USA > Virginia > City of Lynchburg > City of Lynchburg > Historic and heroic Lynchburg > Part 7
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"At home, woman's realm, as wife, mother, friend, mistress and housewife, shone forth those gifts which elicited the admiration of all who enjoyed her unbounded hospitality, the sunrise breakfast, the noonday dinner, and the ideal tea, resembling the famous English entertainments. Her home might have been photographed at any hour, such was the charm of its neatness and completeness.
"And when to this was added the personality of a woman who possessed the exquisite capacity of 'making a rainy day look gay,' there went forth a power that could not be measured, and an influence that could not fade.
"Beloved by all, she passed to her great reward."
XIII.
ROBERT JORDAN DAVIS, ESQ.
REMARKS IN OFFERING RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT IN THE CORPORATION COURT OF LYNCHBURG, MARCH 4, 1907
May It Please Your Honor, and You Brethren of the Bar :
We are assembled under unusual circumstances of sorrow. Little did we realize, when two weeks ago we met in this court room to attend the obsequies of Mr. Davis," that before the time appointed to do honor to his memory, still another of our number, and that one of the brightest and best beloved of all would be summoned from among us and that at this time we would be called upon to mourn, not only the aged brother, who had long since completed the alloted span of earthly existence, but the one who at that meeting called us to order, one still in the prime and vigor of a splendid intellectual manhood,-Lewist the sparkling and vivacious, the debonair and true, whose cheerful companion- ship was the constant delight of his friends in times of gayety, and whose tender and sincerely sympathetic words on occasions like this could more fittingly express, perhaps than any other, the feelings of bereavement which fill our breasts when death has depleted our ranks ; whose exquisite humor and flashing wit charmed every circle of which he was a member, but "Whose rapier though bright as the firefly's light ne'er carried a heartstain away on its blade."
In speaking of Mr. Davis let me say that although he was the oldest member of our bar, and distinctly an old fashioned lawyer, there were many elements of his mental and moral makeup which are worthy of present day emulation. He belonged to another generation, a period with which in many respects these latter days have little in common. When he came to the bar there were no such institutions as railroads or telephones or telegraphs or type-
* Died February 16, 1907.
¡ Mr. John H. Lewis.
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writers, institutions which the modern lawyer finds as necessary for the carrying on of his business as the books upon his shelves, and without which we would deem it well nigh impossible to get along. Yet who shall say that we are the better lawyers for their possession ? Who dare intimate that with all these accessories at our command we are any better equipped for the trial of causes and the adminis- tration of justice than were Speed and Mosby and Garland and Risque and Tribble and Bocock and the other great figures of that elder time when Mr. Davis was in the zenith of his powers? It is rather doubtful in my mind if with the multiplication of books and with the various latter day instrumentalities which are now considered practically essential, we are not poorer rather than richer in the real essentials of the lawyer, since with the accession of these aids to practice, there have departed to a large extent the leisure hours for study and thought, and the intimate personal and social intercourse, which resulted in a deeper grounding of the fun- damental principles, and an interchange of ideas impossible to those who practice amid the pressure and complexities of mod- ern life.
The modern lawyer has access to a far greater variety of adjudged cases than did his predecessor, but this too may operate to his disadvantage, for as was once said by Judge Burks, "Ad- judged cases are only so many illustrations of the principles of jurisprudence. They (the principles) are the true fontes: they are the leges legum, the laws of the law. If decisions run counter to them, however solemnly made, they are erroneous, and there- fore, seldom, if ever stand the test of time." Certain it is that in the higher qualities of the lawyer and advocate we occupy no vantage ground above the practitioners of the period when Mr. Davis and his contemporaries flourished, and we shall do well, if in this day of commercialism and strenuous living we keep close to the ideals and traditions of our honorable profession as he and they exemplified them, remembering that after all the changing of col- lateral accessories does not change principles, and that sound learning, the love of justice, the pursuit of truth, the vindication of right, and the chastity of honor are still the ends for which we strive, that they remain as important today as they have ever been, and should never, never be allowed to falter or to fall.
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Of the sound and extensive learning of Mr. Davis, there can be no question. Of a naturally studious disposition, he entered with zeal into the acquisition of knowledge, the cultivation of his mind, and possessed as he was of a remarkably clear and retentive memory, the classical studies of his boyhood remained with him throughout life a constant source of mental refreshment and pleas- ure. Even in his declining years it was by no means infrequent that he would astonish his friends with long quotations from memory from classic Latin or English authors which showed at once his scholarship, his prodigious memory and his lively appre- ciation of the highest and noblest thoughts in literature. His learning in the law was equal to that in general literature. In youth he studied at the Harvard law school under Story and Greenleaf, of whom he was ever fond of relating anecdotes, and with his innate love of equity, his high sense of honor and unswerving devotion to truth, his knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence made him a wise councellor who could be relied upon with con- fidence to guide his clients through the tangled maze of statutes and precedents into the clear fields of justice according to law.
