LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
AN ADDRESS
DELIVERED BEFORE THE
LITERARY SOCIETIES
OF THE
Utiuluratg of dSmgia.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, I860.
By Rev. C. W. HOWARD.
gtjps, itwp.
SOUTHERN BANNER POWER PRESS PRINT.
1860
ROBERTW. WOODRUFF
LIBRARY
Correspondence.
Phi Kappa Hall, Aug. 2d, 1860.
JRey. C. W. Howard—Bear Sir .•—In accordance with a resolution
cfthe Phi Kappa Society, we have the honor to return her most sin¬
cere thanks for the elegant and appropriate address delivered by
you this day in the College Chaoel; and furthermore, in her behalf, we
request a copy of the same for publication.
Respectfully,
E. Y. CLARKE, )
R. A. CLAYTON, } Comm.
BENJ. MELL, )
Athens, Aug. 3d, 18G0.
Gentlemen .— In reply to your favor of yesterday, I beg to say, thai
my address is entirely at your disposal.
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
C. W. HOWARD.
Messrs. E. Y. Clarke, R A. Clayton and B. Mell, Committee.
.AJDDHESS.
Qenthmm. of the Phi Kappa und Demosthenian Societies:-
The author of "The Seasons," in one of his most charm¬
ing poems, offers a prayer to the Goddess of Liberty, after
the close of her recital to him, of the illustrious deeds of an¬
cient Greece and Kora». He entreats from her, power
comprehend the future, and to learn when and by what
means these ancient virtues shall be revived and become
universal. The beauteous vision, who, ready for departure,.
" her ardent wing dipt in the colors of the heavenly bow,,
stood waving radiance round," grants the poet's prayer.—
Touching his darkened eyes, with her " hand celestial red,""
the glowing and glorious future is spread before him. Its
magnificence compels from him an impassioned utterance.—
With earnest fervor, he portrays the happiness of man, the
greatness of States, and the operation of causes which were to-
accomplish ends so beneficent, Frorn his point of observation?1
while surveying the earth, his eye turns towards the "Sweet
South" across the broad Atlantic; and he thus describes,,
with prophetic truth, tbe methods by which even the savage
wilderness shall become the happy abode of civilized men-
Lo, swarming Southward on rejoicing suns,
Gay colonies extend ; the calm retreat
Of undeserved distress, the better home
Of those whom bigots chase from foreign land3—
Not built on rapine, servitude and woe;
And in their turn some petty tyrants pre.v,
But bound by social fieedom, firm they rise;
Such as of late, an Oglethorpe hns formrd,
And, crowding round, the charmed Savannah sees."
"When the poet uttered these words, the Southern Atlantic-
from the Savannah to the extreme points of the " Land <d
Flowers," was enlivened by the sports of its own monsters,,
or by the canoe of the Indian, as he timorously skirted fcfee-
sandy shore. Savage beasts or equally savage men were-
6 ADDRESS.
masters of tlie unbroken wilderness. Goldsmith, with poetic
license, thus describes the gloomy waste:
"A dreary scene,
Where wild Altama murmurs to their woe.
Far different there from all that charmed before
The various terrors of that horrid shore.
Those blearing- suns that dart a downward ray,
And fiercely shed intolerable day ;
Those matted woods where birds forget to sing,
But silent bats on drowsy clusters c'mg;
Those poisonous fields with rank luxuriance clowned,
"Where the dark scorpion, gathers death around,
Where, at each step, th« stianger fears to wake
The rattling terrors of the vengeful snake ;
Where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey,
And savage men, more murderous still than they ;
While oft in whirls the mad tornado flies,
Mingling the ravaged landscape with the skies."
Not a century has elapsed since the author of the "De¬
serted Village" incorporated in that beautiful poem the de¬
scription of Georgia which lias just been recited. With wha t
magical rapidity the prediction of Thomson has been accom¬
plished ! Our Atlantic waters are whitened by the sails of
commerce. The wilderness has given way before an advanc¬
ing civilization. Towns and cities adorn the extended sur¬
face. The " iron-horse," panting, toiling, yet tireless, per¬
forms h is unwearied journeys from the seacoast to the moun¬
tains. The house of God and the house of learning accom¬
pany every assemblage of men in towns and villages. More
than two millions of civilized human beings occupy the ter¬
ritory which, when Goldsmith wrote, was truly a howling
wilderness. And by a strange process, by that system of
compensations by which divine Providence rewards virtue
"even in this world, the territory peopled by British philan-
throphy, in a time incredibly short, is enabled munificently
to repay itft obligations to the mother country. The staple
which this then wilderness now chiefly produces, furnishes
materia,! for more than one-half the declared exports of Eng¬
land; causes more than $150,000,000 to be paid annually in
wages to her laboring poor; gives occupation directly or in¬
directly, to six millions of her inhabitants; employs two mil¬
lions of tons of her shipping, to 20,000 of her seamen in its
LIEE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE. 7
carriage; and affords remunerative investment to $750,000,000
of her capital in its manufacture.
It is an additional fact of striking interest, that the imme¬
diate region which Goldsmith describes (from the tall forests,
then the most sombre feature of the landscape,) now not on¬
ly affords to England and other portions of Europe, the best
materials for their structures of wood, but is actually fur¬
nishing entire cargoes of lumber for the rebuilding of Jeru¬
salem.
