Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-14
HOUSE, OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

The House met at ii o'clock A. NJ Prayer by the
Rev. G. NJ BUTLER, Chaplain Of the Senate.
The Journal of Saturday was read and approved.
Mr. MANN said Mr. Speaker, rise to perform the
melancholy service of announcing the death of the Hon.
ROBERT RANToUL, jr., late membero of the Massachu-
sets delegation in this House. who expired at his odg
ngs in this city Saturday evening last at hafpas 10
o'clock
Mr. RASrouLs illness was very brief; his DEATH until
short time before he breahed his last wholly
pected. He in his here on Tuesday last and
though the deathmark Of his disease then upon him.
yet he walked home as usual foreboding ILL., No pro-
phetic glimpse youchsaed him that his final hour
at hand When he returned home and shut
the door of his dwelling, he little thought he had looked
upon this fair and beautiful outward world for the last
time; when he retired to his chamber he little dreamed
that he should walk forth from it again but the
stern enemy pursued him; and the narrower door
and the closer apartment of the coffin and the tomb have
hidden him from forever.
The disease of which Mr. RANToUL died the erysi
peas-often, in this case terrible form of DEATH
for it disurbs and deranges the operations of the mind
before 1t subdues the body. The maady had not made
great advances with him before 1t attacked his BRAIN
companied by the usual consequences Of Inflammation
and arrangement Of that organ. Death seems armed
with sufficient terrors when meet it with uncoud
ed intellect and with heart resigned the will Of God
but certainly those errors inconceiyably magned
when of the concomants of the disease the mind
loses its erectness and equpose and the laws Of its
ton and motion suspended when the thoughts and
memories and the images Of external objects which the
convey to the brain mingled in wild confusion
together and the soul has home but wander up and
down amid this chaos How different from that state of
peace and joy and trust in which every hopes to
meet the final hour and does every truly sane man
take measures for the realization of his hopes?
Yet Mr. RANTouL, even amid the agonies of his dis
had lucid intervals There convictions in his
mind and affections in his heart SO strong
as to stand unmoved by any tempest of delirium. On
being teegraphed respecting the illness of her husband
his devoted aud excellent lady, then in Massachusetts,
FASTENED to his She arrived here six o'clock
the morning of the day he died Instantly her voice
wooed back consciousness and reason. He seized her
hand in his and held it till he breahed his last Even
when his mind wandered this grasp of affection was
clenched. Death only relaxed it.
The swelling of the disease had closed his eyes, and it
beyond the power of muscular contraction open
them. He desired to have them opened by mechanical
MEANS that he might behold the features and
the face whence for than twenty years. the light of
love had shone down into his heart Thank God sir,
that amid all the alterations and strifes and hoses
which sometimes to flow out of the human bosom as
though their natural fountain there are also a
fecons sympathies tendernesses and loves which are
nseparabe from it allied to it by congenia af
inity and which always may find there ssclose as
green to the verdant leaf or color to the rose
Mr. Rantoul was born in Beverly Massachusetts, Au-
gust, 1905. Had he lived until next Friday he would
then be foryseyen years old He entered Harvard Uni
yersty at the age of eighteen and graduated 1926
He studied law at first with Mr. John Pickering of Sa-
lem, who exempfed in his profession the largest
ing of the word ldw He did consider the law as an
arbitrary artificial scheme of forms and precedents
but as great system of justice and truth of God
ordained principles which alone, and by which alone,
human society and human welfare be upheld and
advanced an art or device by which to get
living, but science by which to guide all life After
Mr. chickering's removal to Boston, Mr. Rantoul was in
the office of the Hon. Leveret Saltonsta who was once
member of this House. He admitted to the bar
in 1929.
Mr.. Rantoul soon became man of mark In 1884 he
elected the Massachusetts, House Representa-
tiyes from the of Gloucester where he then resided
and from that time till his death he filed many public
hotb Of nd of hon 4
1843 he made collector of the port of Boston In
1916 he appointed United States District Attorney
for Massachusetts, the responsible duties Of which Office
he performed in very able for about four years
In 1861 he was elected Senator of the United States by
the Legislature of Massachusetts, complete unex-
pred and he chosen by very large majority
of the people among whom he had always lived and who
knew him BEST to the seat in this House sudden
ly and so mournfully made vacant.
But Mr.. Rantoul found time and possessed taste and
aptitude for other services besides those of strictly po
tica professional character His natural instincts
and moral culture led him to engage in worther and
bier occupations He was certainly for very many years.
and believe during all the active part of his life, an
earnest devoted temperance man. temperance advocate
and lecturer leaving home and the emouments of his
profession to visit and traverse distant parts Of the
State to preach the gospel of this great reformation To
him. among Others is Massachusetts indebted for her pre-
sent advanced position in this word-renovang
prisean enterprise which, if successful will enlarge the
imprisoned angels of joy whose home is the fresde and
the domestic altar while it will send penal chains and
darkness the demons who have so long usurped their
place.
Mr. Rantou adhered to this cause seadfastly through
eUH report j. for in its early, and in its maturer
days, had no "good report He resisted the socita-
tons of the abandoned to abandon this great REFORM and
rejected the unhoy honors with which they tempted him
to dsoyalty. Who would exchange his conscious
| ness for theirs!
In 1887 Mr. Rantoul appointed by Governor Ever
EFT and his Council Of the original members of the
Massachusetts Board of Education This office he held
for six years, and until it expired by its limitation
! He was an active and most intelligent member Of the
Board He wise counsellor and faithful friend Of
Ythat cause, then mpugned and contested, but
deeply seated in the affections of the people that it would
be difficult to oblterate it from social poity to
4 expunge the judiciary itself While a member of the
Board Mr. Rantoul wrote very able article the sub
ec Of Education for the number Of the North American
| Review published October, 1888
Mr.. Rantoul devoted attention and research to
the s vexed question of capital punishment and per-
haps may be said that is fitted fully discuss
! this theme without reading what he has written.
In the Of his life Mr.. Rantoul has addressed
many literary societies, made political speeches almost
nnumerable and has been engaged in legal of
great magnitude and difficulty; and thing may be af
rmed of all his public performances he fell below
the OCCASION disappointed the expectations Of his
most sangune friends No greater misfortune can bea
than to be elevated to post to which his talents
or attainments unequal The man who has been
respected and honored in subordinate sphere may be-
come ridiculous and contemplate in higher one, to
which inudicious friends may advance him. Though it
may be the man. yet judge of his size by the
height of the pedestal which he stands He may
Of full stature when the ground, but dwndle to
pigmy the top Of n column. Hence every promotion
has its risk Mr. Rnntou encountered all such risks,
and not only escaped but always rumphed Each sue
-