Something greater than intellectual capacity, nobler than learn- ing, however, was the chief attribute of Mr. Davis that gave him standing at the bar, and now calls forth the unanimous verdict of praise, not only from his professional brethren, but from all who knew him, and that was the Knighthood of a spotless integrity and a lofty character. After all, books and learning do not make the highest type of lawyer, just as "stone walls do not a prison make nor iron bars a cage," and it is character more than everything else, which makes the true lawyer as well as the true man in every walk of life. Mr. Davis possessed manly, upright, Christian character. Of none might it be more truly said than of him that he "did justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with his God."
In his declining years, after he retired from practice and the active work of life his small bowed figure was still a familiar sight on our streets and in the offices of his friends, and having out lived his contemporaries, he seemed pathetic in his loneliness, which some- times no doubt oppressed him more than we realized. I remember that on one occasion he came into my office, and after some con- versation on other subjects remarked of himself, "I am like a leaf
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blown about by the wind. Bye and bye they curl up you know." The words cling in my memory, and as I recall them today under these circumstances of loss and sorrow seem like a fitting com- mentary upon the sadness and uncertainty of human existence. "Surely man walketh in a vain shadow and disquieteth himself in vain." Let us not be too mournful, however, when we think of our departed friends. Though dead their influence lives; their voices though silent still speak to us of manhood and virtue, of kindness and courtesy, and "from the dust and ashes of the tomb there seems to come a voice to cheer, a light to guide all who are emulous of their bright example."
XIV.
MISS RUTH HAIRSTON EARLY
ADDRESS AT THE UNVEILING OF A TABLET TO HER MEMORY, SPRING HILL CEMETERY, LYNCHBURG, JUNE 23, 1929
It is eminently fitting and proper that on this thirty-third anni- versary of its existence, the Old Dominion Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy should place and dedicate this tablet to its founder. In doing so it pays honor to one who was not only active in its work and in the promotion of its principles, but one who also exemplified the finest traditions of Southern woman- hood, and who spent her life in brave and unselfish service to her community and her State.
As a niece of that distinguished Confederate General, Jubal A. Early, whose valor and military genius adorned the cause for which he fought, and among whose greatest exploits was the defeat and utter rout of the vandal Hunter when he undertook to capture and destroy our fair City of Lynchburg, and whom he drove ignominiously to the banks of the Ohio River, she might have quietly rested content in the reflected glory of his great fame; but such was not the stuff of which she was made. In her own right, and by the exercise of her own great talents and energy, she won distinction for herself and added lustre to her family name. Sprung from aristocratic Southern lineage, RUTH HAIRSTON EARLY, the third Ruth and the second Ruth Hairston of the family of Early, was the third child of Captain Samuel Henry Early, and Henrianne Cabell, his wife, and was born in Charles- ton, Virginia (now West Virginia) November 5, 1849. Most of her life was spent in Lynchburg and Campbell County, and to this section and community she devoted her endeavors in public spirited and untiring zeal towards its upbuilding and welfare.
The preservation of its history was her most absorbing interest, and to no one are we more indebted than to her for faithful research and accurate recordation of its notable events. As a writer
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of historical articles and books she brought to light and set down in permanent form much of the traditional and family lore of this region which might otherwise have been lost. Many valuable records and historical incidents have been preserved through her efforts, and in the field of genealogy especially her work has been fruitful and interesting. She was the author of five books which are now treasured and referred to by historians, biographers and genealogists the country over. Those books are "The Heritage of the South,"# "By Ways of Virginia History," "The Early Family," "General Jubal A. Early," and her last elaborate and exhaustive volume, "Campbell County Chronicles," in the compila- tion of which her health suffered serious impairment and brought about a condition from which she never rallied and which resulted in her death soon after its publication. In spite of minor inac- curacies, such as are inevitable in a work of this character, this book is of inestimable value in its thorough and painstaking review of the principal historic data of Lynchburg and Campbell County, and will always remain as an important source of information to those who in the future shall desire to know the story of this com- munity and its people.
As a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, she rendered service of incalculable value to its cause. Through her efforts the Old Dominion Chapter was formed and organized, and to her indefatigable efforts it owes many of the worthy accom- plishments it has achieved. For six terms she held the office of its President, and up to her death was active in all of its affairs. She was prominent also in the State and National organizations, and held office in the Virginia Division as Honorary President, Vice- President, Corresponding Secretary and Historian. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that she was loved and honored, not only by her fellow-members of this useful and patriotic organization, but by the Confederate Veterans and all who love the memory of the Confederacy, and that she was always a central and distinguished figure at the Annual Reunions, which she often attended, and where she would always be surrounded by admirers and friends.
