Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-11-11
] am, as yet, one of your patrons,
~ BENNETT.

Ma. WESsTER was never seen 10. more ad-
vantage than within his own household, at the
family board, or in stroling with him. over his
farm ut Marshfeld, or standing with him upon
the sea beach, and looking. Out upon the ocean
before us, which like The scope oil his intsiiec-
tual vision, appeared boundless. We have en-
joyed these things, and there are no events in
our life in which we have experienced more
pleasure. As we write, they invOluntarily rise
before US, like blessed visions of other and bet
ter days. To hear him converse upon the past,
the present, and the future, in familiar, colo
quail manner, 10 listen to his great thoughts ex-
pressed in the pureSt words Of our language, and
wonder how he could thus speak and think, are
Joys which we can find no words TO express
II was our Fortune 10 pass several days at his
home in Marsh6eld, some six or eight years
ago, and well we remember one beautiful night,
when the heavens seemed to be studded with
countless myriads of stars, that about nine o'clock
in the evening we walked out, and he stood be-
meath the beautiful weeping elm which raises
its majestic form within a-few PAGES of his
dwelling, and looking up through the leafy
branches, hoappcared 10 be wrapped in deep
thought, and at length, as if the scene, So soft
and beautiful, had suggested the lines, he quoted
certain verses Of the eighth Psalm, beginning
with the words;
| when consider thy heavens, the work OF
sshy fingers; the a.ecn and the stars which thou
hast srd ,ined: what is man, that thou art mind
full Of him? and the son Of man that thou yisitest
him? For thou hast made him little lower than
angels, and hast crowned him with glory and
honor" &c. The deep low tone in which he
repeated these inspired words, and the deep
wrapped attention with which he gazed up
through the branches Of the elm, struck us with
feeling Of greater ave and sOlemnity than we
ever felt, when in year or two later, we visit
ed some Of the most magnificent cathedrals Of
the old world, venerable with the ivy Of Centu-
ries, and mellOWed with daily church service
for thousand Of years. lie Was thinking then
Of that iAr distant world wherein il 10 pVomis ed
that the good Of this life shall live forever and
ever. We remained out beneath The tsee for
over IN hour, and ell the time he cOnVersed
about the scriptures, which no man whom We
ever saw knew so much, or appeared 70 UNDER
stand and appreciate so well. He take Of the
books in the old testament especially, and dwelt
9th unaffected pleasure upon Isaiah, the Psalms
and especially the Book OF Job. The Book Of
Job. he said, taken as q mere work Of literary
genius, was one Of the most wonderful produc.
lions Of any age or in any language. As an epic
poem, he deemed il far superior 10 either the IL
lad or the Odyssey. ta- tap
! The two last, he said ,sreeeiyed much Of their
attraction from the mere narration of wsrlike
deeds. and from the perilOus escapes orthe chief
Personages from death and slaughter; bu. the
Book Of Job was purely intellectual narrative &.
Its power was shown in the dialogues of the
characters Introduce. The story was simple
in It's construction, and there was little in it 10
excite the imagination OF sTouSe the Sympsthy.
1t was purely an intellectual production, and
depended. upon the power of ths dialogue, and
not upon the interest Of the story to produce its
eaesle This was considering il merely as an
Liniellectual work. He read it through very Of
ten, and always with renewed delight. In his
Judgment, At was the greatest epic ever written.
We well remsmser HE quotation Of some Of the
verIes in the thirty eighth chapter:
"Then the Lord answered Job out Of the
whirlwind and said, Who 10 this that dsrksnsth
counsel by words without knowledge Grid
up thy loins like man; for | will demand Of
thee, Snd anS~eF thoa ms. Rhs1s wsE s.;sa