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Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1930, Page 4

In the recently published third vol- [ lime of his study of George Washington Mr Rupert Hughes arrived at conclusions “to which,” says a reviewer, “most careful students. . . have long been forced, though it is highly improbable that they will ever find any wide popular acceptance.” Washington’s real victory was over the American people: “The more I read of the American revolution the more difficult. 1 find it to understand how it ever could have succeeded. I can hardly believe that it. did. As a matter of lact it never did succeed in the way it was meant to at the beginning; and its results were not all what they were cxnceted to lie at the end of it. . . Reciiusp Americans were what thev wero, poor Washington was never able to put up a real fight, never able to secure a real armv. never able to give his military abilities a real lest, but was compelled to spend most of his time running away from a lazy enemy, or keeping at a safe distance while he sent out heai'threakingly vain appeals for food, money, old clot lies, soldiers, helpful legislation, the deferment of mutual .jealousies, some unity

of action.” Mr Hughes summarises Ins view of Washington in these words: “The more I study Washington, the greater and hotter J think him, yet ! am not trying to prove him great or good . . . He was a man of such 1 1 (.•mentions undeniable achievement that lie does not need to he bolstered up witli propaganda, protected o.v a priestcraft of suppression, or celeiiraied by any more Fourth of July oratory. . . Me was not at all the Washington that is taught in the schools. He was far greater than tlia. bland miracle worker. He was infinitely human, incessantly guessing wrong, making innumerable false prophecies, countless mistakes, losing his temper, regaining it, being driven into victories in spite of himself and driving others to heights they could not otherwise have attained. 1 find him menially fascinating and various.”