*Printed on Confederate Gray paper and bound in gray cloth, now out of print.
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When she died, the flags of Lynchburg were placed at half-mast, the first, and so far, the only instance, in which this honor has been accorded to a woman.
Always interested in the preservation of historical landmarks, it was largely through her efforts that the old fort on "Salem Turn- pike"-was rescued from its tangled undergrowth and weeds, and made the creditable show place it now is, and it was she who erected the Early monument on Fort Hill. She was active also in the Colonial Dames and Daughters of the American Revolution, and served them in official capacities. Her home was attractive in its liberal hospitality, and she was a notable and outstanding figure in the life of our city. Faithful to all that was best in Virginia traditions, kindly and benevolent in nature and of exalted purity of character, she leaves behind the memory of a life well spent and an example worthy of all emulation.
XV.
HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
HISTORICAL ADDRESS AT THE CENTENARY OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, NOVEMBER 12, 1922
Reverend Rector and Fellon Episcopalians of Lynchburg :
At the dedication services of the first building erected for this church, on Thursday, May 18, 1826, Bishop Richard Channing Moore preached from the text found in the 20th Chapter of Exodus at the twenty-fourth verse: "An altar of earth shalt thou make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."
This promise of God, made unto His people through Moses, His servant, has received abundant fulfillment in the history of this Church of Saint Paul in Lynchburg. Through an eventful hundred years, in this place and among this congregation, has God recorded His name and come unto them and blessed them. From a little gathering, which numbered only seven communicants, they have increased to a congregation of more than six hundred communicants, and a Sunday School of more than three hundred and fifty pupils. From a homeless little flock, dependent upon the hospitality of others for a meeting place, they have become the possessors of the most beautiful and best equipped Church plant in the South, with an edifice comparable in architectural beauty and dignity with the most splendid temples of worship in the land. As children of the mother church, there are also two other large and growing parishes in Lynchburg, as well as a number of chapels in the City and community, including one for the colored people, and a large and flourishing industrial school for girls, all of which testify that, like the church at Ephesus, this church "has borne, and has had patience and for His name's sake has labored, and has not fainted."
The growth of the church in Lynchburg has kept pace and been coequal with the growth of the church in America. So that now, when we look upon the splendid achievements which a century has
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witnessed here, we have also the satisfaction of knowing that throughout our country there have been similar achievements, and similar growth, until it is a recognized fact that the Protestant Episcopal is the fourth largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with a membership embracing all classes of our people, numbering among them far more than its proportion of the wealth, the culture, the leadership of the Nation. And, what is most gratifying to believe, it is the most liberal church in its giving, per capita, of them all, and is growing now faster than any other.
Such, however, was not always the case. When the church was organized here in 1822, the American Episcopal Church was weak both numerically and spiritually. Up to that time the principal strength of our church lay in Virginia and Maryland, and even in those two dioceses it was pitifully weak. In the Northern States the church was too small to be considered a factor in the religious life of the Nation. The West was as yet a wilderness, and in the South, save in the Carolinas, the Episcopal Church had secured no foothold. These conditions were necessarily consequent upon the Revolution. The colonial church had had no resident bishops, and "The Church of England in America," as it was called, had been served mostly by English clergy, and these were not always men of the highest type. There were baptisms, but no confirmations, and the ministers, including even those few who were of American nativity, were all ordained in England. Consequently, many of the clergy were Tories, out of sympathy with the principles of the Revolution, and this naturally added nothing to the popularity of the church among the people generally, although for the most part our laymen were patriots, and two-thirds of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Episcopalians. Jefferson himself was a student at William and Mary, an institution founded as a church college, as was also John Marshall, the "great Chief Jus- tice." Richard Henry Lee, who moved the adoption of the Declara- tion, was a churchman, as were also Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, George Mason, Patrick Henry, Robert Morris, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. The Con- tinental Congress was opened with prayer by an Episcopal rector, and John Adams said, "I never heard a better prayer, or one so well pronounced." In Virginia the church had been formally estab-
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lished by the House of Burgesses, but this connection with the English State was the source of its greatest misfortunes. By the pen of Jefferson was written the act of separation between Church and State, the Virginia Statute for religious freedom, an act justly con- sidered among his noblest achievements for human liberty, and by his own wish inscribed upon his tomb as one of his three greatest accomplishments. Then followed the process of disestablishment, and the glebe lands of the church were taken away, many churches were destroyed, their communion plate disappeared, and their fonts were used for watering troughs.
