Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-05-20
Mrs. SHisshelm's opinion Of Daniel
Webster.

WEBSTER.
Mrs. Ewisshelm, editor of the Pitts
burgh Visiter, has recently spent some
time in Washington, and has written SUM-
dry racy letters, which have been publish
ed in her own paper and the New York
Tribune, and widely extracted into other
papers
Vice President Fillmore gallau,ly gave
her Reporters desk.
She has written with great spirit, and
expressed her opinions Of men and things
with much independence. She pays her
respects to the "God like" in the following
style:
ii do not think that it is prejudice that
makes me think Mr.. Webster's face dlsa-
greeable; but 10 me ii has an expression
OF ccarseness. as though his animal pro-
pensities were rather stronger than even
his great Intellectual powers. His face
speaks the sensualist by naiure-a natural,
innate sulgarity that would require large
amount oil strict training to elevate into
volupiuousness, such as is condemned by
our people when described by Sue or Bull
wer. ] know this opinion Of Mr.. Web
s,sr will be resented by his western friends.
have never seen any such expressed of
him j; but nearly every one knows he
sometimes drinks TO excess. and his friends,
here, say he requires TO be. excited with
wine 10 make him aPproachable-civil.-
When quite sober he is as gruf as griz-
ely bear. His mis,resses are said 10 be
generally. if not always, colored women
some of them big, black wenches as ugly
and vulgar as himself. These will openly
run store bills on his account. 1t is no
wonder the curse Of the Almighty hangs
on us as nation. The wicked rule, and
the people must mourn. The laws Of
God are publicly sci at defiance by those
whom we choose to rule over us. Web
ster had always admired, even nfier his
last speech. His faults appeared like
excrescences on his greatness and virtues.
But since have seen him, and come with
in the circle that surrounds him, look
upon his faults as the grand component
parts OF his nature-the essential ingredi-
ents. The good is only enough 10 pre-
serve the unity of natures plan-to leave
no creature on earth wholly evil. The
lion has his courage 10 compensate for his
feroci.y-tbe tigress her failhfulness to iieI
young. TO atone for her cruelty-the toad
has It's diamond eyes as substitute for all
other beauty, and Daniel w ebster has his
great intellect and occasional, flashes OF
good feelings and klndiness to compensate
for the total want Of that, spiritual purity
thu. nice perception Of the beautiful and
true, which allies man TO The. angels, and
both to the divine essence. l can never
admire Daniel Webster again He is TOO
many removes down from the highes, Or
der Of humanity. No matter how much
noise his eloquence may make, in future
shall always think hippopotamus can
make more, and a whale blow harder than
he. There will be no persuasion IN his
words, no still small voice in bis wisdom,
no manliness in his courage, no halo about
his nanae. He is ugly /; and never be-
fore saw but two ugly men."
There is probably more truth than po-
eiry in the foregoing graphic sketch of the
"Expouuder," nor is it particularly cal
culated. to win for him the regard OF the
moral, the temperate, and the chaste.
After Mrs. Swisshelm's return home
she seems 10 have been surprised 10 find
that she had been speaking in meeting"
We were not little amused in reading
the following naive confession, which we
find in her paper of the 4th inst.
GAS to what we wrote about Daniel
Webs,er's immortality, We never dreamed
we were telling secrets. How could we
suppose that what was openly spoken Of
in the highest circles. and appeared to be
as generally known as that there was a
.dons on the Capitol, could be any secret
,othe country at large! We were sur
prised at our own impression OF the mans
face and head, in which the moral atlrib.
utes appeared totally wanting, and merely
mentioned the gross character of his re-
puted licentiousness, as corroborative evi.
dence that he has no moral nature. We
spoke Of it as an admitted fact, and did
not suppose himself or friends would have
though, worth while denying it. From
the manner in which bis grossness was
spoken of in our presence, we cid not
dream he attempted secrecy. 1t was not
The facts we expected to find disputed. but
our inference as to the innate, naiive-born
brutality Of the creatures nature. We