The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-09-03
Hayne and Webster.

lima, giving an account of the way in
which, as described by himself, he
overcamc the habit of stammering in
youth, aud adding a graceful tribute
| by him to his old antagonist, Daniel
Webster Mr.. Foote writes
"Gen. Haync was of a medium
stature, well shaped, and of singu-
! larlv animated and mercuriaI aspect.
His ewes were very bright and daz-
zling, and of light hazel color. His
countenancc wore i very mild and
benignant expression. His face was
cleanly shaven, and he was elegantly
but unOstentatiOuslv attired. Ills
manners were marked with grace
full and winning affability which !
have never seen surpassed. | asked
him how he had been able to acquire
sueh wondrous facility Of expression,
and such remarkable capacity for
keeping alive the interest Of his audi
ence. He answered my queries
without any false modesty, and with
out particle of vulgar egotism, very
nearly in these words: "You give me
credit for much facility of expression,
and for having successfully cultivated
to some extent the graces of rhetoric
display | shall surprise you, | do
not doubt, when | tell YOU that at
sixteen Years of age | was an awk-
ward, stammering boy desired TO
become i lawyer, and was even then
assidaously preparing myself for the
legal profession. \ youth more am
bilious OF oratorical distinction than
| was, am sure, has never lived
But my friends and relatives ell
Joined in urging me to give up the
hope Of future renown as a speaker,
and to deEote myself to some other
calling better adapted to the slender
ness of my faculties. They told me
that it was absurd and ridiculous in
one who suffered so abominably to
think of becoming even a tolerable
pleader of causes. This mortified me
much, but | did not desist from the
struggle in which / had so zealously
enlisted. ] thought much Of the diff
iculties OF similar kind which
Demosthenes was reported to have
encountered, and of the successful
efforts made by him to overcome
them. | diligently studied the tones
of my own voice. | essaycd to find
out all the mysteries which belonged
to our complexvocal organ. | labored
from hourto hour, and from minute, to
minute TO ascertain the precise nature
of those particular impediments to
clear and easy articulation under
which | was suffering. | pondered
this subject day by dav, and it was
with me the prompter OF many
painful and of many a pleasing dream
At length the light broke in upon ne.
| found that | had never before learn
ed to talk; that | had been suffered
all my life to jabber confused. and un-
intelligible sounds / learned at least
that to speak, in the true sense Of the
word, was to articulate distinct vOca-
bles: that the ardOr of nv tempera-
ment was such, as well as nv ambi-
tion, TO communicate ideas TO the
minds of others, that | had hereto
fore