Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-24
4luiOn aud 8ispattA.
DANIEL WEBSTER.


New Estimate Of His Character.
IT, Parton, the biographer, has furnished |
10 the last number Of the North American |
Rscieu a piquant article on Daniel Web ]
ster, which tells some wholesome truths, |
and is likely % attract :. good deal Of atten- |
ton. Nebsters leading trait, Mr.. Parton (
asserts, was his enormous physical magnet
ism. His presence overwhelmed criticism.
His intimacy fascinated It. Fidgety men
were quieted by bis majestic calm. Wo-
men we're spell-bOund By t. II gave the
public a sense Of repose. When ne passed
up or down State street, with an arm be-
hind his back, business was brought 70 q
stand-still. Webster was never a student
He absorbed knowledge, but did not work
for It. in Latin he was excelled By some
Of his own class. Greek he never enjoyed
For mathematics he had not the slightest
taste Al college he was only an omnivo-
r5us reader. He barely passed muster in
the rec taiion room as q student. His
whole college life shows that he vas formed
10 use the product Of other mems toll, not
10 add 90 the common fund. At the same
time. he was an innocent young man. His
Wild oats were not sown in the days Of his
youth. He was always under the influence
ofothers. Nature mGde him not to lead,
bat 10 follow. In the early flush and vigor
Of his life, he gave a thousand evidences Of
q good heart and Of virluous habits, but not
one Of a superior understanding. The total
absence Of the skeptical spirit betrayed his
want Of bOldness and originality. In a pc
Rod Of transition, no young man Of a truly
eminent intellect accepts his fathers creeds
without first calling them in question But
no new light ever illumined the mind Of
Daniel Webster. As soon az he came Of
age he Joined the Congregational church
The candor Of his judgment was impaired
by religious prejudice, In this respect, he
never lost his narroWness and ignorance.
10 the time Of his celebrity be preferred
the Episcopal, as the most genteel religion.
His political prejudices were equal
lv strong. he was Of slow growth.
Development iill he was nearly fifty years
Of age. He had no practical wisdom.
From the year 1882 till the end Of his life,
he was suffering the process Of moral and
mental deterioration. His material part
gained upon his spiritual. He had an
enormous capacity for physical enjoyment,
and became a great hunter, fisherman, and
farmer, a lover Of good wine and good din
ners, and a most iovial companion. Brit
his mind was fed chiefly upon past acqui-
sitions. There Is nothing in his later
efforts which shows any intellectual adj
vance. He never broWsed in forests before
untrodden, or fed in pastures new, For
the last ten years Of his life, though be
spent many thousand dollars on his library,
he had almost ceased 10 be an intellectual
being. His pecuniary habits demoralized
him. :" He was not one Of those who find
IN the happiness and prosperity Of their
country, and in the esteem Of their fellow.
citizens their own sufficient and abundant
reward for serving her. He pinned foI
something lower, smaller-something per.
sonal and vulgar he had no religion
not the least tincture Of it; and he seemed
az last in his dealings with individuals, q
have no conscience. What he called his
religion had no effect whatever upon the
conduct Of his life; it made him 70 to
church, talk piously, puff the clergy, and
patroBize Providence more. He was
one Of those who fell before the seductionf
Of his place. He would accept retaining
fees, and never look into the bundles o.
were inclosed the hopes and the fortunes o.
anxious households. BE would receive
gifs Of money, and toss into his waste
paper basket the list Of the given, without
having glanced at It's contents, thus de
lrauding them Of the only recompense in his
power to grant, and the only one they
wished" Mr.. Parton gives the following
description Of the vast elementwhich formed
such an extraordinary feature in Daniel
Webster's composition;
IN surveying the life and works Of this
eminent and gifted man, we are contiuually
struck with the evidences Of his magnitude
ileWas, as we hayesaid, very large person
His brain was within little Of being one.
third larger than the average, and il wa
oncof the largest then on record. His bodily
frame, in all its parts, was on a majestic
scale, and his presence was immense. III
liked large things -mountains elms, grea
oaks, mighty bulls and oxen, wide fields
the ocean, the Union, and all things of mag
nitude. be liked great Rome far better
than refined Greece, and reveled IN the i'm
mense things Of literature, such as para
disc Lost" and the Book Of job Burke
DR.. johnson, and the sixth Book Of tbs
Hneidp Homer he never cared much foI
nor, indeed, anything Greek. He hated
he loathed the act of writing Billiards
ien-pins, chess, draughis, whist, he nevel
reished, though fond 20 excess Of outdoor
pleasures, like hunting, fishing, yachting
lie liked to be alone with great nature
alone in the giant woods or on the resound
ing sea-alone 81 day with his gun, his
dog, and his thoughts-alone in the morn
l. L.vt III
looking out upon the sea and the glorious
sunshine. What q delicious picture Of thin
large healthy son of earth Mr.. Lamar
gives as, where be describes his coming
into his bedroom az sunrise, and startling
him out of a deep sleep, BY shouting
Awake. sluggard and lcok upon this
glorious scene, for the sky and the ocean
are envelopcd in flames p He was akin "a
an large, slow things in nature. A herd
Of fne cattle gave him q keen, an mex.
haustible enjoyment; but be never tasted
"a horse he had no horse enthusiasm. In
England be chiefly enjoyed these Eve
thingg The Tower of London, Wesiminstel
Abbey, Smith6eld Cattle Market, English
farming, and Sir Robert Peel. Sir Rober
Peel be thought was "head and shoulder
above any other msnp he had ever met
He greatly excelled, too, in describing i'm
mense things. Ia speaking Of the pyra
mids, be asked, "Who can inform us b,
what now unknown machines mass wa
thus aggregated 10 MSS, and quarry pileC
on quarry. till solid granite seemed 70 cove
ihe earth and reach the skies ~ HI
peculiar love Of the Union Of these State
was partly due, perhaps, 70 this habit o
his mind Of dwelling with complaCency OF
vastness. be felt that he wanted and re
Quired continent 70 live in; his min
would have gasped for breath IN NeV