Ohio History Journal




Reviews, Notes and Comments 427

Reviews, Notes and Comments             427

ago entertained Lafayette. In the failure to adopt and

carry out generally a program for such celebration of

the anniversary of this remarkable tour the patriotic

societies of America lost a real opportunity.

The following editorial of the Cincinnati Times-Star,

of May 18, reflects the spirit that this celebration re-

vived in the Queen City of the West.

 

WHEN LAFAYETTE CAME TO CINCINNATI

The most romantic figure in American history was not an

American, but a Frenchman, and on Tuesday Cincinnati will

honor his memory with appropriate noonday and evening ex-

ercises. Scion of an ancient and noble family, the Marquis de

Lafavette came to his estates at thirteen, was married at six-

teen, and at twenty flung himself into the cause of American in-

dependence, well in advance of the French court. Instantly

attracted by the spirit and promise of this ardent youth and im-

pressed by his soldierly conduct at Brandywine, Washington

gave him command of a division before he had reached man's

estate. He was intrusted with the defense of Virginia and took

part in the siege of Yorktown that decided the war. Then the

young Frenchman returned to his native land, and sought to

make American ideals of liberty a fact in the early days of its

great revolution; almost he succeeded. It was he that intro-

duced the Declaration of Rights, based on our own Declaration

of Independence. He was put in command of the National

Guard. and then of the army of the Ardennes, which he led in a

succession of victories. But the revolution had entered on bloody

courses and, sick at heart, he quitted his native land. There

was still another chapter. after the Bonaparte era was ended.

Lafayette re-entered public life, was a leader in the revolution

of 1830, and forty years after his first command of the Na-

tional Guard. he commanded it again.

His visit to this country in 1825 was memorable in its demon-

stration of America's gratitude and overflowing good will. On

Tuesday, May 19th, he came to Cincinnati on his way north from

Lexington, where he had been the guest of Henry Clay. Cross-

ing the Ohio in an elaborately decorated barge rowed by six

prominent citizens, and escorted through our streets in an open

phaeton drawn by six magnificent horses, he was made the cen-

tral figure of ceremonies which included speeches of welcome by

Governor Morrow and General William Henry Harrison, a re-



428 Ohio Arch

428       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

ception in the Gano orchard and a great ball at the Cincinnati

hotel. On his departure at midnight of the following day. there

was an illumination on both sides of the river with steamboats

flying flags, cannon firing, martial music playing, and vast crowds

thronging the landing--"the most brilliant sight of my life,"

says L'Hommedieu.

In keeping this anniversary Cincinnati celebrates a pictur-

esque hour in its own colorful past and honors one of the chival-

rous spirits of the ages.

 

A BOOK ON THE TRAINING OF HORSES, BY OHIO'S

MASTER HORSE TRAINER

The Horse: Cruiser and the, Rarey Method of Train-

ing Horses, by Sara Lowe Brown, will come this fall

from the press of F. J. Heer & Co. Mrs. Brown, who

is a niece of John S. Rarey, the famous Ohio horse-

trainer of the middle of the last century, has prepared

this book from his diary, letters and other papers, and

is publishing it partly as a memorial to him. It had

been Mr. Rarey's purpose to publish a book of this kind

to propagate his theory that animals are best ruled

by kindness, and to give detailed instruction for the

handling of young and unruly horses. His death pre-

vented the fulfillment of that purpose. Happily, how-

ever, he left the material for the volume. The book

will contain an intimate account of Mr. Rarey's re-

markable career, when he was astonishing Europe and

the United States with his performances, and the full

text of his instructions to trainers, as he himself wrote

it. It will be freely illustrated.

 

AN INTERESTING BOOK BY JOSEPH BUTLER, JR.

Recollections of Men and Events: An Autobiog-

raphy. This is the title of one of the most interest-

ing volumes that has been added to the library of the