Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-23
FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 23, 1865.

tlon or image Illustration, the margin of the
appropriate place. From that brief he spoke And
this was his only method Of preparation for all the
great conflicts in which he took part in after life He
Speaking of his feelings at the end of his college
life, he sadly said:
MY fathers death had embittered the last davs of
the year 1886 and left me without a counsellor T
knew something of books, nothing Of men, and Invent
forth like Adam among the wild beast of the un-
dLcated me to the ministry, but the day had gone
when such dedcations determined the lives young
men Iheology was grave topic of historic and
metaphysical investigation delighted to pursue but
i9r the ministry had no calling. would have been
idle If could, for had ambition, but had no
fortune and could not beg or starve."
All who were acquainted with his temperament can
Wen imagine what gloomy prospect the future pre-
sente9 20 hum when its contemplation wrung from
historical taciturnity that touching confession.
The truth is, that from the time he entered college
ne was continually cramped from want of money
Inc negroes ate everything that produced on
me 1arm IN Anne Arundel, gastronomic feat which
they could easily accomplish without ever having
cause TO complain of surfeit His aunt, herself in
limited circumstances. by careful husban6ry of her
means; managed to keep him at college. Kenyon
was then manual labor institution, and the bows
were required to sweep their own rooms make their
own beds and fires bring their water black their
own boots, if they ever blacked. and take an
occasional turn at grubbng in the fields or working
on the roads. There was no royal road to learning
known at Kenyon in those days Through all this
henry Winter Davis passed. bearing his part man
Iully; ana knowing how heavily he taxed the slender
purse OF his aunt he denied himself with such rgor
that he succeeded, incredible as it may appear in
bringing his total expenses, including boarding and
tuion Wlthln the sum OF eighty dollars per annum.
His father left ap estate consisting only of some
slayes, which were equally appOrtioned between him
self and sister. Frequent applications were made to
purchase his slaves but he never could he induced to
sell them although the proceeds would have enabled
hm to pursue his studies with ease and comfort He
rather sought and obtained tutorship, and for two
years he devoted to law and letters only the time he
could rescue from its drudgery In letter written in
April 1889, replying to the request of relative who
offered to purchase his slave, Saie subject to the
provisions of his fathers will, which manumtted her
If she would go to Liberia, he said d" But if she is
under my control Che did not know that she had been
set to his share) will not consent to the sale though
he wishes to purchase her subject to the will" And
so Sallie was not sold, and Henry Winter Davis the
tutor toled on and waited. He never would hold
any of his slaves under his authority, never would
accept cent Of their wages and rendered each and
the law would allow Tell me, was that man sincere
IN his opposition to slavery? How many of those
reckless in his advocacy of emancipation, would have
shown equal devotion to principle? Not one-not
one. All! the man who works and suffers for his
opinions sake. places his own flesh and blood in
pledge for his integrity.
Notwithstanding his irksome and exacting duties
he kept his eye steadily the University of Virginia
and read without assistance large part of its course
lie delighted especially in the pUngent pages of Tac-
tus and the glowing and brilliant, dignied and ele
Empire. These were fay0riteS who never lost their
charm for him. When recently on a visit at my house
ne stated IN conversation that he often exercised him
sen IN transatng from the former andn transferring
the thought of the latter into his own language and
he conended that the task had dspeled the popular
error that Gibbons style is swollen and decanatory;
Tor he alleged that every effort at condensation had
proved failure and at the end of his labors the page
he had attempted to compress had ALWAYS expande
to the eye when relieved of the weighty and strn-
gent letters IN which the gigantic genius of Gbbon
had bound it.
About this time, the only period when doubts be-
set him, he was tempted by very advantageous offer
to settle in Mississippi. He determined to accept,
but some kind spirit interposed to prevent the dis
patch Of the final letter. and he remained in Aexan-
dra. At last his aunt, second mother as she was
sold some land and dedicated the proceeds to his e
gal studies He arrived at the University of Virginia
IN October 1899.
From that moment, he entered actively and unre-
mtungy on his course of intellectual training.
While boy he had become familiar under the guild
dnee OF his father, with the classics of Addison,
johnson Swift, Cowper and Pope, and he now plunged
into the domain OF history. He had begun at Ken
yon to make tanking iorayS into the fields ofhistoric
investigation which lay invitingy on each side of
the regular march of his college course. As he ac-
CURED more information and confidence these forays
became more extensive and profitable. 1t was then
the transition period from the shallow though grace
tl pages OF 6lleS, Rolln, Russell and Iytler, and
the rablnnlcal agglomeratons of Shuckford and Pr-
deauX, to the modern school of free, profound and
laborious investigation which has reared immortal
monuments to its memory in the works of Hallam,
Macauley, Grote, Bancroft Prescott, Motley Neibuhr
Bunsen, Schosser Theirs, and their fellows But OF
the last named, none except Niebuhrs History Of Of
Rome, and Hallams Middle ages were accessible to
him in the backwoodS of Ohio. Cousins course Of
the History of Modern Philosophy wasjust glitterng
III the horizon, and Gibbon shOne alone as the morn
ngstar of the day of historic research which he had
leTdlueU so long. frencl heVOiutiOQ he had
only as presented in Burkes brilliant vtuperation
and Scotts tory diatribe. A republican picture OF
the great republican revolution the fountain of all
that is now tolerable in Europe had not then been
presented on any authentic and comprehensive page
Not only these, but all historical works of value
which the English, French and German IonpnaoeS
furnish, with immense amount of other intel
lectual pabulum, were eagerly gathered consumed
with voracious appetite and thoroughly digesed Sup
Piled atlaStwlth the required means he braced himself
for systematic curriculum of law, and pursued it
with marked c0nstancy and success. Whilst at the
University he also took up the German and French
languages and mastered them, and he perfected his
SCHOLARSHIP in Latin and Greek. Until his death he
read all these languages with great facility and ac-
curacy, and he always kept his Greek Testament w.
