The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-04

he was gifted with a quality of tenn
per that could not be ruff1ed. Always
frank ana good humored, he might be
| described by Goldsmiths well known
line.
AN -abridgment of all that is pleasant
| in man.
And yet, he had frnness and decision
! Of character, and was not easily
| turned from his purpose.
Ramsey was not an orator. Like
FRANKLIN. he seldom exceeded a quar-
ter of an hour, or twenty minutes, in
any public address. While not a fluent
he was an easy speaker. He spoke
| as well in German as in English, and
| this fact greatly enhanced his popu-
| lartty. His evident sincerity always
carried conviction, and he won the
| judgment of his audiences. He had as
| few idiosyncracies as any man 1 ever
| met in public life-no crotchets, no
| fads, and this left his faculties I'M
| clouded and unbiased.
| He was a typical American, and
| loved his country with a devotion as
| fervid as Patrick Henry. He could
say, as Webster once said, I was born
ar American, l live an American, 1
shall die an American The East,
from whence he came, was narrow;
but the West broadened and liberalized
his ideas.
I'VE love sometimes to look at dis
tinguished men en- dishabille, not al
! ways in their robes of state. Let us
| view him personally. His social and
colloquial qualities were of the best.
In private life he was a genial and
/ generous neighbor, a loving husband,
| and a fond father. He was neither
avaricious nor prodigal of money. He
bowed in knightly homage to women,
as all true gentlemen have ever done.
THAT elegant contrivance of social
| life, good dinner, had its charms for
| his leisure hours and epicurean tastes.
The gorgeous table, the embossed
| plate, the exotic bottles, the brilliant
! flowers, the distinguished guests, the
attic salt, in his leisure hours, to him
| were fascinating. The salads of Luz
| cullus, and the wines of Maecenas
We're none too rich for his Pennsyl-
vania blood. believe he had the best
| stomach in America, and a good stom-
ach is the foundation of strong man.
He was man of marked personal
appearance. He had broad shoulders,
a deep chest and great muscular pow
er, denoting immense vitGity. He had
a noble head, round, well balanced and
symmetrical. His face was broad and
expressive. When the "dew of youth
rested upon him he was accounted es-
| pecially handsome; and age but added
! ance.
Finally, his connection with and de-
| Votion to this society must not be
omitted on this memorial occasion. He
was our patron saint from our natal
hour to the end of his days. He signed
the legislative act Incorporating this
body Oct 20, 1849, four weeks before 1t
was organized. His address on assum-
Ing the chair as first president, Jan. 10,
1881, is remarkable paper, as it de-
fined the splendid field of our research,
and pointed out, as never since, the
great objects of this society. To read
1t even now creates an enthusiasm in
our work. and an inspiration not to be
received from any other source.
| He showed how Minnesota had a
history, rich in tales of daring enter
prise, glowing with myths and tradi-
tons. which were to be exhumed, and
gathered into permanent form. We
were to preserve the feeting memorials
of our territory; in fact, were to become
embaimers royal TO all that is worth
preserving in our history. Hence this
society has passion for old things, old
traditions, old mounds, old stories, old
pictures, old heroes. We love to grepe
in the twilight of the past-to unearth
our Oldest myths, as well as to verify
events that otherwise would fade-an
employment SO suitably symboliZed by
~
Lux tenebris.' s,s =
alexander Ramsey is dead, and has
passed forever to the starry court of
eternity The grave closes the scene,
and we scatter, profusely it may be, the
lilies of remembrance upon his sepul-
| chre. But the praise of the dead harms
no rival, though it be generously given.
doubt if the state shall look upon his
like again, because there are no sur
roundingS to produce such a character.
He surely earned a name and fame,
such as Minnesota cannot afford to let
die. A generous people will yet deco
rate his tomb with a monument that
would please the eye Of Pericles.
Alexander Ramsey is dead, so far as
such men can die, and he is hencefoPth
an historical character. / venture thus
early to anticipate the verdict of pos
tertty, and call him a great man; one
test of which surely lies in this, that no
other has yet arisen among us, who, all
in all, can successfully contest with
him the palm Of primacy.
He died in the maturity of his years.
The very ends of his being seemed to
have been fulfilled. It was no sudden
death in the midst of lifes great actiV-
| tiles and usefulness, like the lamented
Window; but was like the close of
some pleasing summers day, whose
long, lingering and benignant light
SAAoA iAio elo II oOpetl dIlQ Il0ltS away
into the rosy west, leaving upon it's
forehead the evening star of memory.
Nothing could be more appropriate
for his monumental inscription than
that placed upon the tomb of Sir Chris
topher Wren, the architect of the
Cathedral of ST. Paul, who lies buried
in the very building his genius con-
structed, and on whose tablet is this
immortal legend:
Isl monumentum quaeris, cfrcum-
spice"
"1f you seek monument, look about
YOU
But Alexander Ramsey lies Injured
in cathedral whose mighty arches and
swelling dome reach to the very con-
fines of this empire state, which his
genius may be said to have almost Gre
ated."
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kept open on Saturday until o'clock D.