All in the land had the wish that George Wash-ing-ton should serve as Pres-i-dent for a third term of four years, but the great man thought it best not to do so. In 1796 he wrote his "Fare-well Ad-dress to the A-mer-i-can People."
The words there found move all hearts now, though more than five scores of years have gone by.
Wash-ing-ton gave his strength and arm to save in the dark hours ere the dawn came. Then he felt the time for rest had come to him so he went back to his home at Mount Ver-non.
One day a shock came to the whole land. The sad news went forth that a great man had gone.
Wash-ing-ton was dead.
This was in the last month of the year 1799.
Eng-land put her flag at half-mast. France wore the black cloth of grief on her shield and staff.
A-mer-i-ca, from north to south was full of woe for the loss of the man so dear to her heart, the wise, great, good, true, just, brave, calm "Fa-ther of his country."
With brain, and arm, and heart he came
To save his peo-ple from the shame
Of Brit-ish rule.
A no-ble peo-ple, strong and brave,
He res-cued from the name of slave
To ty-rant's greed.
Like him, the Fa-ther of this land,
For Free-dom may we ev-er stand,
For God and Right.
