The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-08-25

| Ane Sraclousness with which the gift
\ OF this statue has been received hss
added % the pleasure Virginia has felt
In sending her best loved so1 to stand
on the soil Of France. amid the only
allies offensive and defensive" Amsri-
ca has ever had II was . beautiful
thought shat prompted the people OF
Washington the bust OF Iafs-stte. his
most trusted lieutenant and his dearest
LIANT commSndor OF the redoubtsSie
FsntasQue, who dealt such telling
coast ard later Sy ii. Sr nR TR %on G for
himself the high honor OF beins an sd-
mirAl or France. And 1t is indeed Mt
the pedestal as a part OF his support
the names and the records OF the A.
sSs brave French soldiers and sailors
who made possible the successful ter
mineton OF the war, and thereby on
titled WashinStpn to stand upon that
| cords only TO the victorious. His spirit.
/ as IL hovers here above his statue, must
indeed feel that he stands in the midst
And now. NJ. lie Ministre des Afaires
the great Commonwealth Of Virginia.
l present through you to the people or
statue of George Washington; and
when we leave this illustrious Nir-
! gilman to stand here in this magnificent
| shrine, where are collected the chief
! souvenirs of your countrv's glorious
past. II is well for us to remember not
| only that Washington was the beloved
of his own people, and the Commander
in-Chiet Of the armies Of America; but
signal honor of placing its soldiers and
/ sailors under his command, and OF
commissioning him as a lieutenant
| general of its armies, and as an ad-
miral OF France.
senator Halsey Speaks.
! Senator Don p. Halsey, OF Lynch
| burg, a member of the commission,
| also spoke in part as follows:
I'VE have been contemporaries and
! fellow workers in the cause Of lib
erty, and we have lived together as
brothers should do in harmonious
friendship"
These words written by Washington
to Rochambeau in 1884 are inscribed
upon the pedestal of the statue erect
ed to the memory Of that distinguish
ed soldier and citizen of France,
which stands facing the White House
in the beautiful park Of my nations
| capital city that bears the honored
name of Lafayette,
In the spirit of these words of
Washington to his great contempt
rary, Virginia, the oldest Of the Amer
lean Commonwealths. the birthplace.
the home and the burial ground of
Washington, today sends his statue
with greetings Of fraternal regard and
gratitude to France whose soldiers
and sailors were his companions in
arms.
1t is recorded in our history that
when this friend of our country, then
a mere youth, applied TO our COM
missioners in Paris, in 1875, for pas
sage in the first ship they should dis
patch TO America, they were obliged
to reply that they had not the money
nor the credit to provide a single yes
sci. and sought to dissuade him by
telling him of the wellnigh hopeless
condition OF their cause. But the he
roic boy replied, Thus Far you have
seen my zeal only; now il shall be
IT. rr-i1 has n nd
equip a vessel myself 1t is while dan
ger presses that wish TO join your
fortunes" And so when America was
too poor TO furnish him even with pas
sage TO her shores, he left In his ten
der youth. his home, his bride, his
surroundings OF wealth, OF rank, Of
luxury and OF happiness to endure
| hardship and privation and consecrate
his life. his fortune and his sacred
honor" to the cause of liberty across
Gratitude.
Republics may be ungrateful, but
! the time has never been when the
people of Virginia and her sister
States have failed to recognize with
gratitude and appreciation the gen.
\ erous and chivalrio services render
/ ed TO their cause by the brave and gal
! liant people Of France. When an
officer from General Carleton. who
succeeded Clinton as the British COM
chief, came to Washing
| toms Headquarters with an offer of
peace and independence IL the Ameri-
| cans would renounce the alliance with
/ France. Washington refused to re-
| ceiVe him. Congress Spurned Garlic
! tons secretary bearing a like message
and the States. led by Maryland, de-
| nounced all who entertained PROPOSE
/ tions of peace which were not APP
proved by France, as public enemies.
II is as a slight token Of that love
| and gratitude, unbroken and undi-
minished through the years that have
come and gone that Virginia wishes
TO give to France this statue OF him
who led the allied armies to victory.
| 1t is a copy OF the masterpiece of
that great French sculptor, Jeau An
tome Houdon, born in this city of YER
sailles, and may we'll be kept here
| in this sacred shrine Of French his
tory and art, this palace once trod by
the feet OF kings, as the best counter
| felt presentment OF the face and form
of one who, though he acknowledged
no greater royalty than that of man
hood, stands forth among the noblest
and most majestic characters that
grace the pages OF history-the in
carnatiOn of that spirit OF resistance
to oppression which inspired the
Frenchmen OF an earlier day TO join
hands with him in the cause OF hui
man freedom, the statue of him whom
virginia lovingly crowns as the great
est of her sons, given by her to
America and to the world as a pattern
and exemplar of civic virtue and pa
triotism.
Among the illustrious Frenchmen
who have eloQuently pronounced
words OF eulogy upon the life and
character OF Washington, il gives me
pleasure to mention the distinguish
ed scholar. orator, statesman and dip
lomat who now occupies the post of
ambassador from this country to the
United States, a man whose name is
held in honor throughout America
and especially in Virginia, where he
is well known and whose presence as
speaker here today lends one OF the
principal charms to this occasion.
Friendship.
In the official account Of the I'M
yelling OF the Rochembeau Statue in
Washington, on May "a, 1902, it is
related that when the cord releasing
the enshrouding flags was pulled by
Madame La Comtesse Rochambeau.
while the air was rent with. shouts of
applause, while handkerchiefs waved
and cannons roared, and while above
all the tumult rose the soul-stirring