He had run a long and
glorious course. His duty was all done. He had taken his place in the
history of his country.
In the contemplation of such a character, when the keen pang of parting
is past, joy should take the place of mourning. Let us rejoice at the
prospect which greeted his closing eyes. In his last days he was cheered
by the greatness of his country. When he first saw the light, his
beloved Virginia was indeed bounded by the Ohio, and had a nominal line
on the Mississippi, the extreme verge of the British claim; but she was
the humble vassal of imperial power. He saw that Virginia, when,
retiring from the Danube of the West, she gave independence and position
to that lovely region, which, under the name of Kentucky, became her
equal in the federal union. He saw that Virginia, beneath the banner of
the gallant Clark, dipping her feet in the waters of the Northern lakes;
and he saw her cede to the confederation that vast North-western domain
with the single provision that states as free and as sovereign as
herself should be carved from its territory; and he saw those states,
one by one, take their station in the American Union.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192