Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-04-03

,,rprrT's ORATluS on WAsmINGTON.-Oi |
the scholarship of Edward Everett's Ora
tion upon the character OF Washington
there can be no dispute. The man with thc
largest and most cultivated machinery LOT
acduiring knowledge, in all America, gave
SIX months of carefully regulated life to the
comrosition of this discourse, re-wrote IL
several times, accurately laid it away IN his
memory. practised its delivery before imag-
| inary audiences, and finally came cohplete
and Justly confident, with the product oi al
this preparation, before the pubic AS
| work of art it was necessarily successful
A. a manly portraiture of o super -abund-
antlv manly character, it was inevitably
failure. The poet Lamartine taken away
| from the weighing out Of rythms and mea-
suring of syllables in his study, to the guid,
ance of a political revolution OF awakened
fiery Frenchmen, was no more out OF place,
than Edward Everett is, in the society Oh
the complete manhood of the great leader
of the American Revolution, and creator oi
the Republic. L.,
A life passed from early boyhood, volun-
tarily and with ascetic relish, IN the society
of rrammars and lexicons, and in the pam
full study Of books written centuries ago, IN
,, languages centuries ago styieu lueeu, s rs
exceedingly unfayorable to appreciation OF
and sympathy with, the greatest facts oil
Democratic Civilization That life is in
deed the condition and prerequisite OF
accurate and comprehensive scholarship
$ It is as honorable, too, as scholarship II
i honorable. But that it softens and unman
e the student in face of the robust events anC
y, robust men of tumultuous political era
the declaimer upon tho character OF Wash
: ington is himself a superabundant witness
II Confronted with the resolute Propagandisn
IL. Of
:, he crouched before it, and denied his Anti
"a Slavery faith in the presence of the nobl
Is Massachusetts, constituency before which h
n had repeatedly taken the oaths Of Liberty
VI In the Senate of the United States, the hr
H. which but hardened Seward, melted Eyere'
hs like wax, and he flowed away from the col
. hct of the Nebraska bill, and softly di
Us solved from duty, Justice, and manllnes
u, into the quiet of his curtained lodgings.
'ei WashlngtOn's central and vital characte
ed istic, WIS love of Liberty and veneration
hI Man Were he alive now, he would be
'd as sharp antagonism to the huge SLAYER
We perpetuating, slavery-extending, SLAYER
ed apologizing organization which exit
we in the Federal Congress, the FEEDER
5eu Courts, the Federal Executive, in Southe
States politics and In the politics of Mort
ern Doughfaces and Northern poltroonei
as ho was in fiery and unconquerablc AM
or gonism to the despoti-m of Britain over
Il a American Colonies. His love of Man and
en- devotion to human liberty, were compreh'
vas sive and complete. They made no exc
the tions of race creed, or birth. Ills matt
rly was great enough to embrace the wh
,wn world within its principles And 1t q
the us occasion to bring against Mr.. Everett
re- reproach of Justification OF the likeness
unit the grand man whose portraiture he und
ling took here That he was unable to catch
,uld spirit of the hero whom he took in pic
q of out of his books. and made TO slt uI
;, or him for picture to be exhibited thro'
the country, 10 the fault Of the ARTISTS