The Virginia enterprise., 1912-06-28

On the thirtieth of June, the orator for the
celebration at Quincy called upon Adams In
his home and asked for toast. II give you."
said the feeble patriarch, Independence for
ever!" Asked If he desired to add anything to
tho sentiment, the old hero replied: "Nct
word"
The great day dawned and John Adams still
lived. But the candle had burned to it's socket
and could give but feeble flicker. "'Tis
great day! 'Tis a good day." he said to the
anxious relatives who surrounded his bed. Rea-
son wavered, but the futtering mind in it's last
earthly moments recalled the friend of Month
cello-the old comrade who had stood with
him shoulder to shoulder in the fight for free
dom. Thomas Jefferson still survives" he
murmured in voice so feeble that the last syl.
lables were scarcely distnguishable Those
were his last words. His spirit departed with
the Depending sun.
He died In error. Thomas Jefferson did not
survive. For days the good Democrat had felt
the approach of death and had prepared for 1t,
desiring only that he might live until the
Fourth. On the third the stupor into which he
had fallen became almost continuous. All,
DOCTOR" he said, awakening in the night "are
you still there Is 1t is Fourth?" 1T soon will
be-" answered the physician. AS midnight ap-
preached those watching noted anxiously the
passing Of the minutes. hoping and praying
be hallowed by the great anniversary. The
wish was granted. Not until fifty minutes past
the meridian did the soul of the great COM
moner exchange immortalties.
1t was before the days of telegraphs and
railroads. The news spread slowly. Five days
elapsed ere the denizens of Baltimore and
Washington learned Of what had happened at
Bra1ntree. Meantime the inhabitants of Vir-
gtnfa and neighboring states mourned the
6nofh NJ Yn4
strange coincidence that one who had been
the author Of the Declaration should die upon
the fftieth anniversary Of its adoption.
Then came the news from the north, and
men realized that not one but two patriarchs
OF liberty had departed on the day when hearts
were bounding with Joy over blessings which
s1res OF former age had handed down-that
almost simultaneously these two had been
translated in the midst Of the acclamattons Of
millions to the judgment of their God. Had
steeds and chariots of fire descended to take
up these partners in earthly fame and cohers
OF eternity it might perhaps have been more
wonderful but not more glorious
AS the news spread over the land to the vii.
lages and the hamlets, ut raised everywhere
a thrill of emotion, such as has never been
caused by any public event. 1t was not the
wall OF grief, such as is drawn forth by the
sense OF privation by the loss Of valuable lives
The advanced age Of the persons, II nothing
else neutralized that. It was the offspring of
the mixture Of feelings, the chief of which
was the surprise at the strangeness Of the oc.
currence, veneration for the men themselves.
and delight in the splen dor which it would re-
fleet upon page Of the national annals. Ger
tainly the fabulous passing away of the first
roman King, nearly on the same anniversary
In the midst Of elementary chaos, does not
compare with it in grandeur Men loved to
meet each other and to dwell on the most
minute particulars, as they were eedulously
laid before the public By the newspapers and
to read the comments raised to unusual elo.
quence by the tone of the general mind"
Never has 1t fallen to the lot Of any com.
mander," wrote the adjutant general. ito an.
nounce to an army such an event as now calls
forth the mingled grief and establishment of
the republic. Never since history first wrote
gled every triumph with every tender emotion,
and consecrated a nations Joy by blending II
with the most sacred of SORROWS"
For weeks the newspapers contained little |
else but descriptions Of the lives and deaths of
the departed patriots. In every city in the !
land memorial meetings searched sacred and |
profane history for a parallel OF the hun. |
dreds OF such orations at least will sur. |
vive, Webster's classic on adams and Jeffer /
son." In his message to Congress, the noble I
son of noble father, in calling attention to
the country's loss, reverently announced that
"the time, the manner, the coincidence are vis.
ible and palpable marks of Divine favor, for
which would humble myself in grateful and
silent alteration before the Ruler of the Uni
verse;"
Nor was such language extravagant The
passing Of the two patriots formed not only
the strangest coincidence in the annals of
mankind, but it marked the end of an era-of
the heroic age Of American history.