There has been nothing approaching this rapidity and mag¬
nitude of results in the history of commerce. And this is
but the beginning of the end. Our agriculture is in its in¬
fancy. It waits the instruction of improved mind; it is to
become a science. Imagination shrinks from the almost fab¬
ulous results which sober reason teaches must follow a per¬
fect use of our soil, climate, and staple products.
The poet speaks of "gay colonies swarming South ward."
These gay colonies have become happy States. In them
wise laws are well administered. The burden of government
is lightly felt. Decent regard is paid to the requirements of
a pure religion. Education is fostered with a liberal hand.
The useful arts make rapid advance. A growing population,
without increased proclivity to vice, give them annually ad¬
ditional weight among civilized States. In short, with the
map of the world before us, it is impossible to find even
among nations which have been matured by the full age of
national life, a condition of affairs exhibiting a sounder pros¬
perity than exists in those States whieh, not a century since,
were in the condition affording to Goldsmith the subject of
his gloomy picture.
The poet's prediction, when he speaks of these colonies as
not being built on "rapine, servitude and woe," may seem
to have been falsified by the character of their domestic in¬
stitutions. The falsication is seeming, not real. Servitude
or slavery, is a word which has had a well-defined significa¬
tion from the period of its just use. It had this meaning
when Thomson wrote. It indicates a relation in which the-
master has unlimited power over the life as well as the labor
3
ADDRESS.
of the slave. Freedom is a comparative term. It is not li¬
cense. It conveys the largest exemption from restraint,,
which man in his varied stages of advancement is capable
of enjoying, without detriment to himself or others. The
liberty of the poorer classes in America, would be license to
the same classes in France or Spain; on the other hand, that,
which would be the largest healthful allowance to them»
would be intolerable tyranny to us. In accordance with these
thoughts, briefly suggested, it will appear that the condition
of the African among us, is one of as great freedom as his
inferior and dependant nature will allow. His life, food,
kind treatment and provision for infirmity and old age, se¬
cured to him by law, as amply as to the superior race, his
condition is not fairly described by the word in common use.
It is a misnomer, and the necessity for its use is to be regret¬
ted, as it suggests a state of things which does not exist
among us. The apparent -exception to the general fulfilment
of the poet's prediction exists, then, only in, appearance.
In view of the rapid past and the glowing future, the ear¬
ly history of these colonies must become a subject of pro¬
found interest. The early history of three of them is the
history of one, as Alabama and Mississippi have been formed
from the original territory of Georgia. That early history i?.
to a considerable extent, comprehended in the life of one
man, who, sustained by philanthropic coadjutors, was its
originator, ruler and judge. I do not know that a topic of
greater interest can be presented to an audience of Georgians
—an audience largely composed of ingenuous youth, who
are hereafter to take a prominent place in the counsels of the
State, and who are presumed to be proud of their birth place,,
than some reflections upon the life and character of Ogle¬
thorpe, the founder of Georgia.
Upon a former occasion, and before a considerable propor¬
tion of the audience whom I now have the honor to address,
I attempted to illustrate the collective benevolence of the
founders of Georgia. My remarks at this time will be con¬
fined entirely to a consideration of the Life and Character of
Oglethorpe.
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
9
It is to be regretted, that in our State generally, so little is
Iknown of this remarkable man. Besides the information
concerning him contained in the two histories of Georgia
which have been written, a brief memoir has been published
by a late venerable citizen of the State, and a full and ad mi"
rable life of him by Mr. Hams, of Cambridge. I may be
permitted to remark, that having occasion to refer to this life,
in the preparation of this address, knd my own copy of it.
having been mislaid, it could not be found in our public li¬
braries; it could not be purchased in our book stores ; it could
not be borrowed from private persons, even after a published
request in a leading journal; and it was necessary to send to
Boston to obtain the Life of the founder of Georgia, written
by a citizen of Massachusetts.
• This indifference will not continue. The time will come
when the student of history will search eagerly into every
incident connected with the life of Oglethorpe. In the
course of events, this State must become a nation. It is but
a question of time. Nothing but the curse of Heaven can
prevent it. Its extended area, its mountains, rivers, sea-
wast, climate, productions, and above all, the character of its
people, assure us, that it will, in time, attain a degree of
wealth, population and power, equal to that which has been
attained by any otlfcr people possessed of similar advantages.
A glance at history or the map of the present, informs us
what are these results which have been elsewhere accom¬
plished.
Romulus is not more identified with Roman, or Tell with
Swiss, or Charlemagne with French, or Alfred with Eng¬
lish, or Charles XII with Swedish, or Washington with
American, than is Oglethorpe with Georgia history.
The comparison of these great names with the founder of
an obscure colony, may seem to be an undue exaggeration.
The criticism would be just, if the results of the foundation
of Georgia were now consummate and complete. To form a
proper comparison, we must learn the position of these na¬
tions when they were but a century old. Is it believed that
any one of them, after the lapse of their first century, equal-
10
ADDRESS.
led the wealth, population and power of Georgia at this mo¬
ment, or gave promise of greater results in the future ?
It is in view of the future, that I have expressed a belief
that the most minute incidents in the life of the founder of Geor¬
gia, will be subjects of interest to the student of history.
