Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-11-10

ly ono OF those pefS\ PROTESTANT
political career cannot Uet6lerably under,st
unless we have some acquaintance with H..
cumstances of his origin, and Of his early N.Y.
nv, taken in connexiun with his whole pOH;. ~ ~
We were therefore disappointed, on openin,a
volume of his works. nUt 10 iiad rre6yed ,as5s
full biographical notice Of him. We were ;nS'W
SD much disappointed ami felt so fr!lv rer,r,s'
that neither the contents If tie volume itself :
the sources If its authnr's pow er. nor b;s
TIM before the nation. could be properly rOmF's
htgded without 1t. that We deter mined At orf'
mare such notices of hi, HE. as We m;,s,
to collect under favorable circums,anss'
,y regret that our efforts have not been n
esful-and that our notices, therefore :
fe~Fand imperfect.
Mr.. WeDs'er was born IN Salisbury, a farm.
town of New Har,pshire, at the head Of the n
rimack, it, iTS2. His father, always a Lrrs
was a man o! q -oaaly marked and ,lgOrop. :,
racter,-fui ct g%eision. integrity: fnnne.. -.
good sense k ,er,ed under Lord .Amh,,, !.
| the French VIZ tha, ended IN l76S: and, in -
| war OF the Revolution. he commanded a tom,,.
chiefly composed of i,i' tow ms. people aud fGs,I
Who gladly fought under his leading hearty s,.,
campaign. and at whose head he wa, found, M.
battle of Bennington, al the White Plains, an :
West Point, when Arno'd's treason was ,sro,r
ed. He died about the year 1906, and. a, 4.
time of his death. had filed. for many YEAR, 4,
office Of Judge Of the Court Of Common Plea, ri
the state Of New Hampshire.
But, during the early part Of Mr.. Webster.
life, the place Of his birth, now the centre d,
Furnishing popula,ion, was on the frontier, 4
civilization. His father bad been one Of The r,r
first settlers, and had even pushed further IN,
the wilderness than the rest; 50 that the .nJ,
sent up amidst the solitude Of the fDre,t. from a
humble dwelling in which NJ. Webster vs,hrl
self born. marked, for some time, the uItnr,I
limit Of New-EngIand adventure al the Nat
Undoubtedly, in any other country, the suftrirJ
and privations, and discouragemeuts ineuiis !
in such a life, would have precluded al ttonrs
of intellectual culture. But, in New En2l,id
ever since the first free-school was established
amidst the woods that covered the penlnaa 4
Boston, in 1856, the schoolmaster has been tlsn
on the border line between savage and d,,linI
life often indeed with an axe 10 open HI. owl piI
but always looked up to with respect, and alslyI
CARRYING with him a valuable and prepondsnlj
influence.
1t is TO tins characteristic trait Of New. EnslMj
policy, that we owe the first development Of MI
Webster's powers, and the original %detemnI
! ton ofhis whole course in lite: Tor, unless Y
school had sought him in the forest, his ta,ht;I
means would not have been sufficient iosendG Il
down To the settlements to seek the school IN
first upward step, therefore, would have I'D
wanting; and it is not at all probable that n
subsequent cxcrtions on his own part. %wouldhNl
enabled him to retrieve it. The value oil SUE
benefit canuot, indeed, be measured; but 1t sG1
to have been his good fortune 20 be able in Ft
at least, to repay It; for no man has explalj
with such simplicity and force as he has e1pIal
ed them, Ibe very principles and f"unda'IOT'
which the free schools Of New-England resi- |
shown, with such a feeling of their lmPoraNI
and value, how truly the free institutions Of q
country must be built on the education OF all
We allude now to his remarks in the Convenuo1
of Massachusetts,, where, speaking OF the s1PP'1
of schools, he says:- 80.
sin this particular we may be allowed TO clai
a merit of a very high and peculiar nature. ~
commonwealth, with other of the New EnsIaaI
states, early adopted, and has constantly MANI
tanned the principle, that it is the undouO'ed 'n
and the bounden duty of government, to po''a1
for the instruction Of all youth. That when
elsewhere left to chance, or to charity, We secure
by law. For the purpose Of public INSTRUCTIVE
we hold every man subject to TAXATION I" p1
portion to his property, and we look not " !
question, whether he, himself. have OF Lave o
children to be benefited by the educa'iou 4
which he pays. We regard 1t as wise ana N
eral system Of policy, by which properly ana u
aud the peace of society are secured. wee
to prevent, in some measure. the extension"
pena. code. by inspiring a s%alular.y and eon'eN1
tive principle Of virtue. and OF knowledge W 1
early age. We hope to excite a tee'lns ",rPJ
liability, and of sense Of character, by enl''y]
the capacity, and increasing the sphere VI "nl
I~ectual enjoyment. BY general INSTRUCTIVE
seek as far as possible, to purify the "n't :.
raj atmosphere; to keep good sentiments aTI
most, and to turn the strong current OF H%i
and opinion, as well as the censures o. me "
and the denunciations Of religion, against w".
atty and crime. We hope for a secuT'"' j
yond the law. and above the law, ~ inc psi
Ience of enlightened and well prIn'lp'ea %%
sentiment. We hope TO continue ana 10 p%
the time, when, in the villages and 'a,mrI
Of New-EngIand, there may he untlI'lu'Ot",
within unbarred doors. And knowing uas
government rests directly on the pubic VIZ
we may presesvc it, we cndeavor to s'ewv
and proper direction to the public Will WI
MT ;,IooJ ,vnoct all mon Ia he DhllOsOphe'|