Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-16
For the Patriot.

4
tation upon American mind, which conclude with ar
attempted fstimate of the minds of Webster, Cal
houn and Clay the three great representatives. o
American character. According to this critic 1.-THE
editor himselD tn mind and character of Webster
are the representatives. Of the character and senti
ments of New England,-those of Calhoun of tht
South, and those of Chy of the West, m Middle
To great degree the critic ia undoubtedly correc
In this Certainly, both tie minds and the harac
RS Of the three stat-sme" parfOok more or less o
tn local character of the different populations
from among which zach came. The character anc
| sentiments OF Webster represented New England
truly, as New England was during the earlv part O.
Mr.. Webstcr's lhe-that part of his life dlrine
| which his character and senum. nts were formed
The character and sentiments OF Calhoun were al
avs true xpOnents Of large portion of the South
and of nerrIy al the South Of the present day.
Mr. Clay tn trurst and the nobleet represen-
| tatiVr Of the West-the headlong. rushing, rock
less, migI ty West-foree tlul of the past reckless
Of the future, regarding only tn absorbing, ever
! earnest present Bnt it is VII rite ventures
to estimat and weigh the different minds aud char
acters of zach, and to compare Webster and Call
houn, that his ju gment foTsakrs him in tn cloud
of local prJuace. that the cloven foot of Yankee
arti-Southern sectioualism makes itself manifest.
Of his estimate OF Clay We have nothing to say
am shall say nothing, save that are happy that
the fame of Mr.. Clay does not rest upon the judg-
m"nt and dictum of the Editor Of HaTpers H0gr-
zine. III attempts to draw parallel, or rather
contrast between Webster and Calhoun, in which
h. Is, if not unjust both, certainly cont mptiOly
to one. Webster alone of the THREE is classed as
a statesman. Calhoun is stigmatized the MIN
bl--t and most tenacious sectional partizan "Web
ster's mind" he says, "hus more massiv ness than
Calhoun's is richer in culture and variety of acul-
ty, and is gifted with wider sweep of arguments
ton; but it s not so completely comPacted
with char4ct r, and has accordi giy, less in
flexible and untiring PERSISTENCE toward an
obi ct. Had lie substituted thewOrd bulk y
for g nassivenes7," and stopped here the con
rast would have been sufficient and tOlera-
bly, fair. Buthe goes on, "Both are comparatively
unimpressule, but Webster's understanding recog-
nizes and includes facts which his Una gination ma J
refuse to assimilate; while Calhoun arrOgantlv ig
nores every thing which contradicts his fivorite
opinions and would be a great reasouer old he not
80 often take paradoxes for his premises" Here
a critic is presuming to estimate the mind of a
great statesman and logical aud powerful reasOner
and coolly asserts that he would be great reas-
oner if he did not take paradOIes for his prem
ises. And what are some of these paradoxical
premises9 Simply principles and facts in the truth
of which local prejudices do not permit the critic
himself to believe! And bee use he does not hap
pen to agree with Mr.. Clhoun in the truth OF
certain principles; th"r fore, Nr. Calhoun tax, 8
paradoxes for his premises, exhibits great error of
Judgment and is not a great reasOner Mr. Cal
houn assumes as premise that African SldV, ry
is rght and blessing, (for here is the gist of the
whole matterO Harpers editor thinks differently,
therefore, Mr.. CaIaoun's premisr is paradox, and
Mr. Calhoun exhibits iuteIleclull weakness in at
t"mpting to reason upon such a premise. But
Mr.. Calhoun succeeds not only in sustaining his
positions from his premises, but by the cearest
and most convincing logic-logic without a faw
goes back and establishes the truth of his
premises, though so paradOxcal in the editor s
opinion, and therefore, Mr. Calhoun has arrogantly
ignored every thing which contradcted his favor
itr opinions
''Fhe mind of Webster" he continues, "weigh.
ty, solid ami capacious looks before and after; by
It's Insight reads principles in event. by its fore
sight reads events in principles; an archins go-
riousy over all the phenomena of a wideIy-com-
pIex subject of contemplation, views things not
sng!y hut in their mutitudinous relations; yet the
very comprehension Of his vision max him some
what timid. and his moderation accor ingly, lacks
the browning grace OF moral audacity. Calhoun
has audacity, but lcks comprehensivsness Thus
according to our critic Webster with all tn" quail
tiles to render holiness moral auiacity" lacks it
Calhoun without the qualities to render holiness
"moral audacity"-yet possesses audacity, which,
audacity is tfen of course, nothing but arrogant
and prcsumptuouS boldoess.
CAS- Webster's mimi from it's enlargement of
view, has an instructive int ectua conscientious
ness, the processes of hs reasoning are prncip H.
" inductVe, rising from facts to prucipl =; while
Cahoun's principally deductive descending
from principlrs to facts. Now, deduction is doubt
less a sublime exercise of logical genius, provided
the principle be reached-as it Is reached by Web
ster, when he uses the prOc"ss-0y induction; for
it gives the mind power to divine the future, and
converts prophecy into science. But the mis-
chief of Caboun's deductve ethod is. that by
nature or position, his understanding is controlled
by his will; and consequently, his principles are
often arbitrarily capriciou-ly chosen do not rise
out of the nature Of thin-s but out of the nature
OF Mr.. Calhoun; aud, tn reiore, it is frequently
true of him, what Mlcaul,y untruy declares of
Burke, that he chooses his position like a fanatic
aud defends it like philosopher We do not
exactly know what he means in the first part OF
this paragraph, by 'ntellecual console ntiousness
but suppose he means. if he mears anything, that
the charlct OF Webster's mind was rather con
tempative than active, aud hence, the method oil
his reasoning was Usually by induction. The great.
est of all logic is that deductiye method, which
from known Causes out C, rtain IF cts. Ii
is the method Of all really great statesmen and the
critic himself thinks il is a Sublime exercise oil
logical genius, provided the principle be reached hy
Induction"-but thinks the true principle can only
| be thus reached by himself and Mr. Webster Mr.
| Calhoun's method, be admits, is generally deduc
tive but then Mr.. Calhoun suff rs his understand.
ing to be controlled by bis will, aud hi principle.
are, eonsequ ,ntly often arbitrarily or capricousy
chosen, arising, not out Of the nature OF things bn
J out OF the nature Of Mr.. Calhoun. Here, We come
| back TO ths gist of the matter again-Ihe crit,
from local prrudees, does not happen to see thing
in the sam light with Mr.. Calhoun, does not hep
pen to think that African Slavery lie morally RICH
aud blessing, (very likely never having seen al
African slave in bis lfe,l Their, fore, Mr. Calhoun
wrong, and does not reach the pr cple by Undue
ton as Mr.. Webster aud the critic do but per
| his understandings IN ~. eoprr,Ua4 b.. "a 4.