Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-24

selves, IN so SNORT Time, 10 NC COuclc-
tent could not have well shown them
selves narrow minded in the matter OF
helping others out of the national treas
ury.-B0st0n Globe.
Address of Charles Francis Adams
at the Seward Memorial.
ALBANY, April IS.
The Senate and Assembly, Governor
and State officers, and the Judiciary and
Common Council of this city met at the
Capitol at 10 a. NJ, and forming in line
marched TO the North Reformed church,
to listen to the Grafton of Hon. Charles
Francis Adams on the late VIM. II.
Seward. After music, prayer and the
reading of the memorial resolutions of
the Legislature, Mr.. Adams was intro
duced to the audience by Governor Dix,
and proceeded to deliver
THE GRAFTON.
Mr. Adams begun his Grafton by as
serting that were his powers equal to his
will he should erect monument more
durable than marble or brass The sub
ject is fascinating from the wide views
which it opens of the noblest career OF
human life and the highest aspirations
of moral ambition. He then divides
public men Into three classes. First,
those whose power has been exercised
mainly for personal ends, with little re-
gard to the public good, and who work
the the fall of nations like Cleon OF
Athens. Second, those who with pure
motives and equal capacity address
themselves to the work of maintaining
the existing state of things as it is, like
Sir Robert Walpole for example. This
is the class which sustain nations. The
third and last division consists of those
who, possessing a creative force, labor
to advance the condition of their fellow
men. Of such find type in Pericles.
in Gregory the First and in Cardinal
Richelieu. This is the class which de-
veloped nations Measuring the life of
VIM. HENRY SEWARD
by his scale, | have no scruple in en-
rolling his name in the third and high
est class. In my mind his case bears
analogy to that of Pericles, with this diff
ference, that the sphere of his action
was one, by the side of which that of
the other dwindles into nothing. At the
early age of nineteen he left college to
engage in legal pursuits. From that
moment he could hope to enlarge the
basis of his imperfect education only by
making what he might out of the inter
walls Of rest in a busy life. Hence it be-
comes proper to assume that in the just
sense of the word Mr. Seward was
never learned man. In the ardor with
which he rushed into affairs the wonder
is that he acquired what he did. To his
faculty of rapid digestion of what he
could read he was indebted for the at
tainments he actually mastered. For it
should be further remarked that, though
he faithfully applied himself to his pro-
fessiOn, it was not an occupation suited
to his taste, and, on the contrary, he
held it in aversion. He felt in himself
a capacity to play noble part in the
more spacious theatre of state affairs.
His aspiration was for the fame Of
statesman, and, in INDUCING in this pro-
pensity, he committed no mistake. The
chief characteristic of his mind was its
breadth of view. In tlfis sense he was
a philosopher, studying politics.
THE GREAT sTATEsMAN's METHOD.
He began by forming for himself
general idea of government, by which
all questions of a practical nature that
came up for consideration were to be
tested This naturally led him to prefer
the field of legislation to that of admin
istration, though he proved equally skill
full in both. Almost simultaneously with
his marriage, he appeared ready to
launch into the political conflicts of the
hour. Commencing in this small way
he rose, by easy degrees, into the atmo-
sphere of craftsmanship. | distinguish
between these conditions not to derogate
from either. In our past experience,
there have been many politicians who
have not become statesmen so also
there have been statesmen who were
never politicians. Mr.. Seward was
equally at home in both positions.
After briefly sketching the issues
which divided the Wing and Democratic
parties, Mr. Adams observed that the
first thing Mr.. Seward had to do at the
outset of his career was to choose his
side. Under his fathers roof the influ-
ences naturally carried him to sympa-
thize with the old Jeffersonian party on
the one hand while the relics of the slave
system remaining in the family as house
servants, the least repulsive form of
that relation seemed little likely to in
spire in him much aversion to it on the
other. Nevertheless he early formed
his conclusion, and adversely to the or
ganization in New York professingto be
the successors of the Jefferson school
and not less to the perpetuation of slav-
cry everywhere. Presently an occasion
made him prominent in the State cleo
tons
OPPOSING POPULAR PREJUDICEs.
The Inconsistency which he could not
fail to expose of the power of secret so
cieties with popular institutions as illus !
trated in the well known story of the
abduction and death of Morgan, made |
him the first member of the Senate of |
this State and afterwards raicad hin, %
be Governor for two terms. In all this
public service he is found boldly adher-
ing to his broad views even when they |
were SO much in the advance as
actually to conflict with popular preju-
dices. He led so far that few could
keep pace with him. Some even feared.
and many absolutely denounced him.
The sentiments of Mr., Seward on
: Ia worry baH haap D. I