Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-12-14
MIR. ROBINSON's GRAFTON.
He Defends the South and Tells
of the UOWitzcrS' Deeds.

As Mr.. Robinson walked down the
stage he was warmly received. He has
q clear. musical voice and enuncietcd
with a distinctness which made every
word he uttered heard in al parts Of the
building. lie said:
Nv Friends and Fellow-Howitzers,-
| cannot better introduce what | have to
say than by the words of a legend Of the
East "When the lofty and barren
mountain was first upheayed into the
sky. and from its elevation looked down
on the plains below and saw the valley
and less elevated hills covered with YER
dant and fruitful trees. it sent up to
Brahma something Ike q murmur ofcom-
plaint: why thus barren ? Why these
scared and naked sides exposed to the
eve of man p And Brahma answered /:
THE very light shall clothe thee, and
the shadow Of the passing cloud shall be
as n roval mantle. More verdure would
Le less light. Thou shalt share in
the azure of heaven, and the youngest
and whitest cloud Of a summers SKY
shall nestle in thy bosom. Ihou be-
longest half to us. :,
$50 was the mountain lowered, and
so too" adds the legend, "haye the
loftiest minds Of men been IN all ages
lowered. To lower elevations have
been piven the pleasant verdure, the
vine. aud the olive. Light, light alone
and the deep shadow OF the passing
clond-these are the gifts of the
Dronbets of the race" And so, Will
add, so is it with the emlnehces
of self-sacrifce. Out OF convulslVe
wrestle are they lifted. The winds ana
the rains contemn them. Tne bail strips
them bare. The lightning by winch
tbev are torn is their only sceptre. The
tpnts of the tempest are pitched on all
tbeir summits of endeayor. aAd the
deem scar of the tempest signed upon
their brow is their diadem. ana YET
as the mountains are the backbone OF
tbe earth. aud put their own chains
ON the continents which anchor 10 them'
making our earth all earth oil noun
tajns. so from age to age the true heart
rallies TO the moral eminences OF when L
sneak. All that is soundest IN us cllngS
with a voluntary homage to the suiier-
ING heights. Consciously or uncon,
sciouslv. the high instinct OF mankind
receives their lofty yoke. Heaven ana
earth min2le on their SUBMITS. over
the wide landscape OF humanity falls
tine eloquence of their light and their
shadow. Infinitely true Is 1t ITO Dear
is to conquer"
THEIR CoNsrANCY PERFECT AND PURE
Never was constancy so perfect ana so
nure as that of the people OF the SOuth
10 their warriors. For once gratitude 10
the past is not inspired by the hope OF
tavors 10 come. The mercenary motive
is curiously absent. The knee when
hends the heart which throbs. IS the
welcome of respect to the intrinsIcahy
worthy-the unbought homage never
trriy known save by virtue in misfortune
when like queen, but like q queen IN
exile She counts the number OF her suit
ors by the poverty of her rewards ms
is the proud pathos Of defeat with honor
Thus heroes conquer even In their isii.
go reign their ashes "desd but sceptreu;
Il were sad indeed if no word conid
be spoken IN behalf OF that "story
purity" the justification whereof Is
now removed from the forum OF arms
TO the bar OF history and the scales OF
time and truth. The story Of anti