The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-08-03

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ing, a noble and great man. Your eye
was upon his eye, and apart from hi:
/ face many forgot what manner of mar
! he was. An admiring Kentucky lady
hearer being asked, in 1925, when he
! wore suit of Kentucky jeans, the
/ fashion of that time and region, how
/ he was dressed, replied, sin a splendid
suit of black, of course, but 1 did not
/ notice.
Few men changed as much as he.
I The first time l saw him, thirty-nine or
I forty years since, he was spare and
thin, he stopped some, and was slightly
gray. When he grappled Robert Ow-
en-, three years after, he was more Wig
orous and heartier than at any other
| period of his life known to me. If he
changed much in his general physique,
his face presented a perpetual play OF
varied expression. took him once to
fine daguerrean, who after eight sit
ungs gave up in despair. No two of
the pictures were alike. Nor have l
ever seen passable portrait of him, if
except one or two of the most recent,
such as MiddletOn's, but they are the
grand old man, not the Alexander
Campbell who stirred the world to a
lofty conception of the "livelv oracles''
from 1870 till 1877. We have no correct
pen or pencil picture of him as then he
stood, the great man of Israel. No one
period can be said to have known him,
In stature over five feet eleven inches,
nervous rather than muscular, when
in health good eater and sound
sleeper for seven hours, mingling the
blood OF the Argyles of Scotia and the
Huguenots of France, though Irish by
birth, he had good rather than n ro-
bust constitution, showing pallor of
thought rather than roundness of mus
Gle, facile, capable of large endurance
and tenacious OF life. His head was
fine; the brain compact and active,
rather than massive; the dark-blue
eyes, of fair size, though not prominent,
expressed great penetration; his Roman
nose was slightly awry, though as a
lady once naively observed, sit turn
ed TO the right" and his whole face
though of great power, was genial.
Few failed 10 defer TO his presence and
opinions, though all were assured and
comfortable when once introduced.
The twinkle under his heavy eyebrow
and the CLEAN of sunlight over his
countenance, with jeW d'espTit, or a
Jeu de moLs were an irresistible conta-
gion of pleasure, but his presence was
always imposing. Such are the recol-
lections and conceptions of one who
pillOwed his head with him more fire.
quenty than with any other man.
If such were the native dignity and
grace of his person, his manners were
in good keeping with such an exterior.
As have already intimated, both the
Campbells were native gentlemen, as
far removed from the boorish as ele-
gance, and from the brusque as refine
ment. They were among the few who
would have been refined had they en-
tered society late in life; and the
younger, reared with the elder, had he
been inapt, would have absorbed ease
and gentleness. I have the written les
timony of at least three, that Through
all his weakness and suffering, polite
n. IS and gratitude We're the most con-
spicuous expressions of his heart"
Such man must have a strong will,
but generally it was concealed in his
argument-it seemed to be reason only
determining the measure.
MIR. Campbell's religion, manifest in
morning and evening services in the
family, instructive, lengthy and de-
Eout, as well as his constant converSa-
tlonSI PreachingS and writings, was not
what the nOn-intelligent would call
emotional; but there was a rich vein of
feeling running through it all, like
gold-bearing quartz through a noun
tain. With him, religion was not gold
thread to be woven into Sunday and
protracted meeting attire, but the fill-
ing in the woof of life. His religion
contained as much emotion as his ma
ture did. Neneration for God seemed
to absorb other sentiments, and regard
for his word as the exponent of his
will, was the ruling principle of his
life. He was as familiar with God in
his word, as Moses was with God on
the Mount. 1t was no supereXcited en-
thuSiasm, no overstraining of the i'm
agination. 1t was the firm grasp of the
Divine Personality, the full assurance
of faith, and it needed no new verbal
coinage TO give it voice, as is so fire.
quently the case in modern literature.
The words and ordinances of the two
covenants were enough for his pur-
poses. His emotion came with a
thought, and lived in it.
What was the character of his intel
lect? l do not know to whom to com
pare him. II could, 1 would be, for
the nonce, Plutarch and raise aloft
my social balance and weigh
him with other men. But irst
we must weigh Alexander Campbell
with himself-Campbeil with Camp
bell. Campbell of the Christ
ian Baptist and early Harbinger, and
Campbell of the later Harbinger are
in equipoise but for a moment. The
former preponderates. or his debates,
those held in Cincinnati, preponderate.
His Lexington debate would have
been his best, for he was quite perfect
in preparation, had he not permitted
the side issue of his uniform consisten-
cy as writer, to come into the arena,
The Campbell of the last fifteen wears
never compared with the Campbell of
the preceding thirty-fve. But with
the partial and almost imperceptible
decay of the intellectual power discern
ed by but few, there was an increased
evolution of the sentimental and spir-
itual-a gracious compensation.
Three events, more than any others,
contributed to the break down OF Mr..
Campbell's overtaxed powers. The
labors of the College superadded to
the care of the churches" and incess-
ant literary labor-the sudden death of
his darling boy Wyclide-and the
translation for the American Bible
Union, of '.Acts of Apostles Before
the last he staggered, then he fell, no
more to rise to the hight of his former
power.
Now with whom can we compare the
Alexander Campbell during the thirty
nve or forty years of his prime? In
dignity and solid Judgment he was
both Moses and solomon. For forty
years he was Moses keeping fiocks
among these mountains, and cOmmun-
ing with God. Overlapping this period
he was Solomon for forty years dis
coursing the wisdom of God. Incom-
patible as Moses and Solomon NAV
seem to be with John the immerser, he
was the John, the reformer and harbiu-
ger of the new covenant, to thousands.
No uninspired man has said so much
and said it so well, about the kingdom
OF God. None have with greater clear
ness and effect, said to two generations.
"behold the Lamb of God;'' and no 9TH
er man, in modern times, has, like
John, drawn such myriads to the Jor-
dan. But, in intellect and earnest ma
ture, he resembled Paul, the New Tes-
lament Cicero, more than he did any
other Bible character. OF course. in
all these comparisons, inspiration is