In the rapid sketch of the life of Oglethorpe which the
occasion allows me to take, I do not expect to present any¬
thing that is new. Indeed, it is my object to present this
sketch rather as a basis of reflections upon his character..
Oglethorpe was born on the 21st Dec. 1688, at Westbrooke
Place, the country seat of his father, in the vicinity of Lon¬
don. Of his early childhood, we know nothing. At sixteen
years of age, he was entered as a student in the University
of Oxford. At twenty-two, he became an ensign in the Bri¬
tish army. After three.years, he was received into the suite
of the Earl of Peterborough, Ambassador to the Italian
States. The celebrated Bishop Berkely, at that time chap¬
lain of the Embassy, speaks of him in 1714, when he
was twenty-six }-ears of age, as being Adjutant General of
the Queen's forces. The intimate association of the young
Oglethorpe with this eminent philanthropist must have ma¬
terially affected his character. It is probable that from this
•ause, his interest in America received its first impulse.—
Berkeley's mind was then absorbed by a desire for the con¬
version of the American Indians. Upon his return to Eng-
and the next year, his efforts commenced for.the establish-
nent of his College in Bermuda. It is an interesting fact,
hat when Berkeley's plans failed, fifty thousand dollars of
he sum raised by him was appropriated, by his consent, and
it the instance of Oglethorpe, to the young colony of Georgia.
Recommended by the Dukes of Argyle and Marlborough,
)glethorpe, eager for military distinction, was received into
he military family of Prince Eugene, the greatest warrior of
he age, and acted as his Aid-de-camp. He served^under
hat great Captain with distinction in his campaigns ^agiinst
he Turks, and received from him the highest testimonials of
alor, good conduct and military skill. It was in this severe
chool, that he obtained the knowledge of military affairs.
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
11
wincii afterwards enabled liim to save not only Georgia, but
the whole Southern frontier of the American colonies, front
the ravages of the Spaniards and their merciless allies.
Upon the declaration of peace in 1718, Oglethorpe return¬
ed to England, and devoted himself to civil pursuits. Soon
after, we find him a member of Parliament from Ilasle-mere,
which borough he continued to represent for the remarkable,
period of thirty-two years. Although a youthful member
he rapidly attained a leading position in the House of Com¬
mons. During the early part of thisperiod, his mind became
interested in the wrongs perpetrated upon persons imprison¬
ed for debt, and through his instrumentality, large numbers
of them were freed from unjust imprisonment. At this time
also, in a portion of Europe, Protestants were undergoing se¬
vere persecutions for their religious opinions, and many of
them fleeing for their lives were without home or country.
The Southern colonies at this juncture were threatened with
Spanish and Indian invasion. The minds of the pious ami
philanthropic in England, had been much interested through
the benovolent enthusiasm of Berkeley and others in the
conversion of the Indians to Christianity. The pressure of
these considerations suggested to Oglethorpe the utility of a
new colonial establishment, in which all these valuable ends
might be answered. With him, to determine was to execute.
In a brief period, the whole preliminary arrangements were
completed, and on the 12th of Feb. 1732, Georgia commenced
her existence.
After having made a successful establishment of the colo¬
nists at Savannah, and conciliated the Indian tribes in its vi¬
cinity, Oglethorpe returned to England, carrying with him
some of the Indian chiefs, whose visit to England might awa¬
ken greater interest in his purposes. He was received every¬
where with enthusiasm, which he used with success for the
benefit of the Colony. Again, in 1735, with a number
of colonists, of whom a considerable proportion were perse¬
cuted Salzburghers, he sailed for Savannah, and soon after,
extended his settlements and fortifications to the south of
that city. Having become anxious in regard to the designs
12
ADDRESS.
of Spain, lie returned in 17o7 to England, in order that be
might fully represent to the ministers the dangers of the col-
nies from that quarter. His representations were attended
with the proper effect. A regiment was raised, and Ogle¬
thorpe appointed commander-in-chief of S. Carolina and Geor¬
gia. With this regiment and six hundred additional emi¬
grants, he made his third voyage to Georgia.
The apprehensions of Oglethorpe in regard to the designs
of Spain were well-founded. Spanish emissaries sought to
create mutiny among his soldiers. They were so far success¬
ful, that Oglethorpe narrowly escaped with his life from an
attack of the mutineers. As there were no slaves at that
time in Georgia, efforts to create insurrection among them,
were confined to South Carolina. Their machinations were
attended by the insurrection at Stono, which at one time
threatened to overwhelm Charleston, and which was fearfully
punished. A sufficient number of negroes, however,"escaped,
to be formed into a full regiment at St. Augustine, Vith the
the pay of regular troops.
Having strengthened his outposts with all the means at his
command, and in order more perfectly to protect the colony
against the Spaniards, Oglethorpe determined to secure the
friendship of all the most important Indian tribes. Hence,
his memorable journey to Fort Mitchell, in the heat of sum¬
mer, and through the uninhabited wilderness. It is this class
of public service, having in it no romance and no glory,
which yet most entitles men to the remembrance of posterity.
Everything depended upon the success of this journey. The
treaty signed in 1739, was indispensable to the existence of
the colony. If these powerful tribes had not been conciliated
by the consummate skill of Oglethorpe, and had completed
an alliance with Spain, the territory which now constitutes
Georgia, would probably at this day, have been a dependen¬
cy of Spain.
