PREFACE.
To those who would inquire wherefore VIRGINIA is
called "The Mother of States," we would hold up to view the
geographical outline upon the opposite page; and to those
who seek to learn why she is known as "The Mother of
Statesmen," we would point to that "shining host" whose
names adorn this volume; yet, who, not hers alone, have
blended their deeds inseparably with the triumphs and progress
of this Great Republic.
Love of country has been the animating cause of the
making of this book, and the author indulges the hope
that such an effort to present the lives of the Virginia
Governors in a compact form, may lead to other compilations,
so that each State and Territory of an unbroken
Union may lay its written tribute into the treasury of our
garnered history.
