The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-05-21

more Mighty endowed with intellectual eills than the
late William Writ the greatest public bIunder Of
whose whole career that late in life and at the
eleventh political hour he suffered himself to be an
nounced as candidate for the Presidency, by party
with whom he had not before acted But be this as /,
may, all must admit who knew him, that whatever
Mr.. Writ did he did conscientiously. We all know
and feel that" to err is human" and we have yet to
learn 'na' error Is proof Of sel6shness The Roman
Cato when he found that
his world was made for Caesar
new 10 suicide He might have Stunned the deed,
and outlIved Cesar, Mr.. Writ did the excitement
which made him Presidential candidate and still like
him have served his country "The post Of honor is
private station" oftener than politicians are aware
OIL bu' sui without guile they have often quit il to re-
turn to II without reproach. Until this event, Mr.
Wi pursued the tenor Of his profession through
long iife dgnying ii with the official statesmanship
OF Attorney General Of the United States and not as
mere lawyer, who like drudge horse can only 90 in
the gears oil particular vehicle but adjoining and IL
Illustrating it with literature and science His know
ledge Of history and Of the ancient and modern clas-
sics was as profound as his legal requirements while
ms political information and sagacy kept pace with
his other improvements. His genius was Of the FIRST
order and he improved il with the most seduous care
Ho exerted his mind at times author then as an
orator, and daily as lawyer, while his efforts in each
department improved his general powers and gave him
that variety of information and knowledge which,
when combined with genius, makes what Mr.. Writ
really was, truly great man. Not great only in poll
tics, literature law, but great in each and all, like
Lord Brougham. Many Of his coun,rymen were
his rtunap orI ~
may be said to have been his superors in some natural
endowments, but for universally and variety OF talent
perhaps he was not surpassed
Mr.. Writ had none of the adventurous aids of high
br fortune and connexions to assist him up the step
of Fame He was compelled to force his own way,
unai ded and unriended: and like many other great
men Of our country, he taught school for mainten-
ance while he studied law 1t was during that time,
while he was student, Immediately after he was
admitted to the practice that he the letters Of the
British Spy" The description of the nori homines,
the new men, which he SO eloqucntly gives in Of
those letters applied aptly himself The eloquence
with which he describes the elevated purposes of
tory exhibited his devotion to the art while il
showed his capabity ofexcelling in it.
il may be said to be almost the peculiar privilege of
an American to win his way by the gifts which
nature has given him. with the certainty that
will wait merit. Wealth and family influence, it is
true, have great weight in the of young man
but in the long run, superior talents will gain the prize
no matter what may have been the early disadvan
ges Of their possessor, provided the resolution To be
true to himself comes too late The history of al
most every departed, well as Of almost every living
worthy Of our country, proves this remark and it il
right that il should be Perhaps this than any
other feature in Republic. tends to its durability
| while il renders it glorious The great mass of the
people seldom wrong in their judgments and there
fore it is that with them talents with Just apple
citation whenever they become known at least talents
for oratory
| Mr.. Writ had all the qualifications for obtaining
the popular COED will. He possessed fine person
remarkable amenity of manners, colloqual qualities
tho first order, wit at will, and he abounded in
dotes which he related with remarkable pleasantness
| and tact A stranger, on entering assembage
where Mr.. Writ was, would Immediately on perceiv-
| ing him, have supposed him superior man. His
person above the middle height, with an incna-
ton to corpuency his counenance "sicklied DER
with the pale cast of thought !" his mouth was finely
formed, and physiognomst would have noted that
the compression of his lips denoted frmness and his
SMILE good humorod irony. He had Roman nose,
the eye of ceruean blue, with a remarkably arch ex-
preston when he animated and Of calm thought
fulness when his features in repose His FORE
head was not high but it broad, with the phreno-
logical developments strongly INDEPENDENTLY
the poetic and perceptive faculties. His hair was
sandy, and his head bald on The top which, with a
Byronian anxiety he tried to hide by combing the
| 49, L.. Ix.l l.
TOM when engaged in oratorca display, to pre-
serve its adjustment by passing his hands it. He
much careful in this regard than is the elo
quent and chvalric Preston, who, though he wears
wig seems not only Indifferent to who knows it,
but Of the wig ITSELF for in the sturdy breeze which
blew over the Canton course, at the Baltimore Con-
vcnton, it nearly left him-he the while apparently
unconscious as he fulmned to the and wrapt null
titude. Well the Caronan may not love the laurel
as Cesar did, because it hid his badness; but he de-
served 10 have it voted him long ago for his elo
quence.
General Harrison used to te-peace to his ashes,
and nations living gratitude TO his name and fame
he gladdened the hearth at the Bend with stories
Of the worthless past and present. how he remembered
to have Patrick Henry, in the heat of his glor
Gus defamation, twist the back of his wig until it
covered his brows; and any who has heard the
Senator from Carolina would say that the resemblance
between himself and his ustrious relative, extended
from great things to small ones
At the first glance at Mr.. Wits countenance when
he was not engaged in conversation business the
observer would have been struck with the true dignity
of the man. whose mind seemed to hold all its ener-
gies in perfect control His selfpossession per-
feet. When he to address the court or jury
there was no hurry, no agitation about him,
perceive in many men. On the contrary, he stood