The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-08-13
CLAY, CALHOUN AND WEBSTER.

For two years Of my life it was nv
most cherished privilege to have lived in al
most daily intercourse with those in.ellcc-
tual giants and most incorruptiLlo states
men. MIR. Calhoun was tho most modest,
most unprctending, tho least obtrusive 10
catch the public car of any man I ever saw,
and he WAS simple rs child in his cvcrv
day Intercourse with men. When as have
often seen him cloakcd Of cold day upon
the streets Of Washington, in his unostcnta-
t'ous way, he often approached Il group un-
noticed, but as the whisper rose, that is CAL
noun, every eye was turned, every head was
uncovered, and to each it WAS charm, tL.:
he had been noticed. lie had the peculiar
faculty of commanding the attention Of cv-
cry one who SAW him there was no one
who ever sat with him on the same floor,
that did not know by intuition, when he
wished to speak; the flash Of his keen GRAY
eye was enough to show that sometime
moved his spirit, and raising his nasl,in"
eye, encountered and conquered I'LL, and on
the floor Of the Senate, he never uttered
one single word that did not command the
brcathless attention Of every one within the
sound of his voice. When he talked, there
was the charm that it seemed to be ones
own thoughts, it was SO natural, and ncv-
or heard him say, what ut the time did
not feel | could have said myself, and it was
only when sought with unailcd energy to
take the flight that realized the heights to
which ! had been carried.
1t was glory and memory TO have seen
Mr. Webster Ills appearance, as lie strobe
along the avenue, could not be mistaken or
forgotten-bluc coat, brass buttons, buff
vest, white neck tic, gloves and g,iters--all
were part of him, find, rs pale ant! s:tllow,
Intent on catching abstract thought, lie pass
cd along, the crowd was still hushcd in
GREATNESS notice Of him, AMI but few would
venture TO accost lim-but when tha. had
been done the pallor left Inn, his eye bright
encd back TO earth, the sun bea,ncd out
and thawcd him, and his expressive "sood
morning" was enough TO kill you, for no
one ever loved the morning better.
l'nt is you have seen old Hal as I have
seen him. like mo you never could forget
it; magnificent in his Lcaring and masnif
Gently dressed, he strobe along cheerful and
hearty, with an eye for every one, and when
passing he bowed rs he alone could bow.
there was not one who did not take it TO
himself. These were mighty men, those
three old Statesmen. They differed in their
forms of greatness but to eacl, there was
the like volume, and each was excellent, to
use figure which sometimes occurs to
me: would say that the genius of Clay
WIS like the rapid dashing Of a. foamne
torrent, spanned with rainbows, Mr.. Cal
houn's, like gentle stream, glidcd on, it
parted into thousand channels, and gliding
no'selcssIy along to cheer the glade and fer
tIlizo the forest, butaccomplshingi its objects,
the streamlcts camo again together; and
were ready when occasion called with all its
accumulated energies, to plunge with re-
s'stless power into the great ocean Of thought
Wcbstcr's was one single stream, deep,
still, sluggish, but broad, and seemed rs
though it could float the naves of the
world on its mighty bosom. To change
tho figure, might say that Clay, like a
knight OF old, came bounding on the at
tack with bearer up and lance at rest. Mr..
Calhoun, with exact precision, wicldcd the
scymctar of Saladin, while Mr.. Webster
bore down upon his objects with sword of
Richard C@ur dc Lion.
Meat for tie First Time-NVe werc sill,
ting, says writer in Dlackwood, under the
walls of Pbyle. We had troddcn that rug
gcd pass hot sun, and were resting under
the shade of an oak. We had eaten and
drunken, and were luxuriously watching
the smoke Of our cigar as it curlcd amid
the leaves, and the lizards rs they crept
and gliled amid the huge old stones; when
suddenly there stood before us a young
Greek, perfect in form and feature as an
Antinous, wild and savage as colt of the
Ukraine. Curiously he eyed lis and our
costume; more curiously still his eye fell
on the fragments which lay Lcside our wal.
let. With the benevolcncc Of a full fed
man, we threw him bono of lamb. He
clutched it eagerly, eyed it suspiciously,
smelt it as monkeys do when in doubf,s bit
at it cautiously at first, snatched three or
four mouthfuls hurricdly and greedy, then
threw up his hands hands and shouted in
ecstacy, and returning to the attack, pro-
ceeded to tear off every morsel until the
bone was whittier and more bare than our
,ltosty Ponto, best Of polishcrs, could have
sstsaWe thought at first, that we wero
Witnessing the ravenings of hunger, but
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