The story of George Washington and the cherry tree may be a myth fabricated by one of the President's early biographers, but it was handed down to every schoolchild in America for generations. A portrait of George Washington looked down from the front the classroom to remind us of the founding virtues: honesty, duty, selflessness.
Oh, we joked about it when I was a boy. If we got caught doing something wrong, we were fond of saying "I cannot tell a lie, Father. George Washington did it." To a thirteen year old, this riposte was clever and hilarious, but the lesson was not forgotten: "I cannot tell a lie." Great men speak the truth.
Unfortunately we now have few public figures who exemplify these old fashioned virtues, so let us remember George Washington on this, his birthday. He was a great man, and inspired a young nation to greatness.
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