The leader., 1895-09-10
ARP ON OLD BOOKS.
Bill Has Been Reading Up Ancient
History and Enjoys It
ne Thinks That This Age Does Not Pro-
cuce Such Students or at Least
They DO Not Get In
Public Life,

about the old times, beginning as far
back as Pocahontas, the beautiful In
dian maiden who married Iehr E3lfe
in 10l4, and was eonsefted by him to
Christianity and christened with the
name of Lady Retecca. 1t is beauti-
ful, romantic story. and il Longfcllow
had been a Virginian he would have
immortalized her In verse. During the
war we were shown the feputed place
near the Chicahoniny where she threw
herself upon the breast of Captain John
Smith to save him end did save
him, from an awful death. The IN
grateful fellow ought to have married
her, for she loved him, but he put in o
substitute and got his friend Rolfe to
do it and wrote a nice letter to Queen
Anne asking that Lady Rebecca be re-
eeived at court, for she was O princess
whose father was king over thirty
tribes and that this marriage had made
lasting peace between the races.
That reminds me of what Josephus
says about Moses. Pharaoh made
Moses his general-in-chief to lead the
Egyptian army against the Ethiopiaps,
who were a very powerful nation, and
whose army was advancing on Egypt
Moses understood the flank movement
as well as Joe Johnston, and got In their
rear and attacked their royal city. A
princess, the only daughter of the old
Ethiopian King, saw Moses from q
tower and was SO fascinated with his
magnificent person that she sent out q
flag of truce and had conference with
aim and told him that she was
dying for love of him and that
ii he would marry her she would
make peace and Withdraw her
army. He looked upon her ard listen
ed to her and surrendered, which |
reckon was one of 1.-The mistakes OF
Moses" for Aaron and Miriam threw it
up to him for years afterwards.
But Rolfe made no mistake, and from
that union came the Randolphs, Whit
ties, Bollings and Robertsops of Vir-
ginia. John Randolph, of Roanoke,
was the seventh in line Of direct de-
scent and the Indian cropped out
In his character all of his life
devotion to his friend and hatred
of his enemies. On slight provaca-
tion he changellenged Webster to fight
duel and Webster made short work of
1 reply.
"You we're not entitled, sir, to make a
demand on me for explanation nor do I
recognize your right to call me to the
field to answer what you please to call
an insult to your feelings. 1t is enough
to say that l do not fell bound to ac-
cept from any man an invitatcn of this
sort, though I shall always be prepared
to repel in a suitable manner the ag-
gression of any man who may presume
upon such a refusal"
believe that those grand men of
the olden time had more political strife
than we have now, Or there was moro
at stake in constructing q new govern
ment than there is now in keeping it
constructed. And there wee greater
men in those days. They we,r scholars
ind they were patriots. va have no
such scholars in politics nowsSays--not
one who can happily use in great ora
ton Greek or Latin or French quo
tation. The letters of Webster, Adams,
jefferson, Rutlegde and Randolph are
full of them and / mako bold to soy
that no man can ever be a greater ora
tor who is not thorough classical
scholar. The present generation Of
senators and representatives are not
scholars. They are only trimmers and
skimmers compared with the giants of
former days. But they had some am
bilious rascals among them. Washing
ton was barely chosen comma nder-in' :
chief. ALL New England and Pennsyl-
vania wanted General Ward, of Massa.
chnsetts, and even after the revolution
was well under way General Gates laid
scheme to sunplant him. Put old
John Adams stood by him from first to
last and lost thereby some Ut his own
popularity at home / have great 70.
spect for Adams. - HfA - Y
1t is refreshing to read about those
old times when jefferson and Madison
and John Adams and Washington and
Ben Franklin and Patrick Henry lived
and shone like stars in the political
heavens; and about John Hancock.
whose great big classic hand is first to
tho declaration of Independence. He
was the richest man in Boston and the
most unqucnchable patriot, but he
signed first only because he was tie
president of the continental congress.
The first state that was called was
Georgia, and Button Gwinnet the first
to sign that patriotic and perilous doc
ument lam proud OF that, for Geor-
ria il my native state and Gwinnet my
birthplace. Lyman Halls and George
Walton's names came next on the roll
of honor and in 1918 three counties ad.
joining each other were laid out and
named for them.
1t seems from these old records that
the resolution that declared our inde'
pcrdence was passed on the 2nd day OF
July and John Adams wrote to his wife
the next day and said: THE 2nd day OF
July 1776, win be the most memorable
epoch in the history Of America and
will be celebrated by succeeding gen.
erations as tho great anniversary festi-
val. It will 5e cummemorated from
one end Of tho continent TO the other
as the day CT our d.iiverance
But it seems that the trimmings had
rot been put on. The colonies had on
" seeded They bad not told the
worla why. and ION the 4th the whole
thing - written by Jefferson wss
passed.
Mr. jefferson tells an amusing story
about that. He had in the original
draft blamed England for connis,ug as
the African slave trade and this par.
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