Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-17
Another Eulogy on Washington.

hhctAer EulOgy on washington.
REMAINS OF EDw. EVERETT, July 5, 1858.
At tie dinner given by the city authori-
ties of Boston, on tie 5th inst, the scnti-
ment to 1.-The Memory of Washington"
having been proposed, the Hon. Edward
Everett was introduced to the Mayor, and
was received with enthusiastic cheers. He
spoke as follows
Mr.. Mayor +: I feel greatly honored by
the manner in which you have called upon
me to respond to the toast given to the
memory Of Washington, l have elsewhere
thought it right to say that to be named in
connection with him is alb honor so far be-
yond any desert Of mine that there would
be a degree Of vanity in thinking it neces-
sary to disclaim it. You will give me credit.
if not for the self-knowledge and humility,
at least for the good taste, which would lead
me to put far aside any such association
with that great name, which, morethan any
other name of human renown, has drawn to
itself incommnnicably the gratitude and af-
lection Of his own countrymen, and the ad-
miration Of mankind. But / may, without
presumption, return to you my thanks for
atfordlng me the opportunity of giving ut
terance. on your behalf and on behalf o fthe
city OF Boston, to the emotions with which
the mention Of that illustrious name, ever
honored, ever dear, must warm the bosom
OF the true patriot on the anniversary of our
National Independence. l,-s@
| feel, sir, more and more as [ advance
IN life, and watch with mingled confidence,
solicitude and hope, the Development of the
momentous drama of our national existence,
seeking to penetrate that future which his
Excellency has so eloquently fo~reshadowed,
that it is well worth our while, that it is at
once one of our highest social duties and
important privileges, to celebrate with ever
Increasing solemnity-with annually aug
mented pomp and circumstance Of festal
commemoration-the anniversary of the ma
tons birth, were it only as affording a fit
ing occasion to bring the character and SER
vices of Washington, with ever fresh rccog-
milton, to the public notice, as the great
central figure Of that unparalleled group.
that mobile army" Of chieftains, sages and
patriots, by whom the revolution was ac-
complished. This is The occasion, and here
is the spot, and this is the day, and we cit
liens of Boston are the men, if any in the
land, to throw vide open the portals of the
Temple of Memory and Fame. and there
gaze with the eyes of a r~everent and crate
full imagination on his b~enignant counte-
narce and majestic form. This is the oc-
casion and Che day, for who needs to be told
how much the cause Of independence owes
to the services and character of Washing
ton, to fhe purity of that stainless purpose.
to the frmuess of that r~esolute soul? This is
the spot, this immortal hall, from which. az
from an altar, went forth the burning Goals
that klndled into a consuming fire at Lex
ington and Concord, at Bunker Hill and
Dorchester Heights. We, citizens of Bos-
ton, are the men, for the first great success
Of Washington in the Revolutionary War
was to restore to our fathers their ancient
and beloved native town. This is the time.
ne accepted time, when the voice of the
Father of his Country cries aloud to us from
the sods of Mount Vernon, and calls upon
US, East and West, North and South, as
the brethren Of one great household, to be
faithful to the dear bought Inheritance
which he did so much to Secure Us.
Nor is the fame of Washington confined
to our country. Bourdalone, in his eulory
IN the military saint Of France, exclaims-
1.-The other saints have been given By the
church to France but France in return has
Egiven st. Lofts to the Church." Born into
the family Of nations in these latter DAYS.
receiving from foreign countries, inheriting
from ancient times, the bright and instruc-
tive example of all their honored sons, it is
the glory of America, in the very dawn of
her national existence, to have given back
to the world many names of which the lus-
tire will never fade, one name of which the
family OF Christendom is wiling to ac-
knowledge the unenvied pre-eminence, a
name of which neither Greece nor Rome.
nor republican Italy, Switzerland, nor Hol-
land, nor constitutional England, can boast
the rival. "a character of virtues so hap
PLY tempered by one another" Ct use the
language Of Charles James Fox, "and so
wholly unalloyed by any vices, is hardly to
be found on the pages of history
1t is delightful to witness the generous
recognition Of Washington's merit, even in
countries where, from political reasons.
some backwardness in that respect might
have been anticipated. Notwithstanding his
leading agency in wrestling a colonial en-
pire from Great Britain, England was not
slow to appreciate the grandeur and beauty
Of his character. Rufus King, writing to
General Hamilton, in 1877, says: "No
one WHO has not been in England can have
g just idea Of the admiration expressed a.
mpng all parties for General Washington.
1t is a common observation that he is not
only the most illustrious, but the most
meritorious character which has vet ap-
peared."
Nor was France behind in her admira-
ton of Washington. Notwithstanding The
uneasy relations Of the two countries at the
time of bis decease. when the news of his
death reached Paris, the youthful and for
tunate soldier, who had already reached the
summit Of his power by paths which Wash
ington could never have trod, commanded
the highest houors to be paid to him. A So
lemn funeral service was performed in the
"lnvalids," in the presence of all that was
most eminent in Paris. "a sorrowful cry, ,