USA > Georgia > The bench and bar of Georgia: memoirs and sketches. With an appendix, containing a court roll from 1790-1857, etc., volume II > Part 53
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54
NO. VIII.
I now present the main question, What are you-what is every indi- vidual sent into life-to accomplish ? Follow me patiently, though I may not conclude the examination in this letter.
All men possess the same material organization, the sense of hearing, smelling, seeing, tasting, and feeling; yet you know there is a great difference in their conduct and fortunes. Some are content to remain stupid ; others dash off with fiery zeal in the pursuit of knowledge. Some covet riches and devote their minds to nothing else; others are hurried on by impulses which they cannot reduce to system : they want every thing in the main, and aim at nothing in detail. Improbable as it may seem at first view, there is more hope, more promise, more ability to achieve great ends, in this class than in the dull, sluggish, provident meat- and-bread sort of people, who bestow no attention upon the improvement
436
APPENDIX.
of their minds, but remain ignorant and ridiculous all their lives for the want of a few lively ideas, a few trains of thought, which would have stirred up their dormant faculties and led to the useful discovery that they had intellect capable of expansion and a soul of mysterious power. Those having illiterate parents, who cling to the good old fashion of having no book or newspaper in the family, who make no progress in any thing, not even in managing their farms or fencing in their yards, have no glass windows in their dwellings and a pole to hold back the shutters, merely because their "fathers" did so before them, deserve to be pitied. Such are very apt to perpetuate the generation of " hewers of wood and drawers of water," or at least to cast on society a set of men, women, and children whose aims and enjoyments are of the coarsest texture, with a tendency downward.
I ought to know all about this matter. My lot was humble, obscure ; not a family within ten miles, in a populous neighborhood, possessed a single member, old or young, except two or three ladies, who valued intelligence, or, at least, who possessed any. Still, they were clever, kind-hearted, honest people,-raised corn, wheat, potatoes, cattle, hogs, poultry, and garden-articles for their support. They had plenty. Ah ! just to think of these simple, easy times,-these contented folks,-old men telling about the Revolution, but could not describe any battle or event so as to give a correct idea of it! In their day, no schools dotted the land as now. Most of these veterans were unable to write or even read. Think you the late war with Mexico would be so imperfectly represented by the soldiers? Education, a plain, solid amount of know- ledge, is now common everywhere. The schoolmaster is abroad, and is decidedly a more respectable gentleman than he was in my old field-college days, when my best teacher kept a jug of whiskey at his bedside all night, and often waked up to take a swig ! Dear old T-s! He flogged me once for hunting birds on Sunday, though he loaded the gun and sent me on the expedition. Unfortunately, I returned home in the public road, and therein was my crime ! He repeated his orders that I was at liberty to hunt squirrels, rabbits, or whatever game I pleased on the Sabbath, so I would not let people see me; but, if I ever showed myself in the road, he would stripe me again ! From that time I ceased to profane the Lord's day : the curious morality of my teacher shook mny confidence in him as a spiritual guide.
But this digression is rather personal. Still, I desire to continue it briefly, to awaken in your mind proper sympathies to grasp the truth as it blazes from the wreck of my youthful companions. If allowable, or, indeed, if it could answer any useful purpose, I would give the names of all my school-mates and the boys of my neighborhood, so far as I remember them. Of the one hundred or more within this circle,-within the range of my visiting,-not one has risen to eminence, not one hasupplied himself to letters, not one has excelled in any liberal pursuit, though a few have acquired wealth, and one of them has been to the Legislature. Most of the poor fellows are dead : some met violent deaths, some of them had sons who fell in Mexico, and some of their wild boys went to sea as sailors. Two or three have succeeded in trade; but far the largest number have dwindled down to "hog and hominy" as the happiest station on earth, and their descendants are likely to keep up the old landmarks.
Now, you despise me for this confession,-for my impudence in trying to advise you, when it is reasonable to suppose that I am no better than
437
LETTERS TO A YOUNG FRIEND.
my school-mates, my neighbors' children, among whom I was raised, and whom I describe as wanting in cultivation. Even so. I am no better. I claim no superiority. They moved along in their native channel. When I look back, I see their fields, their dwellings, their children, and the turf-covered grave, all touching my heart in sad recollection. Such has been the fate of many of them. But the picture is disagreeable, and I draw the curtain over it. I mourn whilst I chronicle. I am the only one of that group of a hundred boys who, by accident, became devoted to books; my first reading for information being that of a newspaper left weekly in a little box at my father's gate by the mail-rider.
