The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-11-23

Let us not forget that in the Statuar.
Hall of the Capitol of the United States
two inches lie vacant, for two great son
of this, one of the old thirteen.
We are not wanting in heroic spirits
| worthy to stand in the presence or TN
earth. Whether they be the senator!
from my birthplace of Orange, Graham
who opened Japan to mankind, wher
secretary OF the navy, and Mangum, Wh'
sat as presiding officer OF the United
States Senate; or Badger, the great al
vocate, and CASTOR the jurist-whethel
| Morehead, the father of internal I'M
provements, and Pender, the chlvalrous
soldier; or whether Nathaniel Macon
thrice Speaker of the House of Repre-
| sentatives, and Zebulon Vance, THRICE
Governor of North Carolina, is for the
people TO declare.
/ | hail the work of the Daughters of the
Confederacy: of the Daughters of the
Revolution. and of the Colonial DANES, in
] the preservation of the relics of the past
The traditions of our fathers. the truth Of
history; the perpetuation of NTH Caro-
lna's heroic annals for the generation
to come.
/ Especially am / gratified to witness the
| first fruits of the admirable work set
: on foot by the State Literary and His
! torical Society. All honor to those who
have periodically combined to direct into
! effective channels the forces for our adj
vancement, and the study and exploita-
tion Of our history, so replete with in
| structon and interest.
| You have rightly begun at the begin
| ming The first fact in the history of the
English people, the Anglo-Saxon race in
| America, is the settlement of Roanoke
| Island, within our own beloved State.
| And the first name which challenges the
attention and regard of universal man
| kind, is that of the immortal genius who
conceived the founding of an Anglo
Saxon home on the Western Continent;
| the soldier, sailor poet, historian,
courtier, scientist, explorer and states
man, Sir Walter Raleigh.
| This assemblage here this evening, the
| deep interest already shown in the pro-
J the history of this commonwealth with
the five successive efforts made by his
munificence to plant Saxon civilization
/ in the Western wilds. and the spirit
! which you manifest, all argue that the
time has come. when We will no longer
neglect our Lares and Penates. The on
coming generations in all lands shall be
| taught more respect for the varied and
| remarkable history of NTH Carolina,
and more reverence will be awakened at
! the recital of the greatness of her dis
I tinguished sons.
| One of the beautiful stories of the Bible
runs IN shis wise:
The Lord spake unto Jshua, saving:
Take YOU twelve men GU. Of the peo-
pie out of every tribe a man,
And command ye them saying, Take
you hence out of the midst of Jordan,
out of the place where the priests feet
stood firm, IL stones, and we shall carry
them over with you and leave them in
the lodging place, where We shall lodge
this night.
Then Joshua called the twelve men,
whom he had prepared of the children of
Israel, out of every tribe a man:
"And Joshua said unto them, Pass over
before the ark of the Lord your God, into
the midst of Jordan and take you up
every man of you a stone upon his
shoulder, according unto the members of
, the tribes of the children of Israel
THAT this may be sign among you,
that when your children ask their father
in time to come, saying, What mean We
by these stones?
Then We shall answer them, That the
waters of the earth were cut off before
the ark of the Covenant of the Lord );
when it nassed over Jordan, the waters
of Jordan were cut off: and these stones
shall be a memorial unto the children of
Israel forever
And the Children of Israel did so. as
Joshua commanded, and took up twelve
stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the
Lord sDake unto Joshua, according TO
the number of the tribes of the children
of Israel. and carried them over with
them unto the place where they lodged,
and laid them down there.
And Joshua set W twelve stones in
the midst of Jordan in the place where
the feet of the priests. which bare the
ark of the Covenant stood, and they are
| there unto this day."
This story of the establishment of a
memorial forever, concerning great
event in the history of Gods chosen peo-
PIE lis not without it's lesson for us.
/ congratulate all North Carolina upon
achieved. To what enterprise of a pub
, lie character could the State lend it's
aid more appropriately, than to the effort
to perDetuate the memory of the cele-
brated patriot, the illustrous statesman.
the daring navigator, the knightly SOL
der, the Christian gentleman, who plant
ed the first colony of white settlers upon
her shores-for before Jamestown, Roam
oke was.
The contemplation OF this majestic fig
ure, so versatile in genius, yet as uni
versal in brilliancy of success, as the
facets Of diamond. would be a perpe-
tual lesson to youth. A celebrated Eng
lish historian said of him:
ut is by frequent contemplation of
such lofty and splendid specimens of hu-
manity as Sir Walter Raleigh, that the
modern character may be elevated and
invigorated. We see in him the coolest
and most calculating sagacity, joined
with flowing and gorgeous imagination,
the most irrepressible will with the
subtlest motions of intelleet-the most
sanguine and unsubdued spirit, with the
most patient resignation to irresistible
circumstances. There was indeed in him
such a grasp of thought, such an energy
of spirit, and such majesty of express
sion, that the mind cannot dwell upon