Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-08-07

The following paragraph, complimentary to
Governor Wise, we clip from one of our North
ern exchanges. 1t shows the high appreciation
entertained in other States for his eminent tai
ents and moral worth, independent Of political
considerations. Our space being limited, we
extract only portion of the article:
The Grafton Of Governor Wise, delivered at
Lexington, Virginia, on the 4th of July, 1856,
ut the ceremony of placing on its pedestraJ q
copy in solid bronze of Houdon's marble
statue of George Washington, was one of those
mastery productions for which the gifted orator
is famous. Few men in this or any other
country possess the faculty of concentrating SO
many masculine thoughts ia single Grafton
as Henry A. Wise. Apparently without any
effort or preparation, his solid, and at the same
time brilliant intellect, transmits to his audi
tory ideas both profound and beautiful. Elo-
quence dwels upon his lips, and revels there
in nndisturbed possession. But tits not alone
in this adornment that he has earned the tfle
Of great. In belle letre accomplishments he
stands almost without o rival, while deeply
schooled in the practice Craftsmanship. Who
can forget the thrilling apostrophes which
flashed from his lips during his canvass for
governor against the Knownothing organize
toni Searching invectiye and whitening sa.
tire scared the very soul of the secret order,
and left it blasted and forsaken body! To
Henry A. Wise we are indebted for staying the
march of the monster through the South. as It
had stalked through the North. His burning
eloqnence and devoted patriotism aroused the
chivalric sons of Virginia to keen sense of
duty, and with valorous hearts and stalwort
arms they beat back the fend that would have
severed thisUnion All honor to the hero, pa
triot, scholar and statesman, Henry A. Wise,
Of Virginia.
In all the speeches and orations of Virginia
gifted son, there is always something both to
instruct and please the mind of the reader.
Often quaint and always beautiful, he clothes
his ideas in language that is sure to attract. by
its force and propriety. No one is like him
in this country. Confident in the power of his
own intellect, he scorns the beaten track OF
literature, and makes "a pathway for himself.
The stubbornness Of his virtue, and his known
high sense of honor, serve to give interest to all
he says and does, while the glowing fervor OF
his patriotism kindles sympathetic fire in the
bosom of all who listen to his eloquence.
We do not wish to fall into language oil
panegyric, because fame so solid and well
deserved as his can need no extrnsic assistance
to make it lasting. Our only desire was to call
the attention Of our readers to the noble Grafton
delivered by Gov. Wise, on the recent ami
versary of our independence. His theme was
the character of Washington. How dear the
the subject to every American heart and with
what consumate ability was it handled. Well
might he exclaim in the opening of his ad
dress: "We come not either to bury or TO praise
Casar-we come not like Romans to soem.
nize apotheosis of an Emperor, or the canoniza-
ton Of Saint; but as Christains-as citizens
OF the United States--as more than citizens
as children born, and Is buried-as sons and
daughters of the Liberty his valor and wisdom
won-to bow reverently before the Virtue which
hallows and embalms the memory of our
country's Father"