March 29, 1940
A letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who asserted that “it should inspire all who view it with a determination to preserve the heritage which is theirs through the sacrifices of their forebears,” featured dedication of “The Cavalryman,” a huge black granite statue, here Thursday afternoon.
The monument, made possible through the will of the late Percival Henderson, was dedicated by Major Gen. Herbert J. Brees, commander of the Eight Corps Area, himself a cavalryman. It is located in the small triangle in front of Scottish Rite Temple.
Mr. Henderson, in his will, provided that a fund be set up to erect a monument to the memory of his friend, the late William C. Harvie, and to the memory of those pioneer settlers and soldiers who pushed through the Southwest and held it.
A second provision of the will made possible a baby clinic for underprivileged residents of the city. It is located in South El Paso.
SPEAKER KNOWS CAVALRY LIFE
“Being a cavalryman and feeling that I have something in common with the individual whom this monument commemorates, I appreciate the honor of being invited to speak at this dedication,” General Brees said.
He recited the history of the cavalryman and of his coming to the Southwest.
“The real story always has seemed to me to lie in the fact that for 150 years, settlement on our east coast was hemmed in by a mountain wall that extended from Maine to Alabama; that when the land was taken up in the plains and the new man and the poor man could find no place to settle, he turned to the West and Southwest, traveling by boat and by horse, with ox team or on foot, accompanied by his family and all his worldly possessions, while preceding him and following him was the cavalryman. Meeting and overcoming hardships and privations which are hardly conceivable today, giving little thought to the material gain, he has played his part in the advance of our frontier.
“Today we are dedication a monument to the ‘trooper’ – the man and the horse – exemplified in our history not only by great names of Doniphan and Kearney, Stuart and Sheridan, Harbord and Pershing and all the rest, but by the man and the boy who left the comparative comfort and safety of home and fireside to brave the rigors of a great and rugged country that his fellowman might benefit. It is my privilege to pay homage to the memory of the character symbolized by this statue – ‘The Cavalryman’ of the frontier. May his accomplishments and his fortitude be an inspiration always.
FORMER MAYOR LEA ACCEPTS MONUMENT
Tom Lea, a friend of donor Percival Henderson and a former mayor of El Paso, accepted the monument on behalf of the city. In his acceptance speech he praised the work of the sculptor, Ruiz de Rivera. Of it he said:
“As a technical performance in one of the most difficult of artistic mediums, it is superbly done, and as citizens we shall take pride in possessing here an authentic work of art. But beyond all terms of aesthetic significance, it seems to me there is a transcendent meaning for us in the figure here. It is a symbol to take to our hearts. It is the man who faced a wilderness, a New World, and conquered it. Fittingly it is the figure of a horseman. Any symbol of significance in our western heritage must include that partner of man’s enterprise here – his horse –
“The story of the western conquest will forever be the story of the horseman. The saddle seat was the throne of the frontier. My friends, may we make the stalwart figure her a symbol of our remembrance of the old West, a reminder of the bright courage, the tenacious will, the unflagging force of men who can conquer new horizons.
“There is something in my heart which reaches far beyond the monument we dedicated here today. It represents not only a monument to the cavalryman, but also a monument to a friendship which, next to a wife and family, is what makes life worth living.
“The friendship between William Harvie and Percival Henderson, who admired and loved each other and were inseparable in life, was the kind of friendship which exists between strong men, a friendship which never falters and is broken only by death.”
NEPHEW OF DONOR MAKES PRESENTATION
The monument was presented to the city by Richard Eurich, nephew of the late Mr. Henderson and executor of Mr. Henderson’s estate.
The president’s letter was sent to Irving Schwartz, member of the Scottish Rite Masonic bodies committee appointed to help select a memorial fitting to the Southwest and to the friendship of one pioneer for another.
Two troops of cavalry were drawn up about the plaza and the Seventh Cavalry Band played.
The monument was unveiled by Mrs. M.P. Schuster.
Comments