Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-17
SONS OF VIRGINIA.

| euah hohS oSo0So. uSu We cpSd
of Massachusetts, or Pennsylvani,
or Virginia, or Georgia, it is not til
soil, the climate, or the resources "
first think of,-but the people. An
the future, the honor, the prosperit
of every great state of our Unite
States depend on the manner i
which her sons conduct themselye
love Virginia. / love the histor
of the Old Dominion and of he
glorious sons. l do not apologize fo
that feeling. Show me a man VIII
is not proud of his native state, an
| will show you a man whose nativ
state has no reason to be proud o
him. Let man be from Kamchatks
Kalamazoo, or the Fiji Islands, O
anywhere, but let him be proud O
the land that gave him birth and o
the people in that native land VIII
stood for that which was high ant
noble.
And so, tonight, gentlemen, | an
proud of the sons of Virginia and O
the record they have carved on th
eternal monuments of time.
l am not going to weary you will
biographical sketches. with figure
and statistics, with George Washing
ton cherry trees and chestnut stories
These are weariuess to the flesh.
Many of you know the history O.
Virginia's greatest sons as we'll as
They are your countrymen, too. Ye
| thank the committee for giving M
the pleasant task of refreshing youl
minds on some of the deeds done b,
men of the Old Dominion.
Of few of Virginia's great men
need say nothing. When l call th
names Of Washington, jefferson
Madison and Monroe, their deed
stand out for themselves. The,
being dead, yet speak. / need onli
add to these the names of Harrison
Tyler and Taylor, and remind vol
that Virginia has given seven presi
dents to this country,-more tha,
any other state.
But though Washington, tn,
Father of his country, Jefferson, tn
Maker of the Constitution an,
Author of Religious freedom, an,
Monroe, the promulgator of tha
doctrine which has attracted so much
attention, stand forth as beacor
lights in the armament of history
there are others who differ from then
only as one star differeth from
another in glory.
would remind you of Patricl
Henry, patriot, soldier and governor
a hot-headed Southerner who turned
his hot head to good account.
claim for Patrick Henry the honor
of starting the revolution for Ameri
can independence. In the celebrated
Parsons case we have the first record
ofa protest against England's unjus
laws. Henry denounced the kins
and his rulings, and was accused o.
treason for doing 80.
We are all familiar with that late,
famous speech,-"Give me liberty O,
give me DEATH" Some one has
declared that Patrick Henry uttered
those words during long and tire.
some sermon in fly time,-that ht
stood the sermon as long as he could
then rose to his feet and, looking
earnestly at the persistent divine
said "Give me liberty or give me
death.
| would remind you of George
Mason, the author of the Bill OF
Rights in the constitution of Vir.
ginia, the greatest document of its
kind in the world.
Ut Andrew Lewis, the Indian
fighter.
Of George Rogers Clarke, who
with his men marched through
swamps in mud and water to the
neck to wrest the great Northwest
from the English, earning for him.
self by his deeds the title of the
Hannibal Of the West.
Of good old Governor Nelson, who
gave the American gunner five
guineas to put a cannon bali through
his own residence when the British
took shelter there.
Of Chief Justice Marshall, who
has stood in personal and national
worth at the head of our greatest
court.
Of Matthew F. Maury, who marked
out the tracks of speed and safety
for mariners of every cline, and who
the great Humboldt said created 8
new science.
Of Taylor and Scott of Mexican
war fame.
Of the Pendletons, Lees, Walkers
Nelson's; of John Minor, our great
law writeri of John w. Daniel, his
successor and our present well-known
Senator.
Maybe what 1 shall say of Vir-
glnla's great men in the Civil War
will not bring the responsive echo
In your hearts that awakens at the
sound of the names of Washington
and Jefferson. l have studied care.
fully the history of the great men OF
the revolutionary times and of this
latter era, and ! know whereof ]
speak when say that of the sons of
Virginia there never breathed more
noble examples than Joe Johnston,
Stonewall jackson and Robert X.
Lee.
| honor the memories of Washing
ton and Jefferson. Their deeds by
reason of glorious triumphs stand
out greater than the deeds and lives
of those / have mentioned, but in
worth neither Washington