He was excluded from his place in the council, and an entry was made in
their records detailing the alleged reason for this act.
John Smith is the hero of the romantic destinies that attended the early
life of Virginia; and the historian who would attempt to tell of her
fortunes and yet neglect his story would be recreant to his trust.
Nations have generally owed their brightest days of power or of happiness
to the genius of a single person--directing their energies, subduing
their follies, enlightening their seasons of early ignorance. Assyria has
had her Semiramis, China her Confucius, Arabia her Mahomet, England her
Alfred; and were we required to point to the man to whom America is
principally indebted for the care of her infant years, we would not
hesitate to name the heroic spirit who now appears before us.
His talent for command excited the mean jealousy of inferior souls, only
that his merit might appear brighter by contrast. If we have aught to
urge against him, it is that he met the treachery of the Indians with a
severe spirit, but too much akin to that of the Spaniards in the South.
Yet we cannot reproach him with undeserved cruelty or with deliberate
falsehood, and the stern demands of his circumstances often rendered
inevitable acts which would otherwise have been ungrateful to his soul.
Pages:
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615