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diff --git a/old/53382-h/53382-h.htm b/old/53382-h/53382-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ab43699..0000000 --- a/old/53382-h/53382-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10100 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of From Farm Boy to Senator; Being the History - of the Boyhood and Manhood of Daniel Webster, by Horatio Alger, Jr.. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1 -{ - margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; - text-align: center; - font-size: x-large; - font-weight: normal; - line-height: 1.6; -} - - h2,h3{ - text-align: center; - clear: both; - } - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} - -p -{ - margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; -} - -.p10 {margin-left: 6em;} -.p20 {margin-left: 14em;} - -.half-title { - margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; - text-align: center; - font-size: x-large; - font-weight: normal; - line-height: 1.6; -} - -.spaced {margin-top: 6em; margin-bottom: 6em;} -.space-above {margin-top: 3em;} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} - - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - - .tdl {text-align: left;} - .tdr {text-align: right;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - visibility: hidden; - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - - - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - - -.xs {font-size: x-small;} -.small {font-size: small;} - -.large {font-size: large;} -.xl {font-size: x-large;} - - -/* Images */ -.figcenter {margin: 1em auto; text-align: center;} -.caption {font-size: smaller; font-weight: bold;} -img {border: none; max-width: 100%} - - -/* Poetry */ -.poetry-container - { - text-align: center; - margin: -1em 0; - } - -.poetry - { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; - } - -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - -.poetry .verse - { - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; - } - -.poetry .indent2 {text-indent: -2em;} -.poetry .indent6 {text-indent: 0em;} -.poetry .indent30 {text-indent: 12em;} - -@media handheld -{ - .poetry - { - display: block; - margin-left: 1em; - } -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of From Farm Boy to Senator, by Horatio Alger Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: From Farm Boy to Senator - Being the History of the Boyhood and Manhood of Daniel Webter - -Author: Horatio Alger Jr. - -Release Date: October 27, 2016 [EBook #53382] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM FARM BOY TO SENATOR *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="Two boys in a general store" /> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - - -<h1> -<small>FROM</small><br /> - -FARM BOY TO SENATOR;</h1> - - -<p class="center xs">BEING THE HISTORY OF THE</p> - -<p class="center large">BOYHOOD AND MANHOOD<br /> - -<span class="xs">OF</span><br /> - -<span class="xl">DANIEL WEBSTER.</span></p> - - -<p class="center space-above"><span class="smcap">By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.</span>,</p> - -<p class="center xs"><i>Author of “From Canal Boy to President,” “Ragged Dick -Series,” “Tattered Tom Series,” etc., etc.</i></p> - - - -<p class="center space-above"><small>NEW YORK:<br /> -J. S. OGILVIE & COMPANY,<br /> -<span class="smcap">No. 31 Rose Street</span>.</small> -</p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="center spaced"> -<span class="smcap small">Copyright, 1882,<br /> -by STREET & SMITH.</span><br /> -</p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="center spaced"> -<small>TO<br /> -<br /> -MY FRIEND AND COLLEGE CLASSMATE,</small><br /> -<br /> -JUDGE ADDISON BROWN,<br /> -<br /> -<span class="xs">OF NEW YORK,</span><br /> -<br /> -<small>THIS VOLUME IS CORDIALLY INSCRIBED.</small><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a><br /><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</a></h2> - - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><small>CHAPTER</small></td> - <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">I.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Cotton Handkerchief</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">II.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel and his Father</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">III.</td> - <td class="tdl">A Memorable Battle</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">IV.</td> - <td class="tdl">An Important Step</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">V.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel at Exeter Academy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">VI.</td> - <td class="tdl">Preparing for College</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">VII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel’s College Life</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">VIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel Receives some Valuable Advice</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">IX.</td> - <td class="tdl">Brotherly Love</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">X.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Two Brothers</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_76">76</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XI.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel as an Orator</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Studying Law</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92">92</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">How Daniel went to Fryeburg</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XIV.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Preceptor of Fryeburg Academy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XV.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Next Two Years</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XVI.</td> - <td class="tdl">A Great Temptation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XVII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel Refuses a Clerkship</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">D. Webster, Attorney</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XIX.</td> - <td class="tdl">Daniel Overcomes a Bramble</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XX.</td> - <td class="tdl">“The Little Black Stable-Boy.”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXI.</td> - <td class="tdl">Why Daniel was sent to Congress</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_158">158</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Webster as a Member of Congress</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">John Randolph and William Pinkney</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXIV.</td> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Webster in Boston</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_184">184</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXV.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Oration at Plymouth</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_190">190</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXVI.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Bunker Hill Oration</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXVII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Adams and Jefferson</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_207">207</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Home Life and Domestic Sorrows</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXIX.</td> - <td class="tdl">Called to the Senate</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXX.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Beginning of a Great Battle</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_232">232</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXI.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Reply to Hayne</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXII.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Secret of Webster’s Power</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Honors Received in England</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_267">267</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXIV.</td> - <td class="tdl">Called to the Cabinet</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXV.</td> - <td class="tdl">Life at Marshfield</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_283">283</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXVI.</td> - <td class="tdl">The Seventh of March Speech</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXVII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Closing Scenes</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">XXXVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl">Centennial Tributes</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_301">301</a></td> -</tr> -</table></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE">PREFACE.</a></h2> - - -<p>But thirty years have elapsed since the death -of Daniel Webster, and there is already danger -that, so far as young people are concerned, he will -become an historic reminiscence. Schoolboys, -who declaim the eloquent extracts from his -speeches which are included in all the school -speakers, are indeed able to form some idea of his -great oratorical powers and the themes which called -them forth; but I have found that young classical -students, as a rule, know more of Cicero’s life -than of his. It seems to me eminently fitting -that the leading incidents in the life of our great -countryman, his struggles for an education, the -steps by which he rose to professional and political -distinction, should be made familiar to American -boys. I have therefore essayed a “story biography,” -which I have tried to write in such a manner -as to make it attractive to young people, who -are apt to turn away from ordinary biographies, -in the fear that they may prove dull.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p> - -<p>I have not found my task an easy one. Webster’s -life is so crowded with great services and -events, it is so interwoven with the history of the -nation, that to give a fair idea of him in a volume -of ordinary size is almost impossible. I have -found it necessary to leave out some things, and -to refer briefly to others, lest my book should expand -to undue proportions. Let me acknowledge -then, with the utmost frankness, that my work is -incomplete, and necessarily so. This causes me -less regret, because those whom I may be fortunate -enough to interest in my subject will -readily find all that they wish to know in the noble -Life of Webster, by George Ticknor Curtis, the -captivating Reminiscences, by Peter Harvey, the -Private Correspondence, edited by Fletcher Webster, -and the collection of Mr. Webster’s speeches, -edited by Mr. Everett. They will also find interesting -views of Mr. Webster’s senatorial career -in the Reminiscences of Congress, by Charles W. -March.</p> - -<p>If this unpretending volume shall contribute in -any way to extend the study of Mr. Webster’s -life and works, I shall feel that my labor has been -well bestowed.</p> - -<p> -<span class="smcap">Horatio Alger, Jr.</span><br /> -<br /> -March 28, 1882.<br /> -</p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/p008.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><span class="smcap">Daniel Webster at the Age of Sixteen.</span></div> -</div> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - - -<p class="half-title"><span class="smcap">From Farm Boy to Senator.</span></p> -<hr /> -<p class="half-title"><small>A BOYS’ LIFE OF</small><br /> - -DANIEL WEBSTER.</p> -<hr /> - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a><br /> - -<small>THE COTTON HANDKERCHIEF.</small></h2> - - -<p>“Where are you going, Daniel?”</p> - -<p>“To Mr. Hoyt’s store.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go in with you. Where is ’Zekiel this -morning?”</p> - -<p>“I left him at work on the farm.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you will both be farmers when you -grow up?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” answered Daniel, thoughtfully. -“I don’t think I shall like it, but there -isn’t anything else to do in Salisbury.”</p> - -<p>“You might keep a store, and teach school like -Master Hoyt.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps so. I should like it better than -farming.”</p> - -<p>Daniel was but eight years old, a boy of strik<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a><br /><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>ing -appearance, with black hair and eyes, and a -swarthy complexion. He was of slender frame, -and his large dark eyes, deep set beneath an overhanging -brow, gave a singular appearance to the -thin face of the delicate looking boy.</p> - -<p>He was a farmer’s son, and lived in a plain, -old-fashioned house, shaded by fine elms, and -separated from the broad, quiet street by a fence. -It was situated in a valley, at the bend of the -Merrimac, on both sides of which rose high hills, -which the boy climbed many a time for the more -extended view they commanded. From a high -sheep-pasture on his father’s farm, through a -wide opening in the hills, he could see on a clear -day Brentney Mountain in Vermont, and in a -different direction the snowy top of Mount Washington, -far away to the northeast.</p> - -<p>He entered the humble store with his companion.</p> - -<p>Behind the counter stood Master Hoyt, a tall -man, of stern aspect, which could strike terror -into the hearts of delinquent scholars when in -the winter they came to receive instruction from -him.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, Daniel,” said Master Hoyt, -who was waiting upon a customer.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, sir,” answered Daniel, respectfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I hope you won’t forget what you learned at -school last winter.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I will try not to.”</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t forget your reading and writing.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; I read whatever I can find, but I -don’t like writing much.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll never make much of a hand at writing, -Daniel. Ezekiel writes far better than you. -But you won’t need writing much when you’re -following the plough.”</p> - -<p>“I hope I shan’t have to do that, Master -Hoyt.”</p> - -<p>“Ay, you’re hardly strong enough, you may -find something else to do in time. You may -keep school like me—who knows?—but you’ll -have to get some one else to set the copies,” and -Master Hoyt laughed, as if he thought it a good -joke.</p> - -<p>Daniel listened gravely to the master’s prediction, -but it seemed to him he should hardly care -to be a teacher like Mr. Hoyt, for the latter, -though he was a good reader, wrote an excellent -hand, and had a slight knowledge of grammar, -could carry his pupils no further. No pupil was -likely to wonder that “one small head could carry -all he knew.” Yet the boys respected him, and -in his limited way he did them good.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></p> - -<p>Master Hoyt had by this time finished waiting -upon his customer, and was at leisure to pay attention -to his two young callers. He regarded -them rather as pupils than as customers, for it -is quite the custom in sparsely settled neighborhoods -to “drop in” at the store for a chat.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Daniel’s roving eyes had been attracted -by a cotton pocket-handkerchief, which -appeared to have something printed upon it.</p> - -<p>Master Hoyt noticed the direction of the boy’s -gaze.</p> - -<p>“I see you are looking at the handkerchief,” -he said. “Would you like to see what is printed -on it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>The handkerchief was taken down and placed -in the boy’s hands. It was quite customary in -those days, when books and papers were comparatively -rare and difficult to obtain, to combine -literature with plain homely utility, by printing -reading matter of some kind on cheap cotton -handkerchiefs. Nowadays boys would probably -object to such a custom, but the boy, Daniel -who was fond of reading, was attracted.</p> - -<p>“Is it a story?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No, Daniel; it is the Constitution of the -United States—the government we live under.”</p> - -<p>Daniel’s interest was excited. Of the govern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>ment -he knew something, but not much, and up -to that moment he had not known that there was -a constitution, and indeed he couldn’t tell what a -constitution was, but he thought he would like to -know.</p> - -<p>“What is the price?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Twenty-five cents.”</p> - -<p>Daniel felt in his pocket, and drew out a quarter -of a dollar. It represented all his worldly -wealth. It had not come to him all at once, but -was the accumulation of pennies saved. He may -have had other plans for spending it, but now -when there was a chance of securing something -to read he could not resist the temptation, so he -passed over his precious coin, and the handkerchief -became his.</p> - -<p>“It’s a good purchase,” said Master Hoyt, approvingly. -“Take it home, Daniel, and read it, -and you’ll know something of the government -we’re living under. I suppose you’ve heard your -father talk of the days when he was a soldier, -and fought against the British?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“When soldiers were called for, Captain Webster -was one of the first to answer the call. But -of course you are too young to remember that -time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; but I have heard father talk about it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ay, ay; your father was selected to stand -guard before General Washington’s headquarters -on the night after Arnold’s treason. The general -knew he could depend upon him.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; I am sure of that,” said the boy -proudly, for he had a high reverence and respect -for his soldier father, who on his side was devoted -to the best interests of his sons, and was ready -when the time came to make sacrifices for them -such as would have made most fathers hesitate.</p> - -<p>“Ah, those were dark days, Daniel. You are -lucky to live in peaceful times, under a free -government, but you must never forget how your -father and other brave men fought to secure the -blessings we now enjoy. Now General Washington -is President, and we are no longer a subject -colony, but we have a free and independent government.”</p> - -<p>It is doubtful how far Daniel and his young -companion understood the remarks of Master -Hoyt, but doubtless a time came further on when -the words recurred to him, and in the light of his -father’s conversations, which from time to time -he held with his neighbors, gave him a more adequate -idea of the character of that government in -which in after years he was to take so prominent -a part.</p> - -<p>“Are you going, Daniel?” asked William<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -Hoyt, as the boys turned to leave his humble -store.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; father may want me at home.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget your learning, my lad. You -must be ready to take up your studies next winter. -Soon you will know as much as I do.”</p> - -<p>It was meant for an encouraging remark, but -the prospect it held out was not one to dazzle the -imagination even of a boy of eight, for as I have -already said the good man’s acquirements were of -the most limited character.</p> - -<p>Daniel went home with his precious handkerchief -snugly stowed away in his pocket. He was -saving it till evening when he promised himself -the pleasure of reading it.</p> - -<p>After supper by the light of the open log fire -he brought out his new possession.</p> - -<p>“What have you there, my son?” asked his -father.</p> - -<p>“It is a handkerchief, father, with the Constitution -of the United States printed on it.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you get it?”</p> - -<p>“At Master Hoyt’s store.”</p> - -<p>“Dan spent all his money for it,” said Ezekiel.</p> - -<p>“Well, well, he might have done worse. It -will do him no harm to read the Constitution of -his country,” said the father, gravely.</p> - -<p>Thus assured of his father’s approval, the boy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> -devoted himself to the reading of that famous -document, of which in after years he was to become -the staunch supporter and defender. For -this boy was in his manhood to rank among the -great men of the earth, and to leave a name and -a fame to which his countrymen for centuries to -come will point with just and patriotic pride.</p> - -<p>This boy with slender form, swarthy face, and -dark eyes, was Daniel Webster.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL AND HIS FATHER.</small></h2> - - -<p>Daniel’s family had not lived many years at -Elms Farm. Captain Webster first occupied a -log house which he had himself built, and in this -humble dwelling Ezekiel and one of his sisters -were born. He was poor in worldly goods, but -rich in children, having had ten born to him, five -by the second marriage. Daniel was the youngest -but one, and Sarah the youngest of all.</p> - -<p>When the war of the American Revolution -broke out Daniel’s father was one of the first to -take up arms. He himself drew up, and induced -eighty-four of his townsmen to sign, the following -patriotic pledge:</p> - -<p>“We do solemnly engage and promise that we -will, to the utmost of our power, at the risk of -our lives and fortunes, with arms, oppose the -hostile proceedings of the British fleets and armies -against the United American Colonies.”</p> - -<p>Daniel was proud of his descent from such a -man, and in the last year of his life declared that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> -“this is sufficient emblazonry for my arms; -enough of heraldry for me.”</p> - -<p>Ebenezer Webster, Daniel’s father, is described -as “a man of great firmness, whose bearing and -manner were decisive; tall and erect, with a full -chest, black hair and eyes, and rather large and -prominent features.” He had never attended -school, but his natural powers, supplemented by -his own persistent efforts for education, qualified -him for a high and influential place in the community -in which he lived. But in one thing he -was lacking, the ability to make money, and -was obliged to practise the utmost frugality in -his household. Though he filled various important -positions, his compensation was of the -smallest. He charged the town for important -services but three or four shillings a day—a sum -which even the most modest of office-holders -nowadays would regard as quite beneath their -acceptance.</p> - -<p>How he succeeded in wresting a subsistence -for his large family from his sterile acres must -remain a mystery. He was willing to live poorly, -but there was one subject which cost him anxious -thought. How was he to provide his family, -and especially the two youngest boys, with the -educational advantages which had been denied to -him? There were no good schools near home,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> -and without money he could not send his boys -out of town to school.</p> - -<p>Help came in an unexpected way.</p> - -<p>One day the stalwart farmer entered his house -with a look of satisfaction on his dark and rugged -features.</p> - -<p>“Wife,” he said, “I have been appointed Judge -of the Court of Common Pleas for the county.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed!” said his wife, naturally pleased at -the honor which had been conferred upon her -husband.</p> - -<p>“It will bring me three to four hundred dollars -a year,” said Mr. Webster, “and now I can hope -to educate my boys.”</p> - -<p>This was his first thought, and hers. It was -not proposed to improve their style of living, to -buy new furniture or new clothes, but to spend -it in such a way as would best promote the interests -of those whom God had committed to their -keeping.</p> - -<p>Three or four hundred dollars! It was a very -small sum, so most of my boy readers will think; -and so it was, but in a farmer’s household on the -bleak acres of New Hampshire it would go a -considerable way. Every dollar in Ebenezer -Webster’s hands brought its money’s worth, and -as we shall see hereafter it brought rich interest -to the investor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Daniel was still too young for any immediate -steps to be taken in the desired direction. -He was sent to the small town schools, where he -learned what the master was able to teach him. -Sometimes he had two and a half and three miles -to walk to school, but the farmer’s boy, though -delicate, was not thought too delicate for such a -walk. Indeed the boy’s delicacy was in his favor, -for he was thought not robust enough to work -on the farm steadily, and was sent to school, as -an elder half-brother, Joseph, laughingly said, -“to make him equal with the rest of the boys.” -It was hard for those who saw him in later years, -in his majestic proportions, to believe that he -had been a delicate boy. The tender sapling had -become a stately oak, with not a trace of feebleness -or lack of strength.</p> - -<p>One day when Daniel was at work in the hayfield, -about the middle of the forenoon, Judge -Webster, for this was his designation now, saw a -carriage approaching.</p> - -<p>“Some one to see you, father,” suggested -Daniel.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said his father, preparing to leave his -work; “it is the Congressman from our district.”</p> - -<p>“What is his name?”</p> - -<p>“Hon. Abiel Foster, my son. He lives in -Canterbury.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the Congressman descended from his carriage -and entered the field where Daniel and his -father were at work. “Don’t let me interrupt -you, Judge Webster,” said the visitor. “I merely -wished to exchange a few words on public -affairs.”</p> - -<p>Daniel was old enough to have some notion of -the office of a Congressman and his duties, and -he regarded the honorable gentleman with attention, -and perhaps with reverent respect, though -he is said not to have been endowed with more -than average ability, notwithstanding he had been -educated at college, and had once been a minister.</p> - -<p>When the conversation was over the Congressman -got into his carriage and rode away. Judge -Webster looked thoughtfully after him.</p> - -<p>Then he said to Daniel, “My son, that is a -worthy man; he is a Member of Congress; he -goes to Philadelphia, and gets six dollars a day, -while I toil here. It is because he had an education -which I never had. If I had had his early -education I should have been in Philadelphia in -his place. I came near it as it was. But I -missed it, and now I must work here.”</p> - -<p>“My dear father,” answered Daniel, not without -emotion, “you shall not work. Brother and -I will work for you, and will wear our hands out, -and you shall rest.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p> - -<p>The boy was much moved, and his breast -heaved, for he knew well how hard his father -had toiled for him and for all the family.</p> - -<p>“My child,” said Judge Webster, “it is of no -importance to me. I now live but for my children. -I could not give your elder brothers the -advantages of knowledge, but I can do something -for you. Exert yourself, improve your opportunities, -learn, learn, and when I am gone you -will not need to go through the hardships which -I have undergone, and which have made me an -old man before my time.”</p> - -<p>These words made a profound impression upon -the boy. A man’s character and life add weight -to the words which he utters, and wise and judicious -advice coming from a trifler or a shallow -person falls often unheeded, and with reason. -But Daniel knew how much his father had accomplished -without education—he knew how -high his rank was among his neighbors, and no -man ever probably received from him a tithe of -that reverence which he felt for his plain, unlettered -parent.</p> - -<p>By this time he knew that his father had been -largely instrumental in inducing New Hampshire -to ratify that Constitution of which he obtained -his first knowledge from the cheap cotton handkerchief -which he had purchased at Master Hoyt’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> -store. The acceptance was by no means a foregone -conclusion. Many of the delegates to the -convention had been instructed to vote against -acceptance, and among them Ebenezer Webster -himself. But he obtained permission later to -vote according to his own judgment, and the -speech which he made in favor of this important -action has been preserved. Just before the vote -was taken, he rose and said:</p> - -<p>“Mr. President, I have listened to the arguments -for and against the Constitution. I am -convinced such a government as that Constitution -will establish, if adopted—a government acting -directly on the people of the States—is necessary -for the common defence and the public welfare. -It is the only government which will enable us -to pay off the national debt—the debt which we -owe for the Revolution, and which we are bound -in honor fully and fairly to discharge. Besides, -I have followed the lead of Washington through -seven years of war, and I have never been misled. -His name is subscribed to this Constitution. -He will not mislead us now. I shall vote for its -adoption.”</p> - -<p>No wonder that Daniel inherited from his -father a reverent attachment for that Constitution -which Judge Webster by word and deed -had helped to secure and establish. His father<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> -was a grave and earnest man, but he was not -stern nor ascetic. His strength was softened by -good humor, and his massive features were often -lighted up by a contagious laugh which endeared -him to his family, who loved no less than they -respected him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a><br /> - -<small>A MEMORABLE BATTLE.</small></h2> - - -<p>Daniel, as well as his father, had a love of -fun, and a sportive humor, which he always preserved. -It is said that “all work and no play -makes Jack a dull boy.” It is certainly a mistake -when a boy is shut out from the innocent -sports which boys delight in. John Stuart Mill, -who was set to learning while little more than an -infant, and who actually began to study Greek at -four years of age—lamented in after years that -he had never known what boyhood was.</p> - -<p>It was not so with Daniel. Though his father’s -poverty made it necessary for all to work, -Daniel, partly because of his early delicacy, had -plenty of time allowed him for amusement. The -favorite companion of his leisure hours was not a -boy, but a veteran soldier and near neighbor, -named Robert Wise. He had built a little cottage -in the corner of the Webster farm, and there -with his wife he lived till extreme old age. He -was born in Yorkshire, had fought on both sides -in the Revolutionary struggle, had travelled in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> -various parts of Europe, and had a thousand stories -to tell, to all of which the boy listened with -avidity. Though he had twice deserted from the -English king, his heart still thrilled with pride -when Daniel read to him from the newspaper -accounts of battles in which the English arms -were victorious. He had never learned to read, -and Daniel became his favorite because he was -always ready to read to him as they sat together -at nightfall at the cottage door.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you learn to read yourself, Robert?” -asked Daniel one day.</p> - -<p>“It’s too late, Dan. I’m gettin’ an old man -now, and I couldn’t do it.”</p> - -<p>“What will you do when I am grown up, and -gone away?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, Dan. It will be dull times for -me.”</p> - -<p>When that time came the old man picked up -a fatherless boy, and gave him a home and a -chance to secure an education, in order that he -might have some one to read the newspaper to -him.</p> - -<p>Whenever Daniel had a day or a few hours to -himself he ran across the fields to his humble -neighbor’s house.</p> - -<p>“Come, Robert,” he would say, “I’ve got -nothing to do. Let us go fishing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> - -<p>So the two would go down to the banks of the -Merrimac, and embark in a boat which belonged -to the old man, and paddle up and down the -river, sometimes for an entire day. Daniel never -lost his love of fishing, but in after years, when -the cares of statesmanship were upon him, dressed -in suitable style he would take his fishing pole and -lie in wait for his finny victims, while perhaps he -was mentally composing some one of his famous -speeches, destined to thrill the hearts of thousands, -or direct the policy of the government. -These happy days spent in the open air corrected -his native delicacy, and gradually imparted physical -strength and vigor, and in time knit the vigorous -frame which seemed a fitting temple for his -massive intellect.</p> - -<p>Even the most trivial circumstances in the boyhood -of such a man as Daniel Webster are noteworthy, -and I am sure my boy-readers will read -with interest and sympathy the account of a signal -victory which the boy gained, though it was -only over a feathered bully.</p> - -<p>Belonging to a neighbor was a cock of redoubtable -prowess, a champion whose fame was in all -the farmyards for miles around. One day Daniel, -coming home from school, beheld with mortification -the finish of a contest in which a favorite -fowl of his own came off decidedly second best.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -The victorious rooster strutted about in conscious -and complacent triumph.</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad, Zeke!” said Daniel in genuine -vexation, as he saw the crestfallen look of his own -vanquished fowl. “I should like to see that impudent -bully get well whipped.”</p> - -<p>“There isn’t a rooster about here that can whip -him, Dan.”</p> - -<p>“I know that, but he will meet his match some -time.”</p> - -<p>“At any rate I’ll drive him away. He’ll have -to run from me.”</p> - -<p>Dan picked up a stone, and pelted the victor -out of the yard, but the feathered bully, even in -his flight, raised a crow of victory which vexed -the boy.</p> - -<p>“I’d give all the money I’ve got, Zeke, for a -rooster that would whip him,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>There came a time when Daniel had his wish.</p> - -<p>He was visiting a relation at some distance -when mention was made casually of a famous -fighting cock who had never been beaten.</p> - -<p>“Where is he to be found?” asked the boy -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Why do you ask?”</p> - -<p>“I would like to see him,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, he belongs to Mr.——.”</p> - -<p>“Where does he live?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p> - -<p>The desired information was given.</p> - -<p>Shortly after Daniel was missed. He found -his way to the farm where the pugnacious fowl -resided. In the yard he saw the owner, a -farmer.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, sir,” said Dan.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, boy. What can I do for -you?” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“I hear you have a cock who is a famous -fighter.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he’s never been beaten yet!” said the -farmer complacently.</p> - -<p>“Can I see him?”</p> - -<p>“There he is,” said the owner, pointing out the -feathered champion.</p> - -<p>Daniel surveyed the rooster with great interest.</p> - -<p>“Will you sell him?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. Why do you want to buy -him?”</p> - -<p>Daniel explained his object frankly.</p> - -<p>“How much are you willing to give?” asked -the farmer, for he was a Yankee, and ready for -a trade.</p> - -<p>Daniel drew from his pocket half a dollar. It -represented his entire cash capital.</p> - -<p>“Here is half a dollar,” he said. “I’ll give -you that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Haven’t you got anymore money?” asked -the farmer, who had a keen scent for a bargain.</p> - -<p>“No, sir; it is all I have. I’d give you more -if I had it.”</p> - -<p>Half a dollar in those days was a considerable -sum of money, particularly in the eyes of a farmer, -who handled very little money, his income -being for the most part in the shape of corn, hay -and vegetables. Having satisfied himself that it -was all he could get, he gave a favorable answer -to the boy’s application.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s eyes sparkled with delight, and he -promptly handed over his fifty cent piece.</p> - -<p>“When do you want to take it?” asked the -farmer.</p> - -<p>“Now,” answered Dan.</p> - -<p>“Very well.”</p> - -<p>The fowl was caught, and Daniel carried it -back to the house of his relative in triumph.</p> - -<p>“I’m going home,” he said abruptly.</p> - -<p>“Going home? Why, you have only just -come.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll come again soon, but I want to take this -cock home, and see if he can’t whip Mr. ——-’s. -I want to teach the little bully a lesson.”</p> - -<p>So in spite of all that could be said Daniel -started on his way home.</p> - -<p>When he had gone a short distance he passed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> -a yard stocked with poultry, where a large cock -was strutting about defiantly, as if throwing down -the gage of battle to any new comers.</p> - -<p>A boy was standing near the fence.</p> - -<p>“Will your cock fight?” asked Dan.</p> - -<p>“He can whip yours,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Are you willing to try it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, come along.”</p> - -<p>The trial was made, and Dan’s new purchase -maintained his reputation, by giving a sound -drubbing to his feathered rival.</p> - -<p>Dan surveyed the result with satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“I guess he’ll do,” he said to himself.</p> - -<p>He kept on his way till he got within sight of -home.</p> - -<p>“What brings you home so soon, Dan?” asked -Zeke.</p> - -<p>“See here, Zeke!” said Dan eagerly.” Here -is a cock that will whip Mr. ——’s all to pieces.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too sure of it!”</p> - -<p>“I’ve tried him once, and he’s game.”</p> - -<p>The boys did not have long to wait for the -trial.</p> - -<p>Over came the haughty intruder, strutting -about with his usual boastful air.</p> - -<p>Dan let loose his new fowl, and a battle -royal commenced. Soon the tyrant of the barnyard -found that he had met a foe worthy of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -spur. For a time the contest was an open one, -but in ten minutes the feathered bully was ignominiously -defeated, and led about by the comb in -a manner as humiliating as had ever happened -when he was himself the victor.</p> - -<p>Daniel witnessed the defeat of the whilom tyrant -with unbounded delight, and felt abundantly -repaid for his investment of all his spare cash, as -well as the cutting short of his visit. Probably -in the famous passage at arms which he had many -years after with Mr. Hayne, of South Carolina, -his victory afforded him less satisfaction than this -boyish triumph.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a><br /> - -<small>AN IMPORTANT STEP.</small></h2> - - -<p>“What are you thinking about, Dan?” asked -his mother one evening as the boy sat thoughtfully -gazing at the logs blazing in the fireplace.</p> - -<p>“I was wishing for something to read,” answered -the boy.</p> - -<p>Indeed that was his chief trouble in those early -days. Libraries were scarce, and private collections -equally scarce, especially in small country -places. So the boy’s appetite for books was not -likely to be satisfied.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s words attracted the attention of his -father.</p> - -<p>“I have been speaking to some of our neighbors -to-day,” he said, “about establishing a small -circulating library which we could all use. I -think we shall do something about it soon.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will, father,” said Dan eagerly.</p> - -<p>“If we all contribute a little, we can make a -beginning. Besides we can put in some books we -have already.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p> - -<p>A week or two later Judge Webster announced -that the library had been established, and it may -be easily supposed that Daniel was one of the -first to patronize it. It was a small and, many of -my boy friends would think, an unattractive -collection. But in the collection was the “Spectator,” -in reading which Daniel unconsciously did -something towards forming a desirable style of -his own. He was fond of poetry, and at an early -age could repeat many of the psalms and hymns -of Dr. Watts.</p> - -<p>There was another poem which so impressed -him that he learned to repeat the whole of it. -This was Pope’s “Essay on Man,” a poem which -I fear is going out of fashion, which is certainly -a pity, for apart from its literary merits it contains -a great deal of sensible advice as to the conduct -of life. As it is not of so much importance -how much we read as how thoroughly, and how -much we remember, there is reason to think that -Daniel got more benefit from his four books than -most of the boys of to-day from their multitude -of books.</p> - -<p>Once, however, Daniel’s literary enthusiasm -came near having serious consequences. A new -almanac had been received, and as usual each -of the months was provided with a couplet of -poetry. After going to bed Daniel and Ezekiel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> -got into a dispute about the couplet at the head -of the April page, and in order to ascertain which -was correct Dan got out of bed, went down stairs, -and groped his way to the kitchen, where he -lighted a candle and went in search of the almanac. -He found it, and on referring to it ascertained -that Ezekiel was right. His eagerness -made him careless, and an unlucky spark from -the candle set some cotton clothes on fire. The -house would have been consumed but for the -exertions and presence of mind of his father. It -may be a comfort to some of my careless young -readers to learn that so great a man as Daniel -Webster occasionally got into mischief when he -was a boy.</p> - -<p>Somewhere about this time a young lawyer, Mr. -Thomas W. Thompson, came to Daniel’s native -town and set up an office.</p> - -<p>As he was obliged to be absent at times, and -yet did not wish to close his office, he proposed -to Daniel to sit in his office and receive callers in -his absence. Though boys do not generally take -kindly to confinement, the office contained one attraction -for the boy in a collection of books, probably -of a miscellaneous character such as a young -man is likely to pick up.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s time was not otherwise occupied, for -he had no service to render, except to stay in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> -office and inform callers when Mr. Thompson -would be back, and he was therefore at liberty to -make use of the books. He made a selection unusual -for a boy. There was an old Latin grammar, -which the young lawyer had probably used -himself in his preparatory course. This book -Daniel selected, and began to study by himself. -His employer offered to hear him recite in it, -and soon had occasion to be surprised at the -strong and retentive memory of his office boy. -Probably none of the law books attracted the -future lawyer. It would have been surprising if -they had.</p> - -<p>“Judge Webster,” said Thompson, on meeting -the father of his young employee, “Dan will make -a fine scholar if he has the chance.”</p> - -<p>“I think the boy has ability.”</p> - -<p>“He certainly has. He ought to go to college.”</p> - -<p>Judge Webster shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I should like it above all things,” he said, -“but I can’t see my way clear. I am a poor man, -as you know, and it would cost a great deal of -money to carry Dan through college even after -he were prepared.”</p> - -<p>This was true, and the young lawyer was unprepared -with any suggestion as to how the difficult -matter was to be arranged. But Judge Webster<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -did not forget the conversation. He was considering -what could be done towards giving his -promising son an education. He was willing to -sacrifice his comfort, even, if thereby he could -give him a good start in life.</p> - -<p>Finally he made up his mind to start him on -the way, even if he were obliged to stop short -before reaching the desired goal.</p> - -<p>Not far away was an institution which has since -become famous, Exeter Academy, which has now -for a century been doing an important work in -preparing boys for our best colleges, and has always -maintained a high standard of scholarship. -Thither Judge Webster determined to take -Daniel, and provide for his expenses by domestic -self-denial. It was not till he had fully made up -his mind that he announced his determination to -the boy.</p> - -<p>“Dan,” he said one evening, “you must be up -early to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Why, father?”</p> - -<p>Daniel supposed he was to be set at some farm -work.</p> - -<p>“We are going to make a journey,” answered -Judge Webster.</p> - -<p>“A journey!” repeated the boy in surprise. -“Where are we going?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am going to take you to Exeter, to put you -at school there.”</p> - -<p>The boy listened with breathless interest and -delight, mingled perhaps with a little apprehension, -for he did not know he would succeed in -the untried scenes which awaited him.</p> - -<p>“Won’t it be expensive, father?” he asked -after a pause, for he knew well his father’s circumstances, -and was unusually considerate for a -boy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, my son, but I look to you to improve -your time, so that I may find my investment a -wise one.”</p> - -<p>“How are we to go, father?”</p> - -<p>“On horseback.”</p> - -<p>Dan was a little puzzled, not knowing whether -he and his father were to ride on one horse or -not, as was a frequent custom at that time. It -would have been hard upon any horse, for the -judge was a man of weight, and the boy though -light would have considerably increased the burden.</p> - -<p>The next morning Daniel’s curiosity was gratified. -In front of the farmhouse stood two -horses, one belonging to his father, the other -filled out with a side-saddle.</p> - -<p>“Is that horse for me?” asked Daniel in surprise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, my son.”</p> - -<p>“What do I want of a side-saddle? I am not -a lady.”</p> - -<p>“Neighbor —— is sending the horse to Exeter -for the use of a lady who is to return here. I -agreed to take charge of it, and it happens just -right, as you can use it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how I can get along with it. It -will look strange for me to be riding on a lady’s -saddle.”</p> - -<p>“If a lady can ride on it probably you can.”</p> - -<p>So Dan and his father set out on their journey -from the quiet country town to Exeter, the boy -mounted on a lady’s horse. When in his later life -he had occasion to refer to this journey, Mr. -Webster recalled with great merriment the figure -he must have cut as he rode meekly behind his -father.</p> - -<p>No doubt as they rode along father and son conversed -together about the important step which had -been taken. Judge Webster already had formed -the plan of sending Daniel to college, after he -should have completed a course of preparation -at Exeter, but upon this part of his plan he did -not think it best yet to speak to his son, very -probably because he had not yet made up his -mind as to whether his circumstances would allow -him to incur so heavy an expense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p> - -<p>“My son,” said the father gravely, “I hope -you will improve to the utmost the advantages I -am securing for you. You must remember how -much depends upon yourself. A boy’s future is -largely in his own hands.