Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-08-26

character. He closed his mastery adj
dress. as follows:
And now. what does this statue
represent to US? In 1t. when the viel
snali pc removed by Miss Espy Vance.
granddaughter of our statesman. we
snail see, as l think, Vance as he
STOOD, erect. gallant. self-confident, but
without undue self-assertion. the mas
yer Oh MS subject and his audience, ad-
addressing his peers in the Senate OF
United States. the most august arena
of earth.
AS we look at the statue we shall
see him as l knew him, the qualities
"a, ot MS great mind. soul and heart in
ms peaming face and shining in every
lineament of his countenance Let us
ahaiyze those qualities. There is cour-
age, moral and physical, Unborn and
ausmented by three-score years OF
battles of life: akin to courage. her
t Twin sister, Truth, Will speak from
ms lips, truth which his direct mind
sought as the needle the pole, and
wren round. 1t was every part of his
very lie. He valued 1t as Il priceless
lever, and his honest heart impelled
MN to display it to the world for it's
guidance and Improvement. He is
speaking words of truth now. And
honesty you will see. a development of
truth, it's expression in the life of the
man as he dealt with his fellow-men.
taking only what was his and freely
according to others what was fairly
theirs; And you can see benignancy
ana charity beaming from that face,
lender Kindness for his friends and in
diligence to the faults of his adyer-
saries Il say not enemies, for few
could be enemies to one of SO open and
ge ger a nature as his) And there is
wit and humor-keen wit, twinkling
from his eye, and racy humor bubbling
from his half-open lips. And behind
them friend can see the playful irony
with which he met the sophistry of a
Eood-natured adversary, and the cut
ting sarcasm for the malicious charge
OF one who would traduce his people.
Here again is the pose and confident
power OF the orator. not the elocution-
LIST merely. but the orator, whose words
carry conviction to the unprecedented
ana confusion to the prcJudiced nearer
and patriotism, too. the love of his
fatherland, needing not words to give
1t expression, and gratitude to his Gre
ator for giving him so fair n land and
nature so richly endowed for the en-
1oyment of its blessings. And there
you may see consciousness Of other
gifts, to be used not so much for his
own glory as for the good OF his State
ana country. In word, we may see
i'll his manly form and expressive face
Il combination of those qualities that
virtue characterizing a man such as
Marc Antony described Brutus to be.
the noblest Roman of them ALL" Hills
life was gentle. and the elements SO
mixed in him that Nature might stand
up and say to all the world. This is
mani"
Possibly. as ages roll by and dress
and customs change. n critic. in view
of Vance's eventful and successful life, |
may say the sculptor ought to have put
crown Of laurels on his brow; but as
long as the friends who knew him, and
their traditions of him. shall live the
bushy lock will seem the better crown |
for his massive head. Thus he looked
AS we loved him, as thus he looked as
We buried him beneath the soil Of his
native country, amid the scenes from
which he drank those inspirations
which made him, as said in the be-
ginning and confidently repeat, North |
Cardinals most distinguished patriot, |
the best-beloved of her children, and |
in all the annals OF her history the |
greatest OF her sons.
North CarolInians, we can emulate |
the patriotism and other virtues for
which he will forever stand here as an |
exemplar. though Nature has not given
to us to approach him in his matchless |
ability.
There are two inches in Statuary
Hall In the Capitol at Washington re-
sarEed- for North Carolina to-AA-, with
statues of two of her sons. Other |
states have filled their inches with
costly statues representing the most
honored of their sons. Can North Car
DINA longer admit she has had no sons
worthy to stand by them? Surely no! |
We may not be agreed as to whose |
statue shall I'LL one of those inches: but |
L think we are all agreed that in one
of them should stand a statue like I'M
to this, but of white and of purest
marble. representing the face and form
of Zebulon B. Vance. Let us see to 1t, |
my friends. that this duty we owe to
ourselves. and to him, is no longer de-
ferred!