The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-08-19
THE LAfn OLIVER q. GRAY.

F1nal Proceedings In the Circuit Court.
TIE resolutions adopted by the bar of Otts.
Va, in reference to the death of Oliver C. Gr,v
ED, were presented ON Monday morning in the
Circuit Court BY Hon. J. c. Chaplin, immedi.
stely after the opening of the court
Judge Champlin said:
1t the court please,-A few days ago tt,s bar
were called upon to deplore the decease of one
OF their most distinguished members Resolu.
lions, expressing in part their feelings upon
that subject, were prepared, and in compliance
with separate resolution adopted on this occa.
sion, 1t becomes my duty to present them to the
court for the purpose explained in that rssolu.
ton; and in the performance of that duty. I
therefore hand them to the court. have to re.
greet that that duty was assigned to ma for I
have felt that he who should undertake to de-
pict tho intellectual character of Oliver G. Gray.
would fail to accomplish justly the task, unless
he possessed the great powers of him whose in.
tellectual character he undertook to describe.
1t would be impossible for me to satisfy even
my own Judgment and taste in the matter and
having made the attempt, am but the more
deeply conscious OF the failure have sustained.
We are all deeply sensible that, in the demise
OF Oliver q. Gray, this community, as we'll a.
this bar, have sustained loss of intellectual
wealth hard, indeed, and not soon to Be replaced.
Born nifty four years ago, of an honorable line.
age, his only ancestral bequest was a vigorous
constitution and splendid intellect. But this
heritage he knew was more precious than gold :;
for at its command gold comes, bound in chains.
aprisoner at its masters feet; yet that treasure,
he kaew, was worthless tender for the pur.
chase OF intellectual fortune. 1t was this which
led him at the outset Of his career to choose one
nj "a fbrao nfas asn H..
the highest attitude of intellectual greatness.
He knew that it had required period of more
than twenty centuries to produce the nine great
captains who had elevated the standard of the
military art to its perfect summit. Casting his
eyes upon the noble profession Of the law they
were fastened upon MANSFIELD, who had en-.
larged its circumference-upon DENMAN,sTRo.
Chef, MARSHALL, WEBSTER, who he knew had
filled it. Looking at the line of illustrious ad.
vocates who have decorated it by the splendor of
their forensic abilities-Wirt, Williams, Cady,
and afterwards, perhaps greater than them all
ARLINGTON he saw that they had left behind
them u standard hard to reach, but priceless,
because showing how to reach it, At the out.
set, therefore, he determined 20 climb, as high
a. he might, the pyramids of Judicial greatness.
The source of means he found at his command.
upon which to base this noble Undertaking, was
. mind, tenacious as steel, and tempered, first
by nature, and afterwards by art, to the incisive
energy and the glitterpg sheen Of the Damascus
blade. But his intellectual armory was no. com.
posed OF steel alone His Imagination, rich as
FURNISHED gold, sparkled also with the rare.t
gems that princes of the mind do wear It was
these endowments, so rare among men, that en-
sbled OLIVER CROMWELL GRAY TO comprehend
the full altitude of intellectual greatness, 20
gaze upon it firmly, and to commence, with
courage and emery seldom equalled in the times
in which he lived, the ascent towards its sum-
NIT. He knew the intellectual stats By which the
great generals, ire great ursts, the great states
men, had been enabled to reach it, Reason, the
body OF them all, the rarest and most price, 50 of
Gods endowments, must, he knew, be ceaselessly
FED by the Imagination; must be put into activi-
ty BY courage; must be lighted by an unerring
coup dGR; must perform it. evolu,ions by
means OF quick perceptions, and be sustained by
. fortitude aud endurance unconquerable. Aud
he knew, also, that each of these great stats of
the mind must be educated-first separately
and then to work together in harmony. He
knew that . poet at the head OF an army, a ruer.
chant prince in the seat Of Marshall, would not
DO in their proper places. But still he kne
shat he who possesses them all, and has educa.-
ed them all, is fit for any place; that he who
possesses the greatest number Of these intellec-
tuai stats IN their greatest force, and in their
most perfect education, is the great man among
men.
This pyramid of Intellectual grea.nes.-rea.
son for its base, its every side lighted by the i'm
agination, he we'll knew the millions pass and
see II not OF the few who do see and compre.
bend it in its full altitude and majesty, .e!ec,
corps only possesses courage and force sufficient
10 attemptits ascent. He whose obsequies we are
celebrating, was of that corps do invit. you,
his brothers and pupils, to examine
with me, the means and the measure of his sue.
cess. Look, ! pray you, upon the structure of
this man. mind. His reason, strong IS a beam
OF oak, and as solid. was endued by hi imagina.
ton with soul, and wrought by it into forms
OF wcndrous beauty. Constantly fed from that
life giving source, it was ever ready for effect.
I've action. His perception penetra--d like a
dash, the souls of his adversaries. His courage
was unconquerable 1t was always under the
control Of head perfectly cool, of a sung froid
rarely found in the class Of even the most die.
eingushed advocates. And finally his imagina.
ton, sfauent far beyond that of other men Of the
Intellectual corps TO which he belonged, was
nurtured, cherished, educated, with exquisite
skill These great qualities lie had for the long
period of more than twenty years thoroughly dis.
ciplined to work in harmony together He re.
,rnited his intellectual forces ~ CONSUMPTION,
diligent, discriminating, and unceasing, Of every
fomain where knowledge had a known abode
When, therefore, the day OF trial came, the
mental forces which he brought into line were
veteran soldiers who had long marched under his
and each prepared to execute with
collective akill and energy the tactical move.
nents destined to assure the victory. These
we're the reasons why We all then gathered
around him and listened and saw, with ever in.
,reasing admiration the wondrous tactical skill
with which his forensic evolutions were prepar.
ID. Among the names of his illustrious depart.
ed peers. about to be mentioned. it may be pos.