Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-21
PATRICK HENRY.

Z, Eastern Pyrenees Is.
PATRICK HENRY.
historical Fables Exposed-A Hiahly
Educated Man.
Under the title of The Virginia
Declaration of Independence" Mr.. j.
Esten Cooke has contributed an admi-
rable paper to the Magazine Of AHaeri-
can History, which has just been pub
lished, dealing with the important ac-
ton taken by the Commonwealth Of
Virginia just prior to the declaration of
July 1. 1T76. 1t has been too commonly
said that its promoters were mere
"ciphers and butterflies Mr.. Cooke
and intellectual power, as well as social
position, these men were naturally suited
to carry ON the work with which their
names will always be associated. He
then depicts Patrick Henry:
Henry's career is so familiar that only
few personal details in reference to
him need be presented; as some of
them have never before been published
they may interest the reader. There
exists very prevalent error as TO his
social origin, which is said to have been
ienoble. This statement has no foun-
dalton. His father, Col. Henry, was a
gentleman of responsibility, a classical
scholar, presiding magistrate when
that office was only conferred on per-
sons of social position, and a good
churchman and royalist, who =" drank
the Kings health at the head of his reg
iment." Another error in relation to
Patrick Henry is his supposed want of
education, and Mr.. Writ dwells upon all
of these points as tending to enhance
the splendor Of his genius. Unfortu-
nately, the statements are all IN
true. The Man of the Peo-
pie" and Prophet of Revolu-
tion," as his contemporaries styled
him, was not uneduoated any more
than he was of low origin. On the con-
trary, he was so well educated that at Is
he read Livv and Virgil in the original,
and his " standard volume" throughout
life was that difficult book, Butler's
" Analogy Of Religion" He renamed a
poor scholar for NO ether reason than
that he had little taste for reading. He
WAS also indolent by nature, and only
capable of sustained exertion when his
interest was excited. This fact explains
the early failures so much dwelt upon
by MIR. Writ. He failed in farming be-
cause he had no taste for agriculture,
and became bankrupt as country
st0rekeeper because trade was equally
repuRnant to him. This is toe cuff
cient explanation Of all those idle hunt
ing and fishing excursions, the violin
playing and story telling, when he
ought to have been attending to his bust
ness, which his bioeraphers have so
much emphasized as q contrast to his
subsequent career. Like other human
beings, he avoided what was disagree
able. He was natural and genuine
man, loved plain company and rustic
humor, and was once discovered, when
he was old and famous, lying on his
back and playing his violin for crowd |
OF children tumbling over him-traits
one and all to his strong ha- |
man sympathies. There is nothing to |
show that he was considered by his con-
rude or ignorant per son.
From some chance phrase in his pri- |
vate letters he seemed to have shared |
Jefferson's distrust of the planter class
but the cid nabobs were not so alb |
surd as to regard him as their social in
ferior.
his wonderful oratory made him a |
thousand times their superior. BY the |
consent of all his contempor- |
aries his eloquence was indescribable; |
and even jefferson. who INDUCED in |
undemocratio sneers at his |
origin, said that "he spoke as Homer |
wrote" Mr.. Writ has cast doubt by |
his rhetoric upon this point as upon |
others. His exsggeration enfeebles the |
But enough has been es-
tablished to make it certain that Patrick /
Henry was one of the two or three great
est orators of the world. One OF his
who had often felt the
spell of his eloqueace, declared that his
force lay rather IN his manner than in |
his matter-''in the greatness of his
emotion and passion, the matchless
perfection of his organs of ex-
preston; the information. pause,
gesture, attitude, and indescribabls
play of oountenance." It is certain that
be swayed every assembly which be ad-
dressed, apparently az his pleasure.
whenever he was fully aroused he over
threw all opposition and forced his lis
teners as from a species of magnetism
to accept bis views as the only true ones.
Any comparison Of him with the very
greatest OF his contemporaries would
jay cotnoiisu tuoiI iufofioftty. MS 6u-
superiority was acknowledged. When
he arose in Congress and exclaimed,
. British oppression has efaced the
Of the several colonies-the
between Virginians, Penn
sylvanians, New Workers and New Eng
landers are no more-I am not Virgin-
ian, but an American !" his listeners
are said to have declared him the
greatest speaker on the continent.
No writer speaking of Henry should
omit to notice his devout piety. He
wrote in his will: ~ have now dis
posed of all my property to my family
there is one thing more that wish l /
could give them. and that 10 the Chris-
tiaR religion. II they had that, and I
had not given them one shilling, they
would be rich; and il they have not
mat and l had given them all this
world, they would be poor" In person,
Henry was tall, ungraceful and stopped.
His eyes were blue, his expression grave,
and he wore buckskin clothes, yarn
stockings and q wig without powder.
These details are set down as parts of
'he personal portrait OF one In refer
moe to whom every tribe must interest
'Of this man changed thu deafinv NJ thu