Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-01-30
a.meetine has been held in New Y ork, (be-

Ameeting has been held in New ! ork, (be-
fore noticed, Yin favor Of raising contributions
for the relefof the destitute IN the South.
For all the benefits designed orsaccomplished
BY such q movement, not onlyathe recipients of
the charity, but all humane persons, must be
grateful !, was, however, to use the phraze
Of the day 'inaugurated' by speech from
Henry Ward Beecher, which took away from
it, as far as he could accomplish, much Of the
auction of 2benevolence. The Baltimore Ga.
zette says that the main point of Beecher' dis
course was that God punished the South Tor
the sin Of slaveholding--a sin, in the opinion
of the speaker, more sheinous than all others
'smore massive, more ugly and internal. :"
He .graciously conceded, indeed, that the
North, also, had sinned, butin lesser degree,
but left it to be inferred, that the North was
delegated to scourge the South, and must CON-
plete the work it has commenced 1t was its
mission to strike down the people OF the South
with the one hard and feed and clothe them
with the other" This is fine talk for q meet
ing intended for holy and peaceful purpose OF
administering to the wants and necessities OF
the poor The Richmond Dispatch speaks O.!
the absence of the customary elan OF popular
meetings in New York, on the occasion when
this exhibition of mockery and malignlty was
made, and adds, that if good follows it will
be in despite of such incentives to action, "a1d
because there is left in that great city, even
among Republicans, men who feel that bread
may properly be given TO starving widow
without an insult to the memory of her gallant
dead, whose life was given to the lost cause.
The last number of the North American Re
view contains sketch Of the life and cbarac-
ter, and an examination Of the principles and
career, of Daniel Webster, said to pc written
by Mr.. Parton, whose biographical works have
had considerable success The ''solid men of
Boston will be STARTLED from their proprl-
ety. by the free manner in which their great
man = and Webster really was great man
is here drawn TIE picture is, to be sure, not
like those they have been accustomed to see,
but harsh as are some of the lines, 1t is prob
able the "unpalatable truth" has been told in
relation to some traits. not touched upon by
former eulogists There is, we are afraid, a
dash Of malignity, in putting forth this delin-
cation Of Webster, at this time, when 1t is
found that none of his doctrines, or speeches,
or writings can be adduccd to favor the views
of the dominant faction in Massachusetts, and
the North generally. Heretofore, he has been
with their people a sort Of civil hero placed
on pedestal far above common men. They
are now telling the world, that he was, what
we, here in the South, always knew, L man
with many Of the faults and errors Of poor hu
manity-nlany Of its impcyfac!ions- nay, with
some tanls that in ordinary persons would
bring severe censure. But, with all this, now
told and told plainly in the North American
Review, the mind, the intellect, of Daniel
Webster as statesman, an orator. and jurlst,
must be acknowledged And that he was one
Of the ablest men, in these respects, recorded
in our annals, cannot be doubted.
Ma onr,as M ,1enca bat,cnar Mr. Seward