Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-01-19
wEpsrER's EsrIMATE % nYRoN.


WASHINGTON, April 8. 1888.
Nv dear Sir: | have read Tom
MOOre's first volume of Byron's Life. Whatev-
er human imagination shall hereafter picture of
a human being, I shall believe it all within the
bounds OF credibility ByrOn's case shows that
sometimes runs by all fancy, as a steamboat
passes scow at anchor. have tried hard to
find something in him to like, besides his genius
and his wit; but there was no other lncable
quality about him. He was an incarnation of
demonism. He is the only man in English his
tory, for hundred years, that has bOaStcd of
intideity and fevery practical vice, not inclu-
ded in what may be termed, what his hiogra-
phcr does term, meanness. Lord BolingbrOkc,
in his most extravagant youthful sallieS, and
the wicked Lord Littlcton, were saints to him.
All Moore can say is, that each ofhis vices had
some virtue or some prudence near it, which in
some sort checked it. Well, il that were not so
in all, who could scape hanging? The biOgra-
pher, indeed, says his moral conduct must not
be Judged of by the ordinary standard! And
that is true, If favorable decision is looked Tor.
Many excellent reasons are given for his being
a bad husband; the sum of which is, that nc
was very bad man. | confess was reloiced
then, and am reoced now, that he was driven
ont Of England by public scorn; because his
vices We're not in his passions, out in his prin-
/ ciples. He denied all religion and all virtue
/ from the house to-. DIR. johnson says, there
! is merit in maintaining good principles though
the preacher is Seduced into violation of them
This is true Good theory is something. BIT
a theory ofliving, and dying too, made up of
the elements of hatred to religion, contempt of
morals, and defiance of the opinions of all the
decent part ofthe puhlic-when before has a
man of letters avOwed itl If Milton were alive
great epic, he could cmbellish them with new
traits without violating probability.
WEBSTER on CAUCUsEs AND CAUCUS POLITICIANS.
WAsHTNGTON, December 4 1923.
One thing l hold to nc ma
terial-get on without caucus. 1t will only
require little more pains. tits time to put an
end to caucuseS. Thoy make great men little,
and little men great. The true source of power
| is the people The democrats are not democrats
are not democratic enough They are real aris-
tocrats. Their leaders wish to govern ny
comhinati on among themselves, and they think
they have fee simple in the peoples suffrage.
Go to the people, and convince them that
their pretended friends are knot of selEintcr-
cstcd jUbbers, who make trade of patriotism
and live on popular credulity, =
4 Fisit TO Madison and JcfersOn.
MIR. WEBSTER TO MIR. MASON.
WASHINGTON, December 90, 1924
I have been homo from Virginia a week. My
So. Iii 80 GO e.: richmond and Norfolk
duced me to return without accommodating that
| part of my intention. We were two days at
Mr. Madison's. He was very agreeable, and
treated us with much hospitality. He keeps
alive stronger interest in passing events than
his more advanced friend Mrs. Madison is in
perfect health and remembers all her Washing
! ton acquantanceS. At Mr.. Jefcrson's we re.
manned five days This was something longer
than our intention, but there came rains which
prevented our departure. Mr.. Jefferson is
man of whom one may form n very .justacceunt,
as to person and manners, from description and
pictures We met him in the road, and knew
aim Mt hpt yoC on
something straighter and freer from the debility
of age than had expected. We found him uni
formly pleasant, social and interesting. He
talked less of present things than might be eX-
pccted, although, in the intercourse with gen
tlemcn under his own ROOF, he did not keep back
his opinion on men or things. But if | were
to say what appeared to be the leading topics
with him, and those to which his mind habitu-
ally turned itself should mention three: early
anecdotes of revolutionary times; French sOcie-
ty, politics and literature, such as they were
when he was in France, and general literature;
and the Va. University. On these three general
topics he had much to say, and he says it all well
--SSGDsS--
HUMAN LIFE.-It is n common impressio that
the average duration of human life is leSsening,
though n moments thought of the improved by
gienc Of the present dag, and the increased COM
fort of the masses, would lead to different con-
clusion The facts support this favorable view:
Prof Buchanan, in recent lecture in Cncin-
natl gave the following figures. His data we
would furnish more than an approximation. In
A.. IL. a., TEtl