The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1838-11-08
Frasa The Ns~ / RI Review.
CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL.
M LIE AND PUaIIc sERTIcEs.

MS LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES.
whpn in one Of our late numbers. Ne
hid nerasinn To reTiew the decisions OI
the Sapremr Court If the United States
upaa constitutional questions. IL occurred
q rs that a somewhat Iaare extended view
al tlIr llr. ellararIeT and services Of Mr..
ChirG Justice Marshall might be useful.
tan could rrhPerly End place in that
.uIrir. We avail ourselves of an early
appnr:unily 10 carry in,o execution the
ia.rnli1n which IhrR naaled laossly In
our miad. .nd pr"p"se IN lay belare our
TEA irT. snlnr skelches 81 his biography.
AMI literary professional labors. II = BE-
pleasant. a. ,hrnugh tie loop h"les 81 re
irra,." to g'ze uP"a the passing scenes
Of the busy world. Il is not less pleasant.
and Il is generally Gar more insIrucuve.
10 turn back uphn the past. and TO re-
ell the images OF those who. having
a.ird their paris u?Oa the great theatre
II human life. are now gathered tn ihe
das. III their ancestors, and have leli 10
US the inheritance nf their deeds and their
fame. We are thus enabled. amidst the
hol pursuits oi business. and The eager
anil jealous risa'ries Of party strife. TO
pause far moment. and 10 see, as IL
werr. reflected from a distant mirror.
men aud things in their Just aud natural
proportions. stripped Of the pageanIry
which sometimes DISCUSSES their defnr-
mites. and deprived Of the glare Of those
false lights which cheat the understand.
ing even more than The senses. |, has
heen sometimes said, and there is great
truth in tie remark, that IL YOU wuuld
kn"w uhh a man really 10. you should
inquire what audience he addresses:
whether he addresses the present age or
poslenIy-wheIher he seeks the applause
Of the giddy multitude Of the hour, or the
sIow praise which rises from. rather Than
settle on the lomb-wLclher he aspircs
10 the fame which 10 bnrn on the breath
OF The living. satisfying and saiing. or
tina, which rises unbidden in the hearts
VI the wise and good in after generations.
and though IL be vOiceless 10 the world.
speaks 10 the conscience and the souls OF
men with thrilling power. the more IT,
resisrible because unsuspecled. The ex.
ample Of good man 10 rarely without its
fall influences; that Of q great man who
has stamped HE own character upon his
own age, cannot fail 10 have much 10 d..
for encouragement or sdmoni,ion, with
the desIInies Of those that come after him.
The bingrsphy Of Mr.. Chief Justice
Marshall has nnl a. vet been written.
and IL is yet uncertain when il will be.
We do not. in this cnuniry, usually take
much pains To gather up the private an
ecd"ies. ar memories. or papers of emf
nent men. mil long alter their de.
cease. when must Of their contemporaries
have passed away from the scene. aud
.hnse who survive have in their recollec
tlnn only faded pieiures Of the past. Of
ten obscure and din. aud generally with
out the freshness and warmth OF eaTly
sketches. In other countries. a more
earnest, and sometimes misplaced, soli-
cItude is exhibited To preserve and mar.
rate what is not well known; and To give
US. almost al The moment Of The death OF
the individual. the side lights of his char
acIer-,he habits Of his mind--his table
ialk--hls peculiar Iss,es-hls various or
close pursuits-lhe familiar pleasan,ries
Of his private llfe--ihe occasional shade
and sunshine which played about his cha
racter-his marked sayings-his dreams
as well as wiGe.awake speculations-snd
even the lnlle touches Of human inirmi-
~ which. when not entirely graceful, are
yet Of a nature % let US into the inner
man, and reconcile us somewhat 10 the
steady CO ,rmplalinn of his greatness, by
teaching us that he was mortal. We or.
der all these things differently in Ameri-
ca; sometimes from delicacy OF feeling
towards the liViug-snmeiirnes from a
shy rGscrve-sometines from a dread Of
being intrusive or imper,inent-ands some.
times from the notion that all our public
characters should. like heroes upon the
stage. be dressed up for dramatic effect,
and preserve throughout the dignity of
their holiday costume. There is moth
ing very reprehensible. or even perhaps
announcement il all this. Blu, our sad,
int 10 say our oflea shameful neglec, Of
the private papers Of our great men. and
"ur tardy jusiire 10 their fame, in leav-
Ing their memories TO the chances Of mis-.
representations and mistakes Of friends
md fhes--and sometimes our equal mis-
chirvious mdiscrimina,e publication oil
all that is left, without considering that
much which is written by men Of has.
ty and irritable and jealous temperament,
may rehec. dishonor upon themselves by
It's pemlence, its injustice. and its resent,
ments; these are matters Of deeper regret
and more enduring modification.
la the case or Mr.. Chief Justice Mar
shall. we have lew materials for the sto
ny OF his life, bevond wha. may be CLEAN
cd trom the eulogies delivered soon af.e'
his deceasc; and these are necessarily