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, father, I will do the best I can.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Thompson thinks you can make a good -scholar.”</p> - -<p>“I will try, father.”</p> - -<p>“I shall have no money to leave you, Daniel, -but I hope to give you an education, which is -better than a fortune.”</p> - -<p>How would the father have been gratified if -he could have foreseen the brilliant future in store -for the boy of fourteen who was about to take -his first important step in life.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL AT EXETER ACADEMY.</small></h2> - - -<p>The principal of Exeter Academy at that time -was Benjamin Abbot, LL.D., a man of high -repute in letters as well as in the educational -field. He was a man of dignified presence, who -exacted and received deference not only from his -pupils but from all with whom he came in -contact.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Abbot,” said Judge Webster, when the -two were admitted to his presence, “I have -brought my son Daniel to study in your institution, -if you find him qualified.”</p> - -<p>The dignified principal turned towards the -bashful boy, and said, “What is your age, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Fourteen,” answered Daniel.</p> - -<p>“I will examine you first in reading. Take -this Bible, my lad, and read that chapter.”</p> - -<p>It was the twenty-second chapter of St. Luke’s -Gospel, and was very well adapted as a test of -the boy’s ability in reading.</p> - -<p>Now if there was anything Dan could do well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> -it was this. He never could remember the time -when he could not read. Probably he had -learned from his mother, and his first text-book -was the Bible. He was endowed with reverence, -and his grave, sonorous voice was especially well -fitted for sacred reading.</p> - -<p>The boy took the book and commenced the -task prescribed. Usually a few verses are considered -sufficient, but in this case the dignified -listener became absorbed in the boy’s reading, -and he listened, half forgetful of the object he -had in view. It is a good deal to say that he -actually enjoyed it. He had seldom listened to -a voice at once so rich, deep and sonorous as belonged -to this young boy of fourteen. Daniel, -too, forgot that he was on trial, and read with his -whole soul intent upon the words before him.</p> - -<p>When he had completed the chapter Dr. Abbot -said, abruptly, “You are qualified to enter this -institution.”</p> - -<p>This was all the examination which in his case -was required.</p> - -<p>It was no common school that Daniel had -entered, as is shown by the list of eminent men -who have gone forth from it. George Bancroft, -Edward Everett, Alexander H. Everett, Lewis -Cass, Levi Woodbury, John E. Palfrey and -others received here the first rudiments of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -classical education, and all of them looked back -with affection to their Alma Mater. But without -derogating from the fame of any of these eminent -men, it may surely be said that in Daniel Webster -not only Exeter but Dartmouth College -boasts its greatest alumnus.</p> - -<p>Daniel soon vindicated the good judgment of -Dr. Abbot in admitting him as a pupil. As to -the manner in which he improved the advantages -which his father’s self-denial had secured to him, -I quote the testimony of Dr. Tefft in his interesting -life of Webster:</p> - -<p>“During the nine months of his stay at Exeter -he accomplished as much for himself, according -to every account, as most young gentlemen could -have accomplished in two years. When he left -he had as thoroughly mastered grammar, arithmetic, -geography and rhetoric, as the majority -of college graduates usually have done after a -full collegiate course. He had also made rapid -progress in the study of the Latin language. -Dr. Abbot, fully appreciating the capacity of his -most remarkable pupil, did not tie him down to -the ordinary routine of study, nor compel him to -lag behind with the other pupils, but gave him -free scope and a loose rein, that he might do his -utmost; and the venerable preceptor, after the -lapse of more than half a century, during all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> -which time he continued to be a teacher, declared -on a public occasion that Daniel Webster’s equal -in the power of amassing knowledge he had -never seen, and never expected to see again.</p> - -<p>“It is not enough to say of him, according to -Dr. Abbot’s description of him at this time, that -he had a quick perception and a memory of great -tenacity and strength. He did not seem barely -to read and remember, as other people do. He -appeared, rather, to grasp the thoughts and facts -given by his author with a peculiar force, to incorporate -them into his mental being, and thus -make them a part of himself. It is said of Sir -Isaac Newton, after reading for the first time -the geometry of Euclid, and on being asked -what he thought of it, that he knew it all before. -He understood geometry, it seems, by intuition, -or by a perception so rapid that it seems like intuition; -but it was also true of the great astronomer -that he had great difficulty in remembering -even his own calculations after he had gone -through with them. Daniel Webster, on the -other hand, though endowed with a very extraordinary -quickness of insight, worked harder for -his knowledge than did Newton; but when once -he had gained a point, or learned a fact, it remained -with him, a part of his own essence, forever -afterwards. His mind was also wonderfully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> -fertile. A single truth, which, with most boys -of his age, would have remained a single truth, -in him became at once a starting-point for a remarkable -series of ideas, original and striking, -growing up out of the seed sown by that mighty -power of reflection, in which no youth of his -years, probably, was ever his superior.”</p> - -<p>At that time an assistant in the school was -Joseph S. Buckminster, who later became an -eminent preacher in Boston, and died while yet -a young man. He was very young at the time, -a mere boy, yet such were his attainments, and -such was the confidence reposed in him by his -old teachers, that he was selected to fill the position -of tutor. He it was who first directed the -studies of the new scholar, and encouraged the -bashful boy to do his best. In after life Webster -never displayed timidity or awkwardness; -but, fresh from the farm, thrown among a hundred -boys, most of whom were better dressed -and more used to society than he, he felt at times -awkward and distrustful. One thing he found -it hard to do was to declaim. This is certainly -singular, considering how he excelled in reading, -and considering moreover what an orator he -afterwards became.</p> - -<p>It was not because he did not try. He committed -more than one piece to memory, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -recited it to himself out loud in the solitude of his -own room, but when the time came to get up -and declaim it before the teacher and his schoolmates -he was obliged to give it up. Here is his -own account of it:</p> - -<p>“Many a piece did I commit to memory, and -rehearse in my own room over and over again; -but when the day came, when the school collected, -when my name was called, and I saw all -eyes turned upon my seat, I could not raise myself -from it. Sometimes the masters frowned, -sometimes they smiled. Mr. Buckminster always -pressed and entreated with the most winning -kindness that I would venture only <em>once</em>; but -I could not command sufficient resolution, and -when the occasion was over I went home and -wept tears of bitter mortification.”</p> - -<p>This is certainly encouraging for bashful boys. -Here was a man who became one of the greatest -orators—perhaps <em>the</em> greatest—and yet as a boy -he made an ignominious failure in the very department -in which he afterwards excelled. It is -a lesson for parents also. Don’t too hastily -conclude that your boys are dunces, and destined -to failure, because they develop late, or are -hindered from making a creditable figure by -timidity or nervous self-consciousness.</p> - -<p>In this connection I am tempted to repeat an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> -anecdote of Sir Walter Scott. It was not till -comparatively late that he discovered his poetical -ability. It is related of him that when already -a young man he was rowing with a friend on a -Scotch lake, when they mutually challenged each -other to produce a few lines of poetry. Both -made the trial, and both failed. Thereupon -Scott said good-humoredly to his companion, -“It’s clear neither of us was cut out for a poet.” -Yet within ten years appeared the first of those -Border poems which thrilled the hearts of his -countrymen, and have lent a charm to the hills -and lakes of Scotland which they will never -lose.</p> - -<p>Daniel remained nine months at Exeter. -Though he did not win reputation as a declaimer, -he made his mark as a scholar. When he was -approaching the end of his first term the usher -said one day, “Webster, you may stop a few -minutes after school; I wish to speak to you.”</p> - -<p>Daniel stopped, wondering whether in any way -he had incurred censure.</p> - -<p>When they were alone the usher said, “The -term is nearly over. Are you coming back next -term?”</p> - -<p>Daniel hesitated. He enjoyed the advantages -which the school afforded, but his feelings had -been hurt at times by the looks of amusement<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -directed at his rustic manners and ill-fitting -garments.</p> - -<p>The usher noticed his hesitation, and said, -“You are doing yourself great credit. You are -a better scholar than any in your class. If you -come back next term I shall put you into a -higher class.”</p> - -<p>These encouraging words made the boy resolve -to return, and regardless of ridicule pursue with -diligence the path which had been marked out -for him.</p> - -<p>It would be rather interesting to read the -thoughts of Daniel’s schoolmates when years -afterwards they saw the boy whom they had -ridiculed moving forward with rapid strides to -the foremost place in the councils of state, as -well as in the legal profession.</p> - -<p>I am tempted to insert here, on the authority of -an Exeter correspondent of the Chicago <cite>Advance</cite>, -an anecdote of Daniel at this period which will -interest my young readers:</p> - -<p>“When Daniel Webster’s father found that -his son was not robust enough to make a successful -farmer, he sent him to Exeter to prepare for -college, and found a home for him among a number -of other students in the family of ‘old -Squire Clifford,’ as we of a younger generation -had always heard him called. Daniel had up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> -to this time led only the secular life of a country -farmer’s boy, and, though the New Hampshire -farmers have sent out many heroes as firm and -true as the granite rocks in the pasture, there -cannot be among the hard and homely work -which such a life implies the little finenesses of -manner which good society demands. Daniel -was one of these diamonds of the first water, but -was still in the rough, and needed some cutting -and polishing to fit him to shine in the great -world in which he was to figure so conspicuously.</p> - -<p>“None saw this more clearly than the sensible -old Squire. The boy had one habit at table of -which the Squire saw it would be a kindness to -cure him. When not using his knife and fork -he was accustomed to hold them upright in his -fists, on either side of his plate. Daniel was a -bashful boy of very delicate feelings, and the -Squire feared to wound him by speaking to him -directly on the subject. So he called aside one -of the other students with whom he had been -longer acquainted, and told him his dilemma. -‘Now,’ said he, ‘I want you this noon at the -table to hold up your knife and fork as Daniel -does. I will speak to you about it, and we will -see if the boy does not take a hint for himself.’</p> - -<p>“The young man consented to be the scapegoat -for his fellow-student, and several times<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> -during the meal planted his fists on the table, -with his knife and fork as straight as if he had -received orders to present arms. The Squire -drew his attention to his position, courteously -begged his pardon for speaking of the matter, -and added a few kind words on the importance -of young men correcting such little habits before -going out into the world. The student thanked -him for his interest and advice, and promised -reform, and Daniel’s knife and fork were never -from that day seen elevated at table.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a><br /> - -<small>PREPARING FOR COLLEGE.</small></h2> - - -<p>After nine months spent at Exeter Daniel -was withdrawn by his father, not from any dissatisfaction -with the school or with the pupil’s -progress, but probably for economical reasons. -Judge Webster was a poor man, and though the -charges at Exeter at that time were very moderate -they were a heavy draft upon the good -father’s purse. But Dan was not taken back to -farm-work. He was allowed to continue his -classical studies, but under different auspices.</p> - -<p>In the town of Boscawan, only six miles off, -the minister, Rev. Samuel Wood, was noted for -his success in preparing boys for college. His -charges, too, were wonderfully low. For board -and instruction he only charged one dollar per -week, which leads us to infer either that provisions -were very cheap, or that boys had less appetite -than is the case now. At any rate, the low -price was a great inducement to Dan’s father.</p> - -<p>“Dan,” he said, soon after the boy came, “do -you wish to continue your studies?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, father, if you are willing.”</p> - -<p>“I am not only willing but desirous that you -should do so. I intend to place you with Rev. -Mr. Wood, of Boscawen.”</p> - -<p>Daniel knew of Mr. Wood’s reputation as a -teacher, and the prospect did not displease him.</p> - -<p>Still his father had not announced the plan he -had in view for him.</p> - -<p>One cold winter day, when the snow lay deep -on the ground, Judge Webster and Dan started -for the house of his future teacher. As they -were ascending a hill slowly through deep snows -the Judge, who had for some time been silent, -said, “Dan, I may as well tell you what plan I -have in view for you. I shall ask Mr. Wood to -prepare you for college, and I will let you enter -at Dartmouth as soon as you are ready.”</p> - -<p>Daniel could not speak for emotion. He knew -what a sacrifice it would involve for his father -with his straitened means to carry through such -a plan as that, and his heart was full. As he -himself says, “A warm glow ran all over me, -and I laid my head on my father’s shoulder and -wept.”</p> - -<p>I am afraid that some boys—possibly some of -my young readers—have received a similar announcement -from their fathers with quite different -feelings.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>We are to imagine Dan, then, an inmate of the -minister’s family, pursuing his studies with success, -but with less of formal restraint than when -he was a pupil at Exeter. Indeed I shall not attempt -to conceal the fact that occasionally Dan’s -love of sport, and particularly of fishing, drew -him away from his studies, and led him to incur -the good doctor’s remonstrances.</p> - -<p>One day after a reprimand, which was tempered, -however, by a compliment to his natural -abilities, Daniel determined to surprise his -teacher.</p> - -<p>The task assigned him to prepare was one hundred -lines of Virgil, a long lesson, as many boys -would think. Daniel did not go to bed, but -spent all night in poring over his book.</p> - -<p>The next day, when the hour for recitation -came, Dan recited his lesson with fluency and -correctness.</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Dr. Wood, preparing to -close the book.</p> - -<p>“But, doctor, I have a few more lines that I -can recite.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Mr. Wood, supposing that -Dan might have read twenty-five or thirty lines -more. But the boy kept on till he had completed -a second hundred.</p> - -<p>“Really, Dan, I compliment you on your in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>dustry,” -said his teacher, again about to close the -book.</p> - -<p>“But,” said Dan, “I have studied further.” -“Very remarkable,” said the minister in surprise; -“well, let us have them.”</p> - -<p>Dan rolled off another hundred lines, which he -appeared to know quite as well as the previous -two hundred.</p> - -<p>“You are a smart boy!” said the doctor approvingly, -and not without a feeling of relief, for -it is rather tedious to listen critically to the translation -of three hundred lines.</p> - -<p>“But,” said Dan, “I am not through yet.”</p> - -<p>“Pray how much have you read?” asked Dr. -Wood in amazement.</p> - -<p>“I can recite five hundred more if you like,” -said Dan, his eyes twinkling with enjoyment at -the doctor’s surprise.</p> - -<p>“I think that will do for to-day,” said Dr. -Wood. “I don’t think I shall have time to hear -them now. You may have the rest of the day -for pigeon shooting.”</p> - -<p>Indeed Dan was always fond of sport, and not -particularly fond of farm-work. My boy reader -may like to read an anecdote of this time, which -I will give in the very words in which Daniel -told it to some friends at a later day.</p> - -<p>While at Dr. Wood’s, “my father sent for me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> -in haying time to help him, and put me into a -field to turn hay, and left me. It was pretty -lonely there, and, after working some time, I -found it very dull; and, as I knew my father was -gone away, I walked home, and asked my sister -Sally if she did not want to go and pick some -whortleberries. She said yes. So I went and -got some horses, and put a side-saddle on one, and -we set off. We did not get home till it was -pretty late, and I soon went to bed. When my -father came home he asked my mother where I -was, and what I had been about. She told him. -The next morning when I awoke I saw all the -clothes I had brought from Dr. Wood’s tied up -in a small bundle again. When I saw my father -he asked me how I liked haying. I told him I -found it ‘pretty dull and lonesome yesterday.’ -’Well,’ said he, ‘I believe you may as well go -back to Dr. Wood’s.’ So I took my bundle under -my arm, and on my way I met Thomas W. -Thompson, a lawyer in Salisbury; he laughed -very heartily when he saw me. ‘So,’ said he, -’your farming is over, is it?’”</p> - -<p>It will occur to my readers that, as Judge -Webster was struggling so earnestly to give Dan -an education, it would have been more considerate -for the boy to have remained at his task, and so -saved his father the trouble of finishing it. How<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>ever, -it is not my intention to present the boy as -in all respects a model, though it is certain that -he appreciated and was thoroughly grateful for -his father’s self-sacrificing devotion.</p> - -<p>On one occasion Dan was set to mowing. He -did not succeed very well.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter, Dan?” asked his father.</p> - -<p>“My scythe does not <em>hang</em> well,” answered -Dan, an answer which will be understood by -country boys.</p> - -<p>His father took the scythe and tried to remedy -the difficulty, but when it was handed back to -Dan, it worked no better.</p> - -<p>“I think you had better hang it to suit yourself, -Dan,” said his father.</p> - -<p>With a laughing face Dan hung it on the -branch of a tree, and turning to his father said, -“There, that is just right.”</p> - -<p>On another occasion Judge Webster, on returning -home, questioned the boys as to what -they had been doing in his absence.</p> - -<p>“What have you been doing, Ezekiel?” asked -his father.</p> - -<p>“Nothing, sir,” was the frank reply.</p> - -<p>“And you, Daniel, what have you been doing?”</p> - -<p>“<em>Helping Zeke, sir.</em>”</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that Judge Webster was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -more indulgent than was usual in that day to -his children, and more particularly to Daniel, of -whose talents he was proud, and of whose future -distinction he may have had in his mind some -faint foreshadowing. This indulgence was increased -by Dan’s early delicacy of constitution. -At any rate, Daniel had in his father his best -friend, not only kind but judicious, and perhaps -the eminence he afterwards attained was due in -part to the judicious management of the father, -who earnestly sought to give him a good start in -life.</p> - -<p>While at Boscawan Dan found another circulating -library, and was able to enlarge his reading -and culture. Among the books which it contained -was an English translation of Don Quixote, -and this seems to have had a powerful -fascination for the boy. “I began to read it,” he -says in his autobiography, “and it is literally true -that I never closed my eyes until I had finished -it, nor did I lay it down, so great was the power -of this extraordinary book on my imagination.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Daniel was making rapid progress -in his classical studies. He studied fitfully perhaps, -but nevertheless rapidly. In the summer -of 1797, at the age of fifteen, he was pronounced -ready to enter college. His acquisitions were by -no means extensive, for in those days colleges<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -were content with a scantier supply of preparatory -knowledge than now. In the ancient languages -he had read the first six books of Virgil’s -Æneid, Cicero’s four Orations against Catiline, a -little Greek grammar, and the four Evangelists -of the Greek Testament. In mathematics he had -some knowledge of arithmetic, but knew nothing -of algebra or geometry. He had read a considerable -number of books, however, enough to give -him a literary taste, but he was by no means a -prodigy of learning. Yet, slender as were his -acquirements, his school life was at an end, and -the doors of Dartmouth College opened to receive -its most distinguished son.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL’S COLLEGE LIFE.</small></h2> - - -<p>It is all important point in a boy’s life when -he enters college. He leaves home, in most cases, -and, to a greater extent than ever before, he is -trusted to order his own life and rely upon -his own judgment. It is a trying ordeal, and -many fail to pass through it creditably. A student -who has plenty of money is in greater danger -of wasting his time from the enlarged opportunities -of enjoyment which money can buy. -From this danger, at least, Daniel was free. His -father found it hard enough to pay his ordinary -expenses, and it is hardly likely that the boy -ever had much spare money to spend on pleasure.</p> - -<p>Besides, though only fifteen, Daniel already -possessed a gravity and earnestness not often to -be found in much older students. These, however, -were blended with a humor and love of -fun which contributed to make him an agreeable -companion for his fellow-students.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s development was not rapid. The oak -tree grows steadily, but in rapidity of growth it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> -is eclipsed by many trees of less importance. -The great powers which our hero exhibited in -after life did not at once make themselves manifest. -He did not at once take his place proudly -at the head of his class. This is shown by the -fact that at the Sophomore exhibition neither of -the two principal appointments was assigned to -him. Notwithstanding this, it may safely be asserted -that his time was well spent. In this connection -I am sure my young readers will be interested -in reading the testimony of Professor -Shortliff.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster, while in college,” writes the -professor, “was remarkable for his steady habits, -his intense application to study, and his punctual -attendance upon all the prescribed exercises. I -know not that he was absent from a recitation, -or from morning and evening prayers in the -chapel, or from public worship on the Sabbath; -and I doubt if ever a smile was seen upon his -face during any religious exercise. He was always -in his place, and with a decorum suited to -it. He had no collision with any one, nor appeared -to enter into the concerns of others, but -emphatically minded his own business. But, as -steady as the sun, he pursued with intense application -the great object for which he came to -college.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p> - -<p>This is certainly high praise, and I am afraid -such words could hardly be said with truth of the -majority of the college students of to-day. Conscientious -devotion to duty is often set down by -college students as indicating a lack of proper -spirit, and the punctilious scholar is often stigmatized -as a toady, who is trying to curry favor -with the Faculty. Daniel, however, understood -very well how important to his future success -was his improvement of the advantages which -his father’s self-sacrifice had purchased for him. -Judge Webster was obliged to mortgage his -house and farm to meet the expenses incurred -by Daniel’s education, and he would indeed have -been most reprehensible if he had not constantly -borne this in mind.</p> - -<p>To go into details, Daniel’s favorite studies -were the Latin and Greek classics. He was but -slenderly versed in these languages when he entered -college, and the college course was not as advanced -as it is at Dartmouth to-day. The first -year, and part of the second, was devoted to -authors and studies which now receive attention -before entrance. For instance, the Freshman -class went on with the Seventh Book of the Æneid -and with the remainder of the Greek Testament, -arithmetic was continued, and algebra was begun. -While he was not below the average in mathe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>matics, -Daniel certainly did not excel in that -department. It is related of Charles Sumner that -he made strenuous efforts to become a good mathematical -scholar in spite of, perhaps because of, -his conscious distaste for that important branch, -but without marked success. General reading -and composition always attracted him, and he -was probably one of the best read students at the -time in college. He devoted his leisure hours to -extensive readings in poetry, history and criticism. -His powerful and retentive memory made -this voluntary course of especial value, and years -later there were times when he was able to make -happy and striking quotations from authors he -had not read since his college life.</p> - -<p>It is quite certain that Daniel at this time had -no path marked out for his future life, yet he -probably could not have made a more profitable -preparation for that which actually lay before -him than that which he was unconsciously making. -The history of England and of his own country -especially interested him, not alone the history -of outward events, but the constitutional history. -From the age of eight he had been familiar with -the Constitution of the United States, read for -the first time as printed on the cheap cotton -handkerchief, of which mention has already been -made. He never ceased to study it, and he well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> -deserved the title sometimes given him of Expounder -and Defender of the Constitution.</p> - -<p>At that time, as at present, it was the custom -for the students to form societies, in which debates -and other literary exercises were the principal -features of the periodical meetings. Towards -the middle of his college course Daniel -joined “The United Fraternity,” then the leading -society in college. He had long since overcome -the diffidence which at Exeter prevented him -from participating in the exercise of declamation. -In the society he became distinguished both as a -writer and debater, and ere long ranked in the -general estimation as the best writer and speaker -in college. So far as he exhibited precocity in -anything he showed it in these two branches. -His method of preparation, for he always prepared -himself when he proposed to speak, is described -by a classmate as follows: “He was -accustomed to arrange his thoughts in his mind -in his room or his private walks, and to put them -upon paper just before the exercise would be -called for. When he was required to speak at -two o’clock, he would frequently begin to write -after dinner, and when the bell rang he would -fold his paper, put it in his pocket and go in, -and speak with great ease. In his movements -he was rather slow and deliberate, except when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> -his feelings were aroused; then his whole soul -would kindle into a flame.”</p> - -<p>As this was the formative period when young -Webster’s intellectual character was taking shape; -as, moreover, he was still a boy in years, no older -than many who will read this book, I add another -tribute to his industry in college and the ability -which he displayed. It is from a letter written -by Hon. Henry Hubbard to Prof. Sanborn.</p> - -<p>“I entered the Freshman class in 1799,” writes -Mr. Hubbard, “at the early age of fourteen. I -was two years in college with Mr. Webster. -When I first went to Hanover I found his reputation -already established as the most remarkable -young man in the college. He was, I believe, so -decidedly beyond any one else that no other student -of his class was ever spoken of as <em>second</em> to -him. I was led, very soon, to appreciate most -highly his scholarship and attainments. As a -student his acquisitions seemed to me to be very -extensive. Every subject appeared to contribute -something to his intellectual stores. He acquired -knowledge with remarkable facility. He -seemed to grasp the meaning and substance of -a book almost by intuition. Others toiled long -and patiently for that which he acquired at a -glance.</p> - -<p>“As a scholar, I should say that he was then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> -distinguished for the uncommon extent of his -knowledge, and for the ease with which he acquired -it. But I should say that I was more impressed -by his eloquence and power as a speaker, -before the society of which we were both members, -than by his other qualifications, however -superior to others. There was a completeness -and fullness in his views, and a force and expressiveness -in his manner of presenting them, which -no other student possessed. We used to listen -to him with the deepest interest and respect, and -no one thought of equaling the vigor and glow -of his eloquence. The oration which he delivered -before the United Fraternity on the day of -his graduation is, I think, now among the records -of that society. Whoever will read it at this -late day, and bring to mind the appearance of the -author, his manner and power, during its delivery, -cannot fail to admit that I have said no more -of his eloquence than I was warranted in saying. -The students, and those who knew him best and -judged him most impartially, felt that no one -connected with the college deserved to be compared -with him at the time he received his first -degree. His habits and moral character were -entirely unimpeachable. I never heard them -questioned during our college acquaintance.”</p> - -<p>After this testimony I am certainly justified in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> -holding up Daniel Webster, during his college -life, as a fit model for all young men who at this -day are placed in similar circumstances and pursuing -a similar course.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL RECEIVES SOME VALUABLE ADVICE</small></h2> - - -<p>Peter Harvey, in his interesting volume of -“Reminiscences of Daniel Webster,” relates -many incidents for which he was indebted to the -free and friendly communications of Mr. Webster -himself. One of these I will transfer to my -pages, as it will be likely to amuse my young -readers. I can do no better than quote it without -alteration from Mr. Harvey’s book.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster was once telling me about a -plain-spoken neighbor of his father, whose sons -were schoolmates of his own. The neighbor had -moved into the neighborhood of Hanover, where -he had opened a little clearing, and had settled -upon a piece of comparatively barren land. After -Daniel had been in college several months his -father said to him,</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘John Hanson is away up there somewhere. -I should like to know how he is getting along. I -think you had better find him out, and go and -see him.’</p> - -<p>“So Daniel inquired about, and soon found -out pretty nearly where Hanson lived.</p> - -<p>“‘One Saturday afternoon,’ related Mr. Webster, -’I thought I would trudge up there through -the woods, and spend Sunday with my old friends. -After a long, tedious walk I began to think I -should never find the place; but I finally did, -and when I got there I was pretty well tired out -with climbing, jumping over logs, and so on. -The family were not less delighted than surprised -to see me, but they were as poor as Job’s cat. -They were reduced to the last extreme of -poverty, and their house contained but one apartment, -with a rude partition to make two rooms.</p> - -<p>“’I saw how matters were; but it was too late -to go back, and they seemed really glad to see -me. They confessed to me that they had not -even a cow, or any potatoes. The only thing -they had to eat was a bundle of green grass and -a little hog’s lard, and they actually subsisted on -this grass fried in the hog’s fat. But it was not -so bad after all. They fried up a great platter of -it, and I made my supper and breakfast off it. -About a year and a half afterwards, just before -graduating, I thought that, before leaving Hanover, -I would go and pay another visit to the -Hansons. I found that they had improved somewhat, -for they now had a cow and plenty of plain,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -homely fare. I spent the night there, and was -about to leave the next morning, when Hanson -said to me,</p> - -<p>“’“Well, Daniel, you are about to graduate. -You’ve got through college, and have got college -larnin’, and now, what are you going to do with -it?”</p> - -<p>“’I told him I had not decided on a profession.</p> - -<p>“’“Well,” said he, “you are a good boy; your -father was a kind man to me, and was always -kind to the poor. I should like to do a kind turn -to him and his. You’ve got through college, -and people that go through college either become -ministers, or doctors, or lawyers. As for bein’ a -minister I would never think of doin’ that; they -never get paid anything. Doctorin’ is a miserable -profession; they live upon other people’s -ailin’s, are up nights, and have no peace. And -as for bein’ a lawyer, I would never propose that -to anybody. Now,” said he, “Daniel, I’ll tell you -what! You are a boy of parts; you understand -this book-larnin’, and you are bright. I knew a -man who had college larnin’ down in Rye, where -I lived when I was a boy. That man was a conjurer; -he could tell by consultin’ his books and -study if a man had lost his cow where she was. -That was a great thing, and if people lost any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>thing, -they would think nothin’ of payin’ three -or four dollars to a man like that, so as to find -their property. There is not a conjurer within a -hundred miles of this place; and you are a -bright boy, and have got this college larnin’. The -best thing you can do, Daniel, is to study that, -and <em>be a conjurer</em>!”’”</p> - -<p>We can imagine the serious, earnest tone in -which this advice was given, and we may easily -suppose that Daniel found it hard not to laugh -when the climax was reached. We can hardly -imagine the advice to have been taken. If, in -place of Daniel Webster, the great lawyer, and -the defender of the Constitution, we had Daniel -Webster, the famous conjurer, it would be a -ludicrous transformation. There are few persons -who do not consider themselves qualified to give -advice, but when my young readers are advised -about the serious business of life, let them consider -whether the advice comes from one who is -qualified by wisdom and good judgment to give -it.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a><br /> - -<small>BROTHERLY LOVE.</small></h2> - - -<p>Daniel’s path seemed to lie plain before him. -He was a college student, receiving and using -such advantages as Dartmouth could give him. -At nineteen he would be a graduate, and well -qualified to commence a professional course. So -far as he was concerned Daniel felt that he had -reason to congratulate himself. But there was -another for whom he began to feel solicitude.</p> - -<p>Ezekiel Webster was nearly two years older -than Daniel, and like him possessed uncommon -natural gifts. A strong affection had united the -two brothers from their earliest years. There -was no reason, apart from Judge Webster’s -poverty, why Ezekiel, as well as his younger -brother, should not be allowed a college education. -But the father hesitated long before he -ventured to offer Daniel the education which he -longed to give him, and to raise the necessary -money was obliged to mortgage his humble<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> -house. His plan for Ezekiel was that he should -remain at home and carry on the farm. As he -grew older, and hard work had made him in his -own words “old before his time,” he felt that it -would be a relief to have a son like Ezekiel to -take the burden from his shoulders, and keep up -the farm. But Ezekiel scarcely more than Daniel -had a vocation for farming. He too had a thirst -for learning, and felt that a farmer’s life would -be uncongenial. It is natural that he should -have felt dissatisfied with his prospects, and that -the claims of Duty which he recognized should -nevertheless have seemed to him difficult to -obey.</p> - -<p>Such was the state of feeling when Daniel -came home on a vacation. To him Ezekiel revealed -his thoughts and inward struggles.</p> - -<p>“I ought to stay, Daniel,” he said; “now that -you are away father needs me more than ever, -but I can’t bear the idea of growing up in ignorance, -with no work more elevating than working -on the farm.”</p> - -<p>Daniel was touched. He could see how unequal -their lots were likely to be. While he -might be a successful lawyer, his favorite brother, -whose talents he considered to equal his own, -would have to toil on the barren acres of their -paternal farm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I can’t bear the idea, either, Zeke,” he answered. -“You are sacrificing yourself to me. -Father has mortgaged the farm to pay my expenses, -and you are working to pay it.”</p> - -<p>“If but one of us can have an education, Dan, -I am glad that you are that one.”</p> - -<p>“But, Zeke, you are as smart as I, nay, smarter, -and ought to have the same advantages.”</p> - -<p>“It cannot be, Daniel. I know that well -enough. If I could be spared to leave home I -should like to go out West. In a new part of -the country I should have a better chance of -getting on than here. Here on our barren little -farm there is no chance to do better than get a -bare living.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you could go to college too. Isn’t -there some way of managing it?”</p> - -<p>“I have thought of it many times, but I see -no way,” answered Ezekiel despondently.</p> - -<p>“May I mention the subject to father, Zeke?”</p> - -<p>“It would only trouble him, and after all it -would do no good.”</p> - -<p>All night long the two brothers talked the -matter over, and finally Zeke gave his consent to -Dan’s broaching the subject to their father. The -result I will give in Daniel’s words.</p> - -<p>“I ventured on the negotiation, and it was carried, -as other things often are, by the earnest and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> -sanguine manner of youth. I told him [Judge -Webster] that I was unhappy at my brother’s -prospects. For myself I saw my way to knowledge, -respectability and self-protection; but as -to him, all looked the other way; that I would -keep school, and get along as well as I could, be -more than four years in getting through college, -if necessary, provided he also could be sent to -study. He said at once he lived but for his children; -that he had but little, and on that little he -put no value, except so far as it might be useful -to them; that to carry us both through college -would take all he was worth; that, for himself, -he was willing to run the risk, but that this was -a serious matter to our mother and two unmarried -sisters; that we must settle the matter with them, -and if their consent was obtained, he would trust -to Providence, and get along as well as he -could.”</p> - -<p>So the matter was referred to Mrs. Webster, -and she showed a devotion equal to that exhibited -by her husband. Though she knew that the education -of both of her boys would take the balance -of their little property, she never hesitated. “I -will trust the boys,” she answered promptly.</p> - -<p>Her confidence was not misplaced. She lived -long enough to rejoice in the success of both sons, -and to find a happy and comfortable home with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> -Ezekiel. Nothing in the life of Daniel Webster -is more beautiful than the devotion of the parents -to their children, and the mutual affection which -existed between them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a><br /> - -<small>THE TWO BROTHERS.</small></h2> - - -<p>Ezekiel was worthy of the sacrifices his parents -made for him. If he was not the equal of -Daniel in ability, he was still remarkable, and in -time reached high rank as a lawyer in his native -State. He was a man grown, and nearly a man -in years, when his new plan of life was formed. -He was close upon twenty years of age, a young -man of striking appearance, “an improved edition -of his father in form and features,” but thus far -he had had only such educational advantages as -were afforded by the common schools of his native -town. But a small academy had been established -in Salisbury, and of this he enrolled himself -as a pupil. He remained here for two years, -beginning the Latin grammar, for it was necessary, -notwithstanding his age, to begin at the -lowest round of the ladder.</p> - -<p>From the academy he went to reside with Dr. -Wood, and under him completed his preparatory -studies. The good minister was justly proud of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -having trained two such pupils as Daniel and -Ezekiel Webster.</p> - -<p>Between the two brothers the natural relations -of older and younger seemed to be reversed. -Ezekiel looked up to Daniel, though the latter -was two years his junior, and asked his advice, -but Daniel never assumed the superiority which -his elder brother was so ready to concede. Here -is an extract from one of his letters: “You tell -me that you have difficulties to encounter which -I know nothing of. What do you mean, Ezekiel? -Do you mean to flatter? That don’t become -you; or, do you think you are inferior to me in -natural advantages? If so, be assured you greatly -mistake. Therefore, for the future say in your -letters to me, ‘I am superior to you in natural -endowments; I will know more in one year than -you do now, and more in six than you ever will.’ -I should not resent this language. I should be -very well pleased in hearing it; but be assured, -as mighty as you are your great puissance shall -never insure you a victory without a contest.”</p> - -<p>It will be seen how warm and free from jealousy -were the relations between these two brothers. -The spectacle is particularly pleasing because -in so many families we find the case so -different. Alienation, jealousy and strife are -too often found. When brothers band together,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> -cherishing a community of plans and interests, as -in the case of the well-known publishers, the -Harper brothers, their chance of a large and enduring -success is much greater than it would be -if all pulled in different directions.</p> - -<p>Ezekiel entered college just as Daniel, his -younger brother, was leaving it. As he was destined -to be associated with Daniel afterwards, -my young readers may like to know how he succeeded -in college. I quote, from the private correspondence -of Daniel Webster, a letter written -by Rev. George T. Chapman touching this -point:</p> - -<p>“All my recollections of Ezekiel Webster are -of a gratifying character. In the Senior year we -occupied rooms opposite to each other, in a building -directly north of the college. I am therefore -able to state, from intimate personal acquaintance, -that he was altogether exemplary in his habits -and faithful in his studies. He had no enemies, -and all were happy to be numbered in the list of -his friends.</p> - -<p>“Owing to his absence in teaching school, no -part was assigned him at Commencement. But -I have no doubt he stood high in the estimation -of the college Faculty; and although I should -hesitate to pronounce him the first scholar in his -class, it would be doing injustice to his memory<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> -to say that he was excelled by either of those -who received the highest college honors on the -day of our graduation. It has been recently -stated that he was particularly distinguished for -his knowledge of Greek; but I cannot now recall -the circumstance to mind, nor, in fact, make any -discrimination as to relative proficiency in the several -branches of study. He was deficient in none. -He was good in all. Such at least is my recollection -of the reputation he enjoyed. After leaving -college, from all that I have heard, he obtained a -greater degree of eminence in the eye of the public -than any of his classmates; and when I revert -to college days, after the lapse of almost half a -century, all my recollections of what he then was -cause me to feel no surprise at the subsequent -elevation which he attained.”</p> - -<p>I think I am justified in saying that Ezekiel -was worthy of his relationship to Daniel, though -he was overshadowed by the more brilliant talents -and success of his younger brother. It is to be -considered, however, that he was cut off in the -midst of his career, before he had attained the -age of fifty, and we cannot tell what might have -been had he lived twenty years longer.</p> - -<p>But we must not forget that it is the life and -the gradual development of Daniel’s powers that -we are studying. My young readers will proba<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>bly -be surprised to learn that in college he was -known as a poet, and appears to have written -verse on many occasions with considerable facility. -That he would ever have achieved eminence -in this class of composition no one will claim, but -as the productions of such a youth his verses -merit notice. That my readers may judge for -themselves, I will quote entire a letter in rhyme -written by Daniel a little before he attained the -age of seventeen. It was addressed to his friend, -George Herbert:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“<span class="smcap">Dartmouth College</span>, Dec. 20, 1798.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Dear George, I go. I leave the friend I love.</div> -<div class="verse">Long since ’twas written in the books above.</div> -<div class="verse">But what, good God! I leave thee, do I say?</div> -<div class="verse">The thought distracts my soul, and fills me with dismay.</div> -<div class="verse">But Heaven decreed it, let me not repine;</div> -<div class="verse">I go; but, George, my heart is knit with thine.</div> -<div class="verse">In vain old Time shall all his forces prove</div> -<div class="verse">To tear my heart from the dear friend I love;</div> -<div class="verse">Should you be distant far as Afric’s sand,</div> -<div class="verse">By Fancy pictured, you’d be near at hand.</div> -<div class="verse">This shall console my thoughts till time shall end:</div> -<div class="verse">Though George be absent, George is still my friend.