It is time I make the application. While I have nothing to boast, my example is before you. You know my defects : they are many. They have entailed on me suffering enough to kill a dozen sound men. None but a tough, withered invalid could have borne up under them ; none but a poor enthusiast who clings to the belief that man has a spirit able to subdue difficulties could toil on and hope for deliverance at last. Honor I do not seek; fortune is hard to realize. My only aim is to make the most I can of my poor talents and opportunities, that, when I pass away, you and other young men will regard me as a friend,-as one who opened his heart and gave you the best advice in his power.
What was I born for? Why are you in the world, struggling with its anxieties, the ups and downs of life? The philosopher and the fool can only answer, We are here because we could not prevent our birth. Life is a gift, and may be made a blessing or a curse, just as we use it. Think not that the troubles and vexations we encounter daily are in vain. They are the tonic of life ; they impart vigor both to mind and body. But for these our existence would become dull and tiresome; there would be no variety to enliven, no play of the passions to stimulate us. Yet I confess that if I had my choice I would take a smooth road, with no rocks, pits, or brambles to annoy me, though I fully believe "it is good that a man bear the yoke in his youth," even through life, to make him gentle and patient. He that is a stranger to trouble, to hardships, to self-abasement, is not likely to fathom the depths of life, to bring up its pearls and its gems from the hidden caverns of the mind,-the great storehouse of excellence. Until a man is ground up in the flint-mill, until he sees much, endures much, he is not ready for the highest efforts of which he is capable. There is some danger in this process, I grant. In passing through the mill of adversity, the soul, the courage of man is sometimes crushed; as, for instance, being a little hurt, he takes a drink to cure him, or he hates mankind and gives up in despair: either remedy-liquor or despair-is certain destruction.
I have heard and read of plans, of exact systems : so many hours for this object, so many to business, so many to recreation, so many to sleep, -- and they look well on paper; but I have never been able to preserve any method in the use of time. I could divide it well enough in theory without mastering the practice. Who, exposed as I am to interruptions, to the calls of men, some on business and others because they have nothing to do,-who, thus situated, could ever adhere to system,to particular hours ? Often a man drops on me immediately after breakfast ; and, if I am polite enough to converse with him, though I pause for him to disburden his conscience, he holds on until the dinner-gong frightens him into a declara- tion of his business. I am fond of society; it has given me all the little stores of pleasure that I possess; and, when I can escape from labor, it is
.
438
APPENDIX.
refreshing to talk in a lively, careless sort of manner with well-informed, even illiterate persons, if they have good, common sense, or any ideas at all. Have you not been in the company of men, however, who were so insufferably stupid, so given up to ignorance, that you could not interest their attention by your best endeavors ? Such people may be very harm- less, but they are awful bores. I always treat them civilly; and some- times when they remain too long to my damage, and they won't take a hint otherwise, I leave the room with an apology of business ; and then, after an hour's absence, I have found them still where I left them. Job had no such idlers to try his patience. His three friends were excellent talkers, and they and Job kept up a remarkable conversation for several days, much for the benefit of mankind.
Bear these and all other tribulations, after the example of Job, without a murmur. All men generally do their best. Circumstances make the difference,-a topic which I shall press at another time. Now, hold up your head like a man, and, come what may, good or evil fortune, never be depressed in spirits, never think of yielding to difficulty. The brave alone are sure of conquest.
XI .- REVIEW OF GOV. GILMER'S BOOK, -" GEORGIANS." (From the Southern Recorder, July 3, 1855.)
Gov. GILMER'S BOOK,-" GEORGIANS."-Without reference to what has been said about the volume written and published by Gov. GILMER, we venture an humble opinion for what it is worth. We sit in no chair of criticism, and pretend to no authority in letters. Our aim is simply to do justice.
