The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-27

their fellow americans descended from
the colonial stock. For all alike the
7 ..oblems of our existence are fundament-
ally the same, and for all alike these prob
lcma change from generation to genera
t4ufi.
In the colonial period and for at least
q century after its close. the conquest OF
tho continent, the expansion of our people
westward, to the Alleghenies. then to the
Mississippi. then to the Pacific, was al
ways one of the most important tasks.
ana sometimes the most important. In our
national life. Behind the first settlers the
conditions grew easier. and In the older
settled regions of all the colonies life
speedily assumed much OF comfort ana
something of luxury: and though gener-.
ally IL was on a much more democratic
basis than life in the Old World, it was
by 10 means democratic when judged by
our modern standards: and here and there,
as in the tidewater regions OF Virginia,
genuine aristocracy grew and hourlshed.
But the men who first broke ground in tho
virgin wilderness. whether on the Atlantic
coast or in the interior, fought hard for
mere life In the early stages the from
,iersnan had to do battle with the saw
age, and when the savage was Vanqulshed
there remained the harder strain or wa:
with the hostile forces of soil and climate.
with flood, fever and famine. There was
sickness, and bitter weather.: there were
no roads: there was complete lack or all
but the very toughest and most absolute
IA ccssaries. Under such circumstances
the men and women who made ready the
continent for civilization were able them
selves to spend but little time In doing
aught but the rough work which was to
make smooth the ways of their successors.
In consequence observers whose insight
-o;Ia tN,,l n,l- of SIy m
found both the settlers and their lives
unattractive and repellent. In Martin
Chuzzlewit the description of America,
eliminating in the description of the from
tier town of Eden was true and life-llke
from the standpoint. of one content tc look
merely at the outer she'll; and yet 1t was
community like Eden that gave birth to
Abraham Lincoln; it was men such as
were therein described from whose lons
andrew Jackson sprang.
Each Generation It's Task.
Hitherto each generation among us has
had its allotted task, now heavier, now
lighter. In the Revolutionary war the
business was to achieve independence
Immediately afterwards there was an
even more momentous task: that to
achieve the national unity and the ca
pac:tv for orderly development without
which our liberty. our independence,
would have been curse and not a bless
ing. In each of these two contests. while
there were many great leaders from many
different States, It is but fair to say that
the foremost place was taken by the SOL
0iers and the statesmen of Virginia; and
to Virginia was reserved the honor of pro-
ducing the hero Of both movements, the
hero of the war, and OF the peace That
made good the results of the war-George
Washington; while the two great political
pcia Of la m
by the names of two other great Vir-
sinians-Jefferson and NIarshall--from one
of whom we inherit the abiding trust In
the PEOPLE which Is the foundation stone
OF democracy, and from the other the
power to develop on behalf of the people
a coherent and powerful government,
genuine and representative nationality.
| Two generations passed before the sec
ond great crisis of our history had to be
faced. Then came the Civil war. terrible
and bitter in itself and in its aftermath
! tut G struggle from which the nation
finally emerged united In fact as we'll as
| in name, united forever. Oh, my hearers.
my fellow-countrymen. great indeed has
| reen our good fortune: for as time clears
| awav the mists that once shrouded
| brother from brother and made each look
s.as through q glass darkly' at tho other,
we can all feel the same pride in the
valor, the devotion and the fealty toward
| the right as it was given to each to see
the right, shown alike by the men who
wore the blue and by the men who wore
the gray. Rich and prosperous though we
are as people, the proudest heritage that
each or us has, no matter where he may
| dwell, North or South. East or West is
the immaterial heritage of feeling, che
right to claim as his own all the valor and
al! the steadfast devotion to duty shown
by tie men of both the great armies, Of
leader
the soldiers whose leader was Lee. The
men and the women of the Civil war did
| their duty bravely and we'll In tho days
! that were dark and terrible and splendid.
| We. their descendants. who pay proud
| Homage to their memories, and glory In
| the feats of might of one side no less than
| OF the other. need to keep steadily in
mind that the homage which counts Is
the homage of heart and of hand. and not
| of the lips, the homage of deeds and not
| of words only. We too. In our turn. must
| prove our truth by our endeavor. We
| must show ourselves worthy sons OF tho
| mon of the mighty days by the way In
which we meet the problems Of our own
| tinlo. We carry our heads high because
our fathers did well In the years that tried
mems souls; and Wo must IN our turn so
| bear ourselves that the children who
come after us may feel that We too have
done our duty.
Be Always Prepared.
| We cannot afford to forget the maxim
upon which Washington insisted, that tho
! surest way to avert war Is to be prepared
| to meet It. Nevertheless the duties that
most concern us of this generation are not
military, hut social and industrial. Each
community must always dread the evils
which spring UP as attendant upon tho
! ,er,, Qualities when give 1t SUCCESS NVa