suspicion to one of patriotic ardor for a common
cause.

"Government," said he, "is dissolved. Where are your landmarks, your
boundaries of colonies? The distinctions between Virginians,
Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a
Virginian, but an American."

Samuel Adams said afterwards that, but for that speech, which drew the
delegates together and made them forget their differences, the Congress
would probably have ended in a wrangle. And a year later, again in
Virginia, in defense of his resolution to arm the militia, he gave
utterance to the most famous speech of all, starting quietly with the
sentence, "Mr. President, it is natural for man to indulge in the
illusions of hope," and ending with the tremendous cry: "I know not what
course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me
death!"

That was the supreme moment of Patrick Henry's life. He did a great work
after that, as member of the Continental Congress, as commander-in-chief
of the Virginia forces, and as governor of the Commonwealth, but never
again did he come so near the stars--as, indeed, few men ever do.

* * * * *

You have all heard the story of Damon and Pythias, true type of devoted
friendship, and history abounds in such examples; but sometimes it shows
a darker side, and the controlling force in two men's lives will be hate
instead of love, and the end will be shipwreck and tragedy. Such a story
we are to tell briefly here of the lives of Alexander Hamilton and
Aaron Burr.

They were born a year apart. Burr in 1756, at Newark, New Jersey;
Hamilton, in 1757, on the little West Indian island of Nevis. Burr was
of a distinguished ancestry, his grandfather being the famous Jonathan
Edwards; Hamilton's father was an obscure planter whose first name has
been lost to history. Burr graduated at Princeton, entered the army,
rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and resigned in 1777 to study
law, being admitted to the New York bar five years later. Hamilton was
sent to New York, entered King's, now Columbia, College, got caught in
the rising tide of Revolution, proved himself uncommonly ready with
tongue and pen, enlisted, saw the battles of Long Island, Trenton, and
Princeton, was appointed aide-de-camp to Washington and acted as his
secretary, filling the post admirably, but resigned in a fit of pique
over a fancied slight, and repaired to New York to study law. Such, i