The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-12-05

titudc it is but one step to stoicism, and sto-
icism never pants for this worlds goods. So,
perhaps, my two cents, by this process, may
put You quite at ease about cash"
Again. as late as june l0ih, 1901, lie
writes from Salisbury IN. H. )after hav-
ing declined comfortable office in order
to pursue his profession -
"Zcle, l doutbcicvc hut what Providence
will do well for us vet. We shall live, and
live comfortably | have this week come
within an ace of being appointed clerk of
the Court of Common Pleas for Ilillsborough
county. We'll, you will say, You are no bet
ter of than if you had not come within an
ace. Perh&ps am-but say nothing, but
think great deal, and do not 'distrust the
gods.
In conclusion Of this letter to his
brother, Of juno 10th, he relieves his
mind with the following verses -
"Fol di dol dol Iii dol di dol
III never make money my idol.
With my friend and my pitcher
I'm twenty times richer
! han if made money my idol.
Fol di dol. dol di dol di dol
1t may be remarked hero, that Mr..
Webster in the midst of his family, aud
with his children and grand children n.
round, was no, little given to of-hand
rhymng, and would greatly divert them
by his extcmpore English heroics, in
which the sonorous march Of the rhythm
would be humorously disproportioned to
the trifing nature of his theme.
But the poets was not the only voca-
tion which the great statesman narrow
ly escaped At one time in his youth,
some OF his friends earnestly pressed up
on him the duty Of entering the Chris
tian ministry, and he was wont to tell,
with evident enjoyment, the story of his
being advised to assume the business Of
Nccromancyi An OLD man, who en-
joycd the reputation in his native village
of being a wizard, assured young
Daniel that he was Just made for cou,
juror" and as there were at that time
great many stray cattle to be found, the
business offered "A good opening. lie con-
cluded by Offering to tako tho future
statesman into partnership, aud to 60
halves with him in the profits
While on the subject of Mr.. Webster's
history, cannct forbear mentioning an
incident related Of his courtship, which
do not remember to have seen record
ed. He Was then a young lawyer in
Portsmouth,, n II. At one Of his visits
to Miss Grace Fletcher he had, probably
with view of combiring utility and en-
joyment, been holding skeins Of silk
thread for herwben suddenly he stopped,
saving. "Gracc, we have thus been en-
gagged in untying knots; let US see if We
eau tie knot, one which will not unite
for lifetime lie then tonk a piece
of tape, and after beginning knot Of a
peculiar kind gave it to her to complete.
This was the ceremony and ratification
of their engagement. Aud now in
little box, marked by him the words
Precious Documents" containing the
letters Of his early courtship, this unique
memorial is still to be found. The knot
has never been united.
Perhaps the most interesting relic Of
Mr.. Webster which will be incorporated
in these volumes, will be his autobiogra-
ply, as yet unpublished, witten by him
in the year 1929, for his friend Mrs. +.
Is. Lee, Of Boston. 1t is written in his
clear, legible hand and covers sixty three
pages OF letter paper. The time over
which the narrative extends is from his
birth in 1882 to his final settlement as a
lawyer in Boston in 1916. The first four
years Of his congressional life are thus
taken, while he represented New llamp
shire in the House Of Representatives
The whole history Of his humble begin
ming, his struggles to obtain au educa'
tion, his experience as n collegian and a
Law student, the books he read, his first
efforts at newspaper writing are here re-
lated with something Of that simplicity
aud absence Of reserve, as well as with
an occasional weightiness of remark,
which lend charm to the autobIogra-
phies of Gibbon and Franklin. lie also
at times alludes to his eminent eontem-
poraries in the legal profession, of whom
he places his friend, the distinguished
Jeremiah Mason, at the head and ob-
serve two elaborate parallels copied by
him from his journal, written while law
student in Boston, between Samuel Dex-
ter aud Theophilus Parsons, then the
two rival leaders of the Boston Bar,
evincing no little discrimination aud
power of intellectual analysis.
His first meeting with GovcrnorGore,
into whose Office be first entered to pur'
sue the law,is told quite amusingly, He
was then a raw young man from the coun.
try, aud felt obliged to make long and
studied apology for the want Of letters
of Introduction, which he offered to 60
and procure, Governor Gore, however,
who appears to have bOen satisfied BY in-
spection of the character of his visitor