The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-10
- Waking ZIP the Wrong Passenger

One OF our contemporaries relates the fol-
lowing story OF an incident Of il young dis
putant who tlnconsciorsly sought to annihi-
late Captain Mathew +. MaUry in an argyll
mcnt on i scientific question:
When Captain Maury, the distinguished
savant, was in England Just after the war lie
was dining one day with distinguished
party. During dinner the subject of :" in-
lucton" came up, and Il young gentleman,
fresh from the university, plunged cnthusias-
tically into the discussion. taking issue with
Captain Maury and arguing several points
with considerable warmth. Captain Maury
who is as modest Us he is learned, skill
fully and kindly parted the arguments
tive thrlISts OF his Young antagonist by
suggesting in q mild way his views
OH the subject, which the young uni
vcrSity NAN Strore TO demolish with his
own opinions, doglnatically delivered. After
dinner the young gentlcman's uncle said to
him: II say, Charley, what All ass you made
OF yourself ut dinner to argue about 'induc-
| ton with Captain MaTy." "Why, my
dear uncle" said the aStonishcd university
MIN, "you don't tell me that that little man
was the great Maury!" at is quite true"
said his uncle. Whcrcupon the Mortified
youngster, with admirable fiankncss, hasten
ed to apologize to Captain Maury for having
| made such "a beslStly fool" Of himself, the
| Captain receiving his protestations with Il
smile, and telling him that there was no harm
done, adding. "Iou are very young, my dear
young gentleman"
dinner parties.
There is Il striking identity of this incident
with similar one which occurred in regard
to another eminent southern savant. 1t hap
pened in the year 1887, when President Van
Buren, had convened IN extra session of Con-
sress to consider his new financial scheme OF
the sub-treasury, and the country WAS greatly
excited on the subject, and especially by the
sudden announcement of the support of that
measure by John c.. Calhoun. Previous 10
that Mr.. Calhoun had become one Of the
| idols Of the Wing party OH account OF his
opposition to General jackson in the removal
OF the deposits and the State bond system.
| lie had always been, too, the bitter opponent
of Mr.. Van Buren,, even to the point OF wit h
| drawing from all personal Intercourse with
him. These facts and his great talents made
him immensely popular with the Wings OF
that day. Corrcspondingiy virulent and bit
| ter were their Indignation AMI unbo'lndetl
| their denunciations of him when his ccc-
DRAFTED Edgchill letter proclaimed his sudden
adhesion to the >llb-treasury system. Cal
houn the traitor! John Catalina Calhoun,
were the phrases applied by all the Wing
partisans to this great man.
1t was when this feeling was at its height
that the vacation at the University of Virgil.
Mia occurred, and a number of the students.
on their way home, having to take the stage
at Charlottesville, found themselves inter
mixed with number of congressman on
their way to Washington. In ono of the
stages there was an equal number of students
and congressman, and very quickly the
young gentlemen fell into conversation with
| their seniors. One of these exhibited Il Spc.
cial interest in the young men, and pro
ponndcda great many questions in relation to
their studies, and by hi, kind and captivating
manner induced the youngsters TO Il very
| free and frank uttcranrC OF their views on all
subjects. Among these. of course, politics
and the characters of the eminent men in
public life were discussed with that freedom
and frankness of young students. Now, il
! happened that one OF the most talkatlve
and brightest of the youths was the sou
of father who was violent Wing.
The son faithfully reflected the fathers
views and prejudices, and in his answers tt
the elderly gentleman, who had taken sc
| great an interest in the students, remarked
that the prevalent political sentiment at the
University was that John c. Calhoun, Of
South Carolina, was the greatest tIaitor ant
most dishonest politician that had ever dis
graced our political history. To this very
| emphatic remark of the fiery young Wing
the elderly gentleman demurred in yer,
kind and sraye manner, and invited th'
young assailant of the great South Caro-
lnian TO an expression of the reasons fol
his belief in the unparalleled wickcdnes
of that statesman. The two were sooI
engaged in a very animated argument
to which the other rlssencrs all listened
with great interest. The young man wa
very bright, ingenious and fertile, and tn
elderly gentleman was evidently most ae
complished logician, and OF most winning
! manners, calculated to make very deep in,
preston upon youthful minds. Never, Per
haps, was the course Of Mr.. Calhoun so ct
fectively and luminously explained and de
j tended a. in this familiar discussion VITA III