The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-14

quest that your Honor receive, for a
place on the walls of this courtroom.
This portrait Of their honored father. |
II is the work of one of the foremost |
portrait painters Of America.
They do me the very high honor Of |
ertrus;ing the presentation to me, and |
for this honor l thank them. Our
fathers were friends of a life time. |
had much in common Of early |
struggle, and OF final success, and |
were closely allied in Legislative and |
convention labors. Their children are
friends.
The artist has, with master strokes. |
placed on his canvass the face and
form Of Judge Brooks, and as one
studies the portrait, the marked char
aCteriStiCs Of the man are discovered,
order, decision of character, neatness,
reserve. fxedness OF purpose, deter
mination. pOise.
Ii is appropriate, and custom war
rants, that i should accompany this
request with a sketch Of his life, and
a tribute to his worth. I can speak
but little from personal acquaintance
1 first saw Judge Brooks when he was
4 member of the convention Of 1855
| appeared in his court but once. at
the last term held by him, and then
only for a formal entry Of a consent
judgment.
One who studies the life Of another
with whom his personal contact was
limited, must find his material in the
conversation Of those who knew his
subject well, from traditions and from
what has been published Of him and
by him. Judge Brooks never spoke
nor wrote, for publication. Those
who were actors with him have
mainly followed him. No lawyer is
living who ever saw him at the bar.
If these sources Of Information are
scant, we are fortunate in knowing
fhe pivotal points of his life and from
them we can see clearly the moving
causes Of his conduct The spot Of
ground on which a man is born. the
character and location Of the school
ne attends in youth: the environment
OF his professional preparation, de-
cidedly mark his habits and char
acter, and shape and control his con-
duct If these surroundings are un-
usual then their impress is the more
certain and the more controlling.
In these respects we have striking
illustration in the life Of Judge
Brooks
His love of liberty was intense. He
was born in that mosphere.
The colonial record of organized
government in North Carolina is of
a general assembly by the people Of
Lbe colony near the home of Captain
Hecklefield, which is now supposed
70 have been located near the present
site OF Nixonton, is Pasquotank
county.
in his "Grandfa theirs Tales" the
late Col Richard Benbury Creecy
makes the following narrative in sup
port OF the tradition:
Gen Duncan Mcdonald, of Eden
ton. was my kinsman by marriage, a
good man, fond OF children. indulgent
.,1 ,S@nx xol 10 i
tary man by training and position
and his official business often called
him to distant places in his military
district. On one of these occasions he
was called to Elizabeth City to revie "
the militia Of Pasquotank county.
was TO accompany him On the day
appointed we equipped ourselves with
double rig and nice stepping horse
and started on our days journey. This
general was kind. chatty and com
panionable Towards evening We
crossed Halls Creek bridge, IN Pas
Quotank county. half mile from
HeCklefield farm, near Nixonton. Or
rising the hill at Halls Creek, the
general stopped the horse and sait
30 me:
The first General Assembly O.
North Carolina met under that tree.
al the same time pointing to larg'
oak tree on the left hand side Of tn
road that lowered above the oak
that surrounded it. Gen. McDonal
was a man of extensive information
Of liberal culture. and particular.
fond OF antiquarian and historica
lore"
On the 18th day Of June, 1910, a
Halls Creek church, a memoHa
stone was set up with appropriat
ceremony, commemorative OF tn
spot pointed out by Gen Mcdonald
on which that assembly was hello
The inscription on the stone reads:
Here was held the first Albe1nArl
Assembly. February 6. 1865, erecte
by the Sir Walter Raleigh Chaptel
Daughters of the Revolution. Jun
IL, 1910"
Within mile Of this spot. in
plain country home, on the 18th da
OF March. 1891, was born Geors
Washington Brooks. How much tn