</div> -<div class="verse">But other friends I leave; it wounds my heart</div> -<div class="verse">To leave a Gilman, Conkey and a Clark;</div> -<div class="verse">But hope through the sad thought my soul shall bear:</div> -<div class="verse">Bereft of hope I’d sink in dark despair.</div> -<div class="verse">When Phœbus a few courses shall have run,</div> -<div class="verse">And e’er old Aries shall receive the sun,</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> -<div class="verse">I shall return, nor more shall fear the day</div> -<div class="verse">That from my friends shall take poor me away.</div> -<div class="verse">Oh then roll on, ye lagging wheels of time,</div> -<div class="verse">Roll on the hours; till then, dear George, I’m thine.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent30">“D. W.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Verse-writing was but an episode, an occasional -diversion, with Daniel, and when he entered -upon his professional life he found little -time to devote to it. I will therefore cite but -one other specimen of his college productions in -this line. It was written shortly after his eighteenth -birthday, and was appended to a letter -written to his intimate friend, Mr. Bingham.</p> - -<p>It runs thus:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“SYLVARUMQUE POTENS DIANA. A FABLE.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Bright Phœbus long all rival suns outshone,</div> -<div class="verse">And rode triumphant on his splendid throne.</div> -<div class="verse">When first he waked the blushes of the dawn,</div> -<div class="verse">And spread his beauties o’er the flowery lawn,</div> -<div class="verse">The yielding stars quick hastened from the sky,</div> -<div class="verse">Nor moon dare longer with his glories vie;</div> -<div class="verse">He reigned supreme, and decked in roseate light</div> -<div class="verse">Beamed his full splendors on the astonished sight.</div> -<div class="verse">At length on earth behold a damsel rise,</div> -<div class="verse">Whose growing beauties charmed the wondering skies!</div> -<div class="verse">As forth she walked to breathe the balmy air,</div> -<div class="verse">And view the beauties of the gay parterre,</div> -<div class="verse">Her radiant glories drowned the blaze of day,</div> -<div class="verse">And through all nature shot a brighter ray.</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> -<div class="verse">Old Phœbus saw—and blushed—now forced to own</div> -<div class="verse">That with superior worth the damsel shone.</div> -<div class="verse">Graced with his name he bade her ever shine,</div> -<div class="verse">And in his rival owned a form divine!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>One trait of the young college student I must -refer to, because young men at that stage in their -mental training are too apt to be marked by a -self-sufficient and not altogether agreeable opinion -of their own powers. Notwithstanding his -great abilities Daniel was always modest, and -disposed to under rather than overestimate himself. -Shortly after his graduation he took occasion -to express himself thus, in speaking to some -friends:</p> - -<p>“The opinion of my scholarship was a mistaken -one. It was overestimated. I will explain what -I mean. Many other students read more than I -did, and knew more than I did. But so much as -I read I made my own. When a half hour, or -an hour at most, had elapsed, I closed my book -and thought over what I had read. If there was -anything peculiarly interesting or striking in the -passage I endeavored to recall it and lay it up in -my memory, and commonly could effect my object. -Then if, in debate or conversation afterwards, -any subject came up on which I had read -something, I could talk very easily so far as I -had read, and then I was very careful to stop.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -Thus greater credit was given me for extensive -and accurate knowledge than I really possessed.”</p> - -<p>It may be remarked generally that men of -great abilities are more likely to be modest than -third-rate men, who are very much afraid that -they will not be rated as high as they should be. -There are indeed exceptions, and those of a conspicuous -character. The poet Wordsworth had -a comfortable consciousness of his superiority to -his contemporaries, and on one occasion, when he -was asked if he had read the poems of such a -one (a prominent poet), he answered, “I never -read any poetry except my own.”</p> - -<p>It is a safe rule to let the world pronounce -you great before you call attention to your own -greatness.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL AS AN ORATOR.</small></h2> - - -<p>The four years spent in college generally bear -an important relation to the future success or -non-success of the student. It is the formative -period with most young men, that is, it is the -time when the habits are formed which are to -continue through life. Let us inquire, then, -what did Daniel Webster’s college course do for -him?</p> - -<p>We cannot claim that his attainments at graduation -were equal to those of the most proficient -graduates of our colleges to-day. The curriculum -at Dartmouth, and indeed at all colleges, was -more limited and elementary than at present. -Daniel was a good Greek and Latin scholar -for his advantages, but those were not great. -He did, however, pay special attention to philosophical -studies, and to the law of nations. He -took an interest in current politics, as may be -gathered from letters written in his college days, -and was unconsciously preparing himself for the -office of a statesman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p> - -<p>He paid special attention also to oratory. No -longer shrinking from speaking before his classmates, -he voluntarily composed the pieces he declaimed, -and took an active part besides in the -debating society. I am sure my young reader -will like to know how Daniel wrote at this time, -and will like to compare the oratory of the college -student with that of the future statesman. I -shall, therefore, quote from a Fourth of July -oration, which he delivered by invitation to the -citizens and students at the age of eighteen. As -in a boy’s features we trace a general likeness to -his mature manhood, so I think we may trace a -likeness in passages of this early effort to the -speeches he made in the fullness of his fame.</p> - -<p>This is the opening of the address:</p> - -<p>“<em>Countrymen, Brethren and Fathers</em>: We are -now assembled to celebrate an anniversary, ever -to be held in dear remembrance by the sons of -freedom. Nothing less than the birth of a nation, -nothing less than the emancipation of three -millions of people from the degrading chains of -foreign bondage is the event we commemorate.</p> - -<p>“Twenty-four years have this day elapsed since -these United States first raised the standard of -liberty, and echoed the shouts of independence. -Those of you who were then reaping the iron -harvest of the martial field, whose bosoms then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> -palpitated for the honor of America, will at this -time experience a renewal of all that fervent -patriotism, of all those indescribable emotions -which then agitated your breasts. As for us, -who were either then unborn, or not far enough -advanced beyond the threshold of existence to -engage in the grand conflict for liberty, we now -most cordially unite with you to greet the return -of this joyous anniversary, to welcome the return -of the day that gave us freedom, and to hail the -rising glories of our country.”</p> - -<p>Further on he paints the hardships and distresses -through which the colonists had passed:</p> - -<p>“We behold a feeble band of colonists engaged -in the arduous undertaking of a new settlement -in the wilds of North America. Their civil -liberty being mutilated, and the enjoyment of -their religious sentiments denied them in the -land that gave them birth, they braved the -dangers of the then almost unnavigated ocean, -and sought on the other side of the globe an -asylum from the iron grasp of tyranny and the -more intolerable scourge of ecclesiastical persecution.</p> - -<p>“But gloomy indeed was the prospect when -arrived on this side of the Atlantic.</p> - -<p>“Scattered in detachments along a coast immensely -extensive, at a distance of more than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -three thousand miles from their friends on the -eastern continent, they were exposed to all those -evils, and encountered or experienced all those -difficulties, to which human nature seemed liable. -Destitute of convenient habitations, the inclemencies -of the seasons harassed them, the midnight -beasts of prey howled terribly around -them, and the more portentous yell of savage -fury incessantly assailed them. But the same -undiminished confidence in Almighty God, which -prompted the first settlers of the country to forsake -the unfriendly climes of Europe, still supported -them under all their calamities, and inspired -them with fortitude almost divine. Having -a glorious issue to their labors now in prospect, -they cheerfully endured the rigors of the -climate, pursued the savage beast to his remotest -haunt, and stood undismayed in the dismal hour -of Indian battle.”</p> - -<p>Passing on to the Revolutionary struggle the -young orator refers to “our brethren attacked -and slaughtered at Lexington, our property -plundered and destroyed at Concord,” to “the -spiral flames of burning Charlestown,” and proceeds -as follows:</p> - -<p>“Indelibly impressed on our memories still -lives the dismal scene of Bunker’s awful mount, -the grand theater of New England bravery,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> -where slaughter stalked grimly triumphant, -where relentless Britain saw her soldiers, the unhappy -instruments of despotism, fallen in heaps -beneath the nervous arm of injured freemen!</p> - -<p>“There the great Warren fought, and there, -alas! he fell. Valuing his life only as it enabled -him to serve his country, he freely resigned himself -a willing martyr in the cause of liberty, -and now lies encircled in the arms of glory.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“’Peace to the patriot’s shade—let no rude blast</div> -<div class="verse">Disturb the willow that nods o’er his tomb;</div> -<div class="verse">Let orphan tears bedew his sacred urn,</div> -<div class="verse">And fame’s proud trump proclaim the hero’s name</div> -<div class="verse">Far as the circuit of the spheres extends!’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>“But, haughty Albion, thy reign shall soon be -over. Thou shalt triumph no longer; thy empire -already reels and totters; thy laurel even -now begins to wither and thy fame to decay. -Thou hast at length aroused the indignation of -an insulted people; thy oppressions they deem -no longer tolerable.</p> - -<p>“The Fourth Day of July, 1776, has now arrived, -and America, manfully springing from the -torturing fangs of the British lion, now rises majestic -in the pride of her sovereignty, and bids -her eagle elevate his wings! The solemn Declaration -of Independence is now pronounced, -amidst crowds of admiring citizens, by the su<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>preme -council of the nation, and received with -the unbounded plaudits of a grateful people! -That was the hour when heroism was proved—when -the souls of men were tried!</p> - -<p>“It was then, ye venerable patriots,” there -were some Revolutionary soldiers present—“it -was then you lifted the indignant arm, and -unitedly swore to be free! Despising such toys -as subjugated empires, you then knew no middle -fortune between liberty and death. Firmly relying -on the protection of Heaven, unwarped in -the resolution you had taken, you then undaunted -met, engaged, defeated the gigantic power of -Britain, and rode triumphant over the aggressions -of your enemies!</p> - -<p>“Trenton, Princeton, Bennington and Saratoga -were the successive theaters of your victories, -and the utmost bounds of creation are the limits -of your fame! The sacred fire of freedom, then -enkindled in your breasts, shall be perpetuated -through the long descent of future ages, and -burn with undiminished fervor in the bosoms of -millions yet unborn!”</p> - -<p>Further on we find the following passage:</p> - -<p>“The great drama is now completed; our independence -is now acknowledged, and the hopes -of our enemies are blasted forever. Columbia is -now sealed in the forum of nations, and the em<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>pires -of the world are amazed at the effulgence -of her glory.</p> - -<p>“Thus, friends and citizens, did the kind hand -of an overruling Providence conduct us, through -toils, fatigues and dangers, to independence and -peace. If piety be the rational exercise of the -human soul, if religion be not a chimera, and if -the vestiges of heavenly assistance are clearly -traced in those events which mark the annals of -our nation, it becomes us on this day, in consideration -of the great things which have been -done for us, to render the tribute of unfeigned -thanks to that God who superintends the universe, -and holds aloft the scale that weighs the -destinies of nations.”</p> - -<p>The oration was a long one, and touched a -variety of topics, but the extracts already given -will convey a good idea of its excellencies and -defects. My college readers will understand me -when I say that the style is sophomoric and -ambitious, but these faults may be pardoned in a -youth of eighteen. The tone is elevated, it is -marked by gravity and earnestness, the sentiments -are just, there is evidence of thought, and, -on the whole, we may regard the oration as a -hopeful promise of the future. The magniloquence -gave place in time to a weighty simplicity, -in which every word told, and not one could be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> -spared. It was rather remarkable that so young -a man should have been selected to deliver such -an address in Hanover, and indicates that Daniel -had by this time acquired reputation as a public -speaker.</p> - -<p>This was not the only occasion on which he -was selected to speak in public. When a classmate, -a general favorite, died, young Webster -was unanimously selected to deliver an address -of commemoration. He is said to have spoken -with a fervor and eloquence which deeply stirred -the hearts of the large audience that had assembled -to hear him. “During the delivery the -fall of a pin could have been heard at any moment; -a dense audience were carried entirely -away, and kept spellbound by the magic of his -voice and manner; and when he sat down, he -left a thousand people weeping real tears over a -heartfelt sorrow. It is reported that there was -not a dry eye in all the vast congregation which -the event and the fame of the orator had brought -together.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a><br /> - -<small>STUDYING LAW.</small></h2> - - -<p>Daniel had now successfully accomplished the -first object of his ambition. He was a college -graduate. Though not the first scholar in his -class he was very near the head, and probably in -general culture stood first. There was a little -misunderstanding which led to his declining to -appear at Commencement. His friends desired -him to deliver the valedictory, but the Faculty -selected another, and Daniel remained silent. -There is a report that he tore up his diploma in -anger and disgust in presence of his classmates, -saying, “My industry may make me a great man, -but this miserable parchment cannot.” Had -this story been true it would have done Daniel -little credit. George Ticknor Curtis, who has -written the most elaborate and trustworthy memoir -of Webster states emphatically that there -is no foundation for this story. Even if not entirely -satisfied with the treatment he received at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> -that time, Daniel’s loyalty to his Alma Mater was -never doubted.</p> - -<p>And now the world was before the young -graduate. What was he to do?</p> - -<p>His thoughts had long been fixed upon the -legal profession. This was no proof of a special -fitness for it, for at least half of the young men -who graduate from our colleges make the same -choice. But with Daniel the choice was a more -serious one, for he very well knew that he could -not afford to make a mistake here. Poverty was -still his hard taskmaster, and he leaned beneath -its dark shadow.</p> - -<p>My young reader will remember that at the -age of fourteen Daniel officiated as office-boy for -a young lawyer in his native town—Thomas W. -Thompson. Now a college graduate of nineteen, -he re-entered the same office as a law student. -Mr. Thompson was a man of ability. He was a -graduate of Harvard, where also he had filled the -position of tutor. While the boy was obtaining -an education at Dartmouth, Thompson was establishing -a lucrative law practice. He became in -time prominent in State politics, and finally went -to Congress. It will be seen, therefore, that -Daniel made a good choice, and that Mr. Thompson -was something more than an obscure country -lawyer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is a little significant that the first law books -which the young student read related to the law -of nations. He read also standard literary works, -and gave his leisure hours to hunting and fishing, -the last of which was always a favorite sport with -him. He gained some insight into the practical -business of a law office. The reader will be -amused at a humorous account of the manner in -which he was employed during a temporary absence -of his legal preceptor and a fellow-student.</p> - -<p>“I have made some few writs,” he says, “and -am now about to bring an action of trespass for -breaking a violin. The owner of the violin was -at a husking, where</p> - -<p> -‘His jarring concord, and his discord dulcet,’<br /> -</p> - -<p>made the girls skip over the husks as nimbly as -Virgil’s Camilla over the tops of the corn, till an -old surly creature caught his fiddle and broke it -against the wall. For the sake of having plump -witnesses the plaintiff will summons all the girls -to attend the trial at Concord.”</p> - -<p>Here is another extract from a letter to the -same friend which will amuse: “I thank you for -your receipt for greasing boots. Have this afternoon -to ride to the South Road, and in truth my -boots admit not only water, but peas and gravel-stones. -I wish I had better ones. As for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> ‘my -new friend, tobacco,’ he is like most of that -name has made me twice sick, and is now dismissed.</p> - -<p>“Heighho! a man wants a remedy against his -neighbor, whose lips were found damage-feasant -on his—the plaintiffs—wife’s cheek! What is to -be done? But you have not read the law against -kissing. I will write for advice and direction to -Barrister Fuller.”</p> - -<p>So the young man appeared to be enjoying -himself while pursuing his studies, and would -probably have wished nothing better than to have -gone on till he was prepared for admission to the -bar on his own account. But there was a serious -obstacle. His good father had well nigh exhausted -his means in carrying Daniel through -college, and Ezekiel through his preparatory -studies, and was now very much straitened for -money. It was felt to be time for Daniel to help -him. He, therefore, “thought it his duty to -suffer some delay in his profession for the sake of -serving his elder brother,” by seeking employment -outside.</p> - -<p>As a general thing when a college graduate is -pressed by hard necessity, he turns his attention -to the task of teaching, and such was the case -with Daniel. Fortunately he soon found employment. -From Fryeburg, Maine, there came to him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> -an invitation to take charge of the academy there, -and the young man accepted it. He was to be -paid the munificent salary of three hundred and -fifty dollars per year, and he felt that the offer -was too dazzling to be rejected.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a><br /> - -<small>HOW DANIEL WENT TO FRYEBURG.</small></h2> - - -<p>When a young college graduate of to-day sets -out for the scene of his dignified labors, he packs -his trunk and buying a ticket for the station -nearest the favored spot where he is to impart -knowledge, takes his seat in a comfortable car, -and is whirled rapidly to his destination.</p> - -<p>Not thus did Daniel go. Railroads had not been -heard of, and no stages made the trip. He therefore -purchased a horse for twenty-four dollars, -deposited his limited wardrobe and a few books -in his saddle-bags, and like a scholastic Don -Quixote set out by the shortest path across the -country for Fryeburg. In due time he arrived, -and the trustees of the academy congratulated -themselves on having secured Daniel Webster, -A.B., as their preceptor. How much more would -they have congratulated themselves could they -have foreseen the future of the young teacher.</p> - -<p>Let me pause here to describe the appearance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> -of the young man, as his friends of that time -depict him. He was tall and thin (he weighed -but one hundred and twenty pounds, which was -certainly light weight for a man not far from six -feet in height), with a thin face, high cheek bones, -but bright, dark, penetrating eyes, which alone -were sufficient to make him remarkable. He had -not wholly overcome the early delicacy which had -led his friends to select him as the scholar of the -family, because he was not strong enough to -labor on the farm. His habitual expression was -grave and earnest, though, as we have seen, he -had inherited, and always retained, a genial -humor from his father.</p> - -<p>Three hundred and fifty dollars seems a small -salary, but Daniel probably didn’t regard it with -disdain. Expenses were small, as we are told that -the current rate of board was but two dollars per -week, less than a third of his income. Then his -earnings were increased by a lucky circumstance.</p> - -<p>Young Webster found a home in the family of -James Osgood, Esq., registrar of deeds for the -county of Oxford. Mr. Osgood did not propose -to do the work himself, but was authorized to -get it done.</p> - -<p>One evening soon after the advent of his new -boarder, the registrar said, “Mr. Webster, have -you a mind to increase your income?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I should be exceedingly glad to do so, sir,” -answered the young man, his face brightening -with hopeful expectation.</p> - -<p>“You are aware that I hold the position of -registrar of deeds for the county. It is my duty -to see that all deeds are properly recorded?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“This work I do not care to do myself, having -sufficient other work to occupy my time. How -would you like to undertake it in the evening? -It would not interfere with your school duties.”</p> - -<p>“I am not a very good penman,” said the young -man doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“Handsome penmanship is not required. It is -sufficient if the deeds are copied in a plain, legible -hand, and this may be attained by effort.”</p> - -<p>“How much compensation would be allowed?”</p> - -<p>“I receive two shillings and threepence for -each deed recorded. I will allow you one shilling -and sixpence, and you can average two deeds in -an evening. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>One shilling and sixpence was twenty-five -cents. Two deeds therefore would bring the -young teacher fifty cents, and four evenings’ work, -therefore, would pay his board, and leave him his -salary clear. This was a tempting inducement, -though it would involve dry and tedious labor.</p> - -<p>“I will accept,” said Daniel promptly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Then you can begin at once,” said Mr. Osgood, -well satisfied.</p> - -<p>It was a hard way of earning money, but money -was very much needed. So, after the fatigues of -the day, when supper was over, Daniel sat down -to record dry deeds. The curious visitor to Fryeburg -can still see two volumes of deeds, a large -part of them in Daniel Webster’s handwriting. -Though not a good writer, he forced himself to -write well, and in his autobiography he says, -“The ache is not yet out of my fingers, for nothing -has ever been so laborious to me as writing, -when under the necessity of writing a good hand.”</p> - -<p>I may be permitted to call the attention of my -young readers to this point—that what he had undertaken -to do he did well, although it was a task -far from congenial. A young man or boy who -observes this rule is likely to succeed in the end: -Whatever you have to do do as well as you can.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a><br /> - -<small>THE PRECEPTOR OF FRYEBURG ACADEMY.</small></h2> - - -<p>It may be supposed that between his school -in the daytime and his duties as copyist in the -evening, Daniel found his time pretty well occupied. -As we know, he was not drawn to the -teacher’s office by any special love of that honorable -vocation, but simply by the pecuniary -emolument. But, though this was the case, he -discharged his duties with conscientious fidelity, -and made himself a favorite both among his -pupils and in the village, where the new preceptor -was, as is usual, a person of importance.</p> - -<p>He was accustomed to open and close the -school with extemporaneous prayer, and those -who remember the deep solemnity of manner -which he could command at will will readily believe -that this exercise was made impressive by -the young teacher.</p> - -<p>No stories have been handed down of insubordination -among his pupils. If there had been -any, it would speedily have been quelled by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> -preceptor, whose demeanor was naturally dignified.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable how many of our great men -have spent a portion of their early lives at the -teacher’s desk. Gen. Garfield had an unusually -extensive and varied experience as teacher, and -would have passed through life very happily if -he had never withdrawn from the school-room. -Daniel Webster had not his special aptitude for -it, but was nevertheless very fairly successful. -One qualification, as we learn from the testimony -of a pupil, was his “remarkable equanimity of -temper.” The vexations of the school-room are -neither few nor far between, but none of them -were able to bring a frown to young Webster’s -brow. Calmly he met and conquered all difficulties -that came in his way, and secured the confidence -and respect of his scholars.</p> - -<p>The young man also impressed his pupils and -friends as a man of competent scholarship. Hon. -Samuel Fessenden, of Portland, writes: “The -first I ever knew of Daniel Webster was immediately -after he left college, and was employed -by my father, the secretary of the Trustees of -Fryeburg Academy, to become the principal instructor -in that institution. He was not, when he -commenced, twenty years old. I heard no one -complain that his scholarship was not adequate to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> -the duty he had assumed. On the contrary, I -heard the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Porter, of Conway, -and my father, the Rev. William Fessenden, of -Fryeburg, both of whom were good scholars, and -the former, Rev. Dr. Porter, a very great man, -say that Daniel Webster was a very good scholar -for his years. He did, while at Fryeburg, exhibit -traits of talent and genius which drew from -these two divines, and from other professional -gentlemen, unqualified praise of his powers of -mind. I remember very distinctly hearing my -father remark that if Mr. Webster should live, -and have health, and pursue a straightforward -course of industry and virtue, he would become -one of the greatest men this country had produced.”</p> - -<p>When it is remembered that the young man -of whom this prediction was made was at the -time an obscure teacher, in an obscure town, in -what was then a frontier settlement, we must infer -that he exhibited remarkable ability, and gave -hints of a reserved power not yet called into action.</p> - -<p>In spite of his engrossing employments, the -young man found time to enlarge his general -culture by various reading. Nor did he neglect -his professional studies, but continued the reading -of Blackstone’s Commentaries. It is remarkable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -that with all this hard work he found time for -society. Dr. Osgood, the registrar’s son, says: -“He was usually serious, but often facetious and -pleasant. He was an agreeable companion, and -eminently social with all who shared his friendship. -He was greatly beloved by all who knew -him. His habits were strictly abstemious, and -he neither took wine nor strong drink. He was -punctual in his attendance upon public worship, -and ever opened his school with prayer. I never -heard him use a profane word, and never saw -him lose his temper.”</p> - -<p>From all that has been said my young readers -will see that Daniel was beginning life in the -right way. It seems to me that at this period he -was a model who may be safely copied in all -respects. The reverence which he so plainly -evinced as a young man for religion he never lost, -but to the latest day of his life he yielded to none -in his regard for the spirit of Christianity.</p> - -<p>Under date of May 18, 1802, Daniel writes to -his favorite friend Harvey Bingham, giving some -account of matters at Fryeburg. He had just returned -from spending a short vacation with his -brother at Hanover.</p> - -<p>“I arrived here last night,” he says; “but -must fill this page by relating a little anecdote -that happened yesterday. I accidentally fell in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> -with one of my scholars on his return to the -academy. He was mounted on the ugliest horse -I ever saw or heard of except Sancho Panzas’s -pacer. As I had two horses with me, I proposed -to him to ride one of them, and tie his bay fast to -his Bucephalus; he did accordingly, and turned -her forward, where her odd appearance, indescribable -gait, and frequent stumblings afforded -us constant amusement. At length we approached -Saco River, a very wide, deep and rapid -stream, when this satire on the animal creation, -as if to revenge herself on us for our sarcasms, -plunged into the river, then very high by the -freshet, and was wafted down the current like a -bag of oats. I could scarcely sit on my horse for -laughter. I am apt to laugh at the vexations of -my friends. The fellow, who was of my own -age, and my roommate half checked the current by -oaths as big as lobsters, and the old Rosinante, who -was all the while much at her ease, floated up among -the willows far below on the opposite shore.”</p> - -<p>While Daniel was laboring as teacher and -copyist at Fryeburg, his older brother, Ezekiel, -was pursuing his studies at Dartmouth College, -sustained there mainly by the remittances which -Daniel was able to send him. The chief pleasure -which the younger brother derived from his experience -as teacher was, that it gave him the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> -means of securing for his favorite brother the -same advantages which he had himself enjoyed. -He cheerfully postponed his plan of professional -study in order to discharge this pious duty. Certainly -the affection which united these two -brothers was very beautiful, and creditable to -both. Too often brothers are estranged without -good reason, and follow selfishly their own plans, -without the desire to help each other. To the -end of Ezekiel’s life this mutual affection continued, -and when he was suddenly removed by -death Daniel was deeply affected, and staggered -under the blow.</p> - -<p>How long was this occupation to continue? -How long was the future statesman to devote himself -to the comparatively humble duty of inducting -country boys into the paths of knowledge?</p> - -<p>He had only engaged for two terms, but such -was his success that the trustees were not willing -to have him go. As an inducement to him to -remain they offered to increase his small salary -of three hundred and fifty dollars to five or six -hundred, with a house to live in, a piece of land -to cultivate, and possibly a clerkship of the Common -Pleas.</p> - -<p>All this may sound very small to us, but to a -youth who had been reared in such straitened -circumstances as Daniel it seemed like a liberal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> -competence. It required some decision and boldness -to reject this certainly for the uncertain -prospects of a young lawyer, before whom lay at -the first a period of poverty and struggle. Then -it must be added that Daniel was modest, and -was far from believing that he was endowed with -extraordinary talent. It is very probable that -more than half the young men who graduate from -our law schools to-day have a higher opinion of -their abilities than Daniel Webster at the age of -twenty. To illustrate his struggles I quote from -a letter written at this time.</p> - -<p>“What shall I do? Shall I say, ‘Yes, gentlemen,’ -and sit down here to spend my days in -a kind of comfortable privacy, or shall I relinquish -these prospects, and enter into a profession -where my feelings will be constantly harrowed -by objects either of dishonesty or misfortune; -where my living must be squeezed from penury -(for rich folks seldom go to law), and my moral -principle be continually at hazard? I agree with -you that the law is well calculated to draw forth -the powers of the mind, but what are its effects -on the heart? are they equally propitious? Does -it inspire benevolence and awake tenderness; or -does it, by a frequent repetition of wretched objects, -blunt sensibility and stifle the still, small -voice of mercy?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The talent with which Heaven has intrusted -me is small, very small; yet I feel responsible for -the use of it, and am not willing to pervert it to -purposes reproachful or unjust, or to hide it, -like the slothful servant, in a napkin.</p> - -<p>“On the whole, I imagine I shall make one -more trial (of the law) in the ensuing autumn. -If I prosecute the profession, I pray God to -fortify me against its temptations. To the winds -I dismiss those light hopes of eminence which -ambition inspired and vanity fostered. To be -‘honest, to be capable, to be faithful’ to my client -and my conscience. I believe you, my worthy -boy, when you tell me what are your intentions. -I have long known and long loved the honesty of -your heart. But let us not rely too much on ourselves; -let us look to some less fallible guide to -direct us among the temptations that surround -us.”</p> - -<p>In a letter written June 4, 1802, Mr. Webster -refers to his indecision as to a career.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Now Hope leans forward on Life’s slender line,</div> -<div class="verse">Shows me a lawyer, doctor or divine;</div> -<div class="verse">Ardent springs forward to the distant goal,</div> -<div class="verse">But indecision clogs the eager soul.</div> -<div class="verse">Heaven bless my friend, and when he marks his way,</div> -<div class="verse">And takes his bearings o’er life’s troubled sea,</div> -<div class="verse">In that important moment may he find</div> -<div class="verse">Choice and his friends and duty all combined.”</div> -</div></div></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a><br /> - -<small>THE NEXT TWO YEARS.</small></h2> - - -<p>The die was cast! Daniel decided to forego -the small but comfortable income insured to him -as a teacher, and in accordance with his father’s -wishes, as well as his own inclination, returned -to the study of the law. He resumed his place -(September, 1802) in the office of Mr. Thompson, -at Salisbury, and there he remained till February -or March, 1804. Before leaving Fryeburg, -at the request of the citizens he delivered a -Fourth of July oration (his second), for which he -received from the trustees of the academy a gratuity -of five dollars! It was not many years before -five hundred dollars would not have been -considered too much for such a service from the -then obscure teacher.</p> - -<p>My young readers would not feel particularly -interested in the details of Daniel’s professional -studies during the eighteen months he spent in -the office of Mr. Thompson. From the larger -biographies such information may be obtained by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> -law students and those who take an interest -therein. I shall content myself by extracting -from Mr. Webster’s autobiography some account -of the manner in which he employed his time.</p> - -<p>“I do not know whether I read much during -this year and a half besides law books, with two -exceptions. I read Hume through, not for the -first time; but my principal occupation with -books, when not law books, was with the Latin -classics. I brought from college a very scanty -inheritance of Latin. I now tried to add to it. -I made myself familiar with most of Tully’s Orations, -committed to memory large passages of -some of them, read Sallust and Cæsar and Horace. -Some of Horace’s odes I translated into -poor English rhymes; they were printed. I have -never seen them since. My brother was a far -better English scholar than myself, and, in one -of his vacations, we read Juvenal together. But -I never mastered his style, so as to read him with -ease and pleasure. At this period of my life I -passed a great deal of time alone. My amusements -were fishing and shooting and riding, and -all these were without a companion. I loved this -occasional solitude then, and have loved it ever -since, and love it still. I like to contemplate nature, -and to hold communion, unbroken by the -presence of human beings, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> ‘this universal -frame—thus wondrous fair.’ I like solitude also, -as favorable to thoughts less lofty. I like to let -the thoughts go free and indulge excursions. -And when <em>thinking</em> is to be done, one must, of -course, be alone. No man knows himself who -does not thus sometimes keep his own company. -At a subsequent period of life I have found that -my lonely journeys, when following the court on -its circuits, have afforded many an edifying day.”</p> - -<p>It will be seen that young Webster aimed to -be something more than a lawyer. Instead of -throwing aside his law books when his daily reading -was over with a sigh of relief that he could -now devote his time to mere enjoyment, he closed -them only to open the English and Latin classics, -with a view to broaden his culture and qualify -himself for something better than a routine lawyer, -to whom his profession presents itself only -as a means of livelihood. Pressed as he had -been, and still was, by the burden of poverty, he -never appears to have set before himself as a -principal object the emoluments to be gained by -legal practice. During his busy years his receipts -were indeed very large, but they came to him as -a consequence of his large and varied ability, -and not because he had specially labored to that -end.</p> - -<p>I have already mentioned the young man’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> -modesty. He did not apparently suspect the -extent of his own powers, and did not look forward -to fill any conspicuous place in his profession. -He hoped indeed for “the acquirement of -a decent, competent estate, enabling us to treat -our friends as they deserve, and to live free from -embarrassment.” This was the measure of his -expectation.</p> - -<p>Yet it did occur to him at times that an office -in a small country town hardly afforded the -facilities for acquiring professional knowledge -which it would be desirable to enjoy. Sometimes -he hoped that he might be able to finish -his studies in Boston, where he would meet with -men of large ability, and where the practice of -law took a larger range. But if he found it hard -work to maintain himself in Salisbury, how could -he hope to pay his way in Boston?</p> - -<p>But a way was unexpectedly opened to him. -Before Ezekiel had completed his college course -it was necessary for him to teach in order to fill -his exhausted coffers, and by a lucky chance he -obtained the charge of a small private school in -what is now Kingston Street, Boston. He had -eight scholars in Latin and Greek, but found -himself unable to do justice to them on account -of the long list of branches which he had to teach. -He wrote to Daniel, offering him a sum suffi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>cient -to pay his board, if he would assume the -charge of these pupils. This would require but -an hour and a half daily, and would leave the law -student ample time to prosecute his studies.</p> - -<p>It may readily be supposed that Daniel did not -decline this offer. It was an experiment, perhaps, -but it was worth trying. So he packed up -his clothes and repaired to Boston, where he -joined his brother, whom he arranged to assist in -his duties. Now the relations of the brothers -were again reversed, and it was the elder who -took his turn in helping along the younger. The -most eminent of the pupils thus coming under -the instruction of Daniel Webster was Edward -Everett, worthy as an orator to be named with his -master. Webster, Everett, Choate! Nine out -of ten, if called upon to name the three most renowned -orators of New England, would single -out these names, and it will indeed be a fortunate -age that can boast three who can equal them. -Among the pupils of Ezekiel Webster was George -Ticknor, another eminent man who will need no -introduction to my readers.</p> - -<p>Daniel had entered a new and auspicious period -of study and opportunity. He had gained a -foothold in Boston. How was he best to improve -his residence? What great lawyer would open -his office to the young New Hampshire student?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p> - -<p>Among the most eminent citizens and lawyers -of Boston at that time was Christopher Gore. -He had served the American Government at -home and abroad, as district attorney for Massachusetts, -and as a commissioner to England under -Jay’s Treaty, for the settlement of claims brought -by citizens of the United States for spoliation by -British cruisers during the war of the French -Revolution. A higher honor was in store for -him, since in 1809 he was elected Governor of -Massachusetts by the Federal party. In 1804, -when young Webster arrived in Boston, he was -in practice as a lawyer, his specialty being commercial -law.</p> - -<p>Daniel learned that Mr. Gore had no clerk, and -ambition led him to apply for the situation. He -did not know any near friend of the distinguished -lawyer, but a young man, whose acquaintance -with him was nearly as slight as his, undertook to -introduce him.</p> - -<p>When the two young men entered the office, -Daniel, according to his own account, was shockingly -embarrassed. But Mr. Gore, with his old-fashioned -courtesy, speedily put at him at ease. -The rest of the interview we will let Mr. Webster -tell for himself.</p> - -<p>“I had the grace to begin with an unaffected -apology; told him my position was very awk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>ward, -my appearance there very like an intrusion, -and that, if I expected anything but a civil dismission, -it was only founded in his known kindness -and generosity of character. I was from the -country, I said; had studied law for two years; -had come to Boston to study a year more; had -some respectable acquaintances in New Hampshire, -not unknown to him, but had no introduction; -that I had heard he had no clerk; thought it -possible he would receive one; that I came to -Boston to work, not to play; was most desirous, -on all accounts, to be his pupil; and all I ventured -to ask at present was, that he would keep a -place for me in his office till I could write to New -Hampshire for proper letters, showing me worthy -of it.”</p> - -<p>This speech Daniel delivered fluently, having -carefully considered what he intended to say.</p> - -<p>Mr. Gore heard him with encouraging good -nature, and kindly invited the young visitor to -sit down.</p> - -<p>“I do not mean to fill my office with clerks,” -he said, “but am willing to receive one or two, -and will consider what you have said.”</p> - -<p>He inquired what gentlemen of his acquaintance -knew Daniel and his father, and in reply -Daniel mentioned several, among others Mr. Peabody, -who was Mr. Gore’s classmate.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p> - -<p>A pleasant conversation continued for a few -minutes, and Daniel rose to go.</p> - -<p>“My young friend,” said Mr. Gore, “you look -as if you might be trusted. You say you came -to study and not to waste time. I will take you -at your word. You may as well hang up your -hat at once. Go into the other room, take your -book and sit down to reading it, and write at your -convenience to New Hampshire for your letters.”</p> - -<p>Daniel could hardly credit his good fortune in -this prompt assent to his wishes. He felt that -he had made an auspicious beginning in Boston, -and made “a good stride onward” in securing -admission to such an office.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a><br /> - -<small>A GREAT TEMPTATION.</small></h2> - - -<p>Our young student could not have been more -favorably situated for study, and we may well -believe that he made the best use of his advantages. -I shall not describe his course at length, -or in detail, but confine myself to such personal -details as are likely to interest my reader.</p> - -<p>In November a rare pleasure awaited him. -A gentleman of means, Mr. Taylor Baldwin, who -had some occasion for his services, engaged him -to accompany him on a leisurely journey in parts -of New England and New York, not only defraying -his expenses, but recompensing him -liberally. I can do no better than quote the young -man’s description of it in a letter to his friend -Bingham, dated Jan. 2d, 1805:</p> - -<p>“Figure to yourself a large room in the third -story of a brick building, in the center of Boston, -a sea-coal fire, and a most enormous writing-table -with half a cord of books on it. Then -figure further to yourself your most obedient,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> -with his back to the fire, and his face to the -table, writing by candle-light, and you will precisely -see a ‘happy fellow.’ There now is a -famous dash at description! Now let me try -my talent at narration.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, on the fifth day of November, -being election day, at just twenty-seven minutes -and a half past twelve, I left Mrs. Whitwell’s, -Court Street, Boston, and on the twenty-eighth -day of the same month, at one o’clock -<span class="smcap">P.M.</span>, arrived at time same Mrs. Whitwell’s, in the -same Court Street. You can easily determine -from the above account where I went!! If, -however, you should be puzzled, I will tell you -to Albany. Yes, James, I have even been to -Albany. I cannot now tell you why, nor for -what, but it was in a hackney coach, with a pair -of nimble trotters, a smart coachman before, and -a footman on horseback behind. There’s style for -you! Moreover, I had my friend at my elbow.... -My expenses were all amply paid, and -on my return I put my hand in my pocket, and -found one hundred and twenty dear delightfuls! -Is not that good luck? And these dear delightfuls -were, ’pon honor, all my own, yes, every dog -of ’em. Now don’t you think I would jump to -go to Albany again! But to be serious, I really -went to Albany, in November, with a gentle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>man -of this town, for which I received the above -reward; and I’m so proud to have a dollar of my -own I was determined to tell you of it. Of my -journey and all that I saw and heard I cannot -give you a particular account now.”</p> - -<p>The journey above mentioned was through -Springfield to Albany, thence down to Hudson, -returning by way of Hartford and Providence to -Boston. Taken by rail it would not be much of -a journey, but traveling by easy stages across the -country, it must have been full of enjoyment to a -young man wholly new to journeys of any kind.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s description of Albany in a letter to -his brother is an amusing one.