Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-07-15

and language would Fail to express
or describe the praise due to Henry
Clay, for the amount of service be
has rendered lis country. Suffice it
for the present, to merely take a
cursory glance at some of his illus
trious deeds.
Itwas once observed by a celebra-.
ted philosopher, after he had scared
in his Imagination to an elevated
point in creation, from which be
could at single glance scan the
whole material universe, that nature
is uniform in all Of her works; and
in America she had operated on her
largest scale, producing fore SITS of tall
er trees, more lofty mounta ins, larger
lakes, greater cataracts, and longer
rivers I'll IAN were to be met with in
any othe quarter of the globe-and
that she would according to herregu-
lar uniformity, endow the favored
sons of this hemisphere with a higher
order of genius and superior intel
lectual powers. The truth Of this
conclusion is fully exemplifed in
Henry Clay; for without the advan-
Itages which wealth always furnishes,
or the distinction a high ancestry
gives, he launched his YOUTH ul bark
on the great ocean Of huma IN life,
guided by his own untiring energy,
and directed by his juvenile judg-
ment, Notwithstanding his e; rly de-
parture from beneath the ? arental
roof of his humble ancestors, where
the hated genius of poverty had long
hover ed, he soon began to attract
the attention of those warm hearted
and spirited Virsinians who lived in
the neighborhood Of the cou nty of
Hanover; and by their libe raj aid
and his untiring zeal he soon obtained
classical education. After having
completes the study Of lazy, fired
with the zeal Of youth, and fill ed with
high exp ectations, he set out i b quest
Of location which would furnish
an oppor tunity for the profita bile ex-
ercise of his talents, and Fl ED fol
the display of his brilliant genius.
He made the chivarous Slate Of
Kentuck J his choice, and at the bar
Of Lexing ton, amidst her gall;I Mt and
patriotic sons, he risked his t5rtune;
and it W as from homely r. strum
upon the square Of this beautiful city
he first made public declaration of
his political opinions. The ali en- and
sedition laws were then pro lucing
great exc element among the indie
pendent treemen of Kentucll y, and
by the spirited and eloquent hammer
in which, The opposed them, gained
him great credit both as stat esman
and orato r.. From that day be gan to
dawn the bright political Gil eer of
Henry Clay, which has called forth
the admir- ration and praise not only
of every true-hearted America IN, but
of the e heightened and int ligent
citizens Of Europe. In ever y i'm
|portant event Of our country's his
tory from that time till the present,
he has acted conspicuous part. In
1872, during the war with Great Brit
ain, he wa the right arm Of Madi-
sons administration; and alth ough
many were found at this gloom by pc
rioG to falter, and some oppos Rd, he
stood up in the Hall of the House
of Repres entatives and with a power
of oratory and a charm of eloq uence
never equaled on this side the Allan
tic, adv ocatedthe rights of his coun-
trymen, and the diligent prosecution
| of that war. And when that body
was abo ut to retire without milking
any pr DIVISION for its prosec htion,
he thrd w himself in the hall door
and defended it like Leonidas at the
Straits of Thermopylse though not
like him with his glittering ca rbine
or flash ng sword, but-with the pointed
and powerful weapon of reason. He
hushed the tumuIt, and all again was
tranquil A voice from Client in
1914 next brought US tidings of his
indefatigabl industry and uncom-
promisil g fidelity 70 secure the
rights Of his whole cotntry. Had
not this great man been upon the
watch-td liver of that celebrated treaty,
we shou I'D have probably partially
lost the free navigation of that noble
river, the mighty Mississippi. This
beautiful stream will remain a me-
mento Of the patriotism of Henry
Clay, as long as its broad waters roll
into the Mexican Gulf.