Medina High School - Mirror Yearbook (Medina, NY)

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The Mirror 1932 Washington-Statesman and Soldier Washington Bicentennial Prize Essay N all history there is no greater character than George Washing- 'il ton. The world has known great soldiers, the world has known K L gl eat statesmen, but no one has ever equaled the noble achieve- ments of our illustrious chieftain. He led in peace the country he had . freed in war. George Washington served l1is military apprenticeship against the craftiest of foes, the American Indians. From the age of nineteen, this tall, slender Virginian fought as an English ollicer against the savages and their equally shrewd allies, the French. In the dark forests of the frontier, the importance of watehfulness and prepared- ness were deeply impressed upon his mind for, in the surprise attack, the Indians excelled. As time went on, Washington seemed to absorb solne of the fox-like cunning of his foes and he developed into a crafty leader-sensing the strength and position of his opponents and plac- ing his men to the best advantage. He was the leading soldier in the colonies, and when the Vontinental Congress made its portentous deci- sion, Washington was naturally chosen Uommander in Chief of the Uolonial forces. At the head of his ragged regimentals' Washington became the truly great soldier. All the qualities of the military heroes of history were his. We see him turning farm boys and old Indian fighters into an army which loved and respected him. Wie see him the superb tactician at tl1e Crossing of the Delaware, the storm disciplinarian in the bitter words with which he quelled Lee, the kindly comrade during the sad days of Valley Forge and the merciful conqueror after the surrender at Yorktown. In the Words of John Warwick Daniel, At the head of raw volunteers, hungry to the edge of famine, ragged almost to nakedness, whose muniments of War were a burlesque of its necessities, he defeated the trained bands and veteran generals of Europe. With victory won, and peace assured Washington felt that his public career was at an end and he retired to Mt. Vernon. During the next few years he lent the prudence of his counsel to the cause of union. Recognizing his integrity, his Wisdom and his patriotism, the grateful country unanimously elected him to be the first president of the United States. To many his greatness as a statesman is harder to realize than his military ability, but, in fact, We find him admirably fitted for his new role, in which he was destined to achieve magnificent success. For at an early age Washington had learned a self-reliance and a self-control which are indispensable to a political leader and his early experiences as a surveyor, woodsman and soldier had given l1in1 a true sympathy Page Twenty-two

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1932 The Mirror Speaking of Birthdays . . 1932-What an eventful year of birthdays! This year marks the two liundredth anniversary of the birth of our First Citizen, George Washington, the one l1lU1lll'0lltll anniversary of the establish- ment of the village of Medina, and last but not least, the twentieth anniversary of our own Mirror, In regard to this last mentioned, li believe that I van safely say that there are comparatively few people who really know a great deal about its origin. The ve1'y first number was published in the spring of 1912. lt was a small, paper-eovered book, quite unlike tl1e Mirrors We have known. The eover design eonsisted of a drawing of a hand mirror with the reflection of the old high sehool building, or, as it was popularly known, the old 'tAeademy, in it. There were no photographs in this first Mirror as there have been in its sueeessors, but this feature gradually became a neeessary part of tl1e book. Its editors-in-ehief have ineluded several of the Well-known, promi- nent young men and women of this community, many of whom will be reeognized from the following ehronologieal list, to date: 1912 . Harold Ryan 1923 . . Julia Fay 1913 Charles D-anolds 192-1 Raymond Gilbert 1911- . . Robert Munson 1925 Helen Gillmeister 1915 . James Collins 1926 . Lucia Condon 1916 Carl Helenbolt 1927 . Alice Colman 1917 . Gordon Kibler 1928 . Dorothy Lee 1918 George Brennan 1929 . Gladys Beach 1919 Marian Rowley 1930 Lorraine Garrett 1920 Hdythe Krompart 1931 . Verna Garrett 1921 Velma WVaterson Mary Kerr 1922 . . . Lee Skinner 4 Q. 41 rl f,i ' F, ff, 5 14211 I -The Editor Paze Twenty-one

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1932 The Mirror with democracy. This sympathy, together with his own aristocratic traditions, enabled him to realize the extent to which the opposing ideals of deniocraey and aristocracy could be blended to form a strong founda- tion, the only stable foundation, for our government. Add to this a nature, straightforward and manlyg a clear, flexible mind and we have a man superbly equipped for the high position he had been called to fill. Washington was never a passive president. No fact in history is more clearly established than that he was, in truth, the Chief Executive of his own administrations. We see instances of this dominance in his firm resistance to the insolence of revolutionary France and his refusal to enter upon a second war with lflngland. ln reading the history of his terms we see his steady aeeentuation of the national principle and l1is noble efforts to reconcile his Cabinet as well as the humane policy to- wards the Indians and his prompt crushing of the VVhiskey Rebellion. Nor were Washington 's thoughts always on the present for l1e sensed the evils of slavery and foresaw the importance of the west. Wash- ington Irving enlogizes the career of the greatest statesman by saying: It seems as if Providence had endowed hin1 in a pre-eminent degree with the qualities requisite to fit him for the high destiny he was called upon to fulfill-to inaugurate a new and untried government. George Washington, Soldier, Statesman, his fame is written upon the very forehead of time . For here was a great man-a man who by sheer strength of purpose led a young, divided and disorganized nation to victory and then, the choice of his countrymen he led in peace as i11 war, welded that nation into enduring strength and unity. -David White, Jr., Class of 1932 l'l'his essay was awarded first prize for the eighth judicial district of New York State by the Commission for the Celebration of the Two Hnndredth Anniversary of the Birth of George Washington. 'Phe award consisted of a gold medal and a trip to Washington and Mount Vernonl. f , i , N s sgrb Wa: oe, Y 5444 J r ,Y ,41 5 i' 4 , x K .JI i .,, . f3fff3 V ll 2 , , ,M T34 5 E 'gicj . J 'L , fvfof' -xf, I, I 'l' .mink Page Twen ty-three