Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-15

terisitcally Delawaresn OF the best type.
Although graduated at the early age OF II,
! be retained through life fondness for the
, classics. He read Latin with facility. quoted
a asrssS the the srl PsRs and and o aad
not ahead OF his sons and grandsons while
preparing for college. He was great lover
OF books, and they were the solace OF his old
age He was man Of strong and decided
opinions which he expressed and maintained
with force and courage, but always with due
consideration for the views Of others He
was man o. scrupulous honor. The idea Of
double dealing or unfairnees could by no pos
sibility find place In such mind. He was
strong in his friendships, hospitable, gener-
Gus and courteous to marked degree. For
many years resided in the same town with
him, and know how deep was the attach
ment and respect in which he was held by the
whole of that community.
While few of his contemporaries remain, he
leaves behind him, beyond the circle Of his
family and kindred, many who deeply mourn
his loss and revere his memory.
John Il Rodney, Rsq said
In seconding these resolutions 1 can only
say that no one can more sincerely mourn
Mr.. Gray's death than myself, who have
loved and honored him from my very boy
hood. / think of him as one to whom could
almsot 60 for paternal advice and receive
from him paternal sympathy. And when
| take into consideration the qualities which
have endesred him to every one Of us-his
generosity, his characteristic disposition, his
| sympathetic nature, his amiable manner and
| ever kindly tone--I feel that all who ever
knew him must join IN universal regret at
the decease OF this valuable member of
| society. Mr.. Chairman, occasions like the
present are proper and appropriate Tor ex.
pressing our sorrow and regret for the loss OF
any member; but it has broader signiiica
| ton when it touches those whose lives have
been well spent like that Of the present one.
heartily second the resolutions.
Lsvi G. Bird, Esq, in ssoonding the
resolutions, said
Very few Of us here to-day remember Mr..
Gray in the actual practice Of his profession,
but the Law Reports of the State abound
with the evidences of his ability as q lawyer,
and tradition has told us we'll of his success
at the bar. Who. Of the men that We have
known in this State, was called to more i'm
portant trusts and who discharged those
trusts 80 faithfully The Fame Of Andrew
a part of, the history of the
| two great enterprises of which the
| State is and should be proud. refer to the
Delaware and Chesapeake canal and the
in their day the two great high
ways Of commerce connecting our
people and our homes with the
| outside world and carrying our products to
| the growing markets Of the great cities of
| the larger states. To no one man in Della
ware, with possibly the exception Of the late
Chancellor Harrington, are the people Of
| this Peninsula more indebted for that rail.
road which has 30 fully developed all our
material interests than to Mr.. Gray, who in
the face of an almost bitter opposition, by
broad, liberal and comprehensive policy,
1alg askt
people had in his Judgment for the future
| welfare Of the State, and in his integrity and
| sincerity of purpose, secured then what few,
il any, could have done-the right actually to
locate and construct railroad through
the heart Of the State. The public
is generally right, and their bestowal OF great
public trusts are the strongest testimonials Of
genuine worth. Thus taken this venerable
mans life makes up a chapter in the history
| OF this State, and chapter connected with,
and part Of the very commencement Of
great public works in this State Let me for
one moment speak OF the relation in lie in
which knew Mr.. Gray best, and the recol-
lection Of which shall treasure 80 long as /
live. II was Of him at his home. Twas my
| good fortune to have attended law school
i with bis son, the present learned attorney.
general. A friendship formed then, and
at the home Of his fstler where
mis- welcome was one indeed. It was
Il home full of joy and sunshine. His gen.
tleness of manner, his kind welcome made
the friends Of his children all his friends.
| We all loved him because we knew him. l
have seen in his office at the close of a Bes-
sion of court the judges and the lawyers
gather to pay him their respect.
It was respect-nay it was more-it
was q real and devoted attachment. The
last time we saw him, was in this room
/ two months ago. while his son was closing for
i tha 10 ha Last fria
| State, and that he was to be taken 30 soon,
i seems providential that he should at the
| winding up of his ripe life have witnessed
the eloquent appeal of that son in whom he
had such just pride. Another Landmark OF
the earlier days has gone, and in bis death
the bar laments its senior, and the State her
loss.
George Il. Bstes, ESQ.,, said:
came to this meeting without any inten-
| ton Of saying word. Indeed, in thinking
Of the matter yesterday, determined not to
say anything here, because felt that had
i so little knowledge in fact except from
tradition-of Mr.. Gray's professional life,
that 1t would be presumption in me to express
any opinion respeatingit And do not rise
now because have changed my mind with
respect to that matter. / have listened with
the utmost attention and with great interest
to what has been said Of his professional life
and character and the respect and esteem in
| which Mr.. Gray WIS held by all Of us. Those
| who are older knew him well those who are
younger ew him only in the relation spoken
OF by Mr. Bird, as one whom We venerated
and had learned from our fathers to respect
and honor. And listened especially, with
grateful attention to the suggestions made
by Mr.. Bird as to the pleasure which every
one derived from a glimpse inside Of Mr..
Gray's home think no man has ever visited
there without feeling that it left
upon his mind an impression which
added TO the wealth Of his life
My only purpose in rising at all is to refer to
one incident OF Mr. Gray's life which should
endear him to every citizen OF this State-an
incident which has not been referred to, and
which has always rested upon my mind
Of as one of the striking eyidenose OF
the strength and uprightness OF the man. 1t
stands out as giving us, within the history OF
our own State, an instance Of high rectitude in
political life which the younger men, as most Of
US are, would do we'll to recollect and profit
by. refer to his connection with the con.
stitutional convention Of 1858. In these
days, when conviction ia 20 constantly sacri
feed and subordiuated to expediency, it
seems to me that it would be as we'll to lock
back to and recollect two colossal figures in
our own States history which look down
upon us from that period Two men were
members Of that convention whom the whole
State have learned to honor; and who,
though in opposite political parties, were
\
O. Gray and James A. Bsyard. Each of
these men took prominent part in the open.
ing of that convention which was important
in the history of our State, although it's re-
snlts were abcrted Mr.. Gray had. at the
outset conviction that the convention was
not legally and constitutionally called, and
acting out that conviction, which lay at the
very foundation Of his political action, he
, refused to surrender that conviction. and
not as we are so often inclined to do in these
times, yield to considerations of expediency,
he retired from the convention and has
proven to us in that act, even il we disagree
with his views, a striking example Of pre-
ferring to follow out his convictions of right
rather than to yield to any views
of temporary policy or personal advan-
tage. At a later period, during the
deliberation of that body, his political oppo-
nent and personal friend, James A, Bayard,
! also left the convention for other reasons, but
for reasons which correspond with those Of
MIR. Gray in that they were founded upon his
carrying cut, each for himself, his own con-
J result think every man who
I values the political life of our
country ought to feel grateful to each Of these
men for the example they have set and 1
feel that any comprehensive reference to Mr..
!, Gray's life and his connection with the his
tory of the State in which he lived as an
honored member of society, would be defec-
! tive without reference to this event, In
| this one, as we'll as in the other evidences of
the life and traits of his character, 1t is GER
tainly true that to-day he being dead, yet
speaketh.
/ l.,