After having suffered a number of petty annoyances from
the Spaniards, Oglethorpe determined to attack St. Augus¬
tine. His requisition on S. Carolina for troops and provision
was met, and with the Carolina and Georgia regiments, the
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
13
assault was made. Froiri* causes beyond his control, it was
unsuccessful. The Spaniards retaliating, appeared off St. Si¬
mons with a fleet of thirty-six sail, among whom were three
ships of twenty guns each, and about five thousand men, who
were landed upon the Island. The force of Oglethorpe was
six hundred and fifty-two men, including Indians and militia.
It was a perilous odds—652 men against 5,000 veteran troops.
If Oglethorpe had retreated, no one could have censured him.
But listen to the language he uttered, in communicating his
position to the Government. . Let our young men listen to
it, and be proud of the founder of their State: "We are re¬
solved not to suffer defeat. "We Will rather die like Leoni-
das and his Spartans, if we can but protect Georgia and Car¬
olina and the rest of the Americans from desolation." Tell
me, ye whose ardor has been enkindled by the heroism of
the ancients, is there a sentence in antiquity more heroic than
this—more calm, more self-sacrificing, more daring, more pa¬
triotic? For fifteen days this little force, under their skillful
General, by stratagem, by skirmishes, and by desperate con¬
flicts, engaged the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, and
at last drove them from the soil of Georgia!
The history of our subsequent revolutionary war records
no military achievement more brilliant, or attended with more
important results than this. When we hear others exulting
in the recollection of Lexington and Concord and Bunker
Hill, we may, with becoming pride, speak of our trophies,
won before the first gun of the Revolution was fired. We.
may point to St. Simons, Frederica, and the Bloody Marsh,
and say, here was the South saved from a worse than British
oppression—from Spanish tyranny. We may speak of Max¬
well, Jones, Dunbar, Mackay, Sutherland, Gibbon, Demere
and Stuart—names worthy of perpetual honor. And as wa
tell our sons how the little band of 652 men vanquished and
drove from our shores five thousand of the choice troops of
Spain, their eyes will flash, and their bosoms swell with gen¬
erous ardor, and they will rejoice that they are permitted to
bear the honored name of Georgians.
Notwithstanding the brilliancy of this victory, it could not'
14
ADDRESS.
nave the heroic conquerer from the attacks of envious mal¬
ice. He was charged with misconduct in office, by a man
who has thus rendered his name infamous. In 1743, Ogle¬
thorpe returned to England to meet and confute these charges.
His vindication was triumphant, and his base accuser, Lieut.
Col. Cooke, was dismissed the service.
The purposed. Oglethorpe was now completed, after twelve
vears of incessant toil, accompanied oftentimes by perils on
land and water, and of exposure to a sultry and sickening-
sun, and to the miasms of the deadly swamp. He had car¬
ried the Gospel to the Indians. He had given a home to the
destitute. He had saved the Southern frontier. lie had se¬
cured an asylum to the persecuted of every clime. He had
founded a State.
The invasion of the Pretender in 1745, required his re¬
maining in England. In this intestine war, as Major-Gener¬
al, he commanded a force of gentleman volunteers, a portion
of whom, in compliment to him, were called the " Georgia
Rangers." The family of Oglethorpe had been devoted to
the house of Stuart. He himself had been said to be the fos¬
ter brother of the Pretender—two of his sisters had been
members of his Court in France. When Oglethorpe remon¬
strated with the Duke of Cumberland, against the merciless
cruelties of his soldiers, that nobleman retaliated by charg¬
ing him with conniving at the escape of the rebels at Shapp.
Oglethorpe was again tried at a Court-martial, and again tri¬
umphantly acquitted. In 1747, he was raised to the position
of Brigadier General, and in 1765, became Commander-in-
Chief of the British Army, which rank he retained until his
death in 1785, having reached the extraordinary age of nine¬
ty-seven years.
Few men have passed a life so valued and protracted.—
From the classic halls of Oxford, he was transferred to di¬
plomatic life; then earned military laurels under Prince Eu¬
gene ; became and continued for thirty-two years a promi¬
nent member of the House of Commons; distinguished him¬
self for his philanthropy; projected and completed the foun¬
dation of a State; softened the horrors of civil war; and
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
15
died possessed of tlie highest military rank within the reach
of a British subject. He was born during the reign of Wil¬
liam and Mary; lived through the reign of "Good Qneen-
Annesurvived the reigns of two of the Georges, and died
while George III. was upon the throne, and subsequently to
the recognition of American Independence.
Ilannah Moore mentions having heard Edmund Burke say
to Gen. Oglethorpe, " that he looked upon him as a more ex¬
traordinary person than any he had ever read of, for he had
!bunded the province of Georgia—had absolutely called it
into existence, and had lived to see it dissevered from the
Empire which created it, and become an independent State."
Mr. Adams, our first Minister to England, describes with
much interest his interview with Oglethorpe, who expressed
his great satisfaction at the close of hostilities.
It was the good fortune of him who now addresses you,
to meet, many years since, with several of the distinguished
cotemporaries of Oglethorpe—some of them the intimate
friends of his later years. They represented him as being-
dignified in appearance, and commanding in stature—tall
and erect even in extreme old age—of a constitution so vigo¬
rous, the result of a life of exposure and hardship, as to be
apparently insensible to atmospheric changes, never guarding-
himself against wet or cold by more than the usual clothing
of his person; unusually abstemious and regular in his hab¬
its ; his eye retaining its animated fire to the last; his facul¬
ties preserved unimpaired to such a degree, as to give to his
conversation a fascinating interest; and exhibiting while he
lived the untiring benevolence, which was the most marked
feature of his character.
