Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-30
A CHARACTERISTIC TRAIT OF MR.. WEBSTER

We copy the following interesting facts respecting
Mr. WEBSTER from the Boston Atlas :"
Mr.. WEBSTER to advantage than
within his household, at the family board, or in
strong with him over his farm at Marshed or standing
with him upon the seabeach and looking out upon the
before u.s. which, like the scope of his intellectual
vision, appeared boundless. We have enjoyed these
things and there are no events in our life in which we
have experienced pleasure As write they in
voluntarily before us like blessed visions of other and
better days To hear him upon the past, the
present, the future, in familiar, cooquial manners to
listen to his great thoughts, expressed in the purest
words of language, and wonder how he could thus
speak and think, joys which find words to
express.
1t fortune pass several days at his home in
Marshfeld some six or eight years ago, and well
member beautiful night when the heavens seemed to
be studded with countless myriads Of stars that about
nine o'clock in the evening walked out and he stood
beneath the beautiful weeping elm which raises its
estc form within few PAGES Of his dwelling and looking
up through the eay branches he appeared for several
minutes to be wrapped in deep thought and at length
If the scene soft and beautiful had suggested the
lines he quoted certain Of the eighth Psalm be-
ginning with the words, when consider thy heavens
the work of thy fingers the and the stars which
thou hast ordained: what is man. that thou art mindful
of him and the Of that thou vsitest him For
thou hast made him little lower than the angels, and
has crowned him with glory and honor" &C.
The deep low tone in which he repeated these inspired
words and the deep rapt attention with which he gazed
up through the branches Of the elm, struck with
feeling Of greater and soemnity than felt
when in year two later we visited some Of the old
magnificent cahedras Of the old world venerable with
the ivy Of centuries and melowed with the goes Of
daily church service for thousand years He was think
ing then Of that far distant world wherein it is promised
that the good Of this life shall live forever and We
remained out beneath the tree for hour and oil
the time he conversed about the scriptures which
has studied with greater attention and Of which
whom we ever saw knew so much appeared to under
stand and appreciate SO well
He talked Of the books of the Old Testament especially
and dwelt with unaffected pleasure upon Isaiah the
Psalms and especially the Book of job. The Book Of
job he said taken work of literary genius was
of the wonderful productions Of any age
any language. As epic poem, he deemed it far SUI
perior to either the ad the Odyssey The two last
he said received much Of their attraction from the
narration Of warke deeds, and from the perous
escapes Of the chief personages from death and slaughter
but the Book Of Job purely intellectual narrative.
Its power shown in the dialogues Of the characters in
troduced The story simple in its construction and
there was little in II TO excite the imagination
the sympathy II purely intellectual production
and depended upon the power Of the dialogue and not
upon the interest Of the story proddce its effects This
was considering IL merely intellectual work. He
,esa through very often and always with renewed de-
written.
we wen remember his quotation Of some Of the verses
IN the thrtyeighth chapter Then the Lord answered
Job out of the whirlwind and said Who IL this that
darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge Grid
up now tiny loins like man; for will demand Of thee
and answer thou me- Where vast thou when laid the
foundations OF the earth Declare IL thou hast under
standing" SO. Mr.. Webster was a 6ne reader srd h
recitation of particular passages TO which he felt warm
were never surpassed and capable Of giving the most
exquisite delight to those who could appreciate them