A book is put into circulation, -a queer sort of book, to-be-sure, abound- ing in family records, neighborhood-chat, and a variety of matter,-child- hood, farming, love, politics, marriages, elegant society, plain customs, law, Congress, Indians, public functionaries, individual qualities, compli- ments, pretty women, ugly men, high-bred Virginians, respectable persons from other States, good housekeepers, pleasant wives, worthless husbands, dutiful children, and a hundred other topics introduced with conversational freedom. Such is the character of the book we propose to examine. It is no thunderbolt; it is no zephyr. It is between the two, more as a fireside talk, where heroes, statesmen, and scholars lay aside their public masks and open their hearts in rambling good nature and frank sincerity.
Honor to that man who mystifies not,-who, feeling within himself a love of simplicity and truth, scorns to disguise objects in the glitter of composition, as most authors unfortunately do, from a mistaken pride of style. The world is full of splendid trash,-books by the million, chaff by the ton. History is no longer reliable, the author being so anxious to show himself that his facts are doomed to play a subordinate part. The volume by Governor Gilmer has no kinship with such productions. He betrays no fondness for fine writing, as such : he writes correctly enough, and with spirit ; yet we lose all thought of him in the flood of materials gushing from his memory. He is the living record of all Broad River transactions, from the time Col. O'Haggerty's grandfather left Ireland and settled on the Rappahannock, and thence on Broad River, down to the marriage of his daughter Sophia with Dick Stapleton. Then follows a catalogue of the young Stapletons. Tom went in the army ; Charles tried college, but left in his Junior year, a decided blockhead. Wesley took to preaching, married the widow Scott's daughter Peggy, by whom he had
439
REVIEW OF GOV. GILMER'S " GEORGIANS."
eleven children, and then died, leaving them a slender property. Kate Stapleton, the eldest daughter of Dick, married Judge Wilson, and, after living five years a most affectionate wife and mother, died on a visit to the White Sulphur Springs, in Virginia. Judge Wilson's second wife was Harriet Wildstar, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Wales, and who, while detained in London a few days for a vessel to the American Colonies, had the good fortune to see the axe which beheaded Charles I. The axe is still preserved in the Tower, and was seen by Mr. Randolph in 1820. Mr. Randolph was a good judge of metal, having the fine English armor of his ancestors, of massive polished steel, in the old family mansion. Besides, Mr. R. had a brace of pistols of genuine Damascus twist, which he handled with matchless precision.
Of course we do not copy the words of Gov. Gilmer,-only his method as a specimen. We have heard of a "family tree," and our imagination supplies one from the pencil of Gov. Gilmer. Planted in the fertile bot- toms of Broad River, it luxuriates into limbs and branches, and foliage and fruit, so extensively, that all Georgia, besides a good portion of Ala- bama and Mississippi, are furnished with healthy scions for grafting, and the best seed in the world for propagating good society and large fortunes.
Such was the Broad River Colony. It is mostly dispersed, its members gone to other States, many of them dead; and all have their names rescued from oblivion by the friendly hand of a lover of his race. We have met the Broad River people in scattered groups, talked with them, and shared their hospitality, without knowing the distinction which attached to their
original locality. They were indeed clever, as described by their subse- quent historian. Many excellencies which then escaped our observation are now quite palpable to our judgment.
We thank Gov. Gilmer for his book. It has been said by some of his friends that it has injured his fame,-there is too much gossip in it, too many hearts wounded, too much of the old man's infirmity. We dissent from all these imputations. Of itself, and on its own pedestal, it is worthy of respect. It differs from all other books; it is the beginning and end of a peculiar freedom of the press, which, as an experiment, will scarcely be repeated. The author was full of images, and overrun with facts. He was besieged; he found no rest.
Writing them down, by way of depletion, afforded some relief; yet the Broad River community, with their forests, fields, and cabins, log school- houses and rough hospitality,-with their whole issue of children and grandchildren, intermarriages, and associations thus formed, illustrated by pedigrees from English knighthood and Indian princes, including hum- bler degrees of ancestral reputation,-all had to be noticed; and nothing less than publication would answer. Gov. Gilmer is no voluntary author : the book was extorted from him.
