The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-07-20
From hs LO,oeH sfass,l Courier
LORD BRoUGHAM AND MR.. WEBSTER.

rum cue LoUeH nIussJ SoWte''
LORD BRoUGHAM AND MR.. WEBSTER.
Mr.. Editor read with great pleasure, in
your paper OF the OH as all your subscrl.
bers, must have done, the criticism on Mr..
Webster, contained in the letter from New
York, first published in The London Morning
Herald. The views Of the writer are sound
and discriminating, and they are such as will
be generally assenfed 10 by those Of Mr..
Websier's conntrymcn who have studied his
character uniniluenced by party feeling. But
as all this is u matter OF taste and Judgment,
there will be, Of course, different opinions in
relation 10 the several subjects of remark con-
tanned in the letter. ! wish to say few
word, respecting one of them. | allude 10
the comparison made between Mr.. Webster
and Lord Brougham as ,eriiers Of The English
tongue. The author Of the letter says, "As
terse and accurate writer OF the English
language, he will moi compare unfavorably
with Lord Brougham" The idea contained
IN these words, if understand them, is sim
ply this-that Mr.. Webster is nearly, if not
quite as good a writer as Lord Brougham is.
Now with the sincerest respect for the judg-
ment ofthe critic, il seems TO me that this
sentence does not express the true relation
between these two distinguished men as Eng
llsh writers. | have no wish to detrsct, in
any way, from the merit Of Lord Brougham.
lie belongs to the giants. His achievements
have been Herculran. His original powers
OF mind were remarkable both for strength
and versatility, and they have never grown
feeble or rusty from dsuse. His aitainments,
if not SO profound in any single branch of
study, as those of many other men, are pro-
digious in their aggregate amount Years
and wears ago, il was said Of him, that he
welded in debate the whole Cyclopedia He
is at home in almost every department Of hu-
man knowledge-law, politics, literature,
science He is protested, and prolific au-
thor in mathematics, metaphysics, natural the
ology, moral philosophy, and criticism. But
what are his merits as writer, and how will
he compare, in this respect, with MIR. Web
sterl Let those who have studied both Judge
between me and the author Of the letter The
palm Of superiority belongs, most unquestiona-
bly,, TO Mr.. Webster.
The most striking characteristic Of Lord
Brougham's style, when he has occasion to
rise above what is merely narrative or didac-
tic, is a sort of truculent and coarse strength.
He knocks about him, right and left with the
ponderous broad sword Of Richard: but he
has no hand to handle the azure and temper
ed blade Of Saladin He may not often be
obscure, and he is occasionally graceful; but
he is frequently careless, and the construc-
ton of many of his sentences, even in his
philosophical works, is extremely awkward
and bnngling. There are few things more
remarkable about Mr.. Webster than his style
Il is in strict keeping with himself-in per-
feet harmony with his physical and intellec-
tual endowments. It's most uniform and
prominent features are strength and simplicity.
The English tongue has never been moulded
into forms of more exquisite and classical
purity than it assumes in the hands Of Mr..
Webster. 1t is Parian marble, and anything
like mere ornament or fnery would as little
become it, as color and gliding would become
the Apollo Belvidere. 1t is severe, simple,
and sublime. If his style is the result of
study and art, then art has reached its highest
point of perfection and finish He is never
careless. His sentences are never involved,
harsh, or obscure. His words are true, ster-
ling, unadulreraed English, and they are
chosen and connected with almost scrupulous
accuracy Of adaptation to their truest mean
Ifg. LII illOIc ,WlouSlt
compositions, you can no more alter the dis
position of his words, or substitute others for
them, without injury, than you can change
the arrangement of. the words in the finest
passages of the Paradise lost. His style
may be less striking than that Of many other
writers-but it is for the same reason that the
first view of the interior of the ST, Peters
is less startling and wonderful than that of
many other inferior cathedrals. There is
nothing monstrous-and nothing that APP
proaches the monsrous about it. It's sym
metry is so perfect that we are not at first
aware of its majestic strength and beauty
the harmony is SO entire and absolute that we
are not at frs, conscious of its depth and vol
ume of the sound that is swelling upon our
ears. You can no more tire Of these passa-
ges than you can Of the immortal lines of
Milton. They belong to the same order Of
composition. they will live with them in the
memory and admiration OF the world.
All this | believe 10 be strictly true Of
Mr.. Webster, but do believe that it can
be said of Lord Brougham. No, superior as
the latter is, in some respects, to Mr. Web
ster, as an accomplished master of English
prose, he is far from being even his equal.