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James Otis The Pre…Revolutionist
by John Clark Ridpath
Great Americans of History
BY JOHN CLARK RIDPATH； LL。D。 AUTHOR OF A 〃Cyclopaedia of Universal History；〃 〃Great Races of Mankind；〃 〃Life and Times of William E。 Gladstone；〃 etc。； etc。
THE CHARACTER OF JAMES OTIS BY CHARLES K。 EDMUNDS； Ph。D。
WITH AN ESSAY ON THE PATRIOT BY G。 MERCER ADAM Late Editor 〃Self…Culture〃 Magazine； Etc。； Etc。
TOGETHER WITH ANECDOTES； CHARACTERISTICS； AND CHRONOLOGY
Near the northeast corner of the old Common of Boston a section of ground was put apart long before the beginning of the eighteenth century to be a burying ground for some of the heroic dead of the city of the Puritans。 For some quaint reason or caprice this acre of God was called 〃The Granary〃 and is so called to this day。 Perhaps the name was given because the dead were here； garnered as grain from the reaping until the bins be opened at the last day's threshing when the chaff shall be driven from the wheat。
Here the thoughtless throng looking through the iron railing may see the old weather…beaten and time…eaten slabs with their curious lettering which designate the spots where many of the men of the pre…revolutionary epoch were laid to their last repose。 The word cemetery is from Greek and means the little place where I lie down。
In the Granary Burying Ground are the tombs of many whom history has gathered and recorded as her own。 But history looks in vain among the blue…black slabs of semi…slate for the name of one who was greatest perhaps of them all； but whose last days were so strangely clouded and whose sepulchre was so obscure as to leave the world in doubt for more than a half century as to where the body of the great sleeper had been laid。 Curiosity； whetted by patriotism； then discovered the spot。 But the name of another was on the covering slab； and no small token was to be found indicative of the last resting place of the lightning…smitten body of James Otis； the prophetic giant of the pre…revolutionary days。 He who had lived like one of the Homeric heroes； who had died like a Titan under a thunderbolt； and had been buried as obscurely as Richard the Lion Hearted； or Frederick Barbarossa； must lie neglected in an unknown tomb within a few rods of the spot where his eloquence aforetime had aroused his countrymen to national consciousness； and made a foreign tyranny forever impossible in that old Boston； the very name of which became henceforth the menace of kings and the synonym of liberty。
Tradition rather than history has preserved thus much。 In the early part of the present century a row of great elms； known as the Paddock elms； stood in what is now the sidewalk on the west side of Tremont Street skirting the Granary Burying Ground。 These trees were cut away and the first section of the burial space was invaded with the spade。 Tomb No。 40； over which the iron railing now passes； was divided down as far as where the occupants are lying。 Within the sepulchre were several bodies。 One was the body of Nathaniel Cunningham； Sr。 Another was Ruth Cunningham； his wife。 The younger members of the family were also there in death。
When the lid of one coffin in this invaded tomb was lifted； it was found that a mass of the living roots of the old strong elm near by had twined about the skull of the sleeper； had entered through the apertures； and had eaten up the brain。 It was the brain of James Otis which had given itself to the life of the elm and had been transformed into branch and leaf and blossom； thus breathing itself forth again into the free air and the Universal Flow。
The body of the patriot had been deposited in this tomb of his father…in…law； the Nathaniel Cunningham just referred to； and had there reposed until the searching fibres of another order of life had found it out； and lifted and dispensed its sublimer part into the viewless air。 Over the grave in which the body was laid is still one of the rude slabs which the fathers provided； and on this is cut the name of 〃George Longley； 1809；〃 he being the successor of the Cunninghams in the ownership of Tomb No。 40。
Here； then； was witnessed the last transformation of the material； visible man called James Otis； the courageous herald who ran swinging a torch in the early dawn of the American Revolution。
The pre…revolutionists are the Titans of human history； the revolutionists proper are only heroes； and the post…revolutionists are too frequently dwarfs and weaklings。 This signifies that civilization advances by revolutionary stages； and that history sends out her tallest and best sons to explore the line of march； and to select the spot for the next camping…ground。 It is not they who actually command the oncoming columns and who seem so huge against the historical backgroundit is not these； but rather the hoarse forerunners and shaggy prophets of progress who are the real kings of men the true princes of the human empire。
These principles of the civilized life were strongly illustrated in our War of Independence。 The forerunners of that war were a race of giants。 Their like has hardly been seen in any other epoch of that sublime scrimmage called history。 Five or six names may be selected from the list of the early American prophets whose deeds and outcry； if reduced to hexameters； would be not the Iliad； not the Jerusalem Delivered； but the Epic of Human Liberty。
The greatest of these； our protagonists of freedom； was Benjamin Franklin。 After him it were difficult to name the second。 It is always difficult to find the second man； for there are several who come after。 In the case of our forerunners the second may have been Thomas Jefferson； it may have been Samuel Adams； it may have been his cousin； it may have been Thomas Paine； it may have been Patrick Henry； it may have been James Otis； the subject of this monograph。
It is remarkable to note how elusive are the lives of many great men。 Some of the greatest have hardly been known at all。 Others are known only by glimpses and outlines。 Some are known chiefly by myth and tradition。 Nor does the effort to discover the details of such lives yield any considerable results。 There are great names which have come to us from antiquity； or out of the Middle Ages； that are known only as names； or only by a few striking incidents。 In some cases our actual knowledge of men who are believed to have taken a conspicuous part in the drama of their times is so meagre and uncertain that critical disputes have arisen respecting the very existence of such personages。
Homer for examplewas he myth or man？ The Christ？ Where was he and how did he pass his life from his twelfth year to the beginning of his ministry？ What were the dates of his birth and death？ Shakespeare？ Why should not the details of his life； or some considerable portion of the facts； compare in plenitude and authenticity with the events in Dr。 Johnson's career？
It seems to be the law of biography that those characters who are known to the world by a few brilliant strokes of genius have as a rule only a meagre personal history； while they whose characters have been built up painfully and slowly out of the commonplace； like the coral islands of the Atlantic； have a great variety and multitude of materials ready for the hands of the biographer。
James Otis belonged to the first of these classes。 There is a measure of elusiveness about his life。 Our lack of knowledge respecting him； however； is due in part to the fact that near the close of his life； while he was oscillating in a half…rational condition between Andover and Boston； with an occasional visit to Plymouth； he fell into a fit of pessimism and despair during which he spent two days in obliterating the materials for his biography； by destroying all his letters and manuscripts。 He did as much as he could to make impossible any adequate account of his career or any suitable revelation of his character as developed in his correspondence。 Over and above this； however； the materials of his life are of small extent； and fragmentary。 It is to his formal publications and the common tradition of what he did； that we must turn for our biographical and historical estimate of the man。 In this respect he is in analogy with Patrick Henry who appears only fitfully in history； but with meteoric brilliancy； or with Abraham Lincoln the narrative of whose life for the first forty…five years can be adequately written in ten pages。
The American Otises of the seventeenth century were of English descent。 The emigration of the family from the mother country occurred at an early day when the settlements in New England were still infrequent and weak。 The Otis family was among the first to settle at the town of Hingham。 Nor was it long until the name appeared in the public records； indicating official rank and leadership。 From Hingham； John Otis； who was born in 1657； ancestor of the subject of this sketch； removed to Barnstable； near the center of the peninsula of Massachusetts； and became one of the first men of that settlement。 He was sent to the Legislature and thence to the Council of the Colony in which he had a seat for twenty…one years。 During this period he was promoted to the place of