Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-11-02


Sherrard introduced the Orator Of the Day,
Ex-Gov. Henry A. Wise, an abstract of
whose remarks we give below:
Gen. Wise began by saying that he came
to meet mourning people on the most sa-
cred ground. We meet to do honor to the
mighty Confederate dead whose spirit is des-
tined to overshadow the land. It was said
they were dead They were mott was
only the living who daily suffered death un
der wronged country. The dead were Sc
cure from insult and outrage, whilst we, the
living, were the sufferers The unknown and
the known who fell in defense of their dear
est rights sleep quietly and well. Eternity
has sealed their devotion to the truth, and
they now wear an armor secure from the
bullet, the shell and the blade, as well as
from the contumely and insult Of the foe.
When the gallant men who repose beneath
this sod were living, we followed them be-
cause their bravery led them foremost in the
fight, and we should now follow their truth
and consistency.
We need their example now more than
ever in these disastrous times upon which we
have struck. The memory Of Stonewall
jackson is monument of deliverance to the
people of the South. Even his enemies
praise him. He would not speak of Jackson
as military man. He would rather speak
of the sterling, intrinsic worth of his moral
character, of his determined will, his resolu-
ton, his uncomfortable energy. AS Stone
wall Jackson was gone we should learn from
him how to regulate our present actions.
He never submitted his moral convictions to
anything but his conscience. Like some
Southern men he never truckled to political
expediency. The men who have died in the
cause though, could never be affected by the
oaths of the living They, at least, could
never be made traitors by the men of
the present If Stonewall jackson were
living do you think he could go SO
far as to say that any government was
perpetual? No, for we have evidence that
he did not believe it while living, and he
would never truckle to lie. 1t was not his
way. Rome, in her palmiest day, had erect
ed monument and placed upon it the in
scription, Roma Eterna, but the first stroke
of time swept away the Eterna and where
was she now. It would be we'll for some
men nowadays to take warning by this
historical fact. Would Stonewall jackson
have consented to debase his race by leveling
them with slaves Would Stonewall jack
son have consented to dcbase his comrades
in-arms by denying them the elective fran
chise and the right to hold Office ? He be-
lieved not Nevertheless body of men
had met in Philadelphia, better designated
as blue spirits and gray, who had yielded to
everything. They even forgot that old man,
now incarcerated in Fortress Monroe, i'm
INJURED between stonewalls without the light
of the sun. jackson could never have for
gotten him as he secuted all such trucking
policy. Some persons speak of ours as the
lost cause-it was not lost. Our glorious
dead laid down their lives that the cause
that truth-mi ght live. The blood of the
martyr is the seed of the church. Tim;d
traitors may lose the truth, but the truth,
nevertheless, still lives The light Of truth
will break upon us yet, and the darkest hour
is before the break of day. But we must
have patience and frmness, for if we desert
our State we are lost-lost forever.
The proper thing for us is to go to work.
Jackson made everything by work. Our
young men complain about the want of cap
ital Jackson had no capital with which to
well and faithfully. To be sure people
laughed at him but be did not mind that
He attended to his own business, ard with
his own indomitable energy, carved out a
name which will live as long as history
And in this particular he is model for our
young men. Dead, his example is worth
more than all Of his battles By following
in his footsteps our young men shall make
Virginia the proudest land on the face of the
earth. Some of our young men spoke Of
emigration. He laughed at the idea; for
what could they accomplish in other lands
among strangers if they did not accomplish
it among their friends. He exhorted every
body to 90 to work, as through work we
must expect to be Independent.
The Governor then paid beautiful trib-
ute to Virginia. lie said he meant old Vir-
GINA. Virginia from the Atlantic to the
Ohio, from the Potomac to North Carolina.
He did not recognize the political rape by
which the west was separated from the east.
The Governor then stated the various rea-
sons which had heretofore kept Virginia
down both in manufactures, commerce and
trade. He cited slavery as one of the eau
SEES, but we should be troubled with it NO
longer. It was weakness which crushed
us to the earth His remarks to the young
men to exert themselves in furthering the
prosperity of the State were we'll timed and
well received. After an eloquent perora-
ton, the Governor concluded his address
Phillip Williams, Esq, then introduced
the Poet Of the Day, Daniel B. Lucas, Esq,
of Jefferson county, who read the following
poem:
What time the people felt the breath of War
Hot as the Titan's struggling for release .a
Thro Etna's flames; Virginia afar
Flung forth her voice, loud-crying-"S Sisters
! peace!
Twas not for this our Fathers cleft the main
Twas not for this their blood flowed out, sea
Whose tides bound to the planet Liberty
Would not return till she arose again
Twas not for this that Glory clap'd her hands,
When !, impregned by Mars, bore Washington,
| While Fame, her sister, shouted to the lands
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