The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-08-01


Samuel Gresham and Walter Gresham
Attorneys for the Commonwealth, am
Robert T. Dunaway and Warner En-
bank, for long time clerks Of tn
courts
What q splendid roll Of honor Wha
a bright constellation ir the galaxy @
Intelligent .pltriotic citizens and faith
ful public servants and high officials
Did time permit, it would be a labo
of love to give brief Biographical
sketch Of each Of these distinguished
men and set forth the distinguishing
traits which differentiated each from
the rest, and gave to each so distinct a
personality, as he moved and shone il
his own orbit, in private and public
life.
And even while grouping them to-
gether and speaking of the abilities and
characteristics, which adorned each
and all Of them alike, | can only do as
the painter who is compelled to make u
hurried sketch Of wide.spreading
landscape. He can only present the
picture in outline, with few touches
which suggest its salient points rather
than depict them. There is no time
for filling in or for minute delineation.
| must content myself with a cartoon
as | have no time for a completed pic.
ture of the characters and eminent pub
lie services Of the men whose memories
we now seek to honor and perpetuate
While photography has illustrated
the possibility Of printing volume as
large as Homer's Iliad on a single sheet
Of paper, rcieuce has discovered no
method Of enabling speaker or writer
to condense into the limits Of a few
minutes biographical sketch requiring
many hours, or even days.
While | would not speak Of the char.
acters aud public services Of the men
whose pictures are before US, in terms
Of extravagant eulogy, | must not hest.
tate to do simple justice to their mem
ones, from any false sense Of modesty
0r prUpriety because most Of them were
my blood kindred or connections !
feel just pride in saying oil of them
were my contemporaries and my per-
sonal friends, though all Of them,
save one, were my seniors, some Of them
by many years Al! Of them were ma
tivcs of Lancaster, except Judges
Straughan and Evans | should do vio-
lence TO my own feelings and injustice
to their memories did l not in this
presence acknowledge myself debtor to
them. BY their high characters and
noble lives and deeds they did much in
shaping my young life and moulding
my character, by inspiring me with an
ambition to do the best my slender na-
tive endowments enabled me to
achieve.
Were / required to describe these men
in a single sentence l should do 80 in
the use Of a paradox, and say they were
all square. yet, well-rounded men. Each
and all Of them were in their day rec
ognized as tribunes Of the people and
leaders in public thought aud action
Having the confidence of their fellow
citizens, they were called to fill many
places Of honor, trust and emolument.
whether in peace or war, whether in
civil or military life. whether as JUS
tees Of the peIce, commissioners OF
chancery, trustees and treasurers Of the
Glebe fund. clerks Of the courts, attor-
neys for the Commonwealth. judges Of
courts. members Of the General Assem-
bly, or of the constitutional conventions
Of 1850 and 1861, in oil of these places
they discharged their respective duties
with great credit to themselves, and
satisfaction to the people whom they
served.
They were oil alike noted for their
intelligence, integrity, fidelity and
public spirit They were men Of
strong convictions who also had the
courage Of their convictions None
could swerye them from the right.
They were thoroughly loyal to duty
and obeyed the divine injunction
"Render therefore to all their dues,
tribute to whom tribute, custom to
whom custom, fear to whom fear, and
honor to whom honor. " An abiding
sense of duty done is the very crown Of
high character. 1t is the cement which
binds together the whole edifice Of
granitic character in its beauty and
strength. 1t rounds and crowns the
whole Of life from our entrance into it
to our exit from it, Each Of these men
at the close of their long and faithful
lives might in all good conscience have
appropriated as their own the words Of
Lord Nelson when he fell at Trafalgar,
"I have done my duty and 1 thank
God for it. -
Not indeed that these men were per-
feet. The noblest and best of the race
have their defects. That biographer,
or eulogist, no matter who or whose
life he may portray, who draws per-
feet character is not true TO life. The
purest and the wisest have their imper-
fectiens. Nor were these noble men,
above and without criticism. and some
of it harsh and unjust. Swift says
"Censure is the tax man paysfor being
eminent And the more eminent man,
the more unswerving his integrity and
the truer he is to his convictions of
right and duty. the more certainly he
will be criticised and antagonized
by a certain class Of people. But. how
ever, criticised or complained of in all
the duties and relations of public and
nrivafa lifo thaco man uara-