</p> - -<p>“Albany is no despicable place. To be sure it -is irregular and without form. Its houses are -generally old and poor-looking—its streets are -rather dirty—but there are many exceptions. A -part of the town is very high, overlooking the -river in a very pleasant manner, and affording -many fine seats. Some handsome buildings ornament -the town. The Dutch Reformed Church -and the new State Bank would not disgrace -State Street (Boston). Here are all sorts of -people, both Greek and Jew, Englishman and -Dutchman, Negro and Indian. Almost everybody -speaks English occasionally, though I have -heard them speak among themselves in a <em>lingo</em><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> -which I never learned even at the Indian Charity -School. The river here is half a mile wide, that -is, I should think so; and, if I think wrong, you: -must look at Dr. Morse and correct me.”</p> - -<p>The cosmopolitan character of Albany nearly -eighty years since, when it probably contained -not over five thousand inhabitants, is certainly -rather amazing, and I can conceive the modern -Albanian reading the description given above -with considerable surprise. But Daniel was at -an age and in a state of inexperience in which -everything new is wonderful, and he certainly -saw everything under very pleasant circumstances.</p> - -<p>From a letter written by his sister it appears -that the young law student was paid seven -dollars a day for his company by his rich and -eccentric companion, who, if he lived to know of -Webster’s eminence, probably concluded that the -price was by no means exorbitant.</p> - -<p>In the letter of Sally Webster, already referred -to, there is a passage which will amuse my -young readers. “Before I have finished my -nonsense I must tell you that our neighbors opposite -the door fought a duel the other day, one -with the gridiron, the other with the candlestick. -The female, however, came off victorious, and -he, with all speed, ran here with some lint and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> -rum, to be applied immediately, for he was bleeding -to death with a wound in his head caused -by the gridiron.”</p> - -<p>It is evident that if the women of New Hampshire -were not strong-minded, there were some -who were strong-armed, and calculated to strike -terror in an average husband.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile how were things going at the early -home of the future statesman in New Hampshire? -Judge Webster no doubt experienced -satisfaction in knowing that the two sons for -whom he had hoped so much, and sacrificed so -much, were now possessors of a collegiate education, -and in a fair way to make their own way in -the world. But he was not without his anxieties. -To obtain that education he had been -obliged to mortgage his small estate for nearly -all it was worth. He was sixty-five years of age, -and a life of labor and exposure had made him -old before his time. He could not look for -many years more of life, and he might die before -his two boys were able to support themselves by -their professional labors, without speaking of -taking his place at home. But he had been sustained -by one hope, which finally seemed in a -way of being realized. The clerk of the Court -of Common Pleas, of which he was an associate -judge, died. Chief Justice Farrar, knowing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> -family circumstances of his associate, immediately -placed the office at his disposal for his son Daniel.</p> - -<p>For that day it was a lucrative office, paying -much more than a judgeship. The emoluments -were fifteen hundred dollars a year, and that -would be a competence to a young man brought -up like Daniel. It would make life easy to him, -and enable him to smooth the pathway of his -father, and release the homestead from mortgage.</p> - -<p>With glad heart Judge Webster wrote to -Daniel of his good fortune, and Daniel on his -side was elated. He felt that it would make him -independent, that he would pay off the family -debt, and assist his brother Ezekiel.</p> - -<p>So, full of the good news, he went over to the -office in the morning, and with a beaming face -acquainted Mr. Gore with the offer he had received, -and then waited to receive his congratulations.</p> - -<p>“Well, my young friend,” said he, “the -gentlemen have been very kind to you; I am -glad of it. You must thank them for it. Certainly -they are very good; you must write them -a civil letter. You will write immediately, of -course.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/p122.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">“<em>Will you carry us across on your back?</em>”—<a href="#Page_286">Page 286</a>.</div> -</div> - -<p>“I feel their kindness and liberality very -deeply,” answered Daniel. “I shall certainly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> -thank them in the best manner I am able, but, as -I shall go to Salisbury so soon, I hardly think it -is necessary to write.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” said Mr. Gore, seeming greatly surprised, -“you surely don’t mean to accept it?”</p> - -<p>Daniel was astounded. Not to accept such a -magnificent proposal! As soon as he could -speak he said that he had no thought of anything -else but acceptance.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mr. Gore, “you must decide for -yourself; but come, sit down, and let us talk it -over. The office is worth fifteen hundred a year, -you say; well, it never will be worth any more. -Ten to one if they find out it is so much the fees will -be reduced. You are appointed now by friends; -others may fill their places who are of different -opinions, and who have friends of their own to -provide for. You will lose your place; or, supposing -you to retain it, what are you but a clerk -for life? And your prospects as a lawyer are -good enough to encourage you to go on. Go on, -and finish your studies; you are poor enough, -but there are greater evils than poverty; live on -no man’s favor; what bread you do eat let it be -the bread of independence; pursue your profession, -make yourself useful to your friends, and -a little formidable to your enemies, and you have -nothing to fear.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span></p> - -<p>Daniel hardly knew what to think or to say. -It was presenting the subject from a very different -point of view. He had looked forward to -this office as a thing greatly to be desired. It -had been the height of his ambition, and now his -legal instructor, a man whose opinion he greatly -valued, told him he must give it up. He was -indeed flattered and encouraged by the eminent -lawyer’s estimate of his talents and prospects, an -estimate far beyond any he had formed for himself, -for Daniel, as I have already had occasion -to say, was modest, and wholly ignorant of the -extent of his powers.</p> - -<p>It was not that he expected to enjoy a clerkship. -He knew he should not, but he had been -struggling so long with poverty that the prospect -of a competency was most alluring. Besides -he was a good son and a good brother. He -knew how much his father’s mind would be relieved, -how he could help his favorite brother, -and it seemed very hard to resign such a piece of -fortune.</p> - -<p>“Go home and think it over,” said Mr. Gore, -“and come back in the morning, and we will -have another talk.”</p> - -<p>Daniel followed his advice, but passed a sleepless -night.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL REFUSES A CLERKSHIP.</small></h2> - - -<p>Those of my readers who have read “The -Canal Boy” will remember that before Gen. Garfield -graduated from college he too was met by -a similar temptation, in the shape of an offer -which, if accepted, would have materially changed -his course of life, and given him a comfortable -obscurity in place of national renown. He was -offered a school in Troy, N. Y., with a salary of -one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month, -while up to that time he had never earned but -eighteen dollars per month and board. He declined -after a hard struggle, for he too had been -reared in poverty and still suffered from it.</p> - -<p>And now a similar temptation had come to -Daniel Webster.</p> - -<p>He went home and thought the matter over. -He felt that Mr. Gore’s advice was good, but how -could he accept it? His father was old and in -poor health. He had set his heart on Daniel’s ac<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>cepting -this place. A contrary decision would -strike him like a thunderbolt. Moreover it would -bring him home, and give his father the comfort -of his society, as well as pecuniary prosperity.</p> - -<p>It seemed a selfish thing to refuse, to show a -lack of consideration for his father, and Daniel -was a good son. I mention all these things to -show that in this turning-point of his career -Daniel had a hard decision to make. There was -another circumstance to consider—his father was -in present need of money.</p> - -<p>Finally Daniel made up his mind. If he could -borrow a sum of money sufficient to help his -father, he would venture to refuse the clerkship.</p> - -<p>He went to Mr. Joseph Taylor, a Boston acquaintance, -and said to him abruptly, “Mr. -Taylor, I want to borrow some money. I will -pay you some time or other, but I can’t tell exactly -when.”</p> - -<p>“You can have as much as you want,” -answered Mr. Taylor kindly.</p> - -<p>“But,” said Daniel, “I want a good deal of -money.”</p> - -<p>“How much?” asked his friend, not seeming -alarmed at his rash promise.</p> - -<p>“Three or four hundred dollars,” was the -reply, and this in the eyes of the young law<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> -student was a very large sum, though his ideas -changed when money came in by thousands from -wealthy clients, not many years afterwards.</p> - -<p>“You shall have it,” said Mr. Taylor, and he -counted out the money into the young man’s -hands.</p> - -<p>Daniel was elated with his success. He would -not go home empty-handed, and this sum would -soften the blow which his determination would -bring to his father.</p> - -<p>Now to get home and have it over as soon as -possible! He hired a seat in a country sleigh -which had come down to market, and was on the -point of returning, for there was neither railroad -nor stage to convey him to his home. It was a -crisp winter day, and they glided over the snowy -roads for many hours till they were beyond the -New Hampshire line. Still mile after mile was -traversed till the old home was reached.</p> - -<p>Just at sunset Daniel reached his home. -Through the window, even before he entered, -he saw his father in his little room sitting in his -arm-chair. The old man, worn out by a long -life of hard labor, seemed very old and thin, but -his eyes were as black and bright as ever. Daniel’s -heart was touched, and he felt that the trial had -come. It was no light thing to disappoint such a -father.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p> - -<p>As he entered the presence of his father Judge -Webster looked up with a smile of gladness.</p> - -<p>“Well, Daniel, we have got that office for you,” -he said.</p> - -<p>“Yes, father,” said Daniel a little nervously. -“The gentlemen were very kind. I must go and -thank them.”</p> - -<p>“They gave it to you without my saying a -word about it,” said Judge Webster complacently.</p> - -<p>“I must go and see Judge Farrar, and tell him -I am much obliged to him, father.”</p> - -<p>Still the father suspected nothing of Daniel’s -intention, though his son treated it more carelessly -than he had anticipated. He had thought -so much about it and come to look upon it as so -desirable that it did not seem to him possible that -his son could regard it in any other way, as indeed -he would not but for Mr. Gore’s advice.</p> - -<p>But at last the true meaning of Daniel’s indifference -flashed upon him, and he looked at him -earnestly.</p> - -<p>He straightened himself up in his chair, and he -regarded him intently.</p> - -<p>“Daniel, Daniel,” he said, “don’t you mean to -take that office?”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed, father,” answered Daniel lightly, -though his lightness was assumed, and covered -a feeling of anxiety; “I hope I can do much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> -better than that. I mean to use my tongue in -the courts, not my pen; to be an actor, not a -register of other men’s acts. I hope yet, sir, to -astonish your honor in your own court by my -professional attainments.”</p> - -<p>Youth is hopeful and ready to take risks; age -is conservative and takes little for granted. -Judge Webster must have thought his son’s decision -exceedingly rash. Let me tell the rest of -the story in Daniel’s words, as indeed I have -closely adhered to his version thus far.</p> - -<p>“For a moment I thought he was angry. He -rocked his chair slightly; a flash went over an -eye softened by age, but still as black as jet; -but it was gone, and I thought I saw that parental -partiality was, after all, a little gratified at this -apparent devotion to an honorable profession, and -this seeming confidence of success in it. He -looked at me for as much as a minute, and then -said slowly, ‘Well, my son, your mother has always -said you would come to something or nothing, -she was not sure which; I think you are now -about settling that doubt for her.’ This he said, -and never a word spoke more to me on the subject.”</p> - -<p>Daniel explained to his father the reasons -which had induced him to arrive at the decision -he had just expressed, and as an earnest of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> -good fortune which he anticipated in the career -he had chosen he produced the money he had -borrowed, and placed it in his father’s hands. -Probably this satisfied Judge Webster that there -were others who had faith in his son’s promise, -since he could offer no other security for borrowed -money. At any rate it softened his disappointment, -since it brought him help which he sorely -needed.</p> - -<p>Daniel stayed at home a week, contributing as -such a son might to the happiness of his parents, -who, now in the sunset of life, had little to hope -for themselves, but lived wholly for their children.</p> - -<p>Now he must go back to Boston, for the period -of his preparatory studies was drawing to a close, -and he was almost to seek immediately admission -to the bar.</p> - -<p>In March, 1805, he was admitted to practice in -the Court of Common Pleas in Boston, the usual -motion being made by his friend and teacher, Mr. -Gore. This eminent lawyer, according to the -custom of that time, accompanied his motion by -a brief speech, which was of so complimentary a -character that it must have been exceedingly -gratifying to the legal neophyte, who stood waiting -for the doors to open through which he was -to enter into the precincts of a dignified and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> -honorable profession. “It is a well-known tradition,” -says Mr. George Ticknor Curtis, “that on -this occasion Mr. Gore predicted the future eminence -of his young friend. What he said has not -been preserved; but that he said what Mr. Webster -never forgot, that it was distinctly a prediction, -and that it excited in him a resolve that it should -not go unfulfilled, we have upon his own authority, -though he appears to have been unwilling to repeat -the words of Mr. Gore’s address.”</p> - -<p>Young Webster, whose career we have thus -far followed in detail through the successive -stages of his struggle with penury, was now no -longer a farmer’s boy, but a full-fledged lawyer, -of whom eminent men expected much.</p> - -<p>Another important question was to be decided, -Where should Daniel put up his shingle, and commence -the practice of his profession? In Boston -the field was larger, and the chances of attaining -professional eminence were greater. Many of his -friends counseled his remaining in the city. But -up in New Hampshire was an old man whose life -was nearly over, to whose last days his company -would bring solace and comfort. What prospects, -however brilliant, could overbalance this consideration? -With filial devotion Daniel decided -to settle in New Hampshire, in Boscawan, but a -few miles from Salisbury, where he could see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> -his father almost daily. Boston could wait, professional -opportunities could wait. His father’s -happiness must not be disregarded. So in the -spring of 1805 he became a country lawyer in the -same town where he had prepared for college.</p> - -<p>Thirteen months later, in April, 1807, his -father died.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a><br /> - -<small>D. WEBSTER, ATTORNEY.</small></h2> - - -<p>This was the sign that our young lawyer attached -to his office, in the town of Boscawan. -The office was humble enough. It was on the -second floor of a store, painted red, and the staircase -leading to it was on the outside. His office -rent was fifteen dollars a year, which certainly -could not have been considered an extravagant -sum.</p> - -<p>Here it was that the future great lawyer commenced -practice. Though his fees amounted to -but six or seven hundred dollars a year, his practice -extended over three counties, Hillsborough, -Rockingham and Grafton. We infer from his -meager income, though it was ample for his -needs in a place where living was so inexpensive, -that his clients had no occasion to complain of -immoderate charges.</p> - -<p>Judge Webster had the satisfaction of hearing -his son make one speech in court, but he was so -near the end of his earthly pilgrimage that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> -never heard another, being for the last few -months confined within doors. The father -listened with satisfaction, and regarded his son’s -effort as a very creditable one.</p> - -<p>Daniel’s sole object in establishing himself in -an obscure country place was to be near his -father, who he knew could not live many years. -The end was nearer than he supposed, for he -died little more than a year later. It may have -been a sacrifice, but probably he lost nothing by -it. The quiet seclusion gave him more time for -study, and he was laying a broad groundwork -for his future fame to rest upon.</p> - -<p>It was while he was at Boscawan that he first -encountered Mr. Jeremiah Mason, the acknowledged -head of the New Hampshire bar. From -a foot-note in Curtis’s Life, I quote the circumstances -as told by Mr. Mason himself.</p> - -<p>“I had heard,” said Mr. Mason,” that there -was a young lawyer up there who was reputed to -be a wonderfully able fellow, and was said by the -country people to be as black as the ace of spades, -but I had never seen him. When they told me -that he had prepared evidence for this prosecution -(it was a case of forgery, the defendant being -a man of respectable position), I thought it well -to be careful, especially as the trial was to be -conducted by the attorney-general. But when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> -the trial came on the attorney-general was ill, -and the prosecutors asked that Webster should -be allowed to conduct the case. I assented to this -readily, thinking I ought to have an easy time of -it, and we were introduced to each other.</p> - -<p>“We went at it, and I soon found that I had -no light work on my hands. He examined his -witnesses and shaped his case with so much skill -that I had to exert every faculty I possessed. I -got the man off, but it was as hard a day’s work -as I ever did in my life. There were other transactions -behind this one which looked quite as -awkward. When the verdict was announced I -went up to the dock and whispered to the prisoner, -as the sheriff let him out, to be off for Canada, -and never to put himself within the reach of that -young Webster again. From that time forth I -never lost sight of Mr. Webster, and never had -but one opinion of his powers.”</p> - -<p>This is remarkable testimony from the head of -the bar to a practitioner so young, who was a -mere novice in the profession.</p> - -<p>After the death of his father Daniel was still -compelled for a time to remain in his country -office. His practice was now worth something, -and he had it in view to surrender it to his -brother Ezekiel, who was now studying law, but -had not been admitted to the bar. His father<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> -had left some debts, which Daniel voluntarily -assumed. In the autumn of 1807 Ezekiel succeeded -to the double office of managing the -home farm, and carrying on the law business of -his younger brother. Then Daniel, feeling that -he might safely do so, took down his “shingle,” -and removed to Portsmouth, where he found -a larger field for the exercise of his abilities, -where he could gain a higher and more conspicuous -position.</p> - -<p>His appearance at this time has been thus described -by a member of Rev. Dr. Buckminster’s -family. “Slender, and apparently of delicate -organization, his large eyes and narrow brow -seemed very predominant above the other features, -which were sharply cut, refined and delicate. -The paleness of his complexion was -heightened by hair as black as the raven’s wing.”</p> - -<p>Daniel soon became intimate with the family -of Dr. Buckminster, and from members of this -family we learn much that is interesting concerning -him. He developed, according to Mr. -Lee, a “genial and exceedingly rich humor,” -which did more to make him popular in society -than any of his other diversified gifts. “We -young people saw him only rarely in friendly -visits. I well remember one afternoon that he -came in, when the elders of the family were ab<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>sent. -He sat down by the window, and as now -and then an inhabitant of the small town passed -through the street, his fancy was caught by their -appearance and his imagination excited, and he -improvised the most humorous imaginary histories -about them, which would have furnished -a rich treasure for Dickens, could he have been -the delighted listener, instead of the young girl -for whose amusement this wealth of invention -was extended.” Mr. Mason, who appreciated -the young man’s humor, as well as his professional -ability, used to say that “there was never -such an actor lost to the stage as he would have -made had he chosen to turn his talents in that -direction.”</p> - -<p>Daniel was still fragile, not having yet out-grown -his early delicacy. Dr. Buckminster prescribed -as a remedy half an hour’s wood-sawing -before breakfast, with a long two-handed saw, -one end of which he held himself. The young -lawyer doubtless found this early exercise a good -appetizer, qualifying him to do full justice to the -breakfast that succeeded.</p> - -<p>Within a year of his removal to Portsmouth -Mr. Webster took a step most important to his -happiness. He was married to Grace Fletcher, -daughter of Rev. Elijah Fletcher, of Hopkinton. -There is no occasion in a brief biography like this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> -to speak at length of Mrs. Webster. It is sufficient -to say that she was qualified by her natural -powers and acquired culture to be a sympathizing -friend and companion to the husband whom -she saw gradually expanding intellectually, and -rising higher in reputation, in the twenty years -that they lived together.</p> - -<p>I have said that Mr. Webster’s removal to -Portsmouth brought him a wider and more lucrative -practice. He still lived plainly, however. -His office, though more pretentious than the one -at Boscawan, which he hired for fifteen dollars -a year, was, according to Mr. Ticknor, “a common, -ordinary looking room, with less furniture -and more books than common. He had a small -inner room, opening from the larger, rather an -unusual thing. He lived in a small, modest -wooden house, which was burned in the great -fire in 1813,” a fire by which he lost a valuable -library.</p> - -<p>Daniel Webster lived in Portsmouth nine years -lacking one month. He was in no hurry to remove -to the still wider field that was waiting for him -in Boston. He says somewhere that these were -very happy years. His great powers were gradually -expanding. He grew like an oak tree, -slowly, but his growth was steady, and the result -was massive and majestic. It was not long be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>fore -he was regarded as one of the most prominent -lawyers in his native State, and he was -generally matched in important suits with Jeremiah -Mason, already referred to as the undisputed -head of the bar. Mr. Mason was a remarkable -man, not only intellectually but physically. He -was a very Titan, almost tall enough to have attracted -the attention of Barnum had he lived at -a later period. He was six feet seven inches in -height, and naturally attracted attention wherever -he went—an attention, by the way, which he did -not court, and which was embarrassing to him. -An amusing story is told of him which I have -somewhere read, and will record from memory.</p> - -<p>In spite of his great height Mr. Mason did not -sit high, having a short body and legs of immense -length. One day he was driving in the neighborhood -of Portsmouth, when in a narrow road -he met a man driving a cart, a stalwart man, inclined -to be a bully, who, confident in his strength, -was disposed to take advantage of it.</p> - -<p>“Turn out!” he said roughly to Mr. Mason.</p> - -<p>“My friend,” said the lawyer, who was in a -light buggy,” I have already given you half the -road.”</p> - -<p>“No, you haven’t,” answered the other roughly. -“At any rate, you must turn out more.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But I see no justice in that,” said the great -lawyer mildly.</p> - -<p>The mildness of his manner led the bully to -think Mr. Mason was afraid of him; so, with an -oath, he repeated his demand.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mason felt that the matter had gone far -enough. He slowly rose in his seat; the countryman -with astonishment saw what he had supposed -to be a man of average height towering -into gigantic proportions, and he became alarmed.</p> - -<p>“Hold on!” he shouted; “you needn’t unroll -yourself any more. I’ll turn out myself.”</p> - -<p>This great lawyer, though so often opposed to -Webster, was unvaryingly kind to him, and as -Daniel himself testifies, was of infinite advantage -to him, not only by his friendship, but by the -many good lessons he taught him and the example -he set him in the commencement of his career.</p> - -<p>The young man admired his elder professional -brother, and says of him: “If there be in the -country a stronger intellect, if there be a mind of -more native resources, if there be a vision that -sees quicker or sees deeper into whatever is intricate -or whatsoever is profound, I must confess I -have not known it.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a><br /> - -<small>DANIEL OVERCOMES A BRAMBLE.</small></h2> - - -<p>There is no doubt that Mr. Webster derived -considerable advantage from his association with -his elder professional brother. He had adopted -a style very common with young men, abounding -in large words, and made his sentences longer -than were needful. He observed that Mr. Mason, -on the other hand, talked to the jury in a plain, -conversational way, and cultivated simplicity of -diction. Yet he was noted for his success in winning -cases. Daniel was sensible enough to correct -his fault and prune his too luxuriant style, -very much to its improvement.</p> - -<p>No admirer of Daniel Webster should fail to -read the volume of “Reminiscences” by his lifelong -friend, Peter Harvey. His confidential relations -with his distinguished friend make what he -records not only entertaining but trustworthy and -valuable. I shall venture to transfer to my pages -from Mr. Harvey’s volume an account of two -cases in which Mr. Webster was engaged during<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> -his residence in Portsmouth, with the suggestion -that the entire volume will amply repay perusal.</p> - -<p>“Among Mr. Webster’s reminiscences of his -professional career at Portsmouth, and of Jeremiah -Mason’s connection with it, was one relating -to a case in which a man named Bramble was implicated. -Matthew Bramble, it appears, was a -wealthy resident of Portsmouth, and, as the sequel -proved, an unscrupulous man. His social position -was good, but a feeling of distrust towards him -existed in the community. It seems that Bramble -had given to a man named Brown an annuity -bond, agreeing to pay him one hundred dollars a -year as long as he lived. This was to keep dominant -a title to some real estate. Bramble had -more than once tried to persuade Brown to take -a ‘lump’ sum of money and cancel the bonds, but -this Brown persistently declined to do, and in -this he was supported by the advice of his friends. -After in vain offering one thousand dollars, Bramble -resorted to the following method of getting -rid of his obligation. He was accustomed, when -he paid the hundred dollars, to indorse it on the -bond. The next chance he got, he indorsed, not -one hundred dollars, but one thousand dollars, -adding ‘in full consideration of and canceling -this bond.’ Brown, who could not read or write, -unsuspectingly signed his mark to this indorse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>ment. -Bramble then coolly handed him back the -bond, and of course said nothing of the matter.</p> - -<p>“When the year came round, an altercation -took place between them.</p> - -<p>“Bramble said, ‘I owe you nothing; I paid -you a thousand dollars, and it is certified on your -bond.’</p> - -<p>“Brown was a poor shoemaker, simple-minded, -truthful, weak, not capable of coping with this -wily scamp. He was friendless, while Bramble -was a rich man. Poor Brown did not know what -to do. He had convinced his neighbors that he -was right. He went to Jeremiah Mason, who -told him he was Mr. Bramble’s lawyer. Mr. -Mason had asked Bramble about the matter, and -the latter had showed the bond, and Mr. Mason -probably believed him. A friend then advised -Brown to go to Mr. Webster; and after hearing -his story, Mr. Webster was quite convinced of -the truth of Brown’s statement. He had no confidence -in Bramble. In relating the story, he -said to me: ‘I knew nothing positively against -Bramble, but something impressed me that he -was not a man of honor. I was at once satisfied -that he had committed this fraud upon Brown, -and I told the latter that I would sue Bramble -for the annuity. He said he had nothing to give -me in payment. I said I wanted nothing. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> -sent Bramble a letter, and he made his appearance -in my office.</p> - -<p>“’“I should like to know,” he said sharply, “if -you are going to take up a case of that kind in -Portsmouth? It seems to me you don’t know on -which side your bread is buttered.”</p> - -<p>“’“This man has come to me,” I replied, “without -friends, and has told me a plain, straightforward -story, and it sounds as if it were true. It -is not a made-up story. I shall pursue this thing, -and sue you, unless you settle it.”’</p> - -<p>“Bramble went to Mr. Mason, who afterwards -said to Mr. Webster: ‘I think you have made a -mistake. Bramble is a man of influence. It -can’t be that the fellow tells the truth. Bramble -would not do such a thing as that.’</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster replied, ‘He has done just such -a thing as that, and I shall try the suit.’</p> - -<p>“So the preliminary steps were taken, and the -suit was brought. The case came on at Exeter in -the Supreme Court, Judge Smith on the bench. -It created great excitement. Bramble’s friends -were incensed at the charge of forgery, and -Brown, too, in his humble way, had his friends. -Mr. Webster said: ‘I never in my life was more -badly prepared for a case. There was no evidence -for Brown, and what to do I did not know. But -I had begun the suit, and was going to run for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> -luck, perfectly satisfied that I was right. There -were Bramble and his friends, with Mason; and -poor Brown had only his counsel. And Mason -began to sneer a little, saying, “That is a foolish -case.”</p> - -<p>“’Well, a person named Lovejoy was then living -in Portsmouth; and when there is a great -deal of litigation, as there was in Portsmouth, -and many towns in New Hampshire, there will -always be one person of a kind not easily described—a -shrewd man who is mixed up in all -sorts of affairs. Lovejoy was a man of this kind, -and was a witness in nearly all the cases ever tried -in that section. He was an imperturbable witness, -and never could be shaken in his testimony. -Call Lovejoy, and he would swear that he was -present on such an occasion, and he seemed to -live by giving evidence in this way. I was getting -a little anxious about the case. I was going -to attempt to prove that Brown had been appealed -to by Bramble for years to give up his -bond, and take a sum of money, and that he had -always stoutly refused, that he had no uses for -money, and had never been in the receipt of -money, and that he could not write, and was -easily imposed upon. But although I felt that I -was right, I began to fear that I should lose the -case.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> - -<p>“’A Portsmouth man who believed in Brown’s -story came to me just before the case was called, -and whispered in my ear, “I saw Lovejoy talking -with Bramble just now in the entry, and he took -a paper from him.”</p> - -<p>“’I thanked the man, told him that was a -pretty important thing to know, and asked him to -say nothing about it.</p> - -<p>“’In the course of the trial Mr. Mason called -Lovejoy, and he took the oath. He went upon -the stand and testified that some eight or ten -months before he was in Brown’s shop, and that -Brown mended his shoes for him. As he was sitting -in the shop, he naturally fell into conversation -about the bond, and said to Brown, “Bramble -wants to get back the bond. Why don’t you -sell it to him?” “Oh,” said Brown, “I have. He -wanted me to do it, and as life is uncertain, I -thought I might as well take the thousand dollars.” -He went on to testify that <em>the said Brown</em> -told him so and so, and when he expressed himself -in that way I knew he was being prompted -from a written paper. The expression was an -unnatural one for a man to use in ordinary conversation. -It occurred to me in an instant that -Bramble had given Lovejoy a paper, on which -was set down what he wanted him to testify. -There sat Mason, full of assurance, and for a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> -moment I hesitated. Now, I thought, I will -“make a spoon or spoil a horn.”</p> - -<p>“’I took the pen from behind my ear, drew -myself up, and marched outside the bar to the witness -stand.” Sir!” I exclaimed to Lovejoy, “give -me the paper from which you are testifying!”</p> - -<p>“’In an instant he pulled it out of his pocket, -but before he had got it quite out he hesitated -and attempted to put it back. I seized it in -triumph. There was his testimony in Bramble’s -handwriting! Mr. Mason got up and claimed -the protection of the court. Judge Smith inquired -the meaning of this proceeding.</p> - -<p>“’I said: “Providence protects the innocent -when they are friendless. I think I could satisfy -the court and my learned brother who, of course, -was ignorant of this man’s conduct, that I hold in -Mr. Bramble’s handwriting the testimony of the -very respectable witness who is on the stand.”</p> - -<p>“’The court adjourned, and I had nothing -further to do. Mason told his client that he had -better settle the affair as quickly as possible. -Bramble came to my office, and as he entered I -said, “Don’t you come in here! I don’t want -any thieves in my office.”</p> - -<p>“’“Do whatever you please with me, Mr. -Webster,” he replied. “I will do whatever you -say.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p> - -<p>“’“I will do nothing without witnesses. We -must arrange this matter.”</p> - -<p>“’I consulted Mr. Mason, and he said he did -not care how I settled it. So I told Bramble -that in the first place there must be a new life-bond -for one hundred dollars a year, and ample -security for its payment, and that he must also -pay Brown five hundred dollars and my fees, -which I should charge pretty roundly. To all -this he assented and thus the case ended.’”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster’s professional brothers were very -much puzzled to account for his knowing that -Lovejoy had the paper in his pocket, and it was -not for a long time that he gratified their curiosity -and revealed the secret.</p> - -<p>My young readers will agree with me that -Bramble was a contemptible fellow, and that the -young lawyer, in revealing and defeating his -meanness, did an important service not only to -his client but to the cause of justice, which is -often defeated by the very means that should -secure it. In many cases lawyers lend themselves -to the service of clients whose iniquity they -have good reason to suspect. There is no nobler -profession than that of law when it is invoked to -redress grievances and defeat the designs of the -wicked; but, as Mr. Webster himself has said, -“The evil is, that an accursed thirst for money<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> -violates everything. We cannot study, because -we must pettifog. We learn the low recourses -of attorneyism when we should, learn the conceptions, -the reasonings and the opinions of Cicero -and Murray. The love of fame is extinguished, -every ardent wish for knowledge repressed, conscience -put in jeopardy, and the best feelings of -the heart indurated by the mean, money-catching, -abominable practices which cover with disgrace -a part of the modern practitioners of the law.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.</a><br /> - -<small>“THE LITTLE BLACK STABLE-BOY.”</small></h2> - - -<p>I am tempted to detail another case in which -the young lawyer was able to do an important -service to an acquaintance who had known him -in his boyhood.</p> - -<p>In Grafton County lived a teamster named -John Greenough, who was in the habit of making -periodical trips to and from Boston with a load -of goods. One day, when a mile or two distant -from the house of Daniel’s father, his wagon was -mired, owing to the size of his load and the state -of the roads. He found that he could not continue -his journey without help, and sent to the -house of Judge Webster to borrow a span of -horses.</p> - -<p>“Dan,” said the Judge, “take the horses and -help Mr. Greenough out of his trouble.”</p> - -<p>The boy was roughly dressed like an ordinary -farm-boy of that time, his head being surmounted -by a ragged straw hat. He at once obeyed his -father and gave the teamster the assistance which -he so urgently required.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p> - -<p>The teamster thanked him for his assistance -and drove on, giving little thought to the boy, or -dreaming that the time would come when Dan -would help him out of a worse scrape.</p> - -<p>Years passed and the farm-boy became a lawyer, -but Greenough had lost track of him, and -supposed he was still at work on his father’s farm.</p> - -<p>He was a poor man, owning a farm and little -else. But a question arose as to his title to the -farm. Suit was brought against him, and his -whole property was at stake. He secured legal -assistance, his lawyer being Moses P. Payson, of -Bath. Mr. Payson thought he ought to have -help, as the case was an important one, and suggested -it to his client. The latter agreed, and -Mr. Payson made his selection.</p> - -<p>Soon after, in an interview with Mr. Payson, -Greenough inquired, “What lawyer have you -hired to help you?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Webster, Webster!” repeated Greenough; -“I don’t know any lawyer of that name. Is he -from Boston?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; he came from your neighborhood,” -was the reply. “It is Daniel Webster, the son -of old Ebenezer Webster, of Salisbury.”</p> - -<p>“What!” exclaimed the teamster in dismay; -“that little black stable-boy that once brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> -me some horses! Then I think we might as well -give up the case. Can’t you get somebody else?”</p> - -<p>“No; the trial cannot be postponed. We must -take our chances and make the best of it.”</p> - -<p>The teamster went home greatly depressed. -He remembered the rough looking farm-boy in -his rustic garb and old straw hat, and it seemed -ridiculous that a good lawyer could have been -made out of such unpromising materials. He was -not the first man who had been misled by appearances. -He was yet to learn that a poor boy may -become an able lawyer. Of course the case must -go on, but he looked forward to the result with -little hope. He would lose his little farm he felt -sure, and in his declining years be cast adrift -penniless and destitute.</p> - -<p>When the day of trial came the teamster was -in attendance, but he looked sad and depressed. -Mr. Payson made the opening speech, and the -trial proceeded. Mr. Webster was to make the -closing argument.</p> - -<p>When he rose to speak Greenough looked at -him with some curiosity. Yes, it was black Dan, -a young man now, but as swarthy, though better -dressed than the boy who had brought him the -span of horses to help his wagon out of the mire.</p> - -<p>“What can he do?” thought the teamster, not -without contempt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p> - -<p>Daniel began to speak, and soon warmed to -his work. He seemed thoroughly master of the -case, and as he proceeded the teamster was surprised, -and finally absorbed in his words. He -drew nearer and drank in every word that fell -from the lips of the “little black stable-boy,” as -he had recently termed him.</p> - -<p>The jury were no less interested, and when the -plea closed it was clear how they would render -their verdict.</p> - -<p>Mr. Payson approached his client, and said -with a smile, “Well, Mr. Greenough, what do -you think of him now?”</p> - -<p>“Think!” exclaimed the teamster. “Why, I -think he is an angel sent from heaven to save -me from ruin, and my wife and children from -misery.”</p> - -<p>The case was won, and Greenough returned -home happy that his little farm would not be -taken from him.</p> - -<p>Many lawyers aspire to the judicial office as the -crowning professional dignity which they may -wear with pride. But some of the greatest lawyers -are not fitted for that office. They are born -advocates, and the more brilliant they are the less, -perhaps, do they possess that fair and even judgment -which is requisite in a judge. Daniel Webster -understood that his talents were not of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> -judicial character. At a later day (in 1840) he -wrote to a friend as follows: “For my own -part, I never could be a judge. There never was -a time when I would have taken the office of chief -justice of the United States or any other judicial -station. I believe the truth may be that I -have mixed so much study of politics with my -study of law that, though I have some respect -for myself as an advocate, and some estimate of -my knowledge of general principles, yet I am not -confident of possessing all the accuracy and precision -of knowledge which the bench requires.”</p> - -<p>For nearly nine years Daniel Webster practiced -law in Portsmouth. He could not have selected -a more prominent place in New Hampshire; but -the time came when he felt that for many reasons -he should seek a larger field. One reason, which -deservedly carried weight, was, that in a small -town his income must necessarily be small. During -these years of busy activity he never received -in fees more than two thousand dollars a year. -Fees were small then compared with what they -are now, when lawyers by no means distinguished -often charge more for their services in a -single case than young Webster’s entire yearly -income at that time.</p> - -<p>When the time came for removal the young -lawyer hesitated between Boston, Albany and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> -New York, but finally decided in favor of the -first place. Of his removal we shall have occasion -to speak further presently. Before doing so -it is well to say that these nine years, though they -brought Mr. Webster but little money, did a -great deal for him in other ways. He was not -employed in any great cases, or any memorable -trials, though he and Jeremiah Mason were employed -in the most important cases which came -before the New Hampshire courts. Generally -they were opposed to each other, and in his older -professional compeer Daniel found a foeman -worthy of his steel. He always had to do his -best when Mason was engaged on the other side. -That he fully appreciated Mr. Mason’s ability is -evident from his tribute to him paid in a conversation -with another eminent rival, Rufus -Choate.</p> - -<p>“I have known Jeremiah Mason,” he said, -“longer than I have known any other eminent -man. He was the first man of distinction in -the law whom I knew, and when I first became -acquainted with him he was in full practice. I -knew that generation of lawyers as a younger -man knows those who are his superiors in age—by -tradition, reputation and hearsay, and by -occasionally being present and hearing their efforts. -In this way I knew Luther Martin, Ed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>mund -Randolph, Goodloe Hart, and all those -great lights of the law; and by the way, I think, -on the whole, that was an abler bar than the -present one—of course with some brilliant exceptions. -Of the present bar of the United -States I think I am able to form a pretty fair -opinion, having an intimate personal knowledge -of them in the local and federal courts; and this -I can say, that I regard Jeremiah Mason as eminently -superior to any other lawyer whom I ever -met. I should rather with my own experience -(and I have had some pretty tough experience -with him) meet them all combined in a case, than -to meet him alone and single-handed. He was -the keenest lawyer I ever met or read about. If -a man had Jeremiah Mason and he did not get -his case, no human ingenuity or learning could -get it. He drew from a very deep fountain. -Yes, I should think he did,” added Mr. Webster, -smiling, “from his great height.”</p> - -<p>The young reader will remember that Mr. -Mason was six feet seven inches in height.</p> - -<p>It is always of great service when a young man -is compelled at all times to do his best. Daniel -could not oppose such a lawyer as he describes -Mr. Mason without calling forth all his resources. -It happened, therefore, that the nine years he -spent in Portsmouth were by no means wasted,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> -but contributed to develop and enlarge his powers, -and provide him with resources which were -to be of service to him in the broader and more -conspicuous field in which he was soon to exercise -his powers.</p> - -<p>Furthermore, during these nine years he first -entered the arena where he was to gather unfading -laurels, and establish his reputation not only as a -great lawyer, but one of the foremost statesmen -of any age.</p> - -<p>I allude to his election to Congress, in which -he took his seat for the first time on the 24th of -May, 1813, as a Representative from New Hampshire.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a><br /> - -<small>WHY DANIEL WAS SENT TO CONGRESS.</small></h2> - - -<p>Even in his Sophomore year at college Daniel -had taken a considerable interest in public affairs, -as might readily be shown by extracts from his -private correspondence. This interest continued -after he entered upon the practice of the law, but -up to the period of his election to Congress he -had never filled a public office. It is generally -the case with our public men that they serve one -or more preliminary terms in one or both -branches of the State Legislature, thus obtaining -a practical knowledge of parliamentary proceedings. -This was not the case with Mr. Webster. -His public career would probably have been still -further postponed but for the unfortunate state -of our relations with England and France for -some years preceding the war of 1812.