We admire it for one quality : the author is so lost in his materials that we never think of him as an ambitious writer. Gov. Fury, Gen. Bragwell, Col. Bluster, Maj. Flint, and Capt. Steel, with most of their acquaintances, figure so prominently that the author is thrown into the shade. He is so conscious of this inferior position that he tries to get up a distinct chapter or two about himself, his early struggles, his services in Congress, his election as Governor, and his policy toward the Cherokees ; but he has written up others to such a height above him that he cannot emerge from his rustic lodge; he is the least character in the book, although he affects to think generously of himself. Some readers imagine
440
APPENDIX.
that the author is the hero of the volume, and that all other personages and incidents are but secondary to the principal. This conclusion is plausible, we confess : still, it is alike erroneous and unjust. Gov. Gilmer was under no necessity to fabricate a name by any indirection. He was favorably known throughout the Union, and his eccentricities were relished, because from a noble heart. A petulant word occasionally might well be forgiven to one who had never been free from bodily suffering a single day in his life.
To sum up the characteristics of the volume, we have to circle, cross- drive, dash off at sharp angles, and then gallop, then pacc, then halt, and look behind and before, above and below, to comprehend within the range of vision the droll array which the mind of the author has conjured up for public inspection. That he may have misunderstood the motives of some men to whom he has alluded, and that he has also been occasionally deccived by appearances,-as the wiscst men are liable to be,-we readily admit : still, we maintain that there is nothing in his book, taken in con- nection with Gov. Gilmer's known frankness and integrity of character, which should detract from his fame, or justify the denunciations and ridicule which have been lavished upon him. He is a noble Southerner, a noble Georgian, whose public services and spotless name entitle his old age to the vencration of all classes.
XII .- LETTER TO B. H. OVERBY, ESQ., ON THE GOVERNOR'S ELECTION, 1855. (From the Southern Recorder, October 30, 1855.) B. H. OVERBY, Esq. :
DEAR SIR :- The battle is over : victory imposes on you no inaugural. Banners, and music, and guns at midnight, proclaim another favorite with the people of Georgia. The Executive term has been renewed, with a potent expression of the popular will, to the fortunate incumbent for two years longer. Faithful or not, whether a wise selection or the contrary, he is chosen; and no one more cheerfully submits than yourself. In fact, the signs have never been very encouraging to the cause of " Prohibition," either before or since you became its nominee for Governor. Nor did you take the field with the hope of success. Your aim was higher; and you have gone through the campaign, not with the laurel of triumph, it is. true, but with conspicuous honor and credit, such as upright men of all partics will ever respect.
I will not wound your sensibilities by any pretended condolence on your defeat; for really your work, your late mission of labor and love, is spreading its influence to the breaking up of the old mass of granite, the tippling-shops, which had crushed so many tender hearts. You have proved a public benefactor. The hundred and score addresses you made during the canvass, in all quarters of the State, still echo in the breast of thousands who listened to your manly arguments and soul-touching appcals. You painted humanity as it suffers,-as it drags through the mire of intoxication. Even now your eloquent voice, its decp pathos and imploring sweetness, tremulous with cmotion, lingers in my delighted memory. Blessings have been invoked on your head by many a parent, by heart-broken wives and neglected children. Tears of gratitude have flowed at the mention of your name, and bright hopes are cherished that the cause of which you were the champion will ultimately prevail. Be of good courage, soldier of moral progress : the dawn always succeeds the darkest period of the night.
441
LIBRARY OF PAMPHLETS.
The vote you received is no indication of public sentiment in relation to liquor-shops, the festering nuisance which you strove to abate. There was an issue pending which absorbed many thousand minds in another direction, depriving you of a large support to be rallied on a more aus- picious occasion in future.
Personally, you have nothing to regret in this matter. The ceremonies of inauguration, the escort of committees, the retinue of State officers and high judicial functionaries, in presence of the two Houses of Assembly convened for the pageant, all set off by the splendors of a crowded gal- lery, where angel woman presides over the scene, could afford you no gratification, except for the welfare of others, were you the centre of at- traction. Believe me, sir, you stand to-day on more enviable ground. No forced smile or reluctant civility is wrung from you by sycophantic suitors for patronage. You are free, the equal of any man in heroic vir- tues, and far in advance of a thousand politicians in Georgia who assume to direct public opinion from a principle of which selfishness is the soul. I extend the remark as much to one party as to the other: they are both patriotic, both unscrupulous, as the late contest has fully demonstrated. I gave my vote to you with all due respect for your competitors. One of them is exalted, and the other is too wise to be cast down. You are on a rock far above the storms of faction. I sit at the base and drink refresh- ing nectar from your example.