Notwithstanding the fact that many of our clergymen were Tories, at the time of the Revolution, there were many who were not, and in a Virginia case, involving glebe lands, decided by the Court of Appeals in 1804, Judge Tucker, who wrote the prevailing opinion, said: "At the commencement of our happy revolution that reverend body of men who filled the pulpits in this country, far from inculcating the doctrines of passive obedience and non-resistance to the invaders of the rights of their country, were zealous in her cause, and not only by precept and exhortation, but even by example in numerous instances demonstrated that no selfish considerations of the possible consequences of a change of govern- ment, could influence them to swerve from that noble attachment to the liberties of their country which communicated zeal and energy to others. And if ever men in their station deserved the esteem of their country, that meed was due to the established church in Vir- ginia at that period." Turpin, &c., v. Lockett, &c., 6 Call. 129. In that case it was held that the State had the right to sell the glebe lands for public purposes, but the Court was equally divided in opinion, and the case went against the church because where the Court of Appeals is equally divided the decision of the lower Court prevails. It is to be noted that the case would have been decided the other way and the glebes held to be the property of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church, had it not been for the death of the President of the Court, Edmund Pendleton, who had written the majority opinion of the Court, but died the night before it was to have been delivered. Later on, however, Bishop Meade, and other leaders, considered it a great blessing that the glebe lands and
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State salaries were taken away, and the church placed upon its own resources.
With property gone and congregations dispersed, to such straits was the church in Virginia reduced, that at the beginning of the nineteenth century John Marshall, although himself a faithful churchman, thought it too far gone ever to be revived. But religious apathy was not the lot of the Episcopalians alone. It was an age of unbelief generally. The "great awakening," under the preaching of Wesley and Whitefield, had subsided into deeper somnolence than prevailed before. There were but few candidates for the ministry, the Methodists were losing ground steadily, and the Presbyterian General Assembly placed on record its dismay at "a visible and prevailing impiety and contempt for the laws and in- stitutions of religion." The thunders of the "great awakening" had died away, but in the main its effects were helpful to the church, which although reduced in numbers, in wealth, and in influence, maintained throughout these troubled years its loyalty to the faith of its fathers, its use of the prayer-book and traditional forms of worship, and stood out in the darkness as a
"Light unshaken of the winds of time,"
that was eventually to guide the way to safety. As has been well said, "The quiet maintenance of liturgical worship, the self-restraint, the emphasis on conduct, the reliance of the Church on Christian nurture rather than on sudden conversion, commended our ways to many sober and thoughtful persons, who sought refuge in our sanctuaries from the thunder and lightning of the revival preachers."
And now began the dawn of the new day. The war of 1812 did much to end the prejudice against and unpopularity of the Church arising out of the Revolution. In the new strife with Eng- land, churchmen and non-churchmen fought side by side, going into battle singing a new national anthem written by a loyal son of the Church, Francis Scott Key, of Maryland-"The Star Spangled Banner"!
In the opportunity thus made, new men came forward to meet the new conditions. In Virginia and North Carolina God raised
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up Richard Channing Moore and John Stark Ravenscroft* to become Bishops, and to take the lead in reviving the Church in the South. These men "found weak and discouraged dioceses and left them strong and full of faith and expectation." Ravenscroft when he was made Bishop of North Carolina found four churches in his diocese, and left twenty-seven; Moore found five clergymen in Virginia, and left one hundred. Among the places visited and ministered to by these two great pioneers of the Church was Lynch- burg. Up to this time the main strength of the Virginia Church was in the Eastern part of the State. These truly missionary Bishops now took upon themselves the task of building up the waste places. When they came to Lynchburg there was no church in which they could hold services, and their services were usually held in Masons' Hall, a frame building which stood where the Marshall Lodge of Masons still have a building, on the corner of what we now call Church and Ninth Streets, then called Third and Water Streets. This wooden building was in later years removed to Fifth Street, between Church and Main, and for a long time was occupied as a home by the late Colonel August Forsberg and his family. It has recently been torn down and demolished.
The organized existence of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Lynchburg dates from September 14, 1822, when a meeting for organization purposes was held in the old Franklin Hotel, after-
* Until the year 1819, Episcopacy was quite unknown in Lynchburg. · About that time or earlier, Bishop Ravenscroft visited Lynchburg, preaching in the old Methodist Church. Robed in gown and bands, and walking up the aisle of the church, his appearance excited the wonder and astonishment of the good people of the town, particularly that of the small boys, who verily believed the Bishop to have been an elderly lady in a black morning wrapper.
Notice having been given that this worthy prelate would discourse at the old Methodist Church, those who were interested immediately set about to procure: a few persons to respond to the morning service. The Carter and Tucker families, and the ladies of the Byrd family, all possessed prayer- books, and knew how to go through the services; but, for the credit of the town, it was deemed absolutely necessary to have at least one male voice in the responses. Accordingly they procured the services of one Meredy, an Englishman, who had a large red prayer-book. He stood in front of the gal- lery, holding his prayer-book very conspicuously, responding loudly, and surveying the congregation with an air of superiority, mingled with compassion for their ignorance.
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