February 17, 2011
“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company."-- George Washington
On Presidents Day, two presidents still tug at our hearts; it is almost romantic.
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln remain as respected and revered today as they did before they entered office. I guess you could say America is in love with them.
And, their reputations do not tarnish.
I say this despite the fact that Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter in 1976 that "No man will ever bring out of the Presidency the reputation which carries him into it."
These two former presidents did.
If this were a question on Family Feud, the survey would say George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are inarguably the most venerated of presidents and continue to hold our high esteem.
In fact, Washington and Lincoln were so revered when I was a child that schools honored their birthdays on two separate occasions, one for each president.
Things were different before 1971, the year that Presidents Day became a federal holiday. Schools and banks did not close prior to that, and the post office delivered mail.
The president in 1971 was President Richard M. Nixon who issued a proclamation stating that the third Monday of February would honor all past presidents of the United States.
There was a glitch, however.
A federal statue was already on the books designating that day as Washington's birthday, and a presidential proclamation, although weighty, was not the same as an executive order.
No one split hairs, and eventually the holiday simply came into being. Thereafter, Presidents Day became the term commonly used.
But long before the federal holiday was proclaimed, the country celebrated Lincoln's birthday on February 12 th , his actual birthday, and Washington's on his, February 22 nd .
Their birthdays were met with great fanfare in most elementary schools and featured elaborate classroom decorations, the singing of patriotic songs, the telling of legendary stories, the recitation of poems and the consumption of yummy cupcakes with white icing and red sprinkles.
We imagined Lincoln living in a log cabin and learning to read by candlelight and Washington chopping down a cherry tree and never telling a lie.
Yes, I suppose one could indeed call it romantic.
Our school celebrations were not quite as exciting as on Valentine's Day, however, but they were close.
Pupils cut out head-size construction-paper silhouettes of Washington and Lincoln. The artwork, usually on white or black paper, was then pasted onto red paper or white doilies with messy white paste from a jar. The presidential likenesses were hung on classroom walls just above the blackboards.
It occurs to me that the reason schools made such a big deal over Washington and Lincoln's birthdays had a lot to do with teaching about character and reputation.
Washington and Lincoln did not waiver. They were principled, rock-solid individuals with unshaken courage, strength and determination.
Charles Francis Adams noted about George Washington, "More than all, and above all, Washington was a master of himself."
And of Abraham Lincoln, David Lloyd George observed, "If you look at his portraits they always give you an indelible impression of his great height. So does his life. Height of purpose, height of ideal, height of character, height of intelligence."
As we prepare to officially honor all presidents on the third Monday of February, it is just fine with me that Washington and Lincoln still tug at our hearts. It is for a very good reason.