</p> - -<p>I can only allude very briefly to the causes -which had almost annihilated our commerce and -paralyzed our prosperity. Both England and -France had been guilty of aggressions upon our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> -commercial rights, and the former government -especially had excited indignation by its pretended -right to search American vessels, for British -seamen and deserters. This was intensified -by the retaliatory order of Napoleon, issued Dec. -17, 1807, known as the Milan Décrets, in accordance -with which every vessel, of whatever -nationality, that submitted to be searched, forfeited -its neutral character, and even neutral vessels -sailing between British ports were declared -lawful prizes. Thus America was between two -fires, and there seemed to be small chance of escape -for any. Moreover, Great Britain interdicted -all trade by neutrals between ports not -friendly to her, and the United States was one of -the chief sufferers from the extraordinary assumptions -of the two hostile powers.</p> - -<p>To save our vessels from depredation President -Jefferson recommended what is known as the -Embargo, which prevented the departure of our -vessels from our own ports, and thus of course -suspended our commercial relations with the rest -of the world. The Embargo was never a popular -measure, and its effects were felt to be widely -injurious. I do not propose to discuss the question, -but merely to state that in 1808 Mr. Webster -published a pamphlet upon the Embargo, -and, as his biographer claims, this must be re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>garded -as his first appearance in a public character. -I must refer such of my readers as desire -more fully to understand the condition of public -affairs and the part that the young lawyer took -therein to the first volume of Mr. Curtis’s memoir.</p> - -<p>It may be stated here, however, to explain the -special interest which he felt in the matter, that -Portsmouth, as a seaport, was largely affected -by the suspension of American commerce, and -its citizens felt an interest easily explained in -what was so disastrous to their business prosperity.</p> - -<p>On the Fourth of July, 1812, Mr. Webster -delivered by invitation an oration before the -“Washington Benevolent Society,” of Portsmouth, -in which he discussed in a vigorous way -the policy of the government, which he did not -approve. Sixteen days before Congress had declared -war against England. To this war Mr. -Webster was opposed. Whatever grievances the -government may have suffered from England, he -contended that there was “still more abundant -cause of war against France.” Moreover America -was not prepared for war. The navy had been -suffered to fall into neglect during Jefferson’s -administration, until it was utterly insufficient -for the defense of our coasts and harbors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p> - -<p>On this point he says: “If the plan of Washington -had been pursued, and our navy had been -suffered to grow with the growth of our commerce -and navigation, what a blow might at -this moment be struck, and what protection -yielded, surrounded, as our commerce now is, -with all the dangers of sudden war! Even as it -is, all our immediate hopes of glory or conquest, -all expectation of events that shall gratify the -pride or spirit of the nation, rest on the gallantry -of that little remnant of a navy that has now -gone forth, like lightning, at the beck of Government, -to scour the seas.</p> - -<p>“It will not be a bright page in our history -which relates the total abandonment of all provision -for naval defense by the successors of -Washington. Not to speak of policy and expediency, -it will do no credit to the national faith, -stipulated and plighted as it was to that object -in every way that could make the engagement -solemn and obligatory. So long as our commerce -remains unprotected, and our coasts and harbors -undefended by naval and maritime means, the essential -objects of the Union remain unanswered, -and the just expectation of those who assented -to it, unanswered.</p> - -<p>“A part of our navy has been suffered to go -to entire decay; another part has been passed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> -like an article of useless lumber, under the hammer -of the auctioneer. As if the millennium -had already commenced, our politicians have -beaten their swords into plowshares. They have -actually bargained away in the market essential -means of national defense, and carried the product -to the Treasury. Without loss by accident -or by enemies the second commercial nation in -the world is reduced to the limitation of being -unable to assert the sovereignty of its own seas, -or to protect its navigation in sight of its own -shores. What war and the waves have sometimes -done for others, we have done for ourselves. We -have taken the destruction of our marine out of -the power of fortune, and richly achieved it by -our own counsels.”</p> - -<p>This address made a profound impression, -voicing as it did the general public feeling in New -Hampshire on the subjects of which it treated. It -led to an assembly of the people of Rockingham -County a few weeks later, called to prepare a -memorial to the President protesting against the -war. To this convention Mr. Webster was appointed -a delegate, and it was he who was selected -to draft what has been since known as the -“Rockingham Memorial.”</p> - -<p>One of the most noteworthy passages in this -memorial—noteworthy because it is an early<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> -expression of his devotion to the Union—I find -quoted by Mr. Curtis, and I shall follow his lead -in transferring it to my pages.</p> - -<p>“We are, sir, from principle and habit attached -to the Union of these States. But our -attachment is to the substance, and not to the -form. It is to the good which this Union is capable -of producing, and not to the evil which is -suffered unnaturally to grow out of it. If the -time should ever arrive when this Union shall be -holden together by nothing but the authority of -law; when its incorporating, vital principles shall -become extinct; when its principal exercises shall -consist in acts of power and authority, not of -protection and beneficence; when it shall lose the -strong bond which it hath hitherto had in the -public affections; and when, consequently, we -shall be one, not in interest and mutual regard, -but in name and form only—we, sir, shall look on -that hour as the closing scene of our country’s -prosperity.</p> - -<p>“We shrink from the separation of the States -as an event fraught with incalculable evils, and it -is among our strongest objections to the present -course of measures that they have, in our -opinion, a very dangerous and alarming bearing -on such an event. If a separation of the States -ever should take place, it will be on some occa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>sion -when one portion of the country undertakes -to control, to regulate and to sacrifice the interest -of another; when a small and heated majority -in the Government, taking counsel of -their passions, and not of their reason, contemptuously -disregarding the interests and perhaps -stopping the mouths of a large and respectable -minority, shall by hasty, rash and ruinious measures, -threaten to destroy essential rights, and lay -waste the most important interests.</p> - -<p>“It shall be our most fervent supplication to -Heaven to avert both the event and the occasion; -and the Government may be assured that the tie -that binds us to the Union will never be broken -by us.”</p> - -<p>Even my young readers will be struck by the -judicial calmness, the utter absence of heated -partisanship, which mark the extracts I have -made, and they will recall the passage well known -to every schoolboy—the grand closing passage -of the reply to Hayne.</p> - -<p>As regards style it will be seen that, though -yet a young man, Mr. Webster had made a very -marked advance on the Fourth of July address -which he delivered while yet a college-student. -He was but thirty years old when the memorial -was drafted, and in dignified simplicity and elevation -of tone it was worthy of his later days.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> -The young lawyer, whose time had hitherto been -employed upon cases of trifling moment in a -country town, had been ripening his powers, and -expanding into the intellectual proportions of a -statesman. It was evident at any rate that his -neighbors thought so, for he was nominated as a -Representative to the Thirteenth Congress, in due -time elected, and, as has already been stated, he -first took his seat at a special session called by the -President on the 24th of May, 1813.</p> - -<p>It was in this Congress that Daniel Webster -made the acquaintance of two eminent men, with -whose names his own is now most frequently associated—Henry -Clay, of Kentucky, and John -C. Calhoun, of South Carolina.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a><br /> - -<small>MR. WEBSTER AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS.</small></h2> - - -<p>Before I proceed to speak of Mr. Webster’s -Congressional career, I will make room for a professional -anecdote, which carries with it an excellent -lesson for my young readers.</p> - -<p>I find it in Harvey’s “Reminiscences,” already -alluded to.</p> - -<p>“In the first years of his professional life a -blacksmith called on him for advice respecting -the title to a small estate bequeathed to him by -his father. The terms of the will were peculiar, -and the kind of estate transmitted was doubtful. -An attempt had been made to annull the will. -Mr. Webster examined the case, but was unable -to give a definite opinion upon the matter for -want of authorities. He looked through the law -libraries of Mr. Mason and other legal gentlemen -for authorities, but in vain. He ascertained what -works he needed for consultation, and ordered -them from Boston at an expense of fifty dollars. -He spent the leisure hours of some weeks in -going through them. He successfully argued<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> -the case when it came on for trial, and it was -decided in his favor.</p> - -<p>“The blacksmith was in ecstasies, for his little -all had been at stake. He called for his attorney’s -bill. Mr. Webster, knowing his poverty, -charged him only fifteen dollars, intending to -suffer the loss of money paid out, and to lose the -time expended in securing a verdict. Years -passed away, and the case was forgotten, but not -the treasured knowledge by which it was won. -On one of his journeys to Washington Mr. Webster -spent a few days in New York City. While -he was there Aaron Burr waited on him for advice -in a very important case pending in the -State court. He told him the facts on which it -was founded. Mr. Webster saw in a moment -that it was an exact counterpart to the blacksmith’s -will case. On being asked if he could -state the law applicable to it he at once replied -that he could.</p> - -<p>“He proceeded to quote decisions bearing upon -the case, going back to the time of Charles II. -As he went on with his array of principles and -authorities, all cited with the precision and order -of a table of contents, Mr. Burr arose in astonishment -and asked with some warmth,</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘Mr. Webster, have you been consulted before -in this case?’</p> - -<p>“‘Most certainly not,’ he replied. ‘I never -heard of your case till this evening.’</p> - -<p>“‘Very well,’ said Mr. Burr; ‘proceed.’</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster concluded the rehearsal of his -authorities, and received from Mr. Burr the -warmest praise of his profound knowledge of the -law, and a fee large enough to remunerate him -for all the time and trouble spent on the blacksmith’s -case.”</p> - -<p>I have recorded this anecdote, partly to show -the tenacity of Mr. Webster’s memory, which, -after a lapse of years, enabled him so exactly to -repeat the authorities he had relied upon in an -old case; partly, also, to show how thoroughly he -was wont to prepare himself, even in cases where -he could expect but a small fee. In this case, -not only did he subsequently turn his knowledge -to profitable account, but he lost nothing by the -kindness of heart which prompted him to place -his best powers at the service of an humble client. -My young readers will find that knowledge never -comes amiss, but, in the course of a long and -sometimes of a short life, we are generally able to -employ it for our advantage.</p> - -<p>I come back to Daniel Webster’s entrance upon -Congressional duties.</p> - -<p>He had reached the age of thirty-one, while -Henry Clay, who occupied the Speaker’s chair,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> -was five years older. Mr. Clay came forward -much earlier in public life than his great rival. -Though but thirty-six, he had twice been a member -of the United States Senate, being in each -case elected to serve the balance of an unexpired -term. He had been a member of the Legislature -of Kentucky, and Speaker of that body, and now -he was serving, not for the first time, as Speaker -of the U. S. House of Representatives. John C. -Calhoun was the leading member of the House, -and he as well as Mr. Clay favored the policy of -the administration, both being supporters of the -war. Other distinguished members there were, -among them John McLean, of Ohio; Charles J. -Ingersoll, of Pennsylvania; William Gaston, of -North Carolina, and Felix Grundy, of Tennessee.</p> - -<p>Though Mr. Webster was a new member he -was placed upon the Committee on Foreign Relations, -at that time of course the most important -position which could have been assigned him. -This may be inferred from the names of his fellow -members. He found himself associated with -Calhoun, Grundy, Jackson, Fish and Ingersoll. -He was, as I have stated, not in favor of the war, -but since it had been inaugurated he took the -ground that it should be vigorously prosecuted. -He did not long remain silent, but took his stand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> -both in the committee and in the House as one -who thought the war inexpedient.</p> - -<p>It does not fall within the scope of this volume -to detail the steps which the young member took -in order to impress his views upon his fellow -members; but, as a specimen of his oratory at -that time, and because it will explain them sufficiently, -I quote from a speech made by him in -the regular session during the year 1814:</p> - -<p>“The humble aid which it would be in my -power to render to measures of Government shall -be given cheerfully, if Government will pursue -measures which I can conscientiously support. -Badly as I think of the original grounds of the -war, as well as of the manner in which it has -hitherto been conducted, if even now, failing in -an honest and sincere attempt to procure just -and honorable peace, it will return to measures -of defence and protection such as reason and -common sense and the public opinion all call for, -my vote shall not be withholden from the means. -Give up your futile object of invasion. Extinguish -the fires that blaze on your inland frontier. -Establish perfect safety and defense there by -adequate force. Let every man that sleeps on -your soil sleep in security. Stop the blood that -flows from the veins of unarmed yeomanry and -women and children. Give to the living time to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> -bury and lament their dead in the quietness of -private sorrow.</p> - -<p>“Having performed this work of beneficence -and mercy on your inland border, turn and look -with the eye of justice and compassion on your -vast population along the coast. Unclinch the -iron grasp of your Embargo. Take measures for -that end before another sun sets upon you. With -all the war of the enemy on your commerce, if -you would cease to war on it yourselves you -would still have some commerce. Apply that -revenue to the augmentation of your navy. That -navy will in turn protect your commerce. Let -it no longer be said that not one ship of force, -built by your hands, yet floats upon the ocean.</p> - -<p>“Turn the current of your efforts into the -channel which national sentiment has already -worn broad and deep to receive it. A naval -force, competent to defend your coast against -considerable armaments, to convoy your trade, -and perhaps raise the blockade of your rivers, is -not a chimera. It may be realized. If, then, -the war must be continued, go to the ocean. If -you are seriously contending for maritime rights, -go to the theater where alone those rights can be -defended. Thither every indication of your fortune -points you. There the united wishes and -exertions of the nation will go with you. Even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> -our party divisions, acrimonious as they are, cease -at the water’s edge. They are lost in attachment -to national character on the element where that -character is made respectable. In protecting -naval interests by naval means, you will arm -yourselves with the whole power of national sentiment, -and may command the whole abundance -of the national resources. In time you may enable -yourselves to redress injuries in the place -where they may be offered, and, if need be, to -accompany your own flag throughout the world -with the protection of your own cannon.”</p> - -<p>My young reader, without knowing much about -the matter at issue, will nevertheless be struck -with the statesmanlike character of these utterances. -It is not often that a new member of -Congress is able to discuss public matters with -such fullness of knowledge, and in a tone of such -dignity and elevation of sentiment. His fellow -legislators were not long in learning that the new -member from New Hampshire was no raw novice, -but a publicist of remarkable ability, knowledge, -and a trained orator. In a discussion which -sprang up between Mr. Webster and Mr. Calhoun, -the conceded leader of the House, the -honors were at least divided, if Mr. Webster did -not win the larger portion.</p> - -<p>While the young man was thus coming into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> -national prominence his residence in Washington -helped him in a professional way. He began to -practice in the Supreme Court of the United -States, being employed in several prize cases. -Judge Marshall was at that time chief justice, -and of him the young lawyer formed an exalted -opinion. “I have never seen a man,” he writes, -“of whose intellect I had a higher opinion.”</p> - -<p>On the 18th of April, 1814, the session of Congress -terminated, and Mr. Webster undertook the -long and toilsome journey from Washington to -his New Hampshire home. It was not the same -home which he left when he was called a year -earlier to attend the special session. His house -and library were destroyed by fire, and though -the loss was but six thousand dollars, it was a -severe set-back to a lawyer whose professional income -had never exceeded two thousand dollars. -He bore the loss, however, with equanimity, since -it involved only a loss of money. His talent and -education remained, and these were to earn him -hundreds of thousands of dollars in the years to -come.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.</a><br /> - -<small>JOHN RANDOLPH AND WILLIAM PINKNEY.</small></h2> - - -<p>Mr. Webster served four years in Congress as -a Representative from his native State. He had -reached the age of thirty-one when he entered -the public service, and therefore, though not the -youngest, was among the youngest members of -that important body. As we have seen, though -without previous legislative experience, he advanced -at once to a leading place and took prominent -part in all the discussions of important -questions, his opinions always carrying weight. -He was opposed to the administration and its -war policy, but he opposed it in no factious -spirit.</p> - -<p>He distinguished himself particularly by his -speeches on finance. When a bill was proposed -to establish a national bank, with a capital of fifty -millions of dollars, of which only four millions -was to be specie, and the balance to consist of -Government stocks, then very much depreciated, -Mr. Webster rode forty miles on horseback from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> -Baltimore to Washington, in order to defeat what -he regarded as a scheme to create an irredeemable -paper currency, fraught with widespread -mischief to the country. The vigorous speech -which he made defeated the bill. It is interesting -to record that Mr. Calhoun, when the vote -was announced, walked across the floor of the -House to where Mr. Webster stood, and holding -out both hands to him, told him that he should -rely upon his help to prepare a new bill of -a proper character. When this assurance was -given Mr. Calhoun’s feelings were so stirred that -he burst into tears, so deeply did he feel the importance -of some aid for the Government, which -he felt with Mr. Webster’s co-operation might be -secured.</p> - -<p>It may be stated here that these great men cherished -for each other mutual respect and friendship, -widely as they differed on some points. The -Senator from South Carolina showed this in a notable -manner when he arose from his deathbed -(his death followed in a few days), and sat in his -place to listen to his great friend’s seventh of -March speech, in 1850, looking a wan and spectral -auditor from the next world.</p> - -<p>The battle for sound money which Mr. Webster -fought then has been renewed in later years, -as some of my young readers may be aware. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> -his speeches he showed a thorough mastery of the -subject which he discussed. He showed the evils -of a debased coin, a depreciated paper currency, -and a depressed and falling public credit, and it -is largely due to his efforts that the country -emerged from its chaotic financial condition with -as little injury as it did.</p> - -<p>I have spoken of Mr. Webster’s relations then -and later to Mr. Calhoun. Among the members -of the House representing Virginia was the -famous John Randolph, of Roanoke, with whom -it was difficult for any one to keep on good terms. -He saw fit to take offense at something said by -Mr. Webster, and sent him a challenge. Webster -was never charged by any man with physical -cowardice, but he thoroughly despised the practice -of dueling. He was not to be coerced into -fighting by any fear that cowardice would be imputed -to him. This may seem to us a very trivial -matter, but seventy years ago and even much -later, it required considerable moral courage to -refuse a challenge. I place on record, as likely -to interest my readers, the letter in which Mr. -Webster declined to give satisfaction in the manner -demanded.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>: For having declined to comply with -your demand yesterday in the House for an explanation -of words of a general nature used in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> -debate, you now ‘demand of me that satisfaction -which your insulted feelings require,’ and refer -me to your friend, Mr.——, I presume, as he is -the bearer of your note, for such arrangements as -are usual.</p> - -<p>“This demand for explanation you, in my -judgment, as a matter of right were not entitled -to make on me, nor were the temper and style of -your own reply to my objection to the sugar tax -of a character to induce me to accord it as a matter -of courtesy.</p> - -<p>“Neither can I, under the circumstances of the -case, recognize in you a right to call me to the -field to answer what you may please to consider -an insult to your feelings.</p> - -<p>“It is unnecessary for me to state other and -obvious considerations growing out of this case. -It is enough that I do not feel myself bound at -all times and under any circumstances to accept -from any man who shall choose to risk his own -life an invitation of this sort, although I shall be -always prepared to repel in a suitable manner the -aggression of any man who may presume upon -such a refusal.</p> - -<p class="p10"> -“Your obedient servant,</p> -<p class="p20"> -“<span class="smcap">Daniel Webster</span>.” -</p> - -<p>Mr. Randolph did not press the matter nor did -he presume upon the refusal, but the matter was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> -adjusted amicably. Nearly forty years later a -similar reply to a challenge was sent by a later -Senator from Massachusetts, Henry Wilson, and -in both cases the resolute character of the men -was so well known that no one dared to taunt -the writer with cowardice.</p> - -<p>While upon the subject of physical courage I -am tempted to transcribe from Mr. Harvey’s -interesting volume an anecdote in which the -famous lawyer, William Pinkney, is prominently -mentioned. In answer to the question whether -he ever carried pistols, Mr. Webster answered:</p> - -<p>“No, I never did. I always trusted to my -strong arm, and I do not believe in pistols. -There were some Southern men whose blood was -hot and who got very much excited in debate, -and I used myself to get excited, but I never resorted -to any such extremity as the use of pistols.</p> - -<p>“The nearest I ever came to a downright row -was with Mr. William Pinkney. Mr. Pinkney -was the acknowledged head and leader of the -American bar. He was the great practitioner at -Washington when I was admitted to practice in -the courts there. I found Mr. Pinkney by universal -concession the very head of the bar—a -lawyer of extraordinary accomplishments and -withal a very wonderful man. But with all that -there was something about him that was very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> -small. He did things that one would hardly -think it possible that a gentleman of his breeding -and culture and great weight as a lawyer could do.</p> - -<p>“He was a very vain man. One saw it in -every motion he made. When he came into -court he was dressed in the very extreme of -fashion—almost like a dandy. He would wear -into the court-room his white gloves that had -been put on fresh that morning and that he -never put on again. He usually rode from his -house to the Capitol on horseback, and his overalls -were taken off and given to his servant who -attended him. Pinkney showed in his whole appearance -that he considered himself the great -man of that arena, and that he expected deference -to be paid to him as the acknowledged leader of -the bar. He had a great many satellites—men -of course much less eminent than himself at the -bar—who flattered him, and employed him to -take their briefs and argue their cases, they doing -the work and he receiving the greatest share of -the pay. That was the position that Mr. Pinkney -occupied when I entered the bar at Washington.</p> - -<p>“I was a lawyer who had my living to get, and -I felt that although I should not argue my cases -as well as he could, still, if my clients employed -me they should have the best ability I had to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> -give them, and I should do the work myself. I -did not propose to practice law in the Supreme -Court by proxy. I think that in some pretty -important cases I had Mr. Pinkney rather expected -that I should fall into the current of his -admirers and share my fees with him. This I -utterly refused to do.</p> - -<p>“In some important case (I have forgotten -what the case was) Mr. Pinkney was employed -to argue it against me. I was going to argue it -for my client myself. I had felt that on several -occasions his manner was, to say the least, very -annoying and aggravating. My intercourse with -him, so far as I had any, was always marked with -great courtesy and deference. I regarded him as -the leader of the American bar; he had that reputation -and justly. He was a very great lawyer. -On the occasion to which I refer, in some colloquial -discussion upon various minor points of the -case he treated me with contempt. He pooh-poohed, -as much as to say it was not worth while -to argue a point that I did not know anything -about, that I was no lawyer. I think he spoke -of ‘the gentleman from New Hampshire.’ At -any rate, it was a thing that everybody in the -court-house, including the judges, could not fail -to observe. Chief Justice Marshall himself was -pained by it. It was very hard for me to restrain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> -my temper and keep cool, but I did so, knowing -in what presence I stood. I think he construed -my apparent humility into a want of what he -would call spirit in resisting, and as a sort of acquiescence -in his rule.</p> - -<p>“However the incident passed, the case was -not finished when the hour for adjournment -came, and the court adjourned until the next -morning.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Pinkney took his whip and gloves, threw -his cloak over his arm, and began to saunter -away.</p> - -<p>“I went up to him and said very calmly, ‘Can -I see you alone in one of the lobbies?’</p> - -<p>“He replied, ‘Certainly.’ I suppose he thought -I was going to beg his pardon and ask his assistance. -We passed one of the anterooms of the -Capitol. I looked into one of the grand jury -rooms, rather remote from the main court-room. -There was no one in it, and we entered. As we -did so I looked at the door, and found that there -was a key in the lock; and, unobserved by him, -I turned the key and put it in my pocket. Mr. -Pinkney seemed to be waiting in some astonishment.</p> - -<p>“I advanced towards him and said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> ‘Mr. -Pinkney, you grossly insulted me in the court-room, -and not for the first time either. In deference -to your position, and to the respect in -which I hold the court, I did not answer you as -I was tempted to do on the spot.’</p> - -<p>“He began to parley.</p> - -<p>“I continued. ‘You know you did; don’t add -another sin to that; don’t deny it; you know -you did it, and you know it was premeditated. -It was deliberate; it was purposely done; and if -you deny it, you state an untruth. Now,’ I -went on, ‘I am here to say to you, once for all, -that you must ask my pardon, and go into court -to-morrow morning and repeat the apology, or -else either you or I will go out of this room in a -different condition from that in which we entered -it.’</p> - -<p>“I was never more in earnest. He looked at -me, and saw that my eyes were pretty dark and -firm. He began to say something. I interrupted -him.</p> - -<p>“‘No explanation,’ said I; ‘admit the fact, -and take it back. I do not want another word -from you except that. I will hear no explanation; -nothing but that you admit it and recall it.’</p> - -<p>“He trembled like an aspen leaf. He again -attempted to explain.</p> - -<p>“Said I,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> ‘There is no other course. I have -the key in my pocket, and you must apologize, -or take what I give you.’</p> - -<p>“At that he humbled down, and said to me: -‘You are right, I am sorry; I did intend to bluff -you; I regret it, and ask your pardon.’</p> - -<p>“‘Enough,’ I promptly replied. ‘Now, one -promise before I open the door; and that is, that -you will to-morrow state to the court that you -have said things which wounded my feelings, -and that you regret it.’</p> - -<p>“Pinkney replied, ‘I will do so.’</p> - -<p>“Then I unlocked the door, and passed out.</p> - -<p>“The next morning, when the court met, Mr. -Pinkney at once rose, and stated to the court -that a very unpleasant affair had occurred the -morning before, as might have been observed by -their honors; that his friend, Mr. Webster, had -felt grieved at some things which had dropped -from his lips; that his zeal for his client might -have led him to say some things which he -should not have said, and that he was sorry for -having thus spoken.’</p> - -<p>“From that day,” adds Mr. Webster, “there -was no man who treated me with so much respect -and deference as Mr. William Pinkney.”</p> - -<p>I have recorded this anecdote that my young -readers may understand clearly that the young -lawyer was manly and self-respecting, and declined -the method of satisfaction then in vogue -from high and honorable motives.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.</a><br /> - -<small>MR. WEBSTER IN BOSTON.</small></h2> - - -<p>Before his second Congressional term had expired, -Mr. Webster carried out a plan which was -first suggested by the destruction of his house -and library. His talents demanded a wider -arena. Moreover, his growing family necessitated -a style of living for which his professional -income was insufficient. Happily as his life had -flowed on in the chief town in his native State, -he felt that he must seek a new residence. For -a time he hesitated between Albany and Boston, -but happily for the latter he decided in its favor, -and in August, 1816, he removed thither with -his family, fixing his home in a house on Mt. -Vernon Street, but a few rods from the State -House.</p> - -<p>It mattered not where Daniel Webster might -choose to locate himself, he was sure to take at -once a leading position both as a lawyer and a -man. He was now thirty-four years old. He -had outlived his early delicacy, and began to as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>sume -that dignity and majesty of mein which -made him everywhere a marked man. Appearances -are oftentimes deceptive, but in his case it -was not so. That outward majesty which has -been quaintly described in the statement that -“when Daniel Webster walked the streets of -Boston he made the buildings look small,” was -but the sign and manifestation of a corresponding -intellectual greatness. By his removal New -Hampshire lost her greatest son, and Boston -gained its foremost citizen.</p> - -<p>His expectations of a largely increased professional -income were fully realized. In Portsmouth -his fees had never exceeded two thousand -dollars per year. The third year after his removal -his fee-book foots up over fifteen thousand -dollars as the receipts of a single year, and -this record is probably incomplete. His biographer, -Mr. Curtis, says: “I am satisfied that -his income, from 1818 until he again entered -Congress in 1823, could not have been on an -average less than $20,000 a year, though the -customary fees of such counsel at that time were -about one half of what they are now.” Now, for -the first time, he was able to pay in full his -father’s debts, which he had voluntarily assumed, -declining to have his small estate thrown into -bankruptcy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> - -<p>I shall have occasion, hereafter, to point out -with regret the fact that his expenses increased -even more rapidly than his income, and that -he voluntarily incurred debts and pecuniary obligations -which all his life long harassed him, and -held him in an entirely unnecessary thraldom. -On the subject of national finance Mr. Webster, -as we have seen, held the soundest views; but in -the management of his own finances, for the -larger portion of his active life he displayed an -incapacity to control his expenditures and confine -them within his income which caused his -best friends to grieve. In this respect, at any -rate, I cannot present the hero whom we so -deservedly admire as a model.</p> - -<p>The large increase in Mr. Webster’s income is -sufficient to prove that he was employed in the -most important cases. But fifteen years had -elapsed since, as a raw graduate of a country -college, he humbly sought an opportunity to -study in the office of a well-known Boston lawyer. -Now he took his place at the bar, and rapidly -gained a much higher position than the man who -had kindly extended to him a welcome. It is to -the credit of Mr. Gore’s ability to read character -and judge of ability that he foresaw and predicted -all this when through his influence his student -was led to decline the clerkship of a New Hamp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>shire -court, which then would have filled the -measure of his ambition.</p> - -<p>And how was all this gained? I can assure -my young readers that no great lawyer, no great -writer, no great member of any profession, -lounges into greatness. Daniel Webster worked, -and worked hard. He rose early, not only because -it gave him an opportunity of doing considerable -while he was fresh and elastic, but -because he had a country boy’s love of nature. -Whether in city or country, the early morning -hours were dear to him. As Mr. Lee says, -“He did a large amount of work before others -were awake in the house, and in the evening he -was ready for that sweet sleep which ‘God gives -to his beloved.’”</p> - -<p>During the period which elapsed between his -arrival in Boston and his return to Congress as -a Representative of his adopted city his life was -crowded, and he appeared in many notable cases. -But there was one which merits special mention, -because he was enabled to do a great service to -the college where he had been educated, and -prove himself in a signal manner a grateful and -loyal son.</p> - -<p>Of the celebrated Dartmouth College case I -do not consider it necessary for my present purpose -to speak in detail. It is sufficient to say<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> -that it was menaced with a serious peril. The -chartered rights of the college were threatened -by legislative interference; nay, more, an act was -passed, and pronounced valid by the courts of -New Hampshire, which imperilled the usefulness -and prosperity of the institution. The -matter was carried before the Supreme Court of -the United States, and Mr. Webster’s services -were secured. The argument which he made on -that occasion established his reputation as a great -lawyer. The closing portion was listened to with -absorbing interest. It was marked by deep feeling -on the part of the speaker. It is as follows:</p> - -<p>“This, sir, is my case. It is the case not -merely of that humble institution, it is the case -of every college in our land; it is more, it is the -case of every eleemosynary institution throughout -our country—of all those great charities -founded by the piety of our ancestors, to alleviate -human misery, and scatter blessings along the -pathway of life. It is more! It is, in some -sense, the case of every man among us who has -property of which he may stripped, for the question -is simply this: ‘Shall our State Legislatures -be allowed to take that which is not their own, -to turn it from its original use, and apply it to -such ends or purposes as they in their discretion -shall see fit?’</p> - -<p>“Sir, you may destroy this little institution;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> -it is weak; it is in your hands. I know it is one -of the lesser lights in the literary horizon of our -country. You may put it out. But if you do -so, you must carry through your work! You -must extinguish, one after another, all those -greater lights of science which, for more than a -century, have thrown their light over our land!</p> - -<p>“It is, sir, as I have said, a small college, and -yet there are those who love it—”</p> - -<p>Here the orator was overcome by emotion. -His lips quivered, and his eyes filled with tears. -The effect was extraordinary. All who heard -him, from Chief Justice Marshall to the humblest -attendant, were borne away on the tide of -emotion as he gave expression in a few broken -words to the tenderness which he felt for his -Alma Mater.</p> - -<p>When he recovered his composure, he continued -in deep, thrilling tones, “Sir, I know not -how others may feel, but for myself, when I see -my Alma Mater surrounded, like Cæsar in the -Senate-house, by those who are reiterating stab -after stab, I would not, for this right hand, have -her turn to me, and say, ’Et tu quoque mi fili! -And thou too, my son!’”</p> - -<p>This speech, which was masterly in point of -logic as well as a powerful appeal to the feelings, -was successful, and the opponents of the college -were disastrously defeated.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.</a><br /> - -<small>THE ORATION AT PLYMOUTH.</small></h2> - - -<p>The three-fold character in which Daniel -Webster achieved greatness was as lawyer, orator -and statesman. In this respect he must be placed -at the head of the immortal three whose names -are usually conjoined. Mr. Calhoun did not pretend -to be a lawyer, and Mr. Clay, though he -practiced law, possessed but a small share of legal -erudition, and when he gained cases, was indebted -to his eloquence rather than to his mastery of the -legal points involved. Both, however, may claim -to be orators and statesmen, but even in these -respects it is probable that the highest place -would be accorded to their great compeer.</p> - -<p>Up to the age of thirty-eight Mr. Webster had -not vindicated his claim to the title of a great -orator. In Congress and in his profession he had -shown himself a powerful, eloquent and convincing -speaker, but it was not until he delivered at -Plymouth his celebrated discourse on the two -hundredth anniversary of the settlement that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> -established his fame as a great anniversary orator.</p> - -<p>Probably no better selection of an orator could -have been made. The circumstances of his own -early career, born and brought up as he was on -the sterile soil of one of the original States of -New England, trained like the first settlers in the -rugged school of poverty and simplicity, wresting -a bare subsistence from unwilling nature, he -could enter into the feelings of those hardy men -who brought the seeds of civilization and civil -liberty from the shores of the Old World to find -a lodgment for them in the soil of the New. -He could appreciate and admire the spirit which -actuated them, and no one was more likely to set -a proper value on the results they achieved.</p> - -<p>So, by a happy conjuncture, the orator fitted -the occasion, and the occasion was of a character -to draw forth the best powers of the orator. It -gave him an opportunity to pay a fitting tribute -to the virtues of the stern but conscientious and -deeply religious men, who had their faults indeed, -but who in spite of them will always receive not -only from their descendants but from the world -a high measure of respect. Of the oration, the -manner in which it was delivered, and its effect -upon his audience, we have this account by an -eye and ear witness, Mr. Ticknor:</p> - -<p>“In the morning I went with Mr. Webster to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> -the church where he was to deliver the oration. -It was the old First Church—Dr. Kendall’s. -He did not find the pulpit convenient for his -purpose, and after making two or three experiments, -determined to speak from the deacon’s -seat under it. An extemporaneous table, covered -with a green baize cloth, was arranged for the -occasion, and when the procession entered the -church everything looked very appropriate, -though when the arrangement was first suggested -it sounded rather odd.</p> - -<p>“The building was crowded; indeed, the -streets had seemed so all the morning, for the -weather was fine, and the whole population was -astir as for a holiday. The oration was an hour -and fifty minutes long, but the whole of what -was printed a year afterwards (for a year before -it made its appearance) was not delivered. His -manner was very fine—quite various in the different -parts. The passage about the slave trade -was delivered with a power of indignation such -as I never witnessed on any other occasion. -That at the end when, spreading his arms as if -to embrace them, he welcomed future generations -to the great inheritance which we have enjoyed, -was spoken with the most attractive sweetness, -and that peculiar smile which in him was always -so charming.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The effect of the whole was very great. As -soon as he got home to our lodgings all the -principal people then in Plymouth crowded about -him. He was full of animation and radiant with -happiness. But there was something about him -very grand and imposing at the same time. In -a letter which I wrote the same day I said -that ‘he seemed as if he were like the mount that -might not be touched, and that burned with fire.’ -I have the same recollection of him still. I never -saw him at any time when he seemed to me to -be more conscious of his own powers, or to have -a more true and natural enjoyment from their -possession.”</p> - -<p>The occasion will always be memorable, for on -that day it was revealed to the world that America -possessed an orator fit to be ranked with the -greatest orators of ancient or modern times. A -year afterwards John Adams, in a letter to Mr. -Webster, said of it: “It is the effort of a great -mind, richly stored with every species of information. -If there be an American who can read -it without tears I am not that American. It enters -more perfectly into the genuine spirit of -New England than any production I ever read. -The observations on the Greeks and Romans; on -colonization in general; on the West India Islands; -on the past, present and future of Amer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>ica, -and on the slave trade are sagacious, profound -and affecting in a high degree. Mr. Burke is -no longer entitled to the praise, the most consummate -orator of modern times. This oration -will be read five hundred years hence with as -much rapture as it was heard. It ought to be -read at the end of every century, and indeed at -the end of every year, forever and ever.”</p> - -<p>This testimony is the more interesting because -the writer less then five years later was himself, -with his great contemporary, Mr. Jefferson, to be -the subject of an address which will always be -reckoned as one of Webster’s masterpieces.</p> - -<p>And now, since many of my young readers -will never read the Plymouth oration, I surrender -the rest of this chapter to two extracts which may -give them an idea of its high merits.</p> - -<p>“There are enterprises, military as well as -civil, which sometimes check the current of -events, give a new turn to human affairs, and -transmit their consequences through ages. We -see their importance in their results, and call -them great because great things follow. There -have been battles which have fixed the fate of -nations. These come down to us in history with -a solid and permanent interest, not created by a -display of glittering armor, the rush of adverse -battalions, the sinking and rising of pennons, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> -flight, the pursuit and the victory; but by -their effect in advancing or retarding human -knowledge, in overthrowing or establishing despotism, -in extending or destroying human happiness.</p> - -<p>“When the traveler pauses on the plain of -Marathon, what are the emotions which most -strongly agitate his breast? What is that glorious -recollection which thrills through his frame and -suffuses his eyes? Not, I imagine, that Grecian -skill and Grecian valor were here most signally -displayed, but that Greece herself was here displayed. -It is because to this spot, and to the -event which has rendered it immortal, he refers -all the succeeding glories of the republic. It is -because, if that day had gone otherwise, Greece -had perished. It is because he perceives that her -philosophers and orators, her poets and painters, -her sculptors and architects, her government and -free institutions, point backward to Marathon, -and that their future existence seems to have been -suspended on the contingency whether the Persian -or the Grecian banner should wave victorious -in the beams of that day’s setting sun. And, as -his imagination kindles at the retrospect, he is -transported back to the interesting moment, he -counts the fearful odds of the contending hosts, -his interest for the result overwhelms him, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> -trembles as if it were still uncertain, and grows -to doubt whether he may consider Socrates and -Plato, Demosthenes, Sophocles and Phidias, as -secure yet to himself and the world.</p> - -<p>“‘If God prosper us,’ might have been the appropriate -language of our fathers when they -landed upon this Rock. If God prosper us, we -shall begin a work which shall last for ages; we -shall plant here a new society in the principles -of the fullest liberty and the purest religion; we -shall fill this region of the great continent, which -stretches almost from pole to pole, with civilization -and Christianity; the temples of the true -God shall rise, where now ascends the smoke of -idolatrous sacrifice; fields and gardens, the flowers -of summer and the waving and golden harvest -of autumn shall extend over a thousand hills and -stretch along a thousand valleys never yet, since -the creation, reclaimed to the use of civilized -man.