This toast was given at the D.C. Hillsdale’s annual Washington-Lincoln Toast in celebration of Washington’s birthday, which is the actual national holiday many erroneously call “Presidents Day.“
When we regard Washington and Lincoln, our minds return to treasured images of these two great fathers of the country. We might think of Washington bravely crossing the Delaware or humbly resigning his commission in Annapolis or presiding over the Constitutional Convention. Or perhaps we have in mind Lincoln towering over cautious little McClellan or sitting grandly in his mighty memorial, just a few Smithsonians away from here. But at the risk of somber reflection, I want to put before us two complimentary, yet truly sorrowful images in order to foster greater love and admiration for Washington and Lincoln, and to encourage our own deeds of service, despite the difficult state of our union.
Consider Lincoln, together with the first lady, in an upper room of the White House, in quiet vigil over their dying son, Willie Lincoln, on a chilling February night. The water from the spring under Franklin Square, just a few blocks from here, which filled Willie’s bath, was likely toxic from sewage and seepage. Due to the careless ignorance of all, the president’s 12-year-old son died that night in the midst of our Civil War.
And consider, for just a moment more, Washington, kneeling beside his adopted daughter, Patsy Custis, weeping quietly in prayer for her recovery. That same day, the Good Lord would take her at age 17.
