Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-03-12
From the New York Tribune.
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/ A4F0AG6l HAS UGcli lliNltSA " ANtSll1lUtkt
| to deliver his Lecture on Washington. He
can go thther safely. The lecture is well
| adapted for a Southern market 1t makes no
allusion to Washington's letters to Tobias
Lear and Lafayette ana others on the subject
| of the abolition of Slavery and the liberation
OF his slaves, and none to the fact that he
feed them by his last WIN and Testament
p! Now we have no desire to differ with Mr..
| Everett. Politically shelved as he is we
should greatly prefer not to interfere with the
honors paid by the public to his rhetorical
| genius, and his elegant scholarship. But
| when he takes up the character Of Washington
/ as theme OF discussion, before great crowds
| OF people, and treats it in so unworthy a man.
| ner, we should be wanting in our dtty did
we withhold an emphatic protest.
| There are those who, through much and
! bitter experience, are said to learn nothing
/ and forget nothing. We are sorry to say that
| Mr.. Everett seems to be of this class This
last performance, with all its beauty of finish,
and its skill of words and its heartless treat
ment of the hottest of themes, but too strik-
! ingly recalls an earlier, cruder, and less dis.
| Greet manifestation of the same spirit. 1t is
now thirty years since Mr.. Everett entered
| Congress- Thirty years ago to a day, on the
| 9th Of March, 1926, in the House OF Repre-
i sentatives, he uttered this famous and fearful
| philippe against God and man:
'sSir, am no soldiers my habits and education
are very unmiGtary but there is cause in which
| would sooner buckle knapsack on my back,
and put musket on my shoulder, than that OF
putting down a servile instruction at the South.
| The great relation of servitude, in some form or
other with greater or less departure from the the
oretic equality of men, is inseparable from our
nature. Domestic slavery is not, in my jud Iment,
to be set down as an immoIal or irreligious rela
ton. No, sir; the New Testament says, slaves
obey your masters | vt admit that It's du-
ties are not presupposed and sanctioned by reli-
gion / know of no way by which the form OF
this servitude can be fixed but by political insti-
tutions."
The speech of Mr. Everett lacked one quail
ity. 1t was delivered at the wrong time
Then there were race of gentlemen at the
South of the Washington school-men with
hearts, although siave.olders. One of these,
Mr.. Mitchell Of Tennessee, indignantly re-
Piled to Mr.. Everett, exclaiming:
Sir, do not go the length of the gentleman
from Massachusetts,, and hold that the existence
OF slavery in this country is almost a blessing
On the contrary, | am firmly settled on the opn.
ion that it is great curse-one of the greatest
evils that could have been interviewer into our
system. I, Mr.. Chairman, am one Of those whom
these poor wretches call master. I do not task
them feed and clothe them WE'LL but yet, alas,
~ ulS sAehCo3 etl4u bttNGly 10
shape"
Mr.. Everett also drew upon himself by his
seryile speech the wrath of John Randolph,
who, pointing his finger and darting his scorn,
said: " Sir, envy neither the head nor the
heart Of that man from the North, who rises
here to defend Slavery upon praaciple."
But it was reserved for Mr.. Cambreling of
New York to wilt-up Mr.. Everett in the fol-
lowing fiery utterance:
"The gentleman from Massachusetts has gone
too far He has expressed opinions which ought
not to escape without animadversion. [ heard
| them with equal surprise and regret l was as.
| tonshed to hear him declare that Slavery do
nestle Slavery, say what men will, is condition
| of life well as any other, to be justified by
| morality, religion, and international law and
| when, at the close of the opinions, he solemnly
/ declared that this was his confession of faith
| lamented that
| Hstar-eyed science should have wandered there
| To bring us back the message of despair
| If, Sir, amid the wild visions of German phi.
| losophy, had arrived at conclusions like this
| if, in the Aulie of Gottingen, hadever persuad-
ed myself to adopt political maxim so hostile to
| liberal institutions and the rights of mankind I
| would have locked it up forever in the darkest
chamberof my mind; or, if my zeal had been too
ardent for my direction, this place, at least should
| never have been the theatre of my eloquence.
| No, Sir, if such had been my doctrines, l would
have turned my back forever on my native land
| Following the course Of the dark rolling Danube
and cutting my way across the Euxine, l would
baye, visited well known market place of Con-
amid the rafting chains of the wretched captives
Nay, Sir, would have gone thence and laid nv
forehead upon the footstool of the Sultan, and
besought him to set his foot upon my neck as the
recreant citizen of reereant Republic"
Tradition tells us that Mr.. Everett shrank
and writhed under these multiform and com.
bined criticisms, but spake not in reply. But
the experience of that memorable day, with
the events of half a life time since, including
all the encroaehments which Slavery has
made upon Freedom and Its inheritance, have
| had no effect on his mind. The only differ.
ence is, that whereas he then loudly declared
his oEer-loye for it, he now suppresses alike
the noble words and the illustrious example
OF Washington against it. 1t is another and
worse and less manly form of the same Of
fence. What a melancholy climax to career
full of opportunities, and with a country al
ways reader to bestow honors than their sub.
jects to deserve them Why should venera.
BILE age show such parallel to the weakness
not to say the wickedness, of youth?
" With every pleasing, every prudent part,
| Say, what can Coe want She wants heart.
| She speaks, behaves and acts just as she ought,
| But never, never reac Jed one generous though;
| Virtue she finds too painful end avor,
Content to dwell in cencies forever"