New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-20
THE WEBSTER DINNER IN BOSTON.
MIR. CHOArE,S SPEECH.

birthday, ct the Revere House, on lnesdp. Inc
striking feature of the occasion sas Mr. Rufus Choates
speech, which we copy entire from TIE 60s'o"
Covrkr:
would not have il supposed for mo-oent thai l
design 10 make any euogy or any speech concerning
the great mao whose birthday have met ID observe
hasten to assure you that shall attempt TO do no
such thirg.
purpose.
Tins have been when such thing might have
been done with prop-e.y. -
While he -as yet personally among us-whie he
was yet walking N his strength 10 the paths, or
ascending the Tights Of active public HE, or sandos
upon taem, ana many of tue good and Sise-so
many Of toe wssst and bert Of our country from al
PARTS OF Thought re had title to the crest office OF
our system. AID would have him formally presented
for it. il fit tbst those who loved snd honorei hln
shoad publicly, with effort with passion, with arsu-
meIt with teniioD recall tue series OF his services
bis life Of elevated laboIs finished and unfinished;
display HE large qualities OF character Gnd mind snd
compare him somewhat in al these things with the
great men his competitors for the great pnze.
Then was Tiers q battle TO be fought, and II was
needful to fight L.
And So again, in later day, while onr hearts were
yet bleeding wife the sense Of recent Ices, and ne lay
newly dead in tiss chamber and the bells were toing
and mia grave open and the sunlight OF an aIunn
day falling that long funeral tram, 90 not
say il was ft only, II unavoidable, that we all IN
some clicked u,ters1ce ard some imperfect, sln;ere
expression should if We could not praise the patriot
lament the man. .
But these times have gone by. TIE race of honor
and duty il for hun all run. The high eoieav1r is
ma6e, and it is finished TIE monu nent L blilded
He lie eLtsrei INFO his glory. The day of hope, OF
PRIDE of grief has been followed by the long rest, ana
the srtneL;s of grief pride and hope are all merged
IN the sentiment Of calm ana Implicit venerHuon. we
have buried him IN OR hearts. That eLougn 70 say
Our estimation of him Is part OF our creed. nave
10 argument 70 make or hear upon II. We enter INTO
no Dispute about him. We permit no longer any man
20 question as to what he was, wat ne hai done,
how much VT loved hin. how much the country loved
him, and how well he deserved 1t. We admire, we
love and We are still. BE this enough for us to say
II is lot enough that We just stand silent on tue
deck Of the bark fast flying from the shore, and tarn
and see how the line Of coast disappears ana tue
beadlapds and hills and all the land 90 down. anu the
slsnds are swallowed up, there the great mountain
standing in its strength and msjesty supreme aud
still; to how il swels away uP iron the SUBJECT
and fading yaeto see that though clouds and temp
este and the noise Of waves and the yepog OF ours
may be at It's feet eternal sunshine has settled upon
Their is another reason why should not trust my.
/ eelf to say much more OF him tonight.
Ii does happen that yol cannot praise MI. Wen,
ster for that which really characterized and identified
tim as a public man, but that you seem TO DO COM
posing tract for the TIMES.
II does SO happen that the influence of bis whole
pubic life aud position 80 pronounced, so to speak
so defined, sharp, sslent-the spirit OF his mind
the ton. Of bis mind SO M able ana so pecu
liar the DatUre of the public man was so transparent
OF him without seeming 10 grow polemcai; without
seeming to make attack upon other men; upon or
CARNATIONS, upon policy upon tendereies. You can
Dot say OF him what true, ard what yon Know 10 be
tue, but what you thought to be dlsparagng or
Iefutirg somebody else.
la this way there comes to be mingled in service
of the heart fomething Of dscordan ncongruous and
ten oorary. SO it is eyerywhefs. They could not
keep the birthday of Charles james Fox but they
wer. supposed to stack the grave of Pitt and aim at
6 Wing Administration and Reform bll
lad |Frtr. he rgn nj
the age OF Percles nd palatiOn OF the trial
Of Socrates but they say lie Is De nocrat Chartst
or a frs Id Of the secret ballot.
The mavelous eloquence and noble patriotic enter
prise Of Everett scarcely escape such mscon-
struction Of small Jealousy.
Yes sad it is, but true, that you cannot say here
tonight what you think-vhat you know-what yOu
thank God for-about the Union loving heart the
Constitution defending brain, the moderation breathing
spirit, the American nature OF the great maa--our
friend-bnt they call out you are thinking OF them
So powerful is the suggestion OF contrast, ana such
cownrds does conscience make OF all bad men
feel the effect o! this embarrass nent protest
against such an application of anything say. But
f 81 also that will be better than such protest, 10
sum up in the briefes and plansst and soberest ex-
preston what deem will be the record OF history let
me hope with the mmunities Of history, concerning
this man public man.
l. He was then, let me say, of the very foremost Of
great American statesmen. This is the class o great
ness in which lie is To be ranked. Az such always be
is to be Judged. What he would have been In another
department of thought-how he would have risen
under other nsti. utOns-what he could have done II
potCs ad turned him from calm philosophy aside
whether lie were really made for mankind and to
America gave up what was meant for manknd-ho~
bis mere naked intellectual ability compared with this
mans or that, is a needless and vain speculation.
may, however, be allowed 10 say that although
have seen him act, and heard hun speak, and give
counsel in very high and very sharp and difficult
crses always felt that if more had been needed mora
would have been done, ard that half his strength or
l.. fgxNh A him
make what Is called effort without feeling that let
the occasion be what it would, he would have sweed
out 10 lie limits. There was always reservoir of
power Of which you never sounoed the depths, GER
taiIly never the bottom; and cannot well mag
inc al great historical and ciy occasion to which he
would not have brought, and to which he would not
be acknowledged to have brought, an adequate sbl-
~. He haG wisdom TO have guided the counseIs Oh
Austria Sc Metternch did, if h had loved absolutsm
as well; skill enough ard eoquence enough TO have
saved the life Of Louis XVI, skill and eloquence
could have done it; learning services, character AMI
dgIity enough for a Lord Chancellor Of England, II
wisd, IN counsel and eoquence in debate would have
been titles 10 So proud distinction.
Bot his cass il that Of American statesmen In that
class he is 10 find his true magnitude as he stood
there he is 10 take his place forever ia our system To
rat constellation he has gone up, to that our tel
escopes OF our naked eye are to be directed, and
there think he shines with large and unalteraole
glory.
l. every work regard the writer's end. In every
life regard the actors end.
In ssyDg thi. do not mean TO ignore or disparage
his rank sO the profession Of tie law. In thatpro
iessiOn be abored, by that he lived OF that ne was
proud 10 t5at be brought vast ability and exquisite
eni and in that he at last to the leadership
OF the bar. Bot / regard that rather as a saPerln
duced, collateral occasional fame, necessity Of
greatness, trsnscendant greatness, cert linly-but
il was not the labor be most loved, It was
not the fame which sttrscts so many pilgrims 70
his tomb, and stirs many hearts when his name IS
sounded. Thee have been Bscons and Clarendons,
"A ana Crcsro M one Dpmos,heues who vera Ia