Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-04-27


least II century after its close, tIte
conquest Of the continent. the expniisS
sion OF our people westward, to the
Alleghenies, then to the Misslssippi,
then to the Pacific. was always ona
OF the most important tasks. and 4
sometimes the most important, In
our national life. Behind the firets
settlers the conditions grew caster,
and In tho older.settled regions of all
the colonies life srJ,edily assumed
much OF comfort and something of I
luxury: and though generally 1t was
on much more democratic basiBS
than life In the Old World, It Waa
by no means democratic when Judged
by our, modern standards; and here
and there. as In the tide-water reg.
ions of Virginia, Il genuine arIstucrI-H
'cy grew and flouSshed. But the men
who first broke ground In the virgin
Wilderness. whether on the Atlantic
coast, or In the interior, fought hard
for mere life In the early stages the
frontiersman had to do battle with
the savage mid 7Then the savage WAS
,yanQuished there remained tho harder
strain OF war with the hostile forces
10 fsoil and climate. with flood, fevef,s
and famine There was sickness. Y
and bitter weather; there were no.
roads; there was u complete lack Of
jail but tho very toughest and most
absolute necessaries. Under suclf
circumstances the men and women
who made ready the continent for I
civilization we're able themselves to-
spend but littlo time In doing aught
but the rough work which was To 1
make smooth the ways OF their stic-
cessors In consequence observers
whose insight was spoiled by lack Of
sympathy always found both the set
| tiers and their lives unattractive andg
repellent In Martin Chuzzlewit theis
description OF America, eliminating
In the description of tho frontier town
Of Eden, was true and life-llke from
the standpoint OF one content to look
merely at the outer shell; and yet 1T
was n community like Eden that gaveS
birth to Abraham Lincoln: 1t waaf
men such rs were therein described
from whose loins Andrew Jackson
sprang. 5s
Three Great vlrglnians.
Hitherto each generation among ua
has had its allotted task, now heay.
Ter, now lighter. In the Revolutions
airy War the business was to achieve
Independence. Immediately after
wards there was MI even more mo-
mentous task: TINT 10 achieve the ma
tiOnal unity and the capacity for or
derby development. without which our
liberty, our Independence. would have
! been II curse and not blessing In
each OF these two contests, while there
We're many great leaders from many
different States. It Is but fair to say
that the foremost place was taken
by the soldiers and the statesmen OF
! Vrginin: and to Virginia was reserysi
ed the honor of producing the hero of
both movements, the hero OF the
war, and OF the peace that made good
| the results OF the war-George WASH
ington; while the two great political.
| tendencies OF the time can be SYM,
bolzed by tho names of two other
great observation-disclosures md Mar
shall-from one OF whom we Inherit
tho abiding trust In the people which,
Is the foundation stone of democracy,
and from the other the power to de-
vel0p on behalf OF the people Coz
herent and powerful government, a
| genuine and representative nntional-.
ity
Proudest Heritage of All.
Two generations passed before the
second great crisis OF our history had
to be faced. Then came tho Civil
War, terrible and bitter In itself aud
In its aftermath, but II struggle from
which the Nation finally emerged
united in fact ms well as In Nance
united forever. Oh, my hearers, my
fellow eountrymen, great indeed has
been our good fortune; for as time
clears away the mists that once
shrouded brother from brother and
made each look "as through glass
darkly" at the other we can all feel
the same pride in the valor, tho devo.,
ton and the fealty toward the right
as 1t wns 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 rs a people, the proud
est heritage, that each of us has, no,
matter where he may dwell North;
or South, EAST or West, is the in-,
material heritage of feeling, the right.
to claim rs his own all the valor and
! all the steadfast devotion to duty.
shown by the men of both the great
| armies, of the soldiers whose leader
was Grant and the soldiers whose
| leader was Lee The men and the
women Of the Civil War did their;
|