Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-12-08
The Old Families of New England.

NO0AO o"Chty yOuio uSo "O ooOO w 1ASsHA
great deal about "mudsills" and IF. f.
V.'s''-s,ang terms implying that the peo-
pie of Virginia, or of the Southern States
in general, were of more aristocratic ORR
gin than the people of New Ensland, and
were entitled to look down upon them
I'VE are the gentlemen Of this country. y
said Robert Tombs in 1850. This assump-
tion was thoroughly baseless. In point of
| fact the English ancestors of the Wash
ingtons, the Randolphs, the Fairfaxes,
and the Talbots were no higher in social
position than the families of the Win
throps, the Dudleys. the cations: and the
Saltonstalls The foremost families which
came to New England were of precisely
the same rank with the foremost families
which came to Virginia, and in many in
stances there were relationships between
the former and the latter. so far as mere
names go, this is we'll illustrated in Bish-
OPP Meade's list of old Virginia families,
in which occur such names as Allen,
Bradley, Bowdoin, Darlington, Cooper,
Dabney, Davenport, Farley, Gibbon, Hub
bard. Holmes, Lee, Morton Meade, Mel
son, Newton, Parker, Russell, Selden.
Spercer, Talbot, Tyler, Vaughan, Walton
Ward, Wilcox, and Wythe-every one of
which is name of frequent occurrence
in New England. Two-thirds of the
names in Bishop Meade's list occur also in
"Savage's Dictionary of the Settlers OF
New England" Most of the leaders of
the Massachusetts colonists were country
gentlemen Of good fortuae; sever al OF
them were either related or connected by
marriage with the nobility; the greater
part Of them had taken degrees at Cam
bridge, and accordingly one of the frs
things that naturally occurred to them
was to found new Camb. idge in the New
World. If they had remained in England
many of them would have gone into Par
lament with Hampden and Cromwell, al
would have risen to distinction under the
Commonwealth. John Ftske, in Harper S
Maqdz me.
A BEAUTIFUL oToRY.-Colerid 20 relates
story to this effect Alexander, during
his march into Africa, came to to people
dwelling in peaceful huts, who knew
neither war nor conquest. Gold being Of
fered him. be refused it, saying that his
sole object was to learn the manners aud
customs of the inhabitants.
During this interview with the African
chief, two of his subjects brought case
| hof For ind, Tho Il 70
was this: The one had bought piece of
ground which, after the purchase, was
found to contain treasure, for which he
felt himself bound to pay the other re-
fused to receive anything, stating that he
had sold the ground with what it might
be found to contain, apparent or con-
cealed.
Said the chief looking at the one, You
have son." looking at the other, "Y GU
have daughter; let them be married and
and the treasury given them as dowry.'
Alexander was astonished.
"And what,'' said the chief, "would
have been the decision in your country. !"
1--WE shonld have dismissed the parties
and seized the treasure for the king ;,
use.''
"And does the sun shine in your coun-
try?" said the chief; ''does the rain fall
there Are there any cattle there which
feed upon The green grass?"
Certainly" said Alexander.
"Ah!" said the chief, lit is for the
sake of those innocent cattle that the
Great Being permits the sun to shine, the
rain to fall and the grass to grow in your
country"