And now, on reviewing the struggle, I have this consolation in your behalf: The fountain of iniquity has been pierced by your valiant sword, and its bitter tide will flow less and less, until finally exhausted by legis- lative wisdom. In your happy retreat, or in whatever situation the God you worship may call you to labor, you will ever be remembered by grate- ful multitudes, especially by the women and children of Georgia, for whose benefit you girded on the armor of "Prohibition." The incense of their prayers for your welfare will not be despised by Him who has commended the widow and orphan to our sympathies. Servant of God, friend of man, rejoice at the good you have accomplished, which, like bread cast on the waters, will be gathered many days hence, when the grave shall be your mansion.
I have chosen to submit this letter to the public before it reaches your eye; nor shall I apologize for the liberty. I am, dear sir, gratefully, your FELLOW-CITIZEN.
October, 1855.
XIII. - LIBRARY OF PAMPHLETS.
(From the Southern Recorder, January 9, 1855.)
LIBRARY OF PAMPHLETS.
MESSRS. EDITORS :- There is a kind of reading-matter which, having answered its purpose for the time, is generally cast aside as useless, and in nine cases out of ten is lost or destroyed,-when, in fact, it is the very cream of history, the living record of events as they occur in the political and social relations of men. Let me give you an example for what it is worth.
More than twenty years ago, I commenced saving all the pamphlets which came into my possession at different times, had them bound, and now they amount to fifty large volumes. You would be amused at the variety. I will class some of them.
1. On the Old and New Treaty of 1825: Gov. Troup's controversy
442
APPENDIX.
with President Adams; quarrel with Gen. Gaines; charge and evidence against the Agent ; report of Cols. Jones, Torrance, and Williamson, Special Commission to investigate the subject; particulars of the death of McIntosh; Executive orders to the Generals of Divisions, &c. &c .; survey and lottery of Creek lands.
2. Nullification movements : progress of public opinion ; proceedings of South Carolina; proclamation of the President in 1832; intercession by Virginia; journals of the several Conventions; speeches of Carolina Statesmen; letters and State-Right meetings in Georgia; journal of the Anti-Tariff Convention at Milledgeville, Nov. 1832, from which Mr. Forsyth and his adherents seceded.
3. Speeches and reports in Congress on the United States Bank : removal of deposits; adoption of pet banks; orders of the Secretary of the Treasury to discount freely ; panic of 1837; action of Congress on the Tariff ; Oregon question, 54 deg. 40 min. vs. 49 deg., and that class of measures.
4. A complete history of Rhode Island affairs : report in Congress of 1075 pages, setting forth the evils of the Charter Government; the efforts of the people for redress ; new Constitution; Gov. Dorr; list of voters ; indictment for treason ; proclamations ; army-orders; message of Gov. Dorr; storming of Chepachet, June 28, 1842; two Governors and two Legislatures at the same time; contest for supremacy ; flight of Dorr; triumph of the law-and-order party ; arrest and trial of Dorr; message of President Tyler, &c.
5. Documents relating to the Cherokee Indians : treaty ; gold-mines ; armed guard; conviction of the missionaries; of Tassels; writ of error from Supreme Court U. S .; action of Georgia authorities on the subject; removal of the Indians ; survey of lands ; lottery, &c.
6. Finances of Georgia : the report of Messrs. Berrien, Holt, and Chap- pell in 1838, under a special commission to investigate the sources of revenue and devise a plan of taxation ; (this is a very able paper of sixty- four pages, and contains much useful information ;) railroad reports ; bank-statements ; State debt, and official proceedings of the Cotton Con- vention at Macon, 1839, in which four States were represented ; T. Butler King's report; Letter of Gen. James Hamilton on European Factors ; Cotton Circular ; post notes, &c.
7. Education and Literature : addresses at college commencements in several States ; catalogues of universities, female colleges, seminaries, &c .; 4th of July orations; cause of letters supported by champions with pen and tongue,-E. Everett, W. G. Simms, A. H. Stephens, J. Y. Mason, Geo. R. Gilmer, B. F. Porter, A. B. Meek, D. Chandler, and other society orators in Georgia and the sister States ; Mysterious Picture, by Judge Clayton.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.