ing on his table for easy reference.
Alter thorough course at the University, Mr..
DAVIS entered upon the practice of the law at Alex
andTla, Virginia: He began his profession without
much to cheer him; but he not the man to aban-
don pursuit for lack of courage. His ability and
acquired respectable practice, which thenceforth
protected him from all annoyances of a pecuniary
nature: lie toiled with unwearied assiduity, never
appearing IN the trial of cause without the most
elaborate and exhaustive preparation and soon be-
came known to his professional brethren as a vau-
able ally and formidable foe Hisnatural aptitude
and some articles which he prepared on municipal
and State politics gave him great reputation. lie
also published series of newspaper essays, wherein
he dared to question the divinity of slavery; and
these though at the thoughtto be beyond the
limits OF tree discussion were cited against him long
after as evidence that he was hereto in proslayery
Virginia and Maryland.
On the 3Oth Of October, 1916 he married Miss Con-
stance L. Gardiner, daughter of VIM. c. Gardiner
Esq, most accomplished and charming young lady
as beautiful and as fragile a flower She lived to
gladden. his heart but for two years. and then
Like lily dropping,
She bowed her head and died"
In 1850 he came to Baltimore. and Immediately a
high position professional. social and political was
awarded him. His forsenic efforts at once command
ed attention and enforced respect The young men
OF most ability and promise gathered about him and
made him the centre of their chosen circle He be-
came prominent member of the Wing party, and
was everywhere known the brilliant orator and
successful controversial of the Scott campaign of 1852
The Wing party. worn out by its many gallant but
nnsuccesslqi pattles, was ultimately gathered to its
fathers and Mr.. Davis led off in the American move
&g9t % He vas slSotea S9sGessiyey to the Thrty-
the American party from the Fourth District of Ma
ryland: He supported with great ability and zeal
Mr.. Fillmore for the Presidency in 1856 and in 1860
accepted John Bell as the candidate of his party
though be clearly OWNED and plainly announced that
the great battle was really between Abraham Lin
coln as the representative of the national sentiment
on the one hand and secession and dsunion in all
their shades and phases on the other To his seat in
unconditional Union party
;"ce the adjournment of the Thirty eighth Con-
roes he has heen profoundly concerned in the mo-
mentous public ot,estons now pressing for adjust
ment and he did not faii, on several fitting occasions,
to give his views at length to tne public NeVerthe-
less he frequently alluded to his earnest desire to re-
treat Tor while from the perplexing annOyances OF
public life. He haa delernllneI Ik5A islg ylslt to
Europe in the coming spring, and had almost con-
| cluled the purchase OF q UeIglIlIl Country seat
where he hoped to recruit his weary brain Tor years
TO come from the exhaustless riches of nature When
the Thirty-nnth Congress met, and he read of his
old comnanions IN tha ,ro of legislation AGAIN gath
ering in their halls and committee rooms I think
Tor at least day or two, he felt longing be among
them. DuTg pe seG0nd week of the session ne again
entered this hall, but only as spectator The greet
ing he received, so general spontaneous and cordial
from gentlemen on both sides of the House. touched
| his heart most sensibly. The crowd that gathered
about him great that the party was obliged tC
retire 9 of the larger anterooms for fear of in
terruptDg the public business. delightful inter
| view among old friends was the reward. He was
charmed with his reception, and mentioned it to me
with intense satisfaction. Little did you, gentlemen
then think that between you and beloved friend the
curtain that shrouds eternity to be inter
| posed
His sickness was of about weeks duration. Until
| the morning of the day preceding his death, his
friends never doubted his recovery. Later in the
/ then realized his danger In the evening his wife
| spoke u him Of Ysit. for one day, which he had
projected to his Old friend Mrs s. +. Dupont when
he replied in the last words he uttered 1T
shows the folly of making plans even for day." He
continued to fail rapidly in strength untiltwo O'Clock
| on the afternoon of Saturday the Both December
| when Henry Winter Davis, in the 18th year of his
the opinion of Sir Thomas Browne, who declared
I "marshaling all the horrors of death, and contem
plating the extremities thereof, find not anything
| therein able TO daunt the courage of man, mucl
less tcet-resolVed Christian.H Ii passed away 81
| quietly that no one knew the moment of his depar
| ture. His was o.
"a death-like sleep,
/ A gentle waiting to immortal life"
Mr.. Davis left a widow, Mrs. Nancy Davis.