Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-05-02

S<AAS0
py youth old Vif&ihIe was the home q
. proud pr0vinci1f arfst0cracy com pos
ed Of elegant ana polished nentlemeu
and beautiful and acoOm blished ladies
Wealth Waa general I; society was refia
ed, and hospitality was b0undlees. How
changed the Virxlnia ofa hundred vrsfs
ago! It has been happily suggested
that . statue Of .Niobe would be . fil
emblem for Virginia now: her sons
gone. her heartrs cold, her fields desert.
ed! Among the gallant cavaliers with
whom John Randolph grew up, none
bore y prouder eseutcheon than he. H
could trace his descent In IN unbrokeu
line to the Norman Conquest, and on
the side Of his patefDal grandmother he
was the sixth In descent from Pocahon.
tas. A proud VirginiA anceetryI
It is admitted on all hAnds that JOHN
Randolph was the most beAutiful and
gifted youth Of his time. He was . hap
py, careless, joyous boy, ut least until
orphan by the death Of his mother, = tbs
only being that ever understood him.
as he himself said. His father died be-
fore he was old enough to remember
him. Like Byron. hs was thus
Left loid Of himself that heritage OF woe"
Attempts have heen made to institute
. comparison between the Master Of
Roanoke and the Lord of Newstead, and
some have fancied they saw q resem
blance between Randolph and Poe. No,
John Randolph was . man whose cOup-
terpart this world has never seen.
Like Shak espsare, franklin. Patrick
Henry, and other extraordinary men
who have stood In the van Of the world
John Randolph was self educated. His
broad and brilliant intellect was not
contracted by the drudEery aud disci-
pline Of the schools. Two years 1t .
private academy In Virginia, three
months at Princeton, and at Columbia
College, New York, were ali the In
structions he ever received. But his
education began early. and only ended
with his lffe.- His glowing, Oriental
Imagination was precociously develop
ed. At seven years old he read Shakes
peare, Don Quixote. and the Arabian
Nights. There was an old closet At
Mstoax, filled with books of poetry and
romance. The boy loved to hide him
selfln this place. which opened to him
the riches and wonders of Aladdin .
cave. Here he passed hours and hours
every day reading Gil Bias, Robinson
Crusoe, GuIliver, Piutarch. Pope's Ho-
mer. Goldsmith, Rasselas, Orlando
Furios0, and ThompsOn's Seasons =
These we're his enchanting con, ,panioDs,
his familiar friends. his daily associates
These were the sources whence he de-
rived the beautifnl and striking images
with which he after wards embellished
his speeches and frightened his con
versati0n.
In the summer Of 1708 John Randolph
found himself alone in the world: his
father, mother, and brothers-sll those
near and dear relatives which gave
existence its vAlue-Were gone. Rich
ard the last of bis brothers, died In June
of that year, and then It was that be
compared himself with the ancient
mariner, who was oD the wide Sea-
"Alone-alone-alI, all, alone" After
the deathaof his brother, he tOnk up bis
residence ut Bigarre, where Richards
family resided. This estate was not
many miles from Wintopoke, the home
efAa ef MAEis AksW WsEnae WlssEnaeweG The lovely child
was now beautiful woman so won
drously beautiful that Lafayette, who
saw her years afterwards, said her equal
was not to be found in America The
wounded heart of the ardent young Vir-
ginian sous ht in her love ''surcease of
SORROW" He found In Marie Ward, all
that even his heart demanded. His al
fection for his mother was . feeling of
admiration, sympathy, frateTDal love
His love for Marie Ward was An intense,
absorbing. enthralliDg passion. It en-
crossed all his beiug-his heart and
soul. In his own thrilling language. he
loved her better than bis own sonl or
him that created It'll! 1.-THE necessity Of
loving and being loved was never felt
by the imaginary beings of Rousseau
and Byron's . creation more imperiOusly
than by himself, ,".said Randolph. my
heart was offered up with = devotion
that knew no reserve"
The vehemence of bis veswept away
all opposition, aud he became engaged
to the object Of his alteration. We do
not wonder at the lady's engaging her
self to her brilliant and impetuous
lover, for, terrible ~ he was to his epe-
mics. to her friends he was gentle. kind
and enchanting. His power of fAscin-
ating In private, when he chose to exert
1t, was wonderful. He was never loud
or boisterous. In this he showed his
gentle blood. Even in the excitement
Of political debate he uttered the most
terrible sArcasms In the most polished
manner, and with voice that reeem-
bled the music of the spheres. He could
be pathetic. too-so sweetly, touchingiy,
tenderly pathetic n to make the tears
roll down the cheeks Of men who hated
him and would curse his memory now
if he were named in their presence.
He was, at this time, exceedingly at
tractive; he was tall, straight, thin, but
singularly graesful His eyes were re-
mxrkably brilliant, and proud In their
expression. His manner was lofty. but
charming; stately, but gentle. His head
was small. but beautifully shaped. His
hands were white aud delicate xs q
cardinals. His whole appearance was
striking and commanding. Add to all
these personal advantages extraordinary
gifts Of fortune, wealth, birth, genius,
an eloquence that few could resist, and
we Will not wonder that Marie Ward
engaged herself to John Randolph She
knew not then the secret that crushed
his proud spirit to the earth.
Let him enjoy his briefseason of love:
the summer of his life will soon pass,
leaving to him hencefofth an everlast
ing winter. Let him tell his eloquent
love- tale to bis captivated listener; II
will be repeated to no other woman, for
his was heart that could know NO rec
ond love. Let his tortured heart find q
momentary rest, for heDcefOrth his days
will be spent in pain and sickness, bis
nights in travail and sorrow. Let him
possess this gleam of happiness, for soon
he will utter the despairing cry, "O1
the terms by which hold It, life Is
curse, frem which / would willingly
escape'if / knew where to fy"
The summer of 1898 was the happiest
that John Randolph bad known since
the death of his mother and brother
His solitary and miserable existence wa
cheered by the love of her whom he
fondly called bis angel The depth o.
his noble heart was stirred by the bes
of all the passions-lCve Persons who
early saw this unhappy being, after tht
eli pgs and arrows Of outrageous fortune
had turned his milk of human kindnesi
into vinegar aud gall, could not believe
that he once possessed womanly ten
derness of heart and susceptibility ~
delicate as the sensitive pIaut. All tn
wealth of his hear, was lavisbed upof
his first and only love. Il loved aye
and was loved again. not wisely. bu
too we'll, "he wrote long after the death o
Marie Ward. It had taken two year
to win her love, and in few months !
was gone forever. But let US not an
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