We have now passed over a hurried and imperfect sketch
of the life of Oglethorpe, noticing only its principal events.
I propose to offer some reflections upon his character. Least
with the natural feeling which we entertain towards bene¬
factors, I should be supposed to have formed too high an es¬
timate of him, I prefer to give these reflections* chiefly in the
language of others, whose names are proof of their ability to
form correct judgments.
16
ADDRESS.
As a military man, he possessed distinguished merit. The
unsuccessful attack upon St. Augustine, cannot detract from
his military reputation. The student of Georgia history
knows that the failure in this instance was owing to causes
utterly beyond his control. Concerning this untoward ex¬
pedition, the Duke of Argyle, in his place in the House of
Peei-s, used the following language: "One man there is, my
Lords, whose natural generosity, contempt of danger, and re¬
gard for the public, prompted him to obviate the designs of
the Spaniards, and to attack them in their own terrritories; a
man, whom by long acquaintance, I can confidently affirm to
have been equal to his undertaking and to have learned the,
art of war by a regular education, who yet miscarried in the
design, only for want of supplies necessary to a possibility of
success."
His subsequent repulse of the Spaniards established hi&
military reputation. The largest testimonials were given of
the wisdom of the measures by which this extraordinary vic¬
tory was gained. A cotemporary thus speaks of his conduct
in expectation of the invasion: "He gave at the same time
his orders and his example; there being nothing which h&
did not, that he directed others to do; so that if he was the-
first man in the colony, his pre-eminence was founded on Ho¬
mer's maxims: ' He was the most fatigued, the first in dan¬
ger, distinguished by his cares and labors, and not by any ex¬
terior marks of grandeur.'"
"Whitfield remarks of the repulse of the Spaniards, that it
was a deliverance "such as cannot be paralleled but by some
instances out of the Old Testament."
The Governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania^
Maryland, Virginia and N. Carolina, addressed letters to
Oglethorpe, " congratulating him upon the important servi¬
ces rendered by him to the colonies, and assuring him of the
interest which they felt in the honor which he had acquired
by his indefatigable exertions, constant exposure, extraordi¬
nary courage, and unequalled military conduct, and offering
their thanks to the Supreme Governor of Nations for placing
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE. 1?
the fate of the Southern Colonies under the direction of a
'General so well qualified for the important trust."
It may be a subject of surprise that, possessed of such
military abilities, and occupying so high a rank in the army,
he did not distinguish himself during the long period, subse¬
quent to his return from Georgia. The reason is obvious.—-
No opportunity was given him, with the exception of the
distasteful command in 1745. The family of Oglethorpe
was in bad favor, for the cause already mentioned, with the
reigning family. His regular advance in the army could not
be prevented by them, but it was in their power to prevent
his being called into active and honorable service. It is un¬
necessary to add that the most remarkable merit is unknown,
except by having opportunity of exercise.
The command, which it is said was offered him, of the
aiitiy against the Americans, was at a period of his life so
late, and of a character so revolting to him, that his refusal of
it was to be expected. The grounds of his refusal, as stated
by McCall, are so honorable to him, that I cannot forbear
quoting them: "I know the Americans well; they never
can be subdued by arms; but their obedience can be secured
by doing them justice."
As a statesman-, Oglethorpe exhibited clearness in expres¬
sion, wisdom in conception, and energy ill execution. In
the discussions in the House of Commons; he took a promi¬
nent part. After having examined Hansard's Parliamentary
Debates, in the brief reports of speeches given in those vol¬
umes, I do not find the speeches of Oglethorpe inferior to
those of the most distinguished of his associates. From one
of them, a brief extract will be of interest, as it shows the
liberal and just views which, as early as 1732, he adopted
and expressed, concerning colonial affairs—views which, if
they had been adopted by the Government, would have, in
ubsequent j'ears, saved us the bloodshed, and England the
ignominy of the Kevolutionary war. "In all cases," said
Oglethorpe, "which come before this House, where there
seems a clashing of interest, we ought to have no regard
to the particular interest of any one section of country or sett
13
ADDRESS
of people, but to the good of tlie whole. Our colonies are'
a part of our dominions—the people in them our own peo¬
ple, and we ought to show an equal respect to all."
In the control of so large a number of men of different na¬
tions and religions and political opinions—in the adjustment
of strife among them—in framing proper municipal laws,
and in prompt execution of them—in planning a city, the
most perfect in its design, of any city in this country—in
conciliating and attacking with singular success the Indian
tribes, Oglethorpe exhibited great practical wisdom. He
was 110 less a civilian than a soldier. Some of the regula¬
tions of the Trustees were indeed unwise. Among these
was the prohibition of negro slavery. In this prohibition^,
Oglethorpe shares but a divided responsibility. The ground
of this prohibition was prudential, certainly not the result
of principle,, as while it existed, Oglethorpe was the owner
of a plantation and negroes in S. Carolina. It was desired
to place a body of effective men, without negroes, as an in¬
surmountable obstacle to the efforts of the Spaniards to incite
the negroes in S. Carolina to revolt. The recent decoying of
fugitive slaves is not the first time that the slave States have
been disturbed by that cause. But we were not wounded
then as now, in the house of our friends. The wrong was
done by a foreign and inimical power, and was followed by
summary reprisal.
