Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-11-05

Dack IhQmas Sims, chained slave, from the free
city OF kton. speak It in sorrow, not in anger;
but history never iorgets reubutions like this.
Judged by success, then, he was not a great
statesman. The skill aud tactics of the whig party
lay IN the versatile brain and ready will of CLAW and
of others; Mr.. Webster supplied its argument and
its administrative skill. III the midst Of the igno-
rance and vugarlty that have disgraced our public
proceedings, his vigor, knowledge, aud ~clearness
have stood forth conspicuous, and helped to keep IN
the intellectual standard OF our craftsmanship. His
State papers and letters although, his one singular
mistake about the discovery of The Lobos Islands
would have crushed the administrative reputation Of
a lessar man--were models in their kind and proba
bly, unequalled in this generation.
There is but one way in which statesman can
Ppe TO obtain permanen. reputation except by sue
ess, and that is consistency. Tried by this lest
Flso, MIR. Webster failed. Inconsistent on the Tar.
$if, Inconsistent the Bank, his Growing nconsis
tency was on The one great question Of the day
Slavery. His foresight was tried here and found
wanting. He changed his position here Setting
morality aside, and speaking only the language OF
the intellect, poseriy will say of him, as Napoleon
said, sit worse than crime, it was bunter'
There is not shadow ofquestion that Mr.. Webster
was al one period, very near to identifying himself
with the Anti Slavery agitation. Nav long before
he depored the want OF a North in Congress 1.-The
most sectional thing said by Northern men
there,) he seemed to hold this position. For, /
have ii from reliable authority, that years ago. dur
ing contested election in the old Third District,
when John g. Whittier was the Liberty candidate,
MIR Webster, in conversation at Lowell, advised
some Of his friends TO support him, with this ex.
pressive addition, at is the ground we have all GOT
10 come to, later" Who can tell the
| Consequence, had he come TO it then! He failed,
and lived to exhibit that which Lord John Russell
pronounced to be the thing worse than the cant
| Of Reform, It's melancholy recant.
! As lawyer, cannot of course speak ofhim, bat
| byreputalion Yet The law in his hands was more
| than II seems in those OF many great lawyers; it
seemed to be with him study Of principles as well
preeedents and his speeches belong 10 literature, at
leaa, if not to philanthropy. There is a remarka-
BILE elicty OF handling shown IN them and an at
iradion is thrown around The subjects least familiar
to popular interest remarkable instance of this,
was bis argument in the late India rubber case; one
| of tie few legal arguments, not involving human
life q moral principle, which the general reader
| perues with unfaggn2 interest, through the mere
| brIlllsncy and vlgor Of the statement.
BuI takes rare fascination, raler than this,
| TO cary such speech speeches on greater oc.
ois, down to the next generation, and when one
asks h calm reflection, will MIR, Webster's address.
es be permanently read, the answer remains uncer-
tain | suppose that department OF literature,
| not elen sermons, ase SO swiftly left behind, as
! speeches Written for the ear, not the eve: they
even he printing press cannot them. To
write At once for the and eye is the rarest of
/ all gifts. To have at the same time the power of
/ originll thought, and the power to condense that
| thought into form of absolute, permanent beau
| ty. is the very rarest of combinations and vet
| posteity will accept nothing less. Many men
| have noments of inspiration snatcheS of their
| high moughts are murmured into music and re-
memt sred but who those whose eloquence
| has MUTUALLY this perfect power? [ can think
of but two such voices, which this country and
! generition has heard; there is KosSuth, and
| there Wendell Phillips, can hardly hope that
any oher contemporary eloquence will be long
remembered, and am not su even of theirs.
| MIR Febster's personal appearance was the most
remarkable which this generation has looked upon;
his mes presence was an Grafton. But these things
cannot ie concentrated, and their memory fades
Only gbus lives, and genius consecrated to highest
aims. Thought aud beauty: these are remembered
in literteHe the philosopher and the poet-and so
far as tie orator is either of these, he is remember
ed, and 10 farther. Plato aud Homer: those are
read; thsy as great facts in memory in their
lives - 1emosthenes is far off echo only. think
the wfiings of Webster will stand by those of
FisherA mes, and Hamilton, and John Adams, in
libraria; but the smallest contribution from deep
original hnl er, Is left to stand in libraries il
becomes part of the current thought and language
Of men. A'The pages Of Emerson, for instance, are
starry win statements of absolute truth stretching
mans soy; these are what make up permanent lit
eranre the most magnificent contemporary reputa-
ton canfot save writings which do not contain this
one pricefss ore. There is terrible lnaccuracy in
the contemporary judgments Of men, and as formd-
able an accuracy in their final decisions. Shaks
peare, the Que CELESTIAL prodigy Of the world, and
whom The best nleects OF the world exha"st them
selves IN .aiss.s, even enumerated among
Inc men Of his time, by Lord Bacon, who took the
census uf its attainments. And Milton stands re-
Il
schoolmaster,' and again as 'sthe blind adder who
spit his venom the King sacred person." What
hope, after this, any contemporary judgments of
ours have, that they will stand the permanent
voice Of humanity We hazard them as
guesses, and SO leave them.
Moreover, all this is intellectual cricism-only
that aud now that it has been spoken, let ii be
aside again; let go for nothing; let pass 9TH
er things Let the idol expand again to it'd former
size; still, the stern question Is it idol,
or is it a God! Grant all that can be claimed of in.
teleclua power however extravagant; still remains
the question: hat the value OF it all! Bacon
was called wisest, brightest, naeanest, oil mankind;
perhaps it was not true Of him; but the combination
might be possible. l. greatness of intellect the
greatest greatness? Can it the charge Of sell
fish ambition? Can it cover the sudden change from
love of freedom Pickering indeed, but sincere, TO
a blind, serve concentration of all faculties OPP
posing the cause Of freedom! Can it cover private
vices-charges often made, that it would be vir-
ual falsehood allude to them-ol mtemperance,
righteousness, bribery, pecnniary untrusworthiness?
Charges like these cannot be ignored; they mast be
| MET When the subdued, dissatisfied voice of the
world makes them, it is not enough for US, young
err race, to whom you hold up this strong man as an
ange-it is not enough to ignore them. We cannot
! prove them all perhaps if we could, have no de.
sire to 10 now; bul they cast shade the
| fame of your incense, which will not move away
| Surely, an American statesman, like Caesars wife
| of old should not even be suspected. All are not
suspected. Nj Calhoun passed throug eventlul
life, changed his party, sustained the cause
ever sustained by public man in this country, and
4 yet no breath OF suspicion lifted against
him upon such charges. Why is it otherwise here?
would not speak ofthese things, did moi others
speak and write them; but have right to ask, in
the name Of every young man of this nation, who
wishes 10 lead noble life; in the name of tlIih,
and purity, and manhood; how IS il that you dare
build idol like this or us, that we our hour
ofgreaest need, may go to it, and find it only clay
| may be wrong, but have always believed that
the most solemn warning ever given to the young
men of this nation, as to the impossbity of com
bning private sin with public virtue, has been the
career Of Mr. Webster. | believe that his personal
habits and expenditures have been the weight that
kept him from ascending the great work ola true
American statesman, and finally dragged him down
10 earth, on that disastrous March day. man
cannot be impure and sensual, without corrupting
bo A. nj =