</p> - -<p>“We shall whiten this coast with the canvas of -a prosperous commerce; we shall stud the long -and winding shore with a hundred cities. That -which we sow in weakness shall be raised in -strength. From our sincere but houseless worship -there shall spring splendid temples to record God’s -goodness, and from the simplicity of our social -unions there shall arise wise and politic constitu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>tions -of government, full of the liberty which -we ourselves bring and breathe; from our zeal -for learning institutions shall spring which shall -scatter the light of knowledge throughout the -land, and, in time, paying back where they have -borrowed, shall contribute their part to the great -aggregate of human knowledge; and our descendants -through all generations shall look back -to this spot, and to this hour, with unabated -affection and regard.”</p> - -<p>I close with the solemn and impressive peroration -in which the orator addresses those who are -to come after him.</p> - -<p>“Advance then, ye future generations! We -would hail you as you rise in your long succession -to fill the places which we now fill, and to -taste the blessings of existence where we are -passing, and soon shall have passed, our own -human duration. We bid you welcome to this -pleasant land of the fathers. We bid you welcome -to the healthful skies and the verdant fields -of New England. We greet your accession to -the great inheritance which we have enjoyed. -We welcome you to the blessings of good government -and religious liberty. We welcome you to -the treasures of science and the delights of learning. -We welcome you to the transcendent sweets -of domestic life, to the happiness of kindred and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> -parents and children. We welcome you to the -immeasurable blessings of rational existence, the -immortal hope of Christianity, and the light of -everlasting truth!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.</a><br /> - -<small>THE BUNKER HILL ORATION.</small></h2> - - -<p>The oration at Plymouth first revealed the -power of Mr. Webster. There are some men -who exhaust themselves in one speech, one poem, -or one story, and never attain again the high -level which they have once reached.</p> - -<p>It was not so with Daniel Webster. He had -a fund of reserved power which great occasions -never drew upon in vain. It might be that in -an ordinary case in court, where his feelings -were not aroused, and no fitting demand made -upon his great abilities, he would disappoint -the expectations of those who supposed that he -must always be eloquent. I heard a gentleman -say once, “Oh, I heard Mr. Webster speak once, -and his speech was commonplace enough.”</p> - -<p>“On what occasion?”</p> - -<p>“In court.”</p> - -<p>“What was the case?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t remember—some mercantile -case.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p> - -<p>It would certainly be unreasonable to expect -any man to invest dry commercial details with -eloquence. Certainly a lawyer always ambitious -in his rhetoric would hardly commend himself -to a sound, sensible client.</p> - -<p>But Mr. Webster always rose to the level of a -great occasion. His occasional speeches were always -carefully prepared and finished, and there is -not one of them but will live. I now have to -call special attention to the address delivered at -the laying of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill -Monument, at Charlestown, June 17, 1825. It -was an occasion from which he could not help -drawing inspiration. His father, now dead, -whom he had loved and revered as few sons love -and revere their parents, had been a participant, -not indeed in the battle which the granite shaft -was to commemorate, but in the struggle which -the colonists waged for liberty. It may well be -imagined that Mr. Webster gazed with no common -emotion at the veterans who were present to -hear their patriotism celebrated. Though the -passages addressed to them—in part at least—are -familiar to many of my readers, I will nevertheless -quote them here. Apart from their subject -they will never be forgotten by Americans.</p> - -<p>“Venerable men! you have come down to us -from a former generation. Heaven has boun<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>teously -lengthened out your lives that you might -behold this joyous day. You are now where you -stood fifty years ago, this very hour, with your -brothers and your neighbors, shoulder to shoulder -in the strife of your country. Behold how -altered! The same heavens are indeed over your -heads; the same ocean rolls at your feet; but all -else how changed! You hear now no roar of -hostile cannon, you see now no mixed volumes of -smoke and flame rising from burning Charlestown. -The ground strewed with the dead and -the dying; the impetuous charge; the steady -and successful repulse; the loud call to repeated -assault; the summoning of all that is manly to -repeated resistance; a thousand bosoms freely and -fearlessly bared in an instant to whatever of terror -there may be in war and death—all these you have -witnessed, but you witness them no more.</p> - -<p>“All is peace. The heights of yonder metropolis, -its towers and roofs, which you then saw -filled with wives and children and countrymen in -distress and terror, and looking with unutterable -emotions for the issue of the combat, have presented -you to-day with the sight of its whole happy -population come out to welcome and greet you -with an universal jubilee. Yonder proud ships, by -a felicity of position appropriately lying at the foot -of this mound, and seeming fondly to cling around<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> -it, are not means of annoyance to you, but your -country’s own means of distinction and defense. -All is peace, and God has granted you this sight -of your country’s happiness ere you slumber forever -in the grave; he has allowed you to behold -and to partake the reward of your patriotic toils; -and he has allowed us, your sons and countrymen, -to meet you here, and in the name of the present -generation, in the name of your country, in the -name of liberty, to thank you!</p> - -<p>“But, alas! you are not all here! Time and -the sword have thinned your ranks. Prescott, -Putnam, Stark, Brooks, Read, Pomeroy, Bridge! -our eyes seek for you in vain amid this broken -band. You are gathered to your fathers, and -live only to your country in her grateful remembrance -and your own bright example. But let -us not too much grieve that you have met the -common fate of men. You lived at least long -enough to know that your work had been nobly -and successfully accomplished. You lived to see -your country’s independence established, and to -sheathe your swords from war. On the light of -liberty you saw arise the light of peace, like</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent6">‘another morn,</div> -<div class="verse">Risen on mid-noon;’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>and the sky on which you closed your eyes was -cloudless.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p> - -<p>After a tribute to General Warren ‘the first -great martyr in this great cause,’ Mr. Webster proceeds:</p> - -<p>“Veterans, you are the remnants of many a -well-fought field. You bring with you marks of -honor from Trenton and Monmouth, from -Yorktown, Camden,. Bennington and Saratoga. -Veterans of half a century, when in your youthful -days you put everything at hazard in your -country’s cause, good as that cause was, and sanguine -as youth is, still your fondest hopes did not -stretch onward to an hour like this. At a period -to which you could not reasonably have expected -to arrive, at a moment of national prosperity such -as you could never have foreseen, you are now -met here to enjoy the fellowship of old soldiers, -and to receive the overflowings of an universal -gratitude.</p> - -<p>“But your agitated countenances and your -heaving breasts inform me that even this is not -an unmixed joy. I perceive that a tumult of contending -feelings rushes upon you. The images -of the dead, as well as the persons of the living, -throng to your embraces. The scene overwhelms -you, and I turn from it. May the Father of all -mercies smile upon your declining years and bless -them! And when you shall here have exchanged -your embraces, when you shall once more have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> -pressed the hands which have been so often extended -to give succor in adversity, or grasped in -the exultation of victory, then look abroad into -this lovely land which your young valor defended, -and mark the happiness with which it is -filled; yea, look abroad into the whole earth, and -see what a name you have contributed to give your -country, and what a praise you have added to -freedom, and then rejoice in the sympathy and -gratitude which beam upon your last days from -the improved condition of mankind!”</p> - -<p>Not only were there war-scarred veterans present -to listen entranced to the glowing periods of -the inspired orator, but there was an eminent -friend of America, a son of France, General -Lafayette, who sat in a conspicuous seat and attracted -the notice of all. To him the orator -addressed himself in a manner no less impressive.</p> - -<p>“Fortunate, fortunate man! with what measure -of devotion will you not thank God for the circumstances -of your extraordinary life! You are -connected with both hemispheres, and with two -generations. Heaven saw fit to ordain that the -electric spark of liberty should be conducted, -through you, from the New World to the Old; -and we, who are now here to perform this duty -of patriotism, have all of us long ago received it -in charge from our fathers to cherish your name<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> -and your virtues. You will account it an instance -of your good fortune, sir, that you crossed the -seas to visit us at a time which enables you to be -present at this solemnity. You now behold the -field, the renown of which reached you in the -heart of France, and caused a thrill in your ardent -bosom; you see the lines of the little redoubt -thrown up by the incredible diligence of Prescott, -defended to the last extremity by his lion-hearted -valor, and within which the corner-stone of our -monument has now taken its position. You see -where Warren fell, and where Parker, Gardner, -McCleary, Moore and other early patriots fell with -him. Those who survived that day, and whose -lives have been prolonged to the present hour, are -now around you. Some of them you have known -in the trying scenes of the war. Behold! They -now stretch forth their feeble arms to embrace -you. Behold! They raise their trembling voices -to invoke the blessing of God on you and yours -forever.”</p> - -<p>I should like to increase my quotations, but -space will not permit. I have quoted enough to -give my young readers an idea of this masterly -address. When next they visit the hill where -the monument stands complete, let them try to -picture to themselves how it looked on that occasion -when, from the platform where he stood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> -Mr. Webster, with his clarion voice, facing the -thousands who were seated before him on the -rising hillside, and the other thousands who stood -at the summit, spoke these eloquent words. Let -them imagine the veteran soldiers, and the white-haired -and venerable Lafayette, and they can -better understand the effect which this address -made on the eager and entranced listeners. They -will not wonder at the tears which gathered in the -eyes of the old soldiers as they bowed their heads -to conceal their emotions. Surely there was no -other man in America who could so admirably -have improved the occasion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.</a><br /> - -<small>ADAMS AND JEFFERSON.</small></h2> - - -<p>July 4, 1826, was a memorable day. It was -the fiftieth anniversary of American Independence, -and for that reason, if no other, it was -likely to be a day of note. But, by a singular -coincidence, two eminent Americans, fathers of -the republic, both of whom had filled the Presidency, -yielded up their lives.</p> - -<p>When John Adams was dying at Quincy, in -Massachusetts, he spoke of his great countryman, -Thomas Jefferson, who he naturally supposed -was to survive him. But the same day, -and that the natal day of the republic, brought -the illustrious career of each to a close. Not -untimely, for John Adams had passed the age of -ninety, and Jefferson was but a few years -younger.</p> - -<p>Those were not the days of telegraphs nor of -railroads, and the news had to be conveyed by -stage-coaches, so that it was perhaps a month -before the country through its large extent knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> -of the double loss which it had sustained. It -was certainly by a most remarkable coincidence -that these two great leaders, representing the -two political parties which divided the country, -but one in their devotion to the common welfare, -passed from earthly scenes on the same anniversary. -It was no wonder that they were the -subjects of public addresses and sermons throughout -the United States.</p> - -<p>Of all those addresses but one is remembered -to-day. It was the oration delivered by Daniel -Webster on the 2d of August, 1826. This too -was an anniversary, the anniversary of the day -when the Declaration of Independence had been -engrossed by the Revolutionary Congress.</p> - -<p>As the circumstances attending the delivery -of this oration will be new to my young readers, -I quote from Mr. Ticknor’s description, as I find -it in Mr. Curtis’s Life of Mr. Webster. After detailing -an interview, in which Mr. Webster read -him in advance some portions of the oration, he -proceeds:</p> - -<p>“The next day, the 2d of August, the weather -was fine, and the concourse to hear him immense. -It was the first time that Faneuil Hall -had been draped in mourning. The scene was -very solemn, though the light of day was not excluded. -Settees had been placed over the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> -area of the hall; the large platform was occupied -by many of the most distinguished men in New -England, and, as it was intended that everything -should be conducted with as much quietness as -possible, the doors were closed when the procession -had entered, and every part of the hall -and galleries was filled. This was a mistake in -the arrangements; the crowd on the outside, -thinking that some space must still be left within, -became very uneasy, and finally grew so -tumultuous and noisy that the solemnities were -interrupted. The police in vain attempted to -restore order. It seemed as if confusion would -prevail. Mr. Webster perceived that there was -but one thing to be done. He advanced to the -front of the stage, and said in a voice easily -heard above the noise of tumult without and of -alarm within, ‘<em>Let those doors be opened</em>.’</p> - -<p>“The power and authority of his manner were -irresistible; the doors were opened, though with -difficulty, from the pressure of the crowd on -the outside; but after the first rush everything -was quiet, and the order during the rest of the -performance was perfect.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster spoke in an orator’s gown and -wore small-clothes. He was in the perfection of -his manly beauty and strength, his form filled -out to its finest proportions, and his bearing, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> -he stood before the vast multitude, that of absolute -dignity and power. His manuscript lay on -a small table near him, but I think he did not -once refer to it. His manner of speaking was -deliberate and commanding. When he came to -the passage on eloquence, and to the words, ‘It -is action, noble, sublime, godlike action,’ he -stamped his foot repeatedly on the stage, his -form seemed to dilate, and he stood, as that -whole audience saw and felt, the personification -of what he so perfectly described. I never saw -him when his manner was so grand and appropriate.</p> - -<p>“The two speeches attributed to Mr. Adams -and his opponent attracted great attention from -the first. Soon they were put into school-books, -as specimens of English, and of eloquence. In -time men began to believe they were genuine -speeches, made by genuine men who were in the -Congress of ’76; and at last Mr. Webster received -letters asking whether such was the fact -or not. In January, 1846, he sent me from -Washington a letter he had just received, dated -at Auburn, begging him to solve the doubt. -With it he sent me his answer, which is published -in his works, saying:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> ‘The accompanying -letter and copy of answer respect a question -which has been often asked me. I place them -in your hands, to serve if similar inquiries should -be made of you.’ Two months after, in March -of the same year, he sent me a letter from Bangor, -in Maine, asking the same question, beginning -the note which accompanied it with these -words: ‘Here comes another; I cannot possibly -answer all of them, one after another.’ Indeed -he continued to receive such letters until the -edition of his works was published in 1851, -though the matter was repeatedly discussed and -explained in the newspapers. The fact is, that -the speech he wrote for John Adams has such -an air of truth and reality about it, that only a -genius like Mr. Webster, perfectly familiar with -whatever relates to the Revolution, and indeed -with its spirit, could have written it.”</p> - -<p>There is hardly a schoolboy who reads this -book who has not declaimed his famous speech, -beginning, ‘Sink or swim, live or die, survive or -perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote.’ -It is hard to believe that this noble and impressive -speech, so true to the sturdy character of -Mr. Adams, and so appropriate to the occasion, -was written by Mr. Webster one morning, before -breakfast, in his library. It is also surprising -that the orator was not certain whether it really -had merit or not, and read it to Mr. Ticknor for -his opinion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p> - -<p>Though parts of this speech are familiar, I -shall nevertheless conclude my chapter with the -exordium, since it will be read with fresh interest -in this connection.</p> - -<p>“This is an unaccustomed spectacle. For the -first time, fellow citizens, badges of mourning -shroud the columns and overhang the arches of -this hall. These walls, which were consecrated -so long ago to the cause of American liberty, -which witnessed her infant struggles, and rang -with the shouts of her earliest victories, proclaim -now that distinguished friends and champions -of that great cause have fallen. It is right -that it should be thus. The tears which flow -and the honors which are paid when the founders -of the republic die give hope that the republic -itself may be immortal. It is fit that by -public assembly and solemn observance, by anthem -and by eulogy, we commemorate the services -of national benefactors, extol their virtues, -and render thanks to God for eminent blessings, -early given and long continued, to our favored -country.</p> - -<p>“Adams and Jefferson are no more, and we -are assembled, fellow citizens, the aged, the -middle-aged, and the young, by the spontaneous -impulse of all, under the authority of the municipal -government, with the presence of the chief<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> -magistrate of the commonwealth and others, its -official representatives, the university, and the -learned societies, to bear our part in the manifestations -of respect and gratitude which universally -pervade the land. Adams and Jefferson -are no more. On our fiftieth anniversary, the -great day of national jubilee, in the very hour of -public rejoicing, in the midst of echoing and re-echoing -voices of thanksgiving, while their own -names were on all tongues, they took their flight -together to the world of spirits.</p> - -<p>“If it be true that no one can safely be pronounced -happy while he lives, if that event -which terminates life can alone crown its honor -and its glory, what felicity is here! The great -epic of their lives how happily concluded! -Poetry itself has hardly closed illustrious lives -and finished the career of earthly renown by -such a consummation. If we had the power, we -could not wish to reverse this dispensation of -Divine Providence. The great objects of life -were accomplished, the drama was ready to be -closed. It has closed; our patriots have fallen; -but so fallen, at such age, with such coincidence, -on such a day, that we cannot rationally lament -that that end has come, which we know could not -long be deferred.</p> - -<p>“Neither of these great men, fellow citizens,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> -could have died at any time without leaving an -immense void in our American society. They -have been so intimately, and for so long a time, -blended with the history of the country, and -especially so united in our thoughts and recollections -with the events of the Revolution, that the -death of either would have touched the strings -of public sympathy. We should have felt that -one great link connecting us with former times -was broken; that we had lost something more, as -it were, of the presence of the Revolution itself -and of the Act of Independence, and were driven -on by another great remove from the days of -our country’s early distinction, to meet posterity -and to mix with the future. Like the mariner, -whom the ocean and the winds carry along, till -he sees the stars which have directed his course -and lighted his pathless way descend one by one -beneath the rising horizon, we should have felt -that the stream of time had borne us onward till -another great luminary, whose light had cheered -us and whose guidance we had followed, had -sunk from our sight.</p> - -<p>“But the concurrence of their death on -the anniversary of independence has naturally -awakened stronger emotions. Both had been -presidents, both were early patriots, and both -were distinguished and ever honored by their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> -immediate agency in the act of independence. -It cannot but seem striking and extraordinary -that these two should live to see the fiftieth year -from the date of that act; that they should complete -that year; and that then, on the day which -had just linked forever their own fame with their -country’s glory, the heavens should open to receive -them both at once. As their lives themselves -were the gifts of Providence, who is not -willing to recognize in their happy termination, -as well as in their long continuance, proofs that -our country and its benefactors are objects of His -care?”</p> - -<p>Towards the close of the oration we find a -striking passage familiar to many, and justly admired, -touching the duties which devolve upon -the favored citizens of the United States.</p> - -<p>“This lovely land, this glorious liberty, these -benign institutions, the dear purchase of our -fathers, are ours; ours to enjoy, ours to preserve, -ours to transmit. Generations past and generations -to come hold us responsible for this -sacred trust. Our fathers from behind admonish -us with their anxious paternal voices; -posterity calls out to us from the bosom of the -future; the world turns hither its solicitous -eyes; all, all conjure us to act wisely and faithfully -in the relation which we sustain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We can never, indeed, pay the debt which is -upon us; but, by virtue, by morality, by religion, -by the cultivation of every good principle and -every good habit, we may hope to enjoy the -blessing through our day, and to leave it unimpaired -to our children. Let us feel deeply -how much of what we are, and of what we -possess, we owe to this liberty, and to these -institutions of government. Nature has indeed -given us a soil which yields bounteously to the -hands of industry, the mighty and fruitful ocean -is before us, and the skies over our heads shed -health and vigor. But what are lands, and skies, -and seas to civilized man, without society, without -knowledge, without morals, without religious -culture? and how can these be enjoyed, in all -their extent and all their excellence, but under -the protection of wise institutions and a free government? -Fellow citizens, there is not one of -us, there is not one of us here present, who does -not at this moment, and every moment, experience -in his own condition, and in the condition -of those most near and dear to him, the influence -and the benefits of this liberty and these institutions. -Let us then acknowledge the blessing, -let us feel it deeply and powerfully, let us -cherish a strong affection for it, and resolve to -maintain and perpetuate it. The blood of our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> -fathers, let it not have been shed in vain; the -great hope of posterity, let it not be blasted!”</p> - -<p>It has been said with truth that no funeral -oration has ever been pronounced, in any age, -and in any language, which exceeds this in eloquence -and simple grandeur. Happy the country -that possesses two citizens of whom such -praises can be uttered, and happy the nation that -can find an orator of such transcendent genius to -pronounce their eulogies!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.</a><br /> - -<small>HOME LIFE AND DOMESTIC SORROWS.</small></h2> - - -<p>In speaking of Mr. Webster as an orator I have -for some time neglected to speak of him in his -domestic relations. He was blessed with a happy -home. The wife he had chosen was fitted by -intellect and culture to sympathize with him in -his important work. Moreover, she had those -sweet domestic qualities which are required to -make home happy. Children had been born to -them, and these were an important factor in the -happiness of Mr. Webster’s home. He had a -warm love for children, and was always an affectionate -and indulgent parent, seldom chiding, -but rebuking in love when occasion required.</p> - -<p>In January, 1817, came the first bereavement. -His daughter, Grace, always precocious and delicate, -developed lung trouble and wasted away. -She seems to have been a remarkably bright and -attractive child. Her heart was easily touched by -sorrow or destitution, and she would never consent -that applicants for relief should be sent from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> -the door unsatisfied. “She would bring them -herself into the house, see that their wants were -supplied, comfort them with the ministration of -her own little hands and the tender compassion -of her large eyes. If her mother ever refused, -those eyes would fill with tears, and she would -urge their requests so perseveringly that there -was no resisting her.”</p> - -<p>The death of this sweet child touched Mr. -Webster nearly, and it was with a saddened heart -that he returned to Washington to devote himself -to his duties in the Supreme Court.</p> - -<p>On the 18th of December, 1824, death once -more appeared in the little household, this time -removing the youngest boy, Charles, then nearing -his second birthday. This child, young as he -was, is said to have borne a closer resemblance to -his father than any of his other children. Both -parents were devoted to him. Mrs. Webster -writes to her husband just after the little boy’s -death: “It was an inexpressible consolation to -me, when I contemplated him in his sickness, that -he had not one regret for the past, nor one dread -for the future; he was as patient as a lamb during -all his sufferings, and they were at last so -great I was happy when they were ended. I -shall always reflect on his brief life with mournful -pleasure, and, I hope, remember with grati<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>tude -all the joy he gave me, and it has been -great. And, oh, how fondly did I flatter myself -it would be lasting!</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“’It was but yesterday, my child, thy little heart beat high;</div> -<div class="verse">And I had scorned the warning voice that told me thou must die.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>When Mr. Webster received the intelligence -of his loss, he, for the first time in years, indulged -in his early fondness for verse, and wrote -a few stanzas which have been preserved, though -they were intended to be seen only by those near -and dear to him. The prevailing thought is a -striking one. Here are the verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“The staff on which my years should lean</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Is broken ere those years come’ o’er me;</div> -<div class="verse">My funeral rites thou shouldst have seen,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">But thou art in the tomb before me.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Thou rear’st to me no filial stone,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">No parent’s grave with tears beholdest;</div> -<div class="verse">Thou art my ancestor—my son!</div> -<div class="verse indent2">And stand’st in Heaven’s account the oldest.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“On earth my lot was soonest cast,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Thy generation after mine;</div> -<div class="verse">Thou hast thy predecessor passed,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Earlier eternity is thine.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“I should have set before thine eyes</div> -<div class="verse indent2">The road to Heaven, and showed it clear;</div> -<div class="verse">But thou, untaught, spring’st to the skies,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">And leav’st thy teacher lingering here.</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Sweet seraph, I would learn of thee,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">And hasten to partake thy bliss!</div> -<div class="verse">And, oh! to thy world welcome me,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">As first I welcomed thee to this.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>But a still heavier bereavement was in store, -though it was delayed for some years. In the -summer of 1827 the health of Mrs. Webster began -to fail, and from that time she steadily declined -until on the 21st of January, in the following -year she died. Of Mr. Webster’s bearing at -the funeral, Mr. Ticknor writes: “Mr. Webster -came to Mr. George Blake’s in Summer Street, -where we saw him both before and after the -funeral. He seemed completely broken-hearted. -At the funeral, when, with Mr. Paige, I was -making some arrangements for the ceremonies, -we noticed that Mr. Webster was wearing shoes -that were not fit for the wet walking of the day, -and I went to him and asked him if he would not -ride in one of the carriages. ‘No,’ he said, ‘my -children and I must follow their mother to the -grave on foot. I could swim to Charlestown.’ A -few minutes afterwards he took Nelson and -Daniel in either hand, and walked close to the -hearse through the streets to the church in whose -crypt the interment took place. It was a touching -and solemn sight. He was excessively pale.”</p> - -<p>It is a striking commentary upon the emptiness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> -of human honors where the heart is concerned -that this great affliction came very soon after Mr. -Webster’s election to the United State Senate, -where he achieved his highest fame and gathered -his choicest laurels. We can well imagine that -he carried a sad heart to the halls of legislation, -and realized how poorly the world’s honors compensate -the heart for the wounds of bereavement. -But Daniel Webster was not a man to suffer sorrow -to get the mastery of him. He labored the -harder in the service of his country, and found in -the discharge of duty his best consolation. If I -had room I would like to quote the tribute of -Judge Storey to the character of Mr. Webster. -I confine myself to one sentence: “Few persons -have been more deservedly or more universally -beloved; few have possessed qualities more attractive, -more valuable or more elevating.”</p> - -<p>A little over a year later there was a fresh sorrow. -Ezekiel Webster, the older brother, between -whom and Daniel such warm and affectionate -relations had always existed, died suddenly -under striking circumstances. He was addressing -a jury in the court-house at Concord, N. H., -speaking with full force, when, without a moment’s -warning, “he fell backward, without bending -a joint, and, so far as appeared, was dead -before his head reached the floor.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span></p> - -<p>He was a man of large ability, though necessarily -overshadowed by the colossal genius of his -younger brother. It would be too much to expect -two Daniel Websters in one family. His -death had a depressing effect upon Daniel, for the -two had been one in sympathy, and each had rejoiced -in the success of the other. Together they -had struggled up from poverty, achieved an education -and professional distinction, and though -laboring in different spheres, for Ezekiel kept -aloof from politics, they continued to exchange -views upon all subjects that interested either. It -is not surprising, in view of his desolate household, -and the loss of his favorite brother, that -Daniel should write: “I confess the world, at -present, has an aspect for me anything but cheerful. -With a multitude of acquaintances I have -few friends; my nearest intimacies are broken, -and a sad void is made in the objects of affection.” -Yet he was constrained to acknowledge that his -life, on the whole, had been “fortunate and happy -beyond the common lot, and it would be now -ungrateful, as well as unavailing, to repine at -calamities, of which, as they are human, I must -expect to partake.”</p> - -<p>I have taken pains to speak of Mr. Webster’s -home affections, because many, but only those -who did not know him, have looked upon him as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> -coldly intellectual, with a grand genius, but deficient -in human emotions, when, as a fact, his -heart was unusually warm and overflowing with -tender sympathy.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.</a><br /> - -<small>CALLED TO THE SENATE.</small></h2> - - -<p>I have called this biography “From Farm-boy -to Senator,” because it is as a senator that Daniel -Webster especially distinguished himself. At -different times he filled the position of Secretary -of State, but it was in the Senate Chamber, where -he was associated with other great leaders, in -especial Clay, Calhoun and Hayne, that he became -a great central object of attention and admiration.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster was not elected to the Senate till -he had reached the age of forty-five. For him it -was a late preferment, and when it came he accepted -it reluctantly. Mr. Clay was not yet thirty -when he entered the Senate, and Mr. Calhoun -was Vice-President before he attained the age of -forty-five. But there was this advantage in Mr. -Webster’s case, that when he joined the highest -legislative body in the United States he joined it -as a giant, fully armed and equipped not only by -nature but by long experience in the lower House -of Congress, where he was a leader.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p> - -<p>The preferment came to him unsought. Mr. -Mills, one of the senators from Massachusetts, -who had filled his position acceptably, was drawing -near the close of his term, and his failing -health rendered his re-election impolitic. Naturally -Mr. Webster was thought of as his successor, -but he felt that he could hardly be spared from -the lower House, where he was the leading supporter -of the administration of John Quincy -Adams. Levi Lincoln was at that time Governor -of Massachusetts, and he too had been urged to -become a candidate. Mr. Webster wrote him an -urgent letter, in the hope of persuading him to -favor this step. From that letter I quote:</p> - -<p>“I take it for granted that Mr. E. H. Mills -will be no longer a candidate. The question then -will be, Who is to succeed him? I need not say -to you that you yourself will doubtless be a prominent -object of consideration in relation to the -vacant place, and the purpose of this communication -requires me also to acknowledge that I -deem it possible that my name also should be -mentioned, more or less generally, as one who -may be thought of, among others, for the same -situation.... There are many strong personal -reasons, and, as friends think, and as I think -too, some <em>public</em> reasons why I should decline the -offer of a seat in the Senate if it should be made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> -to me. Without entering at present into a detail -of those reasons, I will say that the latter class of -them grow out of the public station which I at -present fill, and out of the necessity of increasing -rather than of diminishing, in both branches of -the National Legislature, the strength that may -be reckoned on as friendly to the present administration.... -To come, therefore, to the -main point, I beg to say that I see no way in -which the public good can be so well promoted -as by <em>your</em> consenting to go into the Senate.</p> - -<p>“This is my own clear and decided opinion; -it is the opinion, equally clear and decided, of intelligent -and patriotic friends here, and I am able -to add that it is also the decided opinion of all -those friends elsewhere whose judgment in such -matters we should naturally regard. I believe I -may say, without violating confidence, that it is -the wish, entertained with some earnestness, of -our friends at Washington that you should consent -to be Mr. Mills’s successor.”</p> - -<p>No one certainly can doubt the absolute sincerity -of these utterances. It was, and is, unusual -for a representative to resist so earnestly -what is considered a high promotion. Mr. Webster -was an ambitious man, but he thought that -the interests of the country required him to stay -where he was, and hence his urgency.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Gov. Lincoln was no less patriotic. In -an elaborate reply to Mr. Webster’s letter, from -which I have quoted above, he urges that “the -deficiency of power in the Senate is the weak -point in the citadel” of the administration party. -“No individual should be placed there but who -was <em>now</em> in armor for the conflict, who understood -the proper mode of resistance, who personally -knew and had measured strength with the -opposition, who was familiar with the political -interests and foreign relations of the country, -with the course of policy of the administration, -and who would be prepared at once to meet and -decide upon the charter of measures which should -be proposed. This, I undertake to say, no <em>novice</em> -in the national council could do. At least I -would not promise to attempt it. I feel deeply -that I could not do it successfully. There is no -affectation of humility in this, and under such -impressions I cannot suffer myself to be thought -of in a manner which may make me responsible -for great mischief in defeating the chance of a -better selection.”</p> - -<p>I am sure my young readers will agree -that this correspondence was highly honorable to -both these eminent gentlemen. It is refreshing -to turn from the self-sufficient and self-seeking -politicians of our own day, most of whom are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> -ready to undertake any responsibilities however -large, without a doubt of their own fitness, to the -modesty and backwardness of these really great -men of fifty years since. In the light of Mr. -Webster’s great career we must decide that Gov. -Lincoln was right in deciding that he should be -the next senator from Massachusetts.</p> - -<p>At any rate such was the decision arrived at, -and in June, 1827, Mr. Webster was elected senator -for a period of six years. In due time he -took his seat. He was no novice, but a man -known throughout the country, and quite the -equal in fame of any of his compeers. I suppose -no new senator has ever taken his seat who was -already a man of such wide fame and national -importance as Daniel Webster in 1827. Had -James A. Garfield, instead of assuming the Presidency, -taken the seat in the Senate to which he -had been elected on the fourth of March, 1881, -his would have been a parallel case.</p> - -<p>Of course there was some curiosity as to the -opening speech of the already eminent senator. -He soon found a fitting theme. A bill was introduced -for the relief of the surviving officers of -the Revolution. Such a bill was sure to win the -active support of the orator who had delivered -the address at Bunker Hill.</p> - -<p>Alluding to some objections which had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> -made to the principle of pensioning them, Mr. -Webster said: “There is, I know, something repulsive -and opprobrious in the name of pension. -But God forbid that I should taunt them with -it. With grief, heartfelt grief, do I behold the -necessity which leads these veterans to accept the -bounty of their country in a manner not the -most agreeable to their feelings. Worn out and -decrepit, represented before us by those, their -former brothers in arms, who totter along our -lobbies or stand leaning on their crutches, I, for -one, would most gladly support such a measure -as should consult at once their services, their -years, their necessities and the delicacy of their -sentiments. I would gladly give with promptitude -and grace, with gratitude and delicacy, that -which merit has earned and necessity demands.</p> - -<p>“It is objected that the militia have claims -upon us; that they fought at the side of the -regular soldiers, and ought to share in the country’s -remembrance. But it is known to be impossible -to carry the measure to such an extent -as to embrace the militia, and it is plain, too, that -the cases are different. The bill, as I have already -said, confines itself to those who served, not occasionally, -not temporarily, but permanently; who -allowed themselves to be counted on as men who -were to see the contest through, last as long as it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> -might; and who have made the phrase ‘‘listing -for the war’ a proverbial expression, signifying -unalterable devotion to our cause, through good -fortune and ill fortune, till it reached its close.</p> - -<p>“This is a plain distinction; and although, -perhaps, I might wish to do more, I see good -ground to stop here for the present, if we must -stop anywhere. The militia who fought at Concord, -at Lexington and at Bunker Hill, have -been alluded to in the course of this debate in -terms of well-deserved praise. Be assured, sir, -there could with difficulty be found a man, who -drew his sword or carried his musket at Concord, -at Lexington or at Bunker Hill, who would wish -you to reject this bill. They might ask you to -do more, but never to refrain from doing this. -Would to God they were assembled here, and -had the fate of this bill in their own hands! -Would to God the question of its passage were -to be put to them! They would affirm it with a -unity of acclamation that would rend the roof of -the Capitol!”</p> - -<p>This is so much in Mr. Webster’s style that, -had I quoted it without stating that it was his, I -think many of my young readers would have -been able to guess the authorship.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX.</a><br /> - -<small>THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT BATTLE.</small></h2> - - -<p>When Andrew Jackson became President Mr. -Webster found himself an anti-administration -leader. He was respected and feared, and a plan -was formed to break him down and overwhelm -him in debate. The champion who was supposed -equal to this task was Col. Hayne, of South -Carolina, a graceful and forcible speaker, backed -by the party in power and by the silent influence -of John C. Calhoun, who, as Vice-President, presided -over the councils of the Senate.</p> - -<p>On the 29th day of December, 1829, an apparently -innocent resolution was offered by Mr. -Foote, of Connecticut, in the following terms:</p> - -<p>“<em>Resolved</em>, That the Committee on Public -Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency -of limiting for a certain period the -sales of the public lands to such lands only as -have been heretofore offered for sale and are -subject to entry at the minimum price; also, -whether the office of Surveyor-General may not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> -be abolished without detriment to the public interest.”</p> - -<p>This resolution called forth the celebrated -debate in which Mr. Webster demolished the -eloquent champion of the South in a speech -which will live as long as American history.</p> - -<p>Mr. Benton, of Missouri, in an elaborate speech -furnished the keynote of the campaign. On -Monday, the 18th, he made a speech in which a -violent attack was made upon New England, its -institutions and its representatives. He was -followed by Col. Hayne, who elaborated the -comparison drawn between the so-called illiberal -policy of New England and the generous policy -of the South towards the growing West. He -charged the East with a spirit of jealousy and -an unwillingness that the West should be rapidly -settled, taking the resolution of the senator of -Connecticut as his text.</p> - -<p>This attack excited surprise, not only by its -violence and injustice, but by its suddenness. -Mr. Webster shared in the general surprise. It -was not long before he was led to suspect that -he was aimed at as a well-known defender of -New England. At any rate, he rose to reply, -but a motion for adjournment cut him off, and -he was obliged to wait for the next day before -he could have the opportunity. The speech he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> -then made, though not his great speech, was able -and deserves notice. He disproved in the clearest -manner the charges which had been made against -New England, and showed that her policy had -been the direct reverse. He dwelt especially -upon the part which the Eastern States had in -settling the great State of Ohio, which even then -contained a population of a million. Upon this -point he spoke as follows:</p> - -<p>“And here, sir, at the epoch of 1794, let us -pause and survey the scene. It is now thirty-five -years since that scene actually existed. Let -us, sir, look back and behold it. Over all that is -now Ohio there then stretched one vast wilderness, -unbroken, except by two small spots of -civilized culture, the one at Marietta, the other -at Cincinnati. At these little openings, hardly a -pin’s point upon the map, the arm of the -frontiersman had leveled the forest and let in -the sun. These little patches of earth, themselves -almost shadowed by the overhanging -boughs of the wilderness, which had stood and -perpetuated itself from century to century ever -since the Creation, were all that had been rendered -verdant by the hand of man. In an extent of -hundreds and thousands of square miles no other -surface of smiling green attested the presence of -civilization. The hunter’s path crossed mighty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> -rivers flowing in solitary grandeur, whose sources -lay in remote and unknown regions of the wilderness. -It struck, upon the north, on a vast inland -sea, over which the wintry tempest raged -as upon the ocean; all around was bare creation.</p> - -<p>“It was a fresh, untouched, unbounded, magnificent -wilderness. And, sir, what is it now? -Is it imagination only, or can it possibly be fact, -that presents such a change as surprises and -astonishes us when we turn our eyes to what -Ohio now is? Is it reality or a dream that in -so short a period as even thirty-five years there -has sprung up on the same surface an independent -State, with a million of people? A -million of inhabitants! An amount of population -greater than all the cantons of Switzerland; -equal to one third of all the people of the United -States when they undertook to accomplish their -independence! If, sir, we may judge of measures -by their results, what lessons do these facts read -us on the policy of the government? What inferences -do they not authorize upon the general -question of kindness or unkindness? What convictions -do they enforce as to the wisdom and -ability, on the one hand, or the folly and incapacity -on the other, of our general management -of Western affairs? For my own part, while I -am struck with wonder at the success, I also look<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> -with admiration at the wisdom and foresight -which originally arranged and prescribed the -system for the settlement of the public domain.