknowledged authority,
but also that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the
pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect in the forms of the Constitution alterations which will
impair the energy of the system and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown.

And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

He is still #1 in my book of great Americans.