Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-04-24
A PAGE OF HISTORY,

Passing events are an important
educating force TO attentive minds.
Perhaps they educate us more than
all things else, for we cannot easily
get off our lesson for u single day T;
and, once in generation, occur elec-
tric events which rouse and inform
the minds of whole nations at once.
What creature in tho United States so
unteachably dull as 10 have been no
more of human being in 1865 than
he was in 1861 But in all recent
history / know of no example more
striking Of the greater good that re-
suits from great evil, than the Stamp
Act agitation of 1864 to 1776, which
began the Observation-Disclosures inde.
pendent public life Of North America,
II so chanced that Thomas Jefferson,
then a student at law at Williams
~s---sys W. e5' A---- =. tha fhicb of
events at the timc. II was the Stamp
Act which changed old Coke's com
ments on Magma Charter from dead
law TO living gospel and what the
Stamp Act did for Jefferson's mind it
did for the mind of his country. 1t
converted the fundamental principles
of right into the familiar things Of
daily speech, and infused the essence
Of old Coke into a million OF minds
that never heard his name. He had
watched with interest, as he himself
records, the series of events by which
imperial Chatham had given Great
Britain her opportunity of empire by
making her supreme in North Ameri-
ca; and he was now TO follow, with
interest moro intent and more intolli-
gent, the events by which an ignorant
king and corrupt ruling class threw
England's magnificent chance away,
and caused her to lapse into an island
again.
His friend, Patrick Henry, had
been coming and going during these
student years when the general court
met in AUTUMN, and riding homeward,
with albook or two of Jciferson's in
his saddle. bags, when the court ad-
journel over till spring; then return.
ing with the books unread. The
wondrons cloquence which ho had dis
played in the Parsons case in Dccem-
Der, l763, does not seem to be gencr-
ally Known in Williamsburg in l76i I;
for be moved about the streets and
public places unrccognized, though
not unmarked. 1t would not have
been extraordinary, if our young stu
dent bad been a little ashamed OF this
oddlty OF q guest as they walked TO-
gcther toward the capitol, at the time
when the young ladies were abroad
Sukey Potter, Betsy Moore, Judy
Burwell, and tho rest ; for Henry's
dress was coarse, worn, and countrlied,
and he walked with such an air OF
thoughtless unconccrn, that he was
taken by some for an idiot. But he
had cause toplcad that winterj and
when he sat down he had become
"Mr. Henry to all Williamsburg.
You VIII observe in the memorials OF
Old Virginia, from 1765 to 1900, that,
Whoever else may be named without
. prefix OF honor, this "forcst born
pemosthenes,, as Byron styled him,
. generally Mr.. Henry. To Wash.
ington, TO Jefferson, to Madison, to
all that circle Of eminent men, ho ever
remained "Mr. Henry" On that day
in l764 he gave such an exhibition Of
his power, that during the next ses.
sion of the House Of Durgosses, a va.
cancy was made for him, and he was
elected to n seat, The up country
yeomen, whose idol no had become,
s,ladl,. ,ho;r xo,os 10 suob n man