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster said in conclusion: “The Senate -will bear me witness that I am not accustomed -to allude to local opinions, nor to compare, nor -to contrast, different portions of the country. I -have often suffered things to pass, which I might -properly enough have considered as deserving a -remark, without any observation. But I have -felt it my duty on this occasion to vindicate the -State which I represent from charges and imputations -on her public character and conduct -which I know to be undeserved and unfounded. -If advanced elsewhere, they might be passed, -perhaps, without notice. But whatever is said -here is supposed to be entitled to public regard -and to deserve public attention; it derives importance -and dignity from the place where it is -uttered. As a true representative of the State -which has sent me here it is my duty, and a -duty which I shall fulfill, to place her history -and her conduct, her honor and her character, in -their just and proper light.</p> - -<p>“While I stand here as representative of Massachusetts, -I will be her true representative, and, -by the blessing of God, I will vindicate her char<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>acter, -motives and history from every imputation -coming from a respectable source.”</p> - -<p>This was the first reply of Webster to Hayne, -and it was able and convincing. But Col. Hayne -and his friends had no intention of leaving the -matter there. The next day the consideration -of the bill was renewed. Mr. Webster’s friends -wished to have the discussion postponed as he had -an important case pending in the Supreme Court. -Mr. Hayne objected, saying in a theatrical tone, -“that he saw the senator from Massachusetts in -his seat, and presumed he could make an arrangement -that would enable him to be present -during the discussion. He was unwilling that -the subject should be postponed until he had an -opportunity of replying to some of the observations -which had fallen from the gentleman -yesterday. He would not deny that some things -had fallen from the gentleman which rankled -here [touching his breast], from which he would -desire at once to relieve himself. The gentleman -had discharged his fire in the face of the Senate. -He hoped he would now afford him the opportunity -of returning the shot.”</p> - -<p>“Then it was,” as a Southern member of Congress -afterwards expressed it, “that Mr. Webster’s -person seemed to become taller and larger. His -chest expanded and his eyeballs dilated. Fold<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>ing -his arms in a composed, firm and most expressive -manner, he exclaimed: ‘Let the discussion -proceed. I am ready. I am ready <em>now</em> to receive -the gentleman’s fire.’”</p> - -<p>Col. Hayne’s speech was the great effort of his -life. He was a ready, accomplished and forcible -speaker, and he vainly thought himself a match -for the great senator from Massachusetts whose -power he was yet to understand. He spoke as -one who was confident of victory, with a self-confidence, -a swagger, a violence of invective, which -increased as he went on. He was encouraged by -the evident delight of his friends, including the -Vice-President. He did not finish his speech the -first day, but closed with a hint of what he intended -to do.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” he said, “the gentleman from Massachusetts -has thought proper, for purposes best -known to himself, to strike the South through -me, the most unworthy of her servants. He has -crossed the border, he has invaded the State of -South Carolina, is making war upon her citizens, -and endeavoring to overthrow her principles and -institutions. Sir, when the gentleman provokes -me to such a conflict, I meet him at the threshold, -I will struggle while I have life for our altars -and our firesides, and if God gives me strength -I will drive back the invader discomfited. Nor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> -shall I stop there. If the gentleman provokes -war he shall have war. Sir, I will not stop at -the border; I will carry the war into the enemy’s -territory, and not consent to lay down my arms -until I shall have obtained ‘indemnity for the -past and security for the future.’ It is with unfeigned -reluctance that I enter upon the performance -of this part of my duty. I shrink, almost -instinctively, from a course, however necessary, -which may have a tendency to excite sectional -feelings and sectional jealousies. But, sir, -the task has been forced upon me, and I proceed -right onward to the performance of my duty, -be the consequences what they may; the responsibility -is with those who have imposed upon me -the necessity. The senator from Massachusetts -has thought proper to cast the first stone, and, if -he shall find, according to a homely adage, that -‘he lives in a glass house,’ on his head be the -consequences.”</p> - -<p>Brave words these! But brave words do not -necessarily win the victory, and Col. Hayne -little knew what a foe he was challenging to -combat.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXI" id="CHAPTER_XXXI">CHAPTER XXXI.</a><br /> - -<small>THE REPLY TO HAYNE.</small></h2> - - -<p>Before going farther I must speak of a pestilent -doctrine then held in South Carolina, which -underlay the whole controversy, and was the -animating cause of the antagonism of the Southern -leaders to the patriotic representatives of the -North. This was known as nullification, and Mr. -Calhoun was its sponsor. To explain: South -Carolina claimed the right to overrule any law of -the general government which did not please -her, or which her courts might judge to be unconstitutional. -If she did not see fit to pay customs, -she claimed that the government could not -coerce her. All power was reposed in her own -executive, her own legislature, and her own judiciary, -and the national power was subordinate to -them.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/p240.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">COL. ROBERT G. HAYNE.</div> -</div> - -<p>It will be easily seen that this was a most dangerous -doctrine to hold, one which if allowed -would everywhere subject the national authority -to contempt. The United States never had an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> -external foe half so insidious or half so dangerous -as this assumption which had grown up -within its own borders.</p> - -<p>To return to the great debate. When Col. -Hayne took his seat at the close of his second -speech his friends gathered round him in warm -congratulation. Mr. Webster’s friends were sober. -Much as they admired him, they did not see how -he was going to answer that speech. They knew -that he would have little or no time for preparation, -and it would not do for him to make an -ordinary or commonplace reply to such a dashing -harangue. So on the evening of Monday -the friends of Mr. Webster walked about the -streets gloomy and preoccupied. They feared -for their champion.</p> - -<p>But how was it with him? During Col. -Hayne’s speech he calmly took notes. Occasionally -there was a flash from the depths of his dark -eyes as a hint or a suggestion occurred to him, -but he seemed otherwise indifferent and unmoved, -He spent the evening as usual, and enjoyed a refreshing -night’s sleep.</p> - -<p>In the morning of the eventful day three -hours before the hour of meeting crowds set their -faces towards the Capitol. At twelve o’clock the -Senate Chamber—its galleries, floors and even -lobbies—was filled to overflowing. The Speaker<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> -retained his place unwillingly in the House, but -hardly enough members were present to transact -business.</p> - -<p>When the fitting time came Mr. Webster rose. -He was in the full vigor of a magnificent manhood, -the embodiment of conscious strength. He -gazed around him, never more self-possessed than -at that moment. He saw his adversaries with -their complacent faces already rejoicing in his -anticipated discomfiture; he looked in the faces -of his friends, and he noted their looks of anxious -solicitude; but he had full confidence in his own -strength, and his deep cavernous eyes glowed -with “that stern joy which warriors feel in foemen -worthy of their steel.”</p> - -<p>There was a hush of expectation and a breathless -silence as those present waited for his first -words.</p> - -<p>He began thus: “Mr. President, when the -mariner has been tossed for many days, in thick -weather, and on an unknown sea, he naturally -avails himself of the first pause in the storm, the -earliest glance of the sun, to take his latitude, -and ascertain how far the elements have driven -him from his true course. Let us imitate this -prudence, and before we float further on the -waves of this debate, refer to the point from -which we departed, that we may at least be able<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> -to form some conjecture where we now are. I -ask for the reading of the resolution.”</p> - -<p>This was felt to be a happy exordium, and was -sufficient to rivet the attention of the vast audience.</p> - -<p>After the resolution was read Mr. Webster -continued: “We have thus heard, sir, what the -resolution is which is actually before us for consideration; -and it will readily occur to every one -that it is almost the only subject about which -something has not been said in the speech, running -through two days, by which the Senate has -been now entertained by the gentleman from -South Carolina. Every topic in the wide range -of our public affairs, whether past or present, -everything, general or local, whether belonging -to national politics or party politics, seems to -have attracted more or less of the honorable -members attention, save only the resolution -before the Senate. He has spoken of everything -but the public lands; they have escaped his -notice. To that subject in all his excursions he -has not paid even the cold respect of a passing -glance.</p> - -<p>“When this debate, sir, was to be resumed on -Thursday morning, it so happened that it would -have been convenient for me to be elsewhere. -The honorable member, however, did not incline<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> -to put off the discussion to another day. He had -a shot, he said, to return, and he wished to discharge -it. That shot, which it was kind thus to -inform us was coming, that we might stand out -of the way, or prepare ourselves to fall before it -and die with decency, has now been received. -Under all advantages, and with expectation awakened -by the tone which preceded it, it has been -discharged and has spent its force. It may become -me to say no more of its effect than that, -if nobody is found, after all, either killed or -wounded by it, it is not the first time in the history -of human affairs that the vigor and success -of the war have not quite come up to the lofty -and sounding phrase of the manifesto.”</p> - -<p>Referring to Col. Hayne’s statement that there -was something rankling here (indicating his heart) -which he wished to relieve, Mr. Webster said: -“In this respect, sir, I have a great advantage -over the honorable gentleman. There is nothing -<em>here</em>, sir, which gives me the slightest uneasiness; -neither fear nor anger, nor that which is sometimes -more troublesome than either, the consciousness -of having been in the wrong.... -I must repeat, also, that nothing has been received -<em>here</em> which <em>rankles</em> or in any way gives me annoyance. -I will not accuse the honorable gentleman -of violating the rules of civilized war; I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> -will not say he poisoned his arrows. But whether -his shafts were, or were not, dipped in that -which would have caused rankling if they had -reached, there was not, as it happened, quite -strength enough in the bow to bring them to -their mark. If he wishes now to gather up these -shafts he must look for them elsewhere; they -will not be found fixed and quivering in the -object at which they were aimed.”</p> - -<p>Col. Hayne and his friends, as they listened to -these words, breathing a calm consciousness of -power not unmixed with a grand disdain, must -have realized that they had exulted too soon. -Indeed Hayne’s friends had not all looked forward -with confidence to his victory. Senator -Iredell, of North Carolina, to a friend of Hayne’s -who was praising his speech, had said the evening -previous, “He has started the lion—but wait till -we hear his roar, or feel his claws.”</p> - -<p>While I do not propose to give an abstract of -this famous oration, I shall quote some of the -most brilliant and effective passages, well known -and familiar though they are, because they will -be re-read with fresh and added interest in this -connection. There was not a son of Massachusetts, -nay, there was not a New Englander, whose heart -was not thrilled by the splendid tribute to Massachusetts.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Mr. President, I shall enter upon no encomium -on Massachusetts; she needs none. -There she is. Behold her and judge for yourselves. -There is her history; the world knows -it by heart. The past, at least, is secure. There -is Boston, and Concord, and Lexington, and -Bunker Hill; and there they will remain forever. -The bones of her sons, falling in the great struggle -for independence, now lie mingled with the -soil of every State from New England to Georgia, -and there they will lie forever. And, sir, where -American liberty raised its first voice, and where -its youth was nurtured and sustained, there it -still lives, in the strength of its manhood and -full of its original spirit. If discord and disunion -shall wound it, if party strife and blind ambition -shall hawk at and tear it, if folly and madness, if -uneasiness under salutary and necessary restraint, -shall succeed in separating it from that union by -which alone its existence is made sure, it will -stand, in the end, by the side of that cradle in -which its infancy was rocked; it will stretch -forth its arm with whatever of vigor it may still -retain over the friends who gather round it; and -it will fall at last, if fall it must, amidst the -proudest monuments of its own glory, and on -the very spot of its origin.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster shows his magnanimity by pro<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>nouncing, -in like manner, an eulogium upon his -opponent’s native State, which is in bright contrast -with the mean and unjust attacks of Col. -Hayne upon Massachusetts. This is what he -says:</p> - -<p>“Let me observe that the eulogium pronounced -on the character of South Carolina by the -honorable gentleman for her Revolutionary and -other merits meets my hearty concurrence. I -shall not acknowledge that the honorable member -goes before me in regard for whatever of -distinguished talent, of distinguished character, -South Carolina has produced. I claim part of -the honor. I partake in the pride of her great -names. I claim them for countrymen, one and -all, the Laurenses, the Rutledges, the Pinkneys, -the Sumters, the Marions, Americans all, whose -fame is no more to be hemmed in by State lines -than their talents and patriotism were capable of -being circumscribed within the same narrow -limits. In their day and generation they served -and honored the country, and the whole country; -and their renown is one of the treasures of the -whole country. Him whose honored name the -gentleman himself bears—does he esteem me less -capable of gratitude for his patriotism, or sympathy -for his sufferings, than if his eyes had first -opened upon the light of Massachusetts instead<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> -of South Carolina? Sir, does he suppose it in -his power to exhibit a Carolina name so bright -as to produce envy in my bosom? No, sir; increased -gratification rather. I thank God that, -if I am gifted with little of the spirit which is -able to raise mortals to the skies, I have yet -none, as I trust, of that other spirit which -would drag angels down. When I shall be found, -sir, in my place here in the Senate, or elsewhere, -to sneer at public merit because it happens to -spring up beyond the little limits of my own -State or neighborhood; when I refuse, for any -such cause, or for any cause, the homage due to -American talent, to elevated patriotism, to sincere -devotion to liberty and the country; or, if I see -an uncommon endowment of Heaven, if I see extraordinary -capacity and virtue in any son of the -South, and if, moved by local prejudice or gangrened -by State jealousy, I get up here to abate -the tithe of a hair from his just character and -just fame, may my tongue cleave to the roof of -my mouth!”</p> - -<p>It must not be supposed that Mr. Webster’s -speech was merely of a personal character. In a -sound and logical manner he discussed the limits -of constitutional authority, and combated the -pernicious doctrine of State supremacy, which -thirty years later was to kindle a civil war of vast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> -proportions, the starting-point being South Carolina. -At the risk of quoting paragraphs which -my young readers may skip, I proceed to introduce -an extract which may give an idea of this -part of the oration.</p> - -<p>“We approach at length, sir, to a more important -part of the honorable gentleman’s observations. -Since it does not accord with my views -of justice and policy to give away the public lands -altogether, as mere matter of gratuity, I am asked -by the honorable gentleman on what ground -it is that I consent to vote them away in particular -instances. How, he inquires, do I reconcile -with these profound sentiments my support of -measures appropriating portions of the land to -particular roads, particular canals, particular rivers, -and particular institutions of education in the -West? This leads, sir, to the real and wide difference -in political opinion between the honorable -gentleman and myself. On my part, I look -upon all these objects as connected with the -common good, fairly embraced in its object and -terms; he, on the contrary, deems them all, if -good at all, only local good.</p> - -<p>“This is our difference.</p> - -<p>“The interrogatory which he proceeded to put -at once explains this difference. ‘What interest,’ -asks he,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> ‘has South Carolina in a canal in Ohio?’ -Sir, this very question is full of significance. It -develops the gentleman’s whole political system, -and its answer expounds mine. Here we differ. -I look upon a road over the Alleghanies, a canal -round the Falls of the Ohio, or a canal or railway -from the Atlantic to the Western waters, as being -an object large and extensive enough to be fairly -said to be for the common benefit. The gentleman -thinks otherwise, and this is the key to his -construction of the powers of the government. -He may well ask what interest has South Carolina -in a canal in Ohio. On his system, it is -true, she has no interest. On that system, Ohio -and South Carolina are different governments -and different countries; connected here, it is true, -by some slight and ill-defined bond of union, but -in all main respects separate and diverse. On -that system South Carolina has no more interest in -a canal in Ohio than in Mexico. The gentleman, -therefore, only follows out his own principles; -he does no more than arrive at the natural conclusions -of his own doctrines; he only announces -the true results of that creed which he has -adopted himself, and would persuade others to -adopt, when he thus declares that South Carolina -has no interest in a public work in Ohio.</p> - -<p>“Sir, we narrow-minded people of New -England do not reason thus. Our notion of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> -things is entirely different. We look upon the -States not as separated but united. We love to -dwell on that union, and on the mutual happiness -which it has so much promoted, and the common -renown which it has so greatly contributed to acquire. -In our contemplation South Carolina and -Ohio are parts of the same country, States united -under the same general government, having interests -common, associated, intermingled. In whatever -is within the proper sphere of the constitutional -power of this government we look upon the -States as one. We do not impose geographical -limits to our patriotic feelings or regard; we do -not follow rivers and mountains and lines of latitude -to find boundaries beyond which public improvements -do not benefit us.</p> - -<p>“We who come here, as agents and representatives -of these narrow-minded and selfish men of -New England, consider ourselves as bound to regard -with an equal eye the good of the whole in -whatever is within our power of legislation. Sir, -if a railroad or canal, beginning in South Carolina -and ending in South Carolina, appeared to -me to be of national importance and national -magnitude, believing, as I do, that the power of -government extends the encouragement of works -of that description, if I were to stand up here -and ask, What interest has Massachusetts in a rail<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>road -in South Carolina? I should not be willing -to face my constituents. These same narrow-minded -men would tell me that they had sent me -to act for the whole country, and that one who -possessed too little comprehension either of intellect -or feeling, one who was not large enough -both in mind and in heart to embrace the whole, -was not fit to be intrusted with the interests of -our part.”</p> - -<p>This will give an idea of the broad national -sentiments entertained and expressed by the -senator from Massachusetts. It is certainly in -strong contrast to the narrow sectional views of -Col. Hayne and John C. Calhoun.</p> - -<p>Towards the close of his speech Mr. Webster -describes in an amusing way a supposed conflict -in South Carolina between the customs officers of -the government and a local force led by his opponent. -It was playful, but Col. Hayne was -moved by the ridicule with which it covered him -more than by any of Mr. Webster’s arguments.</p> - -<p>It need hardly be said that the entire address -was listened to with rapt attention. As it proceeded -those friends of Mr. Webster who doubted -his ability to cope with the Southern champion, -and who had listened to his first words with feelings -of anxious solicitude, became cheerful and -even jubilant. In fact they changed aspects with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> -Hayne’s friends who had awaited the opening of -the speech with supercilious disdain. The calm -power, the humorous contempt, with which Mr. -Webster handled the doughty champion annoyed -them not a little.</p> - -<p>I do not mean to underrate the ability or eloquence -of Col. Hayne. Upon this point it is -sufficient to quote the opinion of Mr. Everett, the -tried and intimate friend of Daniel Webster, who -says: “It is unnecessary to state, except to those -who have come forward quite recently, that Col. -Hayne was a gentleman of ability very far above -the average, a highly accomplished debater, an -experienced politician, a person possessing the -full confidence of his friends, and entirely familiar -with the argument on which the theory controverted -in Mr. Webster’s speech rests.”</p> - -<p>Mr. March, in his “Reminiscences of Congress,” -a book from which I have received valuable -help in the composition of this chapter, describes -Hayne’s oratory in these terms:</p> - -<p>“Hayne dashed into debate like the Mameluke -cavalry upon a charge. There was a gallant air -about him that could not but win admiration. -He never provided for retreat; he never imagined -it. He had an invincible confidence in -himself, which arose partly from constitutional -temperament, partly from previous success. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> -was the Napoleonic warfare: to strike at once -for the capital of the enemy, heedless of danger -or cost to his own forces. Not doubting to overcome -all odds, he feared none, however seemingly -superior. Of great fluency and no little force of -expression, his speech never halted, and seldom -fatigued.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster swept on to the close of his speech -with power unabated. Some of his friends had -feared he could not sustain his elevated flight, -that he would mar the effect of his great passages -by dropping to the commonplace. They had no -need to fear. He thoroughly understood his own -powers. At length he reached the peroration—that -famous peroration, so well known, yet, in -spite of its familiarity, so impossible to omit here.</p> - -<p>“When my eyes shall be turned to behold for -the last time the sun in heaven, may I not see -him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments -of a once glorious Union; on States dissevered, -discordant, belligerent; on a land rent -with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, in fraternal -blood! Let their last feeble and lingering -glance rather behold the gorgeous ensign of the -republic, now known and honored throughout -the earth, still full high advanced, its arms and -trophies streaming in their original luster, not a -stripe erased or polluted, not a single star ob<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span>scured, -bearing for its motto no such miserable -interrogatory, ‘What is all this worth?’ nor those -other words of delusion and folly, ‘Liberty first -and Union afterwards:’ but everywhere, spread -all over in characters of living light, blazing on -all its ample folds, as they float over the seas and -over the land, and in every wind under the whole -heavens, that other sentiment, dear to every -American heart—Liberty and Union, now and -forever, one and inseparable!”</p> - -<p>Hayne attempted a reply to this speech, but it -had little effect. It was followed by a telling -<i lang="fr">résumé</i> of his positions by Mr. Webster, and so -far as these two speakers were concerned the discussion -closed.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable how little effort this famous -oration cost it author. The constitutional argument, -to be sure, was familiar to him, and he -had but to state it, but for the great passages, including -the exordium, the peroration, the encomium -upon Massachusetts, the speaker was indebted -to the inspiration of the moment; yet they -are so compact, so fitly expressed, so elegantly -worded, that he would be a bold man who should -suggest even a verbal change.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXII" id="CHAPTER_XXXII">CHAPTER XXXII.</a><br /> - -<small>THE SECRET OF WEBSTER’S POWER.</small></h2> - - -<p>It is hardly necessary to say that when Mr. -Webster’s speech in reply to Hayne was published -and read by the country at large it made -a profound impression. Doubtless it kindled -afresh in many wavering hearts a love for that -Union the claims of which upon the American -citizen the orator so strongly urged. It is interesting -to know that Hayne himself, while he essayed -to answer it, appreciated its power.</p> - -<p>Mr. Harvey relates, upon Mr. Webster’s authority, -that when he had finished his speech -some Southern members approached him cordially -and said, “Mr. Webster, I think you had -better die now and rest your fame on that speech.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Hayne, who was standing near by, and -heard the remark, said, “You ought not to die; -a man who can make such speeches as that ought -never to die.”</p> - -<p>It is related that Mr. Webster, meeting his -opponent at the President’s reception the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> -evening, went up to him and remarked, pleasantly,</p> - -<p>“How are you to-night?”</p> - -<p>“None the better for you, sir,” answered -Hayne, humorously.</p> - -<p>Henry Clay wrote later: “I congratulate you -on the very great addition which you have -made during the session to your previous high -reputation. Your speeches, and particularly in -reply to Mr. Hayne, are the theme of praise -from every tongue, and I have shared in the delight -which all have felt.”</p> - -<p>In its powerful defense of the Constitution -Mr. Webster carried with him patriotic men all -over the country. Hon. William Gaston, of -North Carolina, wrote thus: “The ability with -which the great argument is treated, the patriotic -fervor with which the Union is asserted, -give you claim to the gratitude of every one -who loves his country and regards the Constitution -as its best hope and surest stay. My engrossing -occupations leave me little leisure for -any correspondence except on business, but I -have resolved to seize a moment to let you know -that with us there is scarcely a division of opinion -among the intelligent portion of the community. -All of them whose understanding -or whose conscience is not surrendered to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> -servitude of faction, greet your eloquent efforts -with unmixed gratification.”</p> - -<p>It is an interesting question how far Mr. Webster -prepared himself for this his greatest, or, at -any rate, his most effective parliamentary speech.</p> - -<p>Upon this point let us read the statement of -Mr. Webster himself, as given to his tried friend, -Mr. Harvey.</p> - -<p>In reference to the remark that he had made -no preparation for the Hayne speech, he said: -“That was not quite so. If it was meant that -I took notes and studied with a view to a reply, -that was not true; but that I was thoroughly -conversant with the subject of debate, from -having made preparation for a totally different -purpose than that speech, is true. The preparation -for my reply to Hayne was made upon the -occasion of Mr. Foote’s resolution to sell the public -lands. Some years before that, Mr. McKinley, -a senator from Alabama, introduced a resolution -into the Senate, proposing to cede the public -domains to the States in which they were situated. -It struck me at that time as being so unfair -and improper that I immediately prepared an -argument to resist it. My argument embraced -the whole history of the public lands, and the -government’s action in regard to them. Then -there was another question involved in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> -Hayne debate. It was as to the right and practice -of petition. Mr. Calhoun had denied the -right of petition on the subject of slavery. In -other words, he claimed that, if the petition was -for some subject which the Senate had no right -to grant, then there was no right of petition. If -the Senate had no such right, then the petitioners -had no right to come there. Calhoun’s doctrine -seemed to be accepted, and I made preparation to -answer his proposition. It so happened that the -debate did not take place, because the matter -never was pressed. I had my notes tucked away -in a pigeon-hole, and when Hayne made that -attack upon me and upon New England I was -already posted, and only had to take down -my notes and refresh my memory. In other -words, if he had tried to make a speech to fit -my notes he could not have hit it better. No -man is inspired with the occasion; I never was.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster was too great a man to wish for -praise which he did not deserve. That is for -men of inferior ability, who are glad to have it -believed that their most elaborate utterances are -“thrown off upon the spur of the moment.” -Indeed he does not claim enough when he disclaims -being inspired by the occasion. His encomium -upon New England, his glowing peroration, -were fused and put into enduring form<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> -under the pressure of strong emotion, which -may well be termed inspiration. Yet it was -always his habit to ascribe his great efforts to -hard labor rather than to genius, and he remarked -to a young clergyman on one occasion, who had -questioned him in regard to some of his speeches, -“Young man, there is no such thing as extemporaneous -acquisition.”</p> - -<p>If a man like Daniel Webster felt constrained -to say this, how much more ought labor to be -held necessary by the ordinary mind. My young -readers may be assured that diligent and uncomplaining -toil are the secret springs in most -cases of worldly success. So, if they chance to -dash off a smooth essay in a mood of inspiration, -they may have good cause to doubt whether it -has any solid value. I recall a certain school -where a prize was offered for an essay on a subject -requiring a certain amount of thought and -research. The leading contestants were two -boys, one quick and brilliant, the other slow and -plodding, but sound. Both were anxious to succeed. -The second began in due time and worked -steadily, not allowing himself to be unduly hurried. -The first waited till within two days of -the date at which the essays were to be submitted, -and then dashed off an essay which was -very creditable under the circumstances. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> -it did not win. It was slow and sure that won the -prize, then, as in so many other cases. I am glad -to have the potent example of Daniel Webster to -help me in enforcing a lesson so valuable to youth.</p> - -<p>Yet Mr. Webster was always ready of speech. -He could make a great speech upon any occasion, -and upon any subject, however slight. An -illustration of this is given by Hon. John Wentworth, -of Illinois, in a letter from which I proceed -to quote:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster won my lasting gratitude by -his assistance in the passage of the River and -Harbor bill, in 1846. The bill had passed the -House and been referred to the Committee on -Commerce, a majority of whom were of the -‘strict construction’ school, believing that Congress -could improve a natural harbor, but could -not make one. I went before the committee to -defend the appropriation for a harbor at Little -Fort, now called Waukegan. I found I had no -friends there but Senator Reverdy Johnson, of -Maryland. The committee recommended that -the appropriation be struck out. Senator John -A. Dix, of New York, led the opposition. He -had been a graduate of West Point, was a good -engineer, had brought the map of survey into -the Senate, and was having great influence -against it. I was seated in the lobby directly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> -behind Col. Thomas H. Benton, and Webster -was upon his usual walk. He gave me a nod of -recognition and passed on. Gen. Dix kept up -his fire and I felt it. Our senators, Sidney -Breese and James Semple, were both from the -southern part of our State, and had no personal -knowledge of the merits of the case. The Indiana -senators were similarly situated. Wisconsin -had no senators. And the Michigan -senators lived at Detroit, and they had only a -general knowledge of Lake Michigan.</p> - -<p>“As Webster was traveling to and fro past -me, the thought occurred to me that, as he was -‘a liberal constructionist,’ he was just the man -to rectify all the damage that Gen. Dix was doing. -But it was a small matter for so great a -man. Besides, I knew that his colleague, Senator -John Davis, was taking the side of Gen. -Dix. As Webster would pass me I would resolve -that the next time he would come I would -speak to him. But my courage would forsake -me when I reflected that he was a Whig and I -was a Democrat. I wanted some excuse to speak -to him. He had known my father. He was a -son of New Hampshire, and a graduate of the -same college with myself. But my heart failed -me; and yet it was all the while sighing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> ‘Webster, -Webster, do but speak to me.’</p> - -<p>“At length came his voice, in deep, sepulchral -tone, ‘Wentworth, what is Dix making all this -ado about?’</p> - -<p>“Promptly the answer came: ‘Mr. Webster, -since your trip around the lakes from Chicago, -in 1837, we have had but few appropriations for -old harbors and none for new ones. This place -is half way between Chicago and Milwaukee, and -we want a harbor of refuge there.’</p> - -<p>“‘I see the point, I see the point,’ says Webster, -and at once went to his seat upon the Senate -floor.</p> - -<p>“When Gen. Dix had concluded, Mr. Webster -observed that he could add nothing to the conclusive -argument of the senator from New York -in favor of the appropriation. He thought he -had satisfied all the senators that there was no -harbor at the place, and so the House must have -thought when it made the appropriation to construct -one there. Upon what did the senator -from New York found his doctrine that, when -God created the world, or even Lake Michigan, -He left nothing for man to do? The curse pronounced -upon our first parents for their transgression -was in entire conflict with any such -doctrine. He did not believe that the Constitution -of the United States was such a narrowly -contracted instrument that it would not permit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> -the construction of a harbor where the necessities -of commerce required it. He then foreshadowed -the growth of the West, its abundant products, -its gigantic commerce, its numerous people. -He started a steamer from Chicago laden to the -guards with freight and passengers. He then -described a storm in a manner that no man but -Webster could describe. His flight of eloquence -equaled his best at Bunker Hill or Plymouth -Rock. You could hear the dashing waves, the -whistling winds, the creaking timbers, and the -shrieking passengers, and, as he sent the vessel -to the bottom with all on board, he exclaimed: -‘What but a merciful Providence saved me from -such a catastrophe when I passed over Lake Michigan -in 1837?’ At such a dire disaster could the -senator from New York derive any consolation -from the reflection that his narrow interpretation -of the Constitution had been maintained?</p> - -<p>“As Webster closed Col. Benton turned to -me and said, ‘That is the greatest speech upon -so small a matter that I ever heard.’ Reverdy -Johnson came up and said, ‘Now, don’t you -abuse the Whigs any more.’ And Senator Breese -said, ‘Now you can go back to the House. That -speech saves us.’</p> - -<p>“The bill passed without amendment. But -alas! President Polk vetoed it. And out of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> -veto grew that wonderful event in the history -of Chicago, the river and harbor convention of -1847, a vast assemblage, composed of the most -talented, enterprising, wealthy and influential -men of all parts of the country. At the laying -of the corner-stone of the Douglas Monument, -Gen. Dix was here as the principal orator. -While others were speaking I called his attention -to our magnificent harbor works. After complimenting -them highly he said, ‘They ought to -protect you from any storm—even from such a -one as Webster manufactured for you in the -Senate in 1846.’”</p> - -<p>It must be remembered that this readiness of -Mr. Webster arose not wholly from his great -powers, but largely from the fact that all his -life long he had been a diligent and faithful student. -Hence it was that his mind was a vast -reservoir of acquisition from which he could at -will draw out what was most fitting upon any -subject. So Sir Walter Scott, browsing in his -boyhood among the treasures of legendary lore -and feudal traditions, was unconsciously preparing -himself for the novels and poetical romances -with which many years afterwards he delighted -the world, and made his native land famous.</p> - -<p>Recurring to the subject of nullification, at -which Mr. Webster had aimed so powerful a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> -blow, it may be said that it was scotched but not -killed. Col. Hayne was overwhelmed, but he -was not convinced. Neither was John C. Calhoun, -the greater representative of the same State, -who entirely accorded with Hayne in his extreme -views of the rights and powers of the separate -States. Not long afterwards Col. Hayne resigned -his seat in the Senate, in order to be -elected Governor of South Carolina, and lead at -home the opponents of the government, while Mr. -Calhoun, resigning his place as Vice-President, -was elected senator in the place of Hayne, to -lead the forces of nullification on the floor of -the Senate. Through the firmness of President -Jackson their schemes came to naught, but were -revived, as we know, thirty years later by the -citizens of the same State, and the Civil War was -the result.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII">CHAPTER XXXIII.</a><br /> - -<small>HONORS RECEIVED IN ENGLAND.</small></h2> - - -<p>It would require a volume far larger than the -present to speak in detail of Mr. Webster’s public -life, to point out his public services, to enumerate -the occasions on which he took a distinguished -part in debate. But this does not come within -my plan. Fortunately there are other works in -which such as desire it can gain all the information -they desire upon these points. They will -find how closely Mr. Webster was identified with -the history of the nation, and what a powerful -influence he exerted upon all public measures. -And all the while he was making an equally -brilliant reputation at the bar. He was employed -in numerous “great cases,” and in none was he -found unequal to his opportunity.</p> - -<p>The result of his multifarious and exhausting -labors was a determination to make a tour of recreation, -and not unnaturally he decided to visit -England, a country which to every American of -Anglo-Saxon race must possess a first attraction. -His second wife, who died but a few weeks since,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> -his daughter, and Mrs. Page, the wife of his -brother-in-law, were of the party. His youngest -son, Edward, then a Dartmouth student, joined -them later.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster’s fame had preceded him, and he -received unusual honors. One paper in announcing -his arrival said, “We cordially welcome to -our shores this great and good man, and accept -him as a fit representative of all the great and -good qualities of our transatlantic brethren.” -So great was the curiosity to see him that the -press of carriages about the door of his hotel was -almost unprecedented. He was invited everywhere, -and was cordially received by the most -prominent men. In fact, he was a “lion,” and -that in a marked sense.</p> - -<p>Among others he met that eccentric and craggy -genius, Thomas Carlyle, and I am sure my readers -young and old will like to know what impression -the great senator made upon the Scotch philosopher.</p> - -<p>This is what Carlyle writes:</p> - -<p>“American notabilities are daily becoming notable -among us, the ties of the two parishes, -mother and daughter, getting closer and closer -knit. Indissoluble ties!</p> - -<p>“I reckon that this huge smoky wen may for -some centuries yet be the best Mycale for our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> -Saxon Panionium, a yearly meeting-place of ‘all -the Saxons’ from beyond the Atlantic, from the -antipodes, or wherever the restless wanderers -dwell and toil. After centuries, if Boston, if -New York, have become the most convenient -‘All-Saxondom,’ we will right cheerfully go -thither to hold such festival and leave the wen.</p> - -<p>“Not many days ago I saw at breakfast the -notablest of all your notabilities, Daniel Webster. -He is a magnificent specimen. You might say -to all the world, ‘This is our Yankee Englishman; -such limbs we make in Yankee-land!’ As -a logic-fencer, advocate or parliamentary Hercules, -one would incline to back him at first sight -against the extant world. The tanned complexion, -that amorphous crag-like face, the dull black -eyes under the precipice of brows [I am sure no -one ever called Mr. Webster’s eyes dull before or -since], like dull anthracite furnaces only waiting -to be <em>blown</em>, the mastiff mouth accurately closed—I -have not traced so much of <em>silent Berseker’s -rage</em> that I remember of in any other man. ‘I -guess I should not like to be your nigger.’ Webster -is not loquacious, but he is pertinent, conclusive, -a dignified, perfectly-bred man, though not -English in breeding, a man worthy of the best -reception among us, and meeting such, I understand.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p> - -<p>In a letter to Mr. Ticknor, John Kenyon indulges -in some reminiscences of Mr. Webster, -whom he met intimately, having traveled with -him and his family party during four days.</p> - -<p>“Coleridge used to say that he had seldom -known or heard of any great man who had not -‘much of the woman in him.’ Even so, that large -intellect of Daniel Webster seemed to be coupled -with all softer feelings, and his countenance and -bearing at the very first impressed me with this.</p> - -<p>“All men, without having studied either science, -are, we all know, more or less phrenologists -and physiognomists. Right or wrong, I had -found as I thought much sensibility in Webster’s -countenance. A few weeks afterwards I had an -opportunity of learning that it was not there -<em>only</em>. We were in a hackney coach, driving -along the New Road to Baring’s in the City. It -was a longish drive, and we had time to get into -a train of talk, also we were by that time what I -may presume to call ‘intimate.’ I said, ‘Mr. -Webster, you once, I believe, had a brother?’ -’Yes,’ he kindly said, ‘when I see you and your -brother together I often think of him,’ and—I -speak the fact as it was—I saw, after a little more -talk on the subject of his brother, the tears begin -to trickle down his cheek till he said to me, ‘I’ll -give you an account of my early life,’ and he be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>gan -with his father, and the farm in New Hampshire, -and his own early education, and that of -his brother, the details of his courtship and first -marriage, and his no property at the time, but of -his hopes in his profession and of his success, as -he spoke showing much emotion. How could -one help loving a man at once so powerful and so -tender?”</p> - -<p>The opinions of those who are themselves eminent -are of interest. Let us see, therefore, what -Hallam, the historian, says of our subject.</p> - -<p>“I have had more than one opportunity,” he -writes to Mr. Ticknor, “of hearing of you, especially -from your very distinguished countryman, -Mr. Webster, with whom I had the pleasure of -becoming acquainted last summer. It is but an -echo of the common voice here to say that I was -extremely struck by his appearance, deportment -and conversation. Mr. Webster approaches as -nearly to the <i lang="fr">beau ideal</i> of a republican senator -as any man that I have ever seen in the course of -my life, worthy of Rome, or Venice, rather than -of our noisy and wrangling generation. I wish -that some of our public men here would take example -from his grave and prudent manner of -speaking on political subjects, which seemed to -me neither too incautious nor too strikingly reserved.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is seldom that a man’s personal appearance -is so impressive as that of Daniel Webster, seldom -that his greatness is so visibly stamped upon his -face and figure. An admirer of Mr. Webster -was once shocked by hearing him called “a hum-bug.” -“What do you mean?” he demanded -angrily. “I mean this,” was the reply, “that no -man can possibly be as great as he looks.”</p> - -<p>I have said that Mr. Webster was the recipient -of attentions from all classes, I may add, from the -highest in the land. Mr. and Mrs. Webster dined -privately with Queen Victoria by special invitation, -and it is recorded that the young Queen, -for she was then young, was much impressed by -the majestic demeanor of the great American. -Even the Eton boys, who are wont to chaff all -visitors, forgot their propensity in the presence of -Mr. Webster. As Mr. Kenyon, already quoted, -writes: “Not one look of unseemly curiosity, -much less of the quizzing which I had rather -anticipated, had we to undergo. Webster was -not merely gratified, he was visibly touched by -the sight. You remember that Charles Lamb -said at Eton—I do not pretend to quote his exact -words—‘What a pity that these fine youths -should grow up into paltry members of Parliament!’ -For myself, when I saw them so cheerful -and yet so civilized and well-conditioned, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> -remember thinking to myself at the moment, -’Well, if I had a boy I should send him to -Eton.’”</p> - -<p>While at the Castle Inn, in Windsor, Mr. -Webster wrote the following autograph, by request, -for Mr. Kenyon:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“When you and I are dead and gone</div> -<div class="verse">This busy world will still jog on,</div> -<div class="verse">And laugh and sing and be as hearty</div> -<div class="verse">As if we still were of the party.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>There is no doubt that Mr. Webster enjoyed -heartily his well-earned recreation. He had good -cause. Never certainly up to that time had an -American been received in England with such -distinguished honors. I will close by his own -account of the way in which he was received.</p> - -<p>“I must say that the good people have treated -me with great kindness. Their hospitality is unbounded, -and I find nothing cold or stiff in their -manners, at least not more than is observed among -ourselves. There may be exceptions, but I think -I may say this as a general truth. The thing -in England most prejudiced against the United -States is the press. Its ignorance of us is shocking, -and it is increased by such absurdities as the -travelers publish, to which stock of absurdities -I am sorry to say Captain Marryatt is making<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> -an abundant addition. In general the Whigs -know more and think better of America than -the Tories. This is undeniable. Yet my intercourse -I think is as much with the Conservatives -as the Whigs. I have several invitations to pass -time in the country after Parliament is prorogued. -Two or three of them I have agreed to -accept. Lord Lansdowne and the Earl of Radnor -have invited us, who live in the south, the Duke -of Rutland, Sir Henry Halford, Earl Fitzwilliam, -Lord Lonsdale, etc., who live in the north.”</p> - -<p>Of one thing my young reader may be assured, -that no attentions, however elevated the source, -had any effect upon the simple dignity of a typical -American citizen, or influenced him when a -few years later, as Secretary of State, it became -his duty to deal with our relations with England.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV.</a><br /> - -<small>CALLED TO THE CABINET.</small></h2> - - -<p>In the Presidential campaign of 1840, General -Harrison, the nominee of the Whig party, -swept the country, and was elected amid demonstrations -of popular enthusiasm till then unprecedented. -As we look back upon this time, uninfluenced -by passion, we can only wonder how -a man so moderately fitted for the position should -have aroused such a furor. That he should have -been nominated, while such born leaders and -accomplished statesmen as Mr. Webster were -passed over, need excite no surprise. In an ideal -republic the best man and the wisest statesman -would be selected, but there are no ideal statesmen, -and are not likely to be. General Harrison -was available, and therefore was put forward as -the standard-bearer.</p> - -<p>I do not mean to say that our nominees have -always been mediocre men. James A. Garfield -was a trained and experienced statesman, so was -James Buchanan (his faults were of a different -order), so were the early Presidents, and so have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> -been occasional nominees of both great parties; -but, as a rule, public men of the first rank have -been passed by for candidates more available.</p> - -<p>General Harrison showed this evidence of fitness -for his high station, that almost immediately -after his election, he indicated a strong desire that -Mr. Webster should enter his Cabinet. Modestly -distrustful of his own abilities, he wished to -strengthen his administration by calling to his -councils Mr. Webster and Mr. Clay. He writes -thus to Mr. Webster, Dec. 1, 1840:</p> - -<p>“Since I was first a candidate for the Presidency, -I had determined, if successful, to solicit -your able assistance in conducting the administration, -and I now ask you to accept the State or -Treasury Department. I have myself no preference -of either for you, but it may perhaps be -more difficult to fill the latter than the former, if -you should decline it. It was the first designed for -you, in the supposition that you had given more -attention to the subject of the finances than Mr. -Clay, to whom I intended to have offered the -State Department. This, as well as any other -post in the Cabinet, I understood, before my arrival -here, from an intimate friend of that gentleman, -he would decline. This he has since done -personally to me.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster replied that “for the daily details<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> -of the Treasury, the matters of account, and the -supervision of subordinate officers employed in the -collection and disbursement of public moneys,” -he did not think himself to be particularly well -qualified. He indicated that he would accept -the office of Secretary of State.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster no doubt accurately gauged his -own abilities. No one could be better fitted for -the premiership and the conduct of our foreign -relations, as the event proved. At this time especially -a strong, judicious statesman of the first -rank was required, for the relations between the -United States and Great Britain were very delicate -and even critical, and a rash hand might -easily have plunged the two countries into war. -One vexed question related to the boundary -between this country and the provinces of Nova -Scotia and Canada. This question was complicated -by others of a still more irritating character, -which space will not allow me to particularize. -There was another question also, the long-standing -claim of England to impress her own seamen, -and to take them out of American vessels sailing -on the high seas in time of war, rendering necessary -the odious “right of search.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster was influenced to accept the post -of Secretary of State, because he knew these -questions ought to be settled, and he felt confi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>dent -of his ability to settle them. With this view -the people cordially agreed, and Gen. Harrison’s -choice of the great statesman of New England -to take charge of our foreign relations was a -very popular one.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster’s retirement from the Senate, and -the necessary choice of a successor, gave occasion -for a display of magnanimity. His relations with -Ex-President John Quincy Adams were not -friendly—he felt that he had been very badly -treated by Mr. Adams on one occasion—but Mr. -Adams, from his prominent position, was likely -to be thought of as his successor in the Senate. -Upon this subject Mr. Webster writes to a friend: -“Some years ago, as you well know, an incident -occurred which interrupted intercourse between -Mr. Adams and myself for several years, and -wounded the feelings of many of my friends as -well as my own. With me that occurrence is -overlooked and forgotten. I bury all remembrance -of it under my regard for Mr. Adams’s -talents, character, and public services.... -Mr. Adams’s great knowledge and ability, his experience, -and especially his thorough acquaintance -with the foreign relations of the country, will -undoubtedly make him prominent as a candidate; -and I wish it to be understood that his election -would be altogether agreeable to me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Adams, however, remained in the House -of Representatives, and Rufus Choate was selected -to succeed Mr. Webster. Massachusetts -was fortunate in having three citizens so eminently -fitted to do her honor in the national -councils.</p> - -<p>When the letter announcing Mr. Webster’s -resignation of his seat was read in the Senate, Mr. -Clay took occasion to pay a glowing tribute to -his great eloquence and ability, referring to him -as “one of the noblest specimens of American -eloquence; one of the brightest ornaments of -these halls, of this country, and of our common -nature.”</p> - -<p>The lamented death of General Harrison, on -the 5th of April, after but a single month in -office, interrupted official business, and made Mr. -Webster’s position still more difficult. John -Tyler, Vice-President, succeeding, soon made -himself obnoxious to the party that had elected -him. All the members of the Cabinet, except -Mr. Webster, resigned. Mr. Webster perceived -that he could not do so without serious detriment -to the national interests, and he remained steadfast, -thereby incurring the censure of many, who -did not appreciate the patriotism and self-sacrifice -that actuated him. The Secretary of State was -too astute a politician not to understand that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> -was periling his own political fortunes, that he -was raising up for himself enemies in his own -State, and that his adherence to the administration -might cost him the promotion which he -ardently desired, for he had already fixed his -eyes upon the Presidency as an object to which -he might legitimately aspire. Nevertheless he -adhered and kept his post till his work was done, -and he had accomplished for this country what -no other hand could probably have done, the -peaceful adjustment of her foreign differences.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the dissatisfaction a great -meeting was held at Faneuil Hall, and Mr. Webster -determined to go there and face the anger of -his former friends. Whatever might have been -the feelings of the packed audience when Mr. -Webster rose before them in his magnificent -manhood, and his deep, calm eyes fell upon the -audience, every head was instantly uncovered in -involuntary homage.</p> - -<p>In the course of his speech Mr. Webster said: -“There are always delicacy and regret when one -feels obliged to differ from his friends, but there -is no embarrassment. There is no embarrassment, -because, if I see the path of duty before me, I -have that within me which will enable me to -pursue it, and throw all embarrassment to the -winds. A public man has no occasion to be em<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span>barrassed -if he is honest. Himself and his feelings -should be to him as nobody and as nothing; -the interest of his country must be to him as -everything; he must sink what is personal to himself, -making exertions for his country, and it is his -ability and readiness to do this which are to mark -him as a great or as a little man in time to come.</p> - -<p>“There were many persons in September, 1841, -who found great fault with my remaining in the -President’s Cabinet. You know, gentlemen, that -twenty years of honest and not altogether undistinguished -service in the Whig cause did not -save me from an outpouring of wrath which -seldom proceeds from Whig pens and Whig -tongues against anybody. I am, gentlemen, a -little hard to coax, but as to being driven, this is -out of the question. I chose to trust my own -judgment; and thinking I was at a post where I -was in the service of the country, and could do -it good, I stayed there, and I leave it to you to-day -to say, I leave it to my countrymen to say, -whether the country would have been better off -if I had left also. I have no attachment to office. -I have tasted of its sweets, but I have tasted of -its bitterness. I am content with what I have -achieved; I am ready to rest satisfied with what -is gained rather than to run the risk of doubtful -efforts for new acquisitions.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p> - -<p>This is the speech of a strong man—a man not -to be turned by obloquy from any step which he -has made up his mind to take. I think to-day -few would question the good judgment which he -displayed in retaining his seat in the Cabinet. -He was enabled to negotiate a treaty with Great -Britain—known as the Ashburton treaty—which, -if not wholly satisfactory to the United States, -at any rate harmonized differences to a large extent, -and removed any immediate danger of hostilities.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Webster felt that his work was -fully accomplished, on the 8th of May, 1843, he -resigned the premiership, and hastened to his -seaside home at Marshfield, there to enjoy the -rest which he needed and craved.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXV" id="CHAPTER_XXXV">CHAPTER XXXV.</a><br /> - -<small>LIFE AT MARSHFIELD.</small></h2> - - -<p>The town of Marshfield is as intimately associated -with the name of Daniel Webster as is -Abbotsford with Sir Walter Scott. It is a sparsely -settled town on the south-eastern shore of Massachusetts. -Mr. Webster’s first acquaintance with -it dates from 1824. Both Mr. and Mrs. Webster -were charmed with the situation of the Thomas -Farm, as it was then called, and the grand views -which it afforded of the ocean. For several summers -the Websters were boarders in the family -of Captain Thomas, and finally, in 1831, he became -the owner of the farm by purchase. Then -he began to make improvements, and by the -lavish expenditure of money converted it from a -homely farm to a fitting residence for a famous -lawyer.</p> - -<p>Henceforth this was the home to which the -thoughts of the great statesman turned when, -weary and exhausted with his labors in the courts, -the Cabinet or the Senate, he felt the need of -rest. He delighted to array himself in a farmer’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> -rough garb, to stride over his own fields, and look -after his cattle. He had not forgotten his early -tastes, and reveled in the free and unconventional -life of this seaside farm. He drank in health -from the invigorating sea breezes, and always -bore more easily the burden of public cares after -a few days at Marshfield.</p> - -<p>“I had rather be here than in the Senate,” he -said on one occasion to his son, while amusing -himself with feeding his cattle with ears of corn -from an unhusked pile lying upon the barn floor.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster was a keen disciple of Isaac Walton, -and spent many an hour with rod and line, -when perhaps his thoughts were busy with some -intricate political problem, or his mind was occupied -with the composition of some speech now -famous.</p> - -<p>To Mr. Harvey’s “Reminiscences” I am indebted -for the following anecdote of Mr. Webster, -and indeed for most that I have said about -his country life:</p> - -<p>“Soon after Mr. Webster went to Marshfield -he was one day out on the marshes shooting -birds. It was in the month of August, when the -farmers were securing their salt hay. He came, -in the course of his rambles, to the Green Harbor -River, which he wished to cross. He beckoned -to one of the men on the opposite bank to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> -him over in his boat, which lay moored in sight. -The man at once left his work, came over and -paddled Mr. Webster across the stream. He declined -the payment offered him, but lingered a -moment, with Yankee curiosity, to question the -stranger. He surmised who Mr. Webster was, -and with some hesitation remarked:</p> - -<p>“‘This is Daniel Webster, I believe?’</p> - -<p>“‘That is my name,’ replied the sportsman.</p> - -<p>“‘Well, now,’ said the farmer, ‘I am told -that you can make from three to five dollars a -day pleadin’ cases up in Boston.’</p> - -<p>“Mr. Webster replied that he was sometimes -so fortunate as to receive that amount for his -services.</p> - -<p>“‘Well, now,’ returned the rustic; ‘it seems -to me, I declare, if I could get as much in the -city pleadin’ law cases, I would not be a wadin’ -over these marshes this hot weather shootin’ little -birds.’”</p> - -<p>Had the simple countryman been told that his -companion, who was dressed but little better than -himself, was making from thirty to forty thousand -dollars annually by these same “law cases,” -we can hardly imagine the extent of his amazement, -or perhaps incredulity.</p> - -<p>There is a tradition, and Mr. Webster has confirmed -it, that he was one day out on the marsh<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> -when his attention was drawn to two young men, -evidently from the city, who were standing on -one side of a creek which it seemed necessary to -cross. They were nicely dressed, and evidently -dismayed by the apparent necessity of spoiling -their fine clothes in the passage. Seeing a large -rough-looking man, with his pants tucked in his -boots, approaching them, their faces brightened -as they saw a way out of their dilemma.</p> - -<p>“My good man,” said one, in an eager but -patronizing way, “we are in trouble. Can you -help us?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster looked at the young men and appreciated -the situation.</p> - -<p>He answered gravely, “What is your difficulty?”</p> - -<p>“We want to get across this creek, but you see -we might spoil our clothes if we undertook to -wade.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster nodded.</p> - -<p>“You look like a good, strong fellow, and it -won’t hurt your clothes. Will you carry us -across on your back?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster’s eyes twinkled, but he did not -suffer the young men to see it. They were -lightly made, and no great burden to one of his -herculean frame.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he answered; “I will oblige you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p> - -<p>So he took the two over in turn, and deposited -them, greatly to their satisfaction, safe and sound -on the opposite shore.</p> - -<p>“I’m ever so much obliged,” said the first. -“Here, my man, take this,” and he drew half a -dollar from his pocket.</p> - -<p>The second made the same tender.</p> - -<p>“You are quite welcome, young gentlemen,” -said Mr. Webster, “but I can’t think of accepting -any recompense.”</p> - -<p>“Really, though, it’s worth it; isn’t it, Jones?” -said the first young man, addressing his companion.</p> - -<p>“Of course it is. Better take the money, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I must decline,” said Mr. Webster, smiling.</p> - -<p>“Ever so much obliged. Really it’s very kind -of you. By the way, doesn’t Daniel Webster -live round here somewhere?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; you are on his land now,” said the -rough-looking countryman.</p> - -<p>“You don’t say so. Is there any chance of -seeing him, do you think?”</p> - -<p>“A very good chance. <em>You have only to take -a good look at me.</em>”</p> - -<p>“Are—you—Mr.—Webster?” faltered the -young men simultaneously.</p> - -<p>“Men call me so,” answered the statesman, enjoying -the confusion of the young men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p> - -<p>They attempted to apologize for the liberty -they had taken, and the great mistake they had -made, but without much success, and notwithstanding -the good-natured manner in which their -excuses were received by Mr. Webster, were glad -when they were out of his presence.</p> - -<p>I cannot resist the temptation to record another -amusing incident in the summer life of Mr. Webster. -One day he had gone to Chelsea Beach to -shoot wild fowl. While lying among the tall -grass he watched from his concealment the flocks -of birds as they flew over the beach and adjacent -waters. A flock appeared flying quite low, and he -lowered the muzzle of his gun below the horizontal -range to bring the birds before his eye. He -fired, and instantly there was a loud cry proceeding -from the beach below. In alarm Mr. Webster -rushed down the bank, and descried a stranger -rubbing his face and shoulder ruefully. The -sportsman himself was not looking his best. His -raiment was disordered and his face was begrimed -with powder.</p> - -<p>“My dear sir,” he inquired anxiously, “did I -hit you?”</p> - -<p>The man answered resentfully, “Yes, you did -hit me; <em>and, from your looks, I should think -that I am not the first man you have shot, -either</em>.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI.</a><br /> - -<small>THE SEVENTH OF MARCH SPEECH.</small></h2> - - -<p>Were I to undertake a complete account of -Mr. Webster’s public acts during the last ten -years of his life, I should require to write a volume -upon this part of his life alone. This does -not enter into my plan. I aim only to give my -young readers a general idea of the public and -private life of the great statesman, and must refer -them for particulars to the valuable Life by -George Ticknor Curtis, already more than once -referred to.</p> - -<p>Mr. Webster was strongly opposed to the annexation -of Texas, foreseeing that it would justly -be resented by the people of the North as tending -to increase “the obvious inequality which -exists in the representation of the people in Congress -by extending slavery and slave representation.”</p> - -<p>Slavery was the one great flaw in our otherwise -glorious system of government. It was a standing -reproach among the European nations that a -government which claimed to be free held in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> -forcible subjection three million slaves. It sowed -dissension between the North and the South, and -seemed to be the entering wedge destined ere -long to split asunder the great republic. There -were men on both sides of Mason and Dixon’s -line who openly favored separation, but Mr. Webster -was not one of these. His ardent devotion -to the Union we have already seen in the glowing -peroration to his memorable speech against -Hayne. He watched with an anxiety which he -did not attempt to conceal the growing exasperation -of feeling between the two sections. Though -he took the Northern view, he saw that there -must be mutual concessions or the Union would -be dissolved. He did not wish that event to come -in his time, and it was in this frame of mind that -he made his last great speech in the Senate—what -is known as the seventh of March speech.</p> - -<p>It was a strong and temperate statement of the -existing condition of affairs, and of the necessity -of compromise. In making this speech Mr. Webster -was fully aware that he was hazarding his -popularity—nay, was sure to lose it—that he -would grieve his best friends, and excite a storm -of indignation at the North. He was not mistaken. -The minds of men were in no mood for -temperate counsels. They were in no mood to -appreciate the patriotic motives which actuated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> -the great statesman. He was charged with falling -from honor and making undue concessions to -slavery. Upon this last point I shall express no -opinion. I only claim that Mr. Webster’s motives -were pure, and that though he may have gone -too far in his concessions, he was influenced -thereto by the depth of his devotion to the -Union. There were not wanting those who -charged him with making in his speech a bid for -the Presidency, forgetting that he could not have -injured his chances more effectually than by stirring -up against himself his warmest political -friends.</p> - -<p>That Mr. Webster had an honorable ambition to -serve his country in that great office—the greatest -in its gift—no one will dispute. He knew his -own fitness, and would have rejoiced to crown a -life of high service with this elevated trust. But -I have said elsewhere that it is only in an ideal -republic that the greatest citizens reach the -highest posts, and our republic is not an ideal one.</p> - -<p>In the light of our present experience we can -see that Mr. Webster was wrong in supposing -that the republic could go on indefinitely with -slavery as its corner-stone. Any compromise -could be only for a time. But he was an old -man—sixty-eight years of age—grown cautious -and conservative with advancing years, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> -could not see through the clouds that gathered -before him.</p> - -<p>With this brief vindication of his motives I -proceed to give an extract from his last great -speech:</p> - -<p>“Secession! Peaceable secession! Sir, your -eyes and mine are never destined to see that -miracle. The dismemberment of this vast country -without convulsion! The breaking up of the -fountains of the great deep without ruffling the -surface! Who is so foolish—I beg everybody’s -pardon—as to expect any such thing? Sir, he -who sees these States now revolving in harmony -around a common center, and expects to see them -quit their places and fly off without convulsion, -may look the next moment to see the heavenly -bodies rush from their spheres and jostle against -each other in the realms of space, without causing -the wreck of the universe! There can be no -such thing as a peaceable secession. Peaceable -secession is an impossibility. Is the great Constitution -under which we live, covering this -whole country, is it to be thawed and melted away -by secession, as the snows on the mountain melt -under the influence of a vernal sun, disappear -and run off? No, sir! No, sir! I will not -state what might produce the disruption of the -Union; but, sir, I see as plainly as I see the sun -in heaven what that disruption must produce;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> -I see that it must produce war, and such a war -as I will not describe in its two-fold character.</p> - -<p>“Peaceable secession! Peaceable secession! -The concurrent agreement of all the members of -this great government to separate! A voluntary -separation with alimony on one side, and on the -other! Why, what would be the result? Where -is the line to be drawn? What States are to -secede? What is to remain America? What -am I to be? An American no longer? Am I -to become a sectional man, a local man, a separatist, -with no country in common with the gentlemen -who sit around me here, or who fill the -other House of Congress? Heaven forbid! -Where is the flag of the republic to remain? -Where is the eagle still to tower? or is he to -cower, and shrink, and fall to the ground? Why, -sir, our ancestors, our fathers, and our grandfathers, -those of them who are still living among -us with prolonged lives, would rebuke and reproach -us; and our children and our grandchildren -would cry out shame upon us, if we of this -generation should dishonor these ensigns of the -power of the government and the harmony of -the union which is every day felt among us with -so much joy and gratitude. What is to become -of the army? What is to become of the navy? -What is to become of the public lands? How -is each of the thirty States to defend itself?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I know, although the idea has not been stated -distinctly, there is to be, or it is supposed possible -that there will be, a Southern confederacy. I -do not mean, when I allude to this statement, that -any one seriously contemplates such a state of -things. I do not mean to say that it is true, but -I have heard it suggested elsewhere that the idea -has been entertained that, after the dissolution of -this Union a Southern Confederacy might be -formed. I am sorry, sir, that it has ever been -thought of, talked of or dreamed of, in the wildest -flights of human imagination. But the idea, so -far as it exists, must be of a separation, assigning -the slave States to one side, and the free States to -the other. Sir, I may express myself too strongly, -perhaps, but there are impossibilities in the moral -as well as in the physical world, and I hold the -idea of a separation of these States, those that -are free to form one government, and those that -are slaveholding to form another, as such an impossibility. -We could not separate the States by -any such line if we were to draw it. We could -not sit down here to-day and draw a line of separation -that would satisfy any five men in the -country. There are natural causes that would -keep and tie us together, and there are social and -domestic relations which we could not break if -we would, and which we should not if we could.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span></p> - -<p>In describing the consequences of secession it -must be admitted that Mr. Webster spoke like a -true prophet. All the evils that he predicted—the -war such as the world had never seen—came -to pass, but out of it the Union emerged stronger -than ever, with its chief burden and reproach -thrown overboard. Much as the war cost, we -feel to-day that we are the better off that it was -fought. Let us not blame Mr. Webster that -he could not penetrate the future, and strove so -hard to avert it. Probably his speech postponed -it, but nothing could avert it. Can we doubt -that if the great statesman were living to-day -he would thank God that He had solved the -great problem that had baffled the wisdom of the -wisest, and brought substantial good from fratricidal -strife?</p> - -<p>Among those who listened with rapt attention -to Mr. Webster was John C. Calhoun, his great -compeer, who had risen with difficulty from the -bed where he lay fatally sick, to hear the senator -from Massachusetts. “A tall, gaunt figure, -wrapped in a long black cloak, with deep, cavernous -black eyes, and a thick mass of snow-white hair -brushed back from the large brow,” he seemed like -a visitant from the next world. It was his last -appearance in the Senate. Before March was -over he had gone to his rest!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII.</a><br /> - -<small>CLOSING SCENES.</small></h2> - - -<p>Mr. Webster’s public life was drawing to a -close. After the death of Gen. Taylor he accepted -for a second time the post of Secretary of -State, but there is nothing in his official work -that calls for our special attention. Important -questions came up and were satisfactorily disposed -of. There was a strong hand at the helm.</p> - -<p>June, 1852, brought him a great disappointment. -The Whig Convention assembled in Baltimore -to nominate a candidate for the Presidency. -Mr. Webster was by all means the leader of that -party, and was one of the three candidates balloted -for. But in the end the successful man was Gen. -Winfield Scott. It was a nomination like that of -Harrison and Taylor, dictated solely by what was -thought to be availability. In this case a mistake -was made. Gen. Scott was disastrously defeated -by Gen. Franklin Pierce, the nominee of -the Democracy.</p> - -<p>Gen. Pierce, though parted by politics, was a devoted -friend of Mr. Webster, and the reader may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> -be interested to know that on hearing of his nomination, -he spoke thus: “Well, all I can say is, and -I say it in sincerity, if the people of the United -States were to repudiate caucuses, conventions, -politicians and tricksters, and rise in the glory -of their strength and might, without waiting for -any convention to designate a candidate, but bent -on placing in the Presidential chair the first citizen -and statesman, the first patriot and man, -Daniel Webster, it would do for republican -government more than any event which has -taken place in the history of the world. These -are my sentiments, democracy or no democracy.”</p> - -<p>This is certainly a remarkable tribute from the -nominee of one party to an unsuccessful candidate -of another, but Gen. Pierce had shown on many -occasions his warm friendship and admiration for -Mr. Webster.</p> - -<p>At Mr. Webster’s age it was not likely that he -would ever again be a candidate for the Presidency. -His last chance had slipped away, and -the disappointment was keen. He was already in -declining health, induced partly by a severe accident -which befell him in May, 1852, when he was -thrown headlong to the earth while riding behind -a span of horses to Plymouth. Probably the -injury was greater than appeared. Towards the -end of September, while at Marshfield, alarming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> -symptoms were developed, and his grand physical -system was evidently giving way. That month -was to be his last. His earthly work was done, -and he was never again to resume his work at -Washington. The closing scenes are thus described -by Mr. Curtis:</p> - -<p>“It was past midnight, when, awaking from -one of the slumbers that he had at intervals, he -seemed not to know whether he had not already -passed from his earthly existence. He made a -strong effort to ascertain what the consciousness -that he could still perceive actually was, and then -uttered those well-known words, ‘I still live!’ -as if he had satisfied himself of the fact that -he was striving to know. They were his last -coherent utterance. A good deal later he said -something in which the word ‘poetry’ was distinctly -heard. His son immediately repeated to -him one of the stanzas of Gray’s ‘Elegy.’ He -heard it and smiled. After this respiration became -more difficult, and at length it went on with -perceptible intervals. All was now hushed within -the chamber; and to us who stood waiting -there were but three sounds in nature: the sighing -of the autumn wind in the trees, the slow -ticking of the clock in the hall below, and the -deep breathing of our dying friend. Moments -that seemed hours flowed on. Still the measured<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> -beat of time fell painfully distinct upon our ears; -still the gentle moaning of the wind mingled -with the only sound that arose within the room; -for there were no sobs of women, no movements -of men. So grand, and yet so calm and simple, -had been his approach to the moment when he -must know that he was with us no more, that he -had lifted us into a composure which, but for -his great example, we could not have felt. At -twenty-three minutes before three o’clock his -breathing ceased; the features settled into a -superb repose; and Dr. Jeffries, who still held -the pulse, after waiting a few seconds, gently laid -down the arm, and amid a breathless silence, pronounced -the single word, ‘Dead.’ The eyes were -then closed, the remains were removed from the -position in which death came, and all but those -who had been appointed to wait and watch slowly -and mournfully walked away.”</p> - -<p>Thus died a man whom all generations will -agree in pronouncing great; a man not without -faults, for he was human, but one to whom his -country may point with pride as a sincere patriot, -a devoted son, who, in eloquence at the bar and -in the Senate, is worthy of a place beside the -greatest orators of any nation, or any epoch. He -has invested the name of an American citizen -with added glory, for he was a typical American,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> -the genuine product of our republican institutions. -No poor boy who reads his life need despair -of becoming eminent, for he can hardly -have more obstacles to overcome than the farmers’ -boy, who grew up on the sterile soil of New -Hampshire, and fought his way upward with unfailing -courage and pluck. Not once in a century -is such a man born into the world—a man so -amply endowed by his Creator—but he did not -rely upon his natural talents, but was a firm -believer in hard work. With all his marvelous -ability he would not otherwise have left behind -him such a name and fame.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII.</a><br /> - -<small>CENTENNIAL TRIBUTES.</small></h2> - - -<p>On the 18th of January, 1882, the hundredth -birthday of Daniel Webster, the Marshfield Club -assembled at the Parker House, in Boston, to -take suitable notice of the anniversary. Though -thirty years had elapsed since his death there was -one at least present, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, -who had been intimately associated with him in -public life, having been his successor in the -Senate, and a warm personal friend. Most notable -among the addresses was that of Gov. Long, -of Massachusetts, which I shall venture to insert -here, as containing in brief compass a fitting estimate -of the great statesman whom the company -had assembled to honor.</p> - - -<p class="center">GOVERNOR LONG’S ADDRESS.</p> - -<p>“It is but a poor tribute that even the most eloquent -voice, least of all mine, can pay for Massachusetts -to the memory of her greatest statesman, -her mightiest intellect and her most powerful -orator. Among her sons he towers like the lonely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> -and massive shaft on Bunker Hill, upon the base -and the crest of which his name is emblazoned -clearer than if chiseled deep in its granite cubes. -For years he was her synonym. Among the -States he sustained her at that proud height -which Winthrop and Sam Adams gave her in -the colonial and provincial days. With what -matchless grandeur he defended her! With -what overwhelming power he impressed her convictions -upon the national life! God seems to -appoint men to special work, and, that done, the -very effort of its achievement exhausts them, and -they rise not again to the summit of their meridian. -So it was with Webster. He knows little -even of written constitutions and frames of government -who does not know that they exist almost -less in the letter than in the interpretation -and construction of the letter. In this light it is -not too much to say that the Constitution of the -United States, as it existed when it carried our -country through the greatest peril that ever tested -it, was the crystallization of the mind of Webster -as well as of its original framers. It came from -them and was only accepted by some of our own -as a compact of States, sovereign in all but certain -enumerated powers delegated to a central -government. He made it the crucible of a welded -Union—the charter of one great country, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> -United States of America. He made the States -a nation and enfolded them in its single banner. -It was the overwhelming logic of his discussion, -the household familiarity of his simple but irresistible -statement, that gave us munition to fight -the war for the preservation of the Union and -the abolition of slavery. It was his eloquence, -clear as crystal and precipitating itself in the -school-books and literature of a people, which had -trained up the generation of twenty years ago to -regard this nation as one, to love its flag with a -patriotism that knew no faction or section, to be -loyal to the whole country, and to find in its Constitution -power to suppress any hand or combination -raised against it. The great Rebellion of -1861 went down hardly more before the cannon -of Grant and Farragut than the thunder of Webster’s -reply to Hayne. He knew not the extent -of his own achievement. His greatest failure -was that he rose not to the height and actual -stroke of his own resistless argument, and that -he lacked the sublime inspiration, the disentanglement -and the courage to let the giant he -had created go upon his errand, first of force, and -then, through that, of surer peace. He had put -the work and genius of more than an ordinary -lifetime of service into the arching and knitting -of the Union, and this he could not bear to put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> -to the final test; his great heart was sincere in -the prayer that his eyes might not behold the -earthquake that would shake it to those foundations -which, though he knew it not, he had made -so strong that a succeeding generation saw them -stand the shock as the oak withstands the storm. -Men are not gods, and it needed in him that he -should rise to a moral sublimity and daring as -lofty as the intellectual heights above which he -soared with unequaled strength. So had he been -godlike.</p> - -<p>“A great man touches the heart of the people -as well as their intelligence. They not only admire, -they also love him. It sometimes seems as -if they sought in him some weakness of our common -human nature, that they may chide him for -it, forgive it, and so endear him to themselves -the more. Massachusetts had her friction with -the younger Adams, only to lay him away with -profounder honor, and to remember him devotedly -as the defender of the right of petition and -‘the old man eloquent.’ She forgave the overweening -conceit of Sumner, she revoked her unjust -censure of him, and now points her youth to -him in his high niche as the unsullied patriot, -without fear and without reproach, who stood and -spoke for equal rights, and whose last great service -was to demand and enforce his country’s just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> -claims against the dishonorable trespass of the -cruisers of that England he had so much admired. -Massachusetts smote, too, and broke the heart of -Webster, her idol, and then broke her own above -his grave, and to-day writes his name highest upon -her roll of statesmen. It seems disjointed to say -that, with such might as his, the impression that -comes from his face upon the wall, as from his -silhouette upon the background of our history, is -that of sadness—the sadness of the great deep -eyes, the sadness of the lonely shore he loved, -and by which he sleeps. The story of Webster -from the beginning is the very pathos of romance. -A minor chord runs through it like the tenderest -note in a song. What eloquence of tears is in -that narrative, which reveals in this giant of intellectual -strength the heart, the single loving -heart, of a child, and in which he describes -the winter sleighride up the New Hampshire -hills when his father told him that, at whatever -cost, he should have a college education, and he, -too full to speak, while a warm glow ran all over -him, laid his head upon his father’s shoulder and -wept!</p> - -<p>“The greatness of Webster and his title to -enduring gratitude have two illustrations. He -taught the people of the United States, in the -simplicity of common understanding, the princi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span>ples -of the Constitution and government of the -country, and he wrought for them, in a style of -matchless strength and beauty, the literature of -statesmanship. From his lips flowed the discussion -of constitutional law, of economic philosophy, -of finance, of international right, of national -grandeur and of the whole range of high public -themes, so clear and judicial that it was no longer -discussion, but judgment. To-day—and so it will -be while the republic endures—the student and -the legislator turn to the full fountain of his -statement for the enunciation of these principles. -What other authority is quoted, or holds even the -second or third place? Even his words have imbedded -themselves in the common phraseology, -and come to the tongue like passages from the -Psalms or the poets. I do not know that a sentence -or a word of Sumner’s repeats itself in our -every-day parlance. The exquisite periods of -Everett are recalled like the consummate work -of some master of music, but no note or refrain -sings itself over and over again to our ears. The -brilliant eloquence of Choate is like the flash of a -bursting rocket, lingering upon the retina indeed -after it has faded from the wings of the night, -but as elusive of our grasp as spray-drops that -glisten in the sun. The fiery enthusiasm of -Andrews did, indeed, burn some of his heart-beats<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> -forever into the sentiment of Massachusetts; but -Webster made his language the very household -words of a nation. They are the library of a -people. They inspired and still inspire patriotism. -They taught and still teach loyalty. They are -the school-book of the citizen. They are the inwrought -and accepted fiber of American politics. -If the temple of our republic shall ever fall, they -will ‘still live’ above the ground like those great -foundation stones in ancient ruins, which remain -in lonely grandeur, unburied in the dust that -springs to turf over all else, and making men -wonder from what rare quarry and by what -mighty force they came. To Webster, as to few -other men, is it due that to-day, wherever a son -of the United States, at home or abroad, ‘beholds -the gorgeous ensign of the republic, now known -and honored throughout the earth, still full high -advanced, its arms and trophies streaming in their -original luster, not a stripe erased or polluted, nor -a single star obscured,’ he can utter a prouder -boast than, <i lang="la">Civis Romanus sum</i>. For he can -say, I am an American citizen.”</p> - -<p>As a fitting pendant to this eloquent tribute -I quote a portion of the address of Mr. Winthrop, -whose name, personally and by inheritance, makes -him one of the most eminent sons of Massachusetts:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And, after all, Mr. President, what are all the -fine things which have ever been said of him, or -which ever can be said of him, to-night or a hundred -years hence, compared with the splendid -record which he has left of himself as an advocate -in the courts, as a debater in the Senate, as an -orator before the people? We do not search out -for what was said about Pericles or Demosthenes -or Cicero or Burke. It is enough for us to read -their orations. There are those, indeed, who may -justly desire to be measured by the momentary -opinions which others have formed and expressed -about them. There are not a few who may well -be content to live on the applauses and praises -which their efforts have called forth from immediate -hearers and admirers. They will enjoy at -least a reflected and traditional fame. But Webster -will always stand safest and strongest on his -own showing. His fame will be independent of -praise or dispraise from other men’s lips. He can -be measured to his full altitude, as a thinker, a -writer, a speaker, only by the standard of his own -immortal productions. That masterly style, that -pure Saxon English, that clear and cogent statement, -that close and clinching logic, that power -of going down to the depths and up to the heights -of any great argument, letting the immaterial or -incidental look out for itself, those vivid descrip<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span>tions, -those magnificent metaphors, those thrilling -appeals—not introduced as mere ornaments -wrought out in advance, and stored up for an -opportunity of display, but sparkling and blazing -out in the very heat of an effort, like gems uncovering -themselves in the working of a mine—these -are some of the characteristics which will -secure for Webster a fame altogether his own, -and will make his works a model and a study, -long after most of those who have praised him, -or who have censured him, shall be forgotten.</p> - -<p>“What if those six noble volumes of his were -obliterated from the roll of American literature -and American eloquence! What if those great -speeches, recently issued in a single compendious -volume, had no existence! What if those consummate -defenses of the Constitution and the -Union had never been uttered, and their instruction -and inspiration had been lost to us during -the fearful ordeal to which that Constitution and -that Union have since been subjected? Are we -quite sure that we should have had that Constitution -as it was, and the Union as it is, to be fought -for, if the birth we are commemorating had never -occurred—if that bright Northern Star had never -gleamed above the hills of New Hampshire? -Let it be, if you please, that its light was not -always serene and steady. Let it be that mist<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> -and clouds sometimes gathered over its disk, and -hid its guiding rays from many a wistful eye. -Say even, if you will, that to some eyes it seemed -once to be shooting madly from its sphere. -Make every deduction which his bitterest enemies -have ever made for any alleged deviation -from the course which he had marked out for it -by others, or which it seemed to have marked out -for itself, in its path across the sky. Still, still -there is radiance and glory enough left, as we -contemplate its whole golden track, to make us -feel and acknowledge that it had no fellow in our -firmament.”</p> - - -<p class="center space-above">THE END.</p> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h3>Transcriber's Notes</h3> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. All other -spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's From Farm Boy to Senator, by Horatio Alger Jr. - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM FARM BOY TO SENATOR *** - -***** This file should be named 53382-h.htm or 53382-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/3/8/53382/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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