The National tribune., 1898-03-24

Paradise. At the glorious sunset of this
| halcyon day Paul !Joises became planter
For two years be enjoyed its blessings to
| the FULL He hunted with the Colonial
| squires and went TO church ON horseback
| with the Colonial DANES. bachelor
handsome, and gifted with the grace and
aplomb that come only from travel and
contact with the wide world in any age or
| epoch, and rich too as riches went then,
he was naturally looked upon as eligible.
But he made no choice from the group OF
Colonial maids about him.
To nelghbor, "a lady who once rallied
HIM on the subject of his persistent celib-
ac Syd he said sdd 49,,
| well to love one well ought
Thus Paul Jones s.umbered in sort OF
day dream on his plantation. 1t was as if
Harold Haariagr, King of the Vikings, had
smoked pellet of opium.
One day in 1775 some farmers near
Lexington, Mass, fired shot" which, it
has been said, was heard round the
world"
Be this as it may, Paul Jones heard that
shot distinctly, and the moment he heard
1T his dream of pastoral peace in Tidewater
Virginia vanished. Unfortunately for his
repose of mind he had been born and bred
in the land OF Bruce and Wallace, Burns
and Aytoun. He had in his veins that old
strain of dark-red Northern blood that
"ttiHleu Tic courage tnOSe ScOtISn cav
alters to whom Lord James, of Douglas,
gave the order:
" Have down, have down, my good men all,
Have down I'M o the plain,
Wen turn the Scottish Lion loose
All in the fields of Spain.''
That shot of the "embattled farmers" as
the sequel proved, turned loose Scottish
Lion" not "All in the fields OF SPAIN" but
on the coasts of England.
At that time, slow as the methods of
transmitting news may have been, people
| made up their minds, after they had heard
the news, quicker than they do now.
That was because they had better minds
to make up than we have and more cour-
age to make them up. Or perhaps it would
be better and clearer to say that our great
grandfatherS, in the simplicity OF their
epoch, did not encounter so many OBJ
stacleS, financial and otherwise, in their
road toward what is right and true as we
do now.
Paul Jones at that moment was British
sailor, who, by reason of unexpected con-
ditions, had suddenly settled down into
the life of Virginia planter. Having
entered upon Seafaring life while the
"Old French War was raging, and having
followed the sea during all the varying
struggles of that war he naturally en-
tertained an exalted idea of the sea power
of England, and gave due weight to the
influence which that sea power would be
likely to exert upon the impending struggle
of the Colonies for Liberty
He closely watched the political aeita
ton of 177i and kept in almost daily COM
munication with the leaders of the move
ment for independence. In the Winter of
1774-75 he visited Williamsburg and made
the acquaintance of George Washington,
Thomas jefferson and Richard Henry Lee.
All agreed that there must be war, but
none knew whence the first bolt would
come.
ADVISER TO CONGRESS.
He left no doubt as to which side of the
controversy he would take In the Hewes
Memorial it is stated that as early as
February, 775,-rmonths before Concord
Bridge and LexingtOn,-Paul Jones dis
coursed with vast insight and great force