Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1852-07-10


come the witnesses Of his defeat III that
final contest where the miehtiest fall be.
! fore thu great DESTROYER when these mOr.
Bile columns shall themselves have fallen,
like all the works of man. leaving their
broken fragments 10 tell The story Of Tor.
MR. mpEniiicencr, amid the very ruins
that anhounce decay and desolalon.
Twas often with him during his las, i'll
ness, when the world and the things Of the
world wee last fading away before him.
lie knew that the silver cord was almost
Iuo"ned, and that the golden bowl was
breaking at the fountain but he was re-
signed 10 the will Of Providence, feeling
that lie who gave has the right to take a
way in his own good time and manner
After his duty to his Creator and his anxi-
ely for his family, his first care was for
his country, and his first wish for the pre-
scrvalion and perpeluaion Of the CHnsti-
tuition and the Union. dear to him in the
hour Of death os they had ever been in
The vigor Of lile Of that Constitution and
Union whose defence III the last and
gieatest crisis Of their peril had called
forth ull his energies, and had simulated
those memorable and powerful eXcr.ions
which he who witnessed can never forget,
and which no doubt hastened the fual ca.
taslrophe a nation now d''pIores with u
sincerity and unanimity not less honora-
bio 10 Themselves than to the memory Of
the object Of their affections. And when
we shall enter tina, narrow valley through
which he has passed before liz. and which
leads to the judsmen, scat Of God, may
we be able to say, through faith in his
Son, our Saviour, aud in the beautiful Ian.
guage Of the hymn Of the dying christian
dying, but ever living and triumphant
\"Thc world rcccdes it disappears;
Heaven opens on my eyes; my ears
With sounds scraphic ring
Lend, lend your wings! mount, ny
Oh, grave, where is thy victory1
Oh. death. where is thy sting ~
Let me die the death Of the righteous,
and lei my last hour be like his!
Mr.. HUNTER, Of Virginia, said: Mr..
President, we have heard with deep sen.
sibili,y what has Just fallen from the Sen.
ators who have preceded me. We have
heard, sir, the voice Of Kentucky; and
upon this occasion she had n right TO
speak in mingled accents Of pride and sor-
row; for it has rarely fallen to The lot OF
AIRY State TO lamen, the loss Of such son
as this. But, sir, Virginia too is entitled
TO her place in this procession; for she
came, be supposed to be rnmindful Of
the tie which bound her 10 the dead
When the earth opens to receive the NOR.
tai part which she gave to men, it is then
that affection iseager TO bury in its bosom
every recollection but those Of love and
kindness. And, sir, when the last sensi.
bic tic is about to be severed, it is then
that we look with anxious incres, TO the
deeds Of the life, and to the emanations Of
the heart and the mind, for those more en-
during monuments which arc the creation
Of an immortal nature.
In this instance we cali he al M, loss for
these. This land, sir, is full Of the monu.
ments Of his genius. His memory is as
imncrishable as American history itself
for he was one Of those that made it,
Sir, he belonged 10 that marked class who
are the men Of their century; for il was
his rare good fortune not only to have
been endowed with tho capacity to do
grca, things; butt have enjoyed the. OPP
portunitics VI achieving them. know,
sir, il has been said and deplOrcd that he
wanted some Of the advantages Of an ear
" education; but il perhaps has not been
remembered that in many respects he en-.
joyed suc!, opportunities for mental 'rain-
ing os can rarely fall 10 the lot Of man.
He had not chance TO learn as murh from
books, but he had such opportunities Of
learning from men as few men have ever
eujoy ed. Sir, i, is TO be remembered that
he was reared at time when there was
state Of society in the commonwealth
which gave him birth such as has never
been seen there before nor since. It was
his early privilege to see how justice was
administered BY Pendleton and Wythc,
with the las: Of whom he was in the daily
habit Of familiar intercourse. He had
constant opportunities 10 observe how TO-
rensic questions were managed by Mar
shall and aWickham. He was old enough
too. to have heard and TO have arprecia.
ted the eloquence Of a Patrick Henry. and
Of George Keith Taylor. In short, sir, he
lived in a society in which the examples
Of a jefferson. and Madison, and Mon
roc were living influences, and Oh which
the setting SIN Of a Washington cast The
mild ef1ulgence Of its parting rays.
He was trained. too, as has been well
said by The Senator from Michigan, (Mr.
EcAss,) alta period when the recent revolu.
tionary struggle had given more elevated
tone to patriotism, and impaired higher
cast to public feeling and TO public char
acter. Such lessons were worth more 10
Thin than The whole encyclopedia Of scho.
as,ic learning. Nor only were the cir
cumstances Of his early learning favorable
TO the development of his genius. but
The theatre upon which lie was thrown
was cminently propitious for its exercise.
The circumstances Of the curly settlement
Of Kentucky the generous daring and
reckless character Of the people, all fitted
it to be the theatre for the display Of
those commanding qualities Of heart and
mind which heso emlnen,ly possessed,-
There cansbe little doubt but that those
people, and stheir chosen leader, exercised
mutual influence upon cath other; and
no one can be surprised thai, with his brave
spirit, and commanding eoquence, and
fascinating address, he should have led
no, only ttsfe but elsewhere.
Ibid not know him, MIR. President, as