In this connection it may be remarked, that the experience
of Georgia offers an instructive lesson on this momentous-
subject. It shows conclusively, that to deprive us of slave
labor, would be to depopulate the rice and cotton growing
regions of the South, and to inflict upon mankind the disas¬
ters which must follow an interruption of the forms of labor
and of moneyed investment of which I have spoken. A re¬
cent English writer has tersely remarked, " Such is the final¬
ity. No blacks—no cotton." I may add, no slavery, no
blacks. It is worse than folly to theorize on this subject.—•
We have already made the experiment of free white labor
alone in Georgia. The experiment was made fairly and fully.
It failed. If the prohibition had continued a feW years long.-
19
■er, the entire Province would have been abandoned. In the
pro-slavery argument, sufficient use has not been made of
this pregnant fact. The conclusion to be drawn from it, is
impregnable.
The colonists remonstrated against this prohibition of
slavery for years. The Trustees, from a mistaken policy,
refused a hearing to their remonstrances. They were at last
induced to repeal it, chiefly through the agency and impor¬
tunity of Whitfield, who possessed great influence with them.
It is to be desired that this fact were known more widely
throughout the country.
If it were in my power to reach the ear of the insane men
who, under pretence of liberty, would by their policy make
the negro a thousand times more a slave—who for partisan
ends do not hesitate to endanger the Republic, and who, in
the name of Religion, avow sentiments and encourage de¬
signs the inevitable tendency of which is to deluge this land
with blood—to such I would say: You should begin at the
beginning; you should commence in Massachusetts. The
jackall, that rifler of graves, should precede the tiger which
tears the flesh and laps the blood of the living. You should
go to Newburyport, enter the cemetery, deface the inscrip'
tion, at once classic and christian, engraved upon the marble
monument erected by your pious sires over the remains of
Whitfield, shatter that monument to fragments, open the
grave which it covers and scatter and dishonor the ashes of
the man, who, while he was, of all uninspired men, the most
apostolic in zeal, the most fervent and powerful in eloquence
and the most successful in the conversion of sinners, and the
edification of saints; yet, above all others, was the chief in¬
strument in fastening upon Georgia that which you call the
"accursed sin of slavery.' This outrage of the dead would
c nsistently precede your flagitious end, the destruction of the
liv ng.
But to return to Gen. Oglethorpe. I have spoken of him
as a warrior and statesman. He was also a man of strong
religious principles. This was visible in the associates which
he assembled around him—the Wesleys and Whitfield, and
20
ADDRESS.
tlie otlier clergy, to whom lie paid a, profound regard. Of
liim the pious pastor, Bolrius, said : "He is a man who lias
a great reverence for God and His Holy Word and ordinan ¬
ces; a cordial love for the servants and children of God, and
who wishes to see the name of Christ glorified in all places,
We unite in prayer for him, that God would guide him to
his home, make his voyage prosperous and safe, and enrich
him with many blessings."
The solicitude of Oglethorpe for the spiritual welfare of
the Indians was ardent, Under its influence he prevailed
upon the good Bishop of Soder and Man, to prepare a Man-,
uel of religious instruction for them. The author, in the
preface of the little work, which he completed at the request
of Oglethorpe, uses the following language; " That most
worthy gentleman's great and generous concern for both the
present and future interest of these nations, and his earnest
desire and endeavors, so well known, to civilize them first
and make them more capable of instruction in the ways of
religion and civil government, and his hearty wishes that
something might be done to forward such good purposes,
prevailed with the author to set about this essay, for propa¬
gating the gospel among the Indians and negroes."
In a letter to a friend in London, Oglethorpe writes thus:
" There seems a door open to our colony towards the
conversion of the Indians. I have had many conversations
with their chief men, the whole tenor of which shows,
there is nothing wanting to their conversion, but one who
understands their language well, to explain to them themys^
teries of religion.''
The official despatches and private letters of Oglethorpe
breathe throughout a pure spirit of love to God and man,—
His whole life was indeed a living example of the power of
Christian principle. His religion was of the most literal
character, for, although the colony was composed of Epis¬
copalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Mora-*
vians, he showed no discountenance to any for being of a
different persuasion from himself."
Oglethorpe was also an accomplished scholar. Hannah
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE.
21
Moore says, " His literature was great." Boswell remarks
of him: " This extraordinary person was as remarkable lor
his learning and taste as for his other eminent qualities, and
no man was more prompt, active and generous in rewarding
merit. His associations were with the first scholars of the
age. His fortune and social position enabled him to become
the patron of letters. He was a liberal benefactor to Gold¬
smith. Even the great Johnson did not hesitate to acknowl¬
edge the value of his patronage."
The unselfish benevolence of Oglethorpe was however the
most striking feature of his character. It colored his whole
life. It exhibited itself in his laborious efforts in the House
of Commons, It caused him to be placed at the head of that
committee of 96 gentlemen, the most distinguished for phi¬
lanthropy in the realm—a committee of whom, Thomson in
his poem of '^Winter," has thus spoken :
"\nd here can I forget the generous band,
When troubled with human.woe, redressive searched
Into the horrors of the gloomy jai) !
*#*##**#
Ye ions of mercy , yet resume the search,
Prag forthe the legal monsters into light;
Wrench from their hands oppression's iron rod
And bid the cruel feel (he pains they give !"
But passing over details, the benevolence of Oglethorpe
was most conspicuous in the inception, conduct and comple¬
tion of the settlement of Georgia—an act, or rather a series
of acts, in many respects, without a parallel in History.
Some reflections upon the character of Oglethorpe as a
whole, will close this imperfect analysis of it. These reflec¬
tions I propose still to offer, for the reason before stated,
chiefly in the language of others. The estimate placed upon
it by disinterested persons will assist us in forming just opin¬
ions of the merits of him to whom under God this common¬
wealth owes its existence.
The legislature of Massachusetts, in 1733, in expectation
of a visit from Gen. Oglethorpe, adopted in a resolution, this
Strong language: "As his worthy and generous actions justly
deserve a most grateful and public acknowledgement, we
assure him that this country will retain a lasting remem¬
brance of his great benefactions,"
ADJDKESS.
Mr. H-utIs of Boston, the Biographer of Oglethorpe, thus
characterises the settlement of Georgia: "Embracing in one
comprehensive view the effectual relief of the reduced or
neglected, the planting of a colony, and the promotion of its
welfare, it is the appropriate praise of the founder of Georgia,
that with a sagacity and foresight which are never suficiently
to be admired, a zeal and fortitude never exceeded and a de-
votedness to the object which never relaxed, he commenced
and carried on the arduous enterprise." "His agency, ser¬
vices and expenditures in settling the Province of Georgia?
his disinterested devotedness to its establishment and pro¬
gressive welfare, and his bravery and personal exposure in
its defense enrolled among the important achievments of his
long and eventful life, constitute the most splendid trophy to
his fame and will insure to his name a memory as lasting as
that of America itself.
The Rev. Samuel "Wesley, the father of John and Charles
Wesley, speaks of Oglethorpe as "one who well deserves the
title of universal benefactor of mankind."
The celebrated couplet of Pope,
"Or driven bv strong benevolence of soul
Will fly like Oglethorpe from pole to pole,"
induced this strong commendation from Warton: "Here are
lives that will justly confer immortality on a man who well
deserved so magnificent an eulogium. He was at once a
great hero and a great Legislator."
The selection of the head of Oglethorpe to be engraved
upon a gold medal as the most conspicuous exemplification
of the " Christian Hero," was the highest testimony to his
distinguished -worth.
Dr. Stevens thus condenses the instances of high praise
which had been accorded to Oglethorp \ Poets, such as
Pope, Thomson, Goldsmith and Brown sung his praises;
Moralists, such as Johnson, the Abbe Raynal, Wharton and
Hannah Moore, testified his virtues; Divines, such as Wil¬
son, Berkeley, Benson, and the Wesleys did honor to his
goodness; Generals, such as Prince Eugene, th< Duke of
Marlborough and Field Marshal Wade acknowledge his abil-
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE. 23
ities; and statesmen, such as the Duke of Argyle and Lord
Peterborough, and Edmund Burke lauded his distinguished
merits."
After this review of the life and character of Oglethorpe,
it will not be an exaggeration to apply to him the appellation
Great. Few men have deserved it. No development of a
single remarkable feature entitles to it.- True greatness in
man, requires the full and harmonious development of the
whole man—of all his valuable mental and moral powers.—
To be entitled to this most noble praise of true greatness, man
must be great, not as is the comet, shaking terror and affright
from his horrid hair—not as the lightning, fierce, lurid, daz¬
zling, destroying—not as is the useless strength of the tall
mountain, whose hoary head is but fanned by the storms
which at its base desolate earth's surface—not even as the
majestic river, now bearing safely on its tranquil bosom the
lives and fortunes of men, then swoolen in its anger, uproot¬
ing and devastating as it rushes to the ocean—but great as is
the sun, radiant, refulgent, full-orbed—the centre at once of
of light and heat and motion—a munificent benefactor, as
well as an unchanging law-giver—dispelling the ungenial
shades of night—gilding the horizon of the morning—illu¬
mining every hill and valley—lighting up the path of every
living thing, and filling their hearts with joy and gladness
and withdrawing his beams only when at evening tired na¬
ture seeks repose.
In this exalted sense, Washington was great. Not by
one, or several striking excellencies, but by the harmony of
his whole character. It was the grand diapason of the organ,
when but one sound reaches the ear, but that sound is the
"concord of all melodious notes."
Oglethorpe, perhaps, more nearly approaches Washington
than any other character of modern history. I invite exam¬
ination into the soundness of this position. I refer to the
facts of his life, and to the judgments pronounced upon him
bv distinguished cotemporaries. Of what other man can it
be said that he was a warrior, a statesman, a scholar, a phi¬
lanthropist, and a christian, and that in each of these partic-
24
ADDRESS.
ulars lie exhibited distinguished excellence. The combina¬
tion of these virtues places him upon an equal elevation with
the heroes of antiquity, and with the most illustrious men
in any age. His fame will be brightened rather than ob¬
scured, by the lapse of ages. It is based upon reasons of
universal and perpetual interest to mankind. The reputa¬
tion, however brilliant, which rests upon local or sectional
considerations, must be partial and ephemeral. ^The triumphs
of many of the gifted cotemporaries of Oglethorpe, are fast
becoming subjects of traditionary interest. How little do
we know of the terrific eloqtience of the Earl of Chatham—
it is the indistinct roar of a distant cataract. How little of
the polished eloquence of Lord Mansfield—it is the dying
cadence of sweet music, whose exquisite strains but tantalize
the ear by their faintnesss How little of the scathing,
scorching, withering power of Mr. Fox—it is the coruscatioti
of the lightning, now dimly flashing through gathering and
intervening clouds. How little of the magnificent forensic
oratory of Mr. Burke—it is the gorgeous sunset, whose cob
ors of gold and purple are fading into dim and dreary night.
But so long as this Empire State, founded on Christian
philanthropy, shall increase its empire—-so long as it shall
grow in wealth and power and virtuous population—and
who shall limit its progress, or designate the term of its ex.
istence ?—the fame of Oglethorpe shall grow with its growth
and strengthen with its strength. It will become the com¬
mon property of mankind, and in all time it will be cherish¬
ed as the distinction of one of the chosen few whom grate¬
ful posterity delight to honor as benefactors of the human
race.
Gentlemen of the Phi Kappa and Demosthenian Societies :
Allow me, in the close of these remarks, to congratulate you
upon being able to contemplate such a character as Ogle-
tliorpe, as being the most prominent person in our State his¬
tory 4 It is an initial and representative character. It sug¬
gests that which we must be, in order to become worthy of
the name we bear, With such a father of the family, the
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF OGLETHORPE. 25
children of tlie household will not dishonor their lineage.—-
Pride of birth is, in many respects, an unworthy trait in man.
Whenever, forgetful of personal responsibility, we are dis¬
posed to rest our claims to distinction upon what our fathers
have done, we deserve, and will receive, contempt rather
than distinction. But when we fear to dishonor a name ren¬
dered noble by the good deeds of our forefathers, and this
fear induces praiseworthy exertion by us, then it is a great
good fortune to be able to look back upon an honorable an¬
cestry. In this family of States, (and long may they remain
a happy and united family,) no branch of it can contemplate
its origin with more satisfaction, than the State of Georgia—
the motives which created—the men who designed, 'and the
' man who completed its settlement.
Study the character of that man. Ponder it well. It will
bear and repay your closest scrutiny. This scrutiny will de-
velope virtues to which we have done but partial and imper¬
fect justice. We owe to him a debt of gratitude which is
not yet paid. You, young gentlemen will act more worthily
in this regard, than we, your seniors. Where we have been
thoughtless, you will be considerate—where we have been
neglectful, you will be observant—where we have been thank¬
less, you will be grateful. I see it in the kindling eye and
flushed face, when the names of Georgia and Georgia's foun
der are mentioned. Though not endowed with prophetic
power, I will venture the assertion, that when time shall
have sprinkled your hair with gray, and one of you shall
stand where I now stand, with these same banners waving
over him, and address a similar assemblage of young men
of another generation, it will not be in his power to ask, in
vain, as I now ask, where is the tribute which the State has
paid to its illustrious founder ?
Emulate and imitate his noble example. Adopt his motto.
Engrave it, not upon your Coat of Arms, but upon your
hearts, " Nescit cedereThe adoption of this motto will di¬
minish the ruggedness of difficulties or cause them to retire
from before you. It will nerve you for the battle of life, and
with God's help, it will give you, as it gave him, the victory.
26
ADDRESS,
The virtue which you imitate, teach others to honor. And
when in public assemblies, you would point to the good and
great of the earth, among the foremost on the roll of fame,
inscribe the name of our own Oglethorpe. And when you
would designate those places most identified with human pro¬
gress. and with becoming reverence you speak of Plymouth
Kock, do not forget another and a dearer spot, the sandy bluff
which rises above the broad Savannah. If the one be a
rock, and as such, is firm and immovable, it is yet cold, hard,
and frowning. If the other be of sand, it is yet of sand so
combined with elements of fertility, that there spring from
it the orange tree and the magnolia, and the jasmine, to re¬
gale the senses with their perfume—the gnarled and knot¬
ted live oak, whose overhanging branches, festooned with the 1
tracery of the pendant moss, more graceful than the drapery
of palaces, supply to our ships their ribs and knees, inde¬
structible as iron—and above all, that royal plant, whose
reign is co-extensive with civilization, and which at once
clothes the inhabitants and feeds and controls the commerce
of the world—localties, illustrating the divergent forms of
civilization which have proceeded, from them. The one, vir¬
tuous indeed, but as the rock storm, austere and repellant.—
The other of equal virtue, yet warm, genial, affluent in all
that refines and humanizes, as well as invigorates our moral
nature. Then shall we exchange them ? Never! We ask
no change. We desire to go on as we have begun. We
cannot amend our first impulse, or improve its direction, or
elevate its character, or augment its vigor, or refine its purity,
or enlarge its benevolence. It is by looking back, that we
learn how to advance. By completing, in the same spirit of
brave philanthropy, that which Oglethorpe commenced, we
shall win for our beloved State, not only by her energy,
wealth and power, but by the-generous and refined virtues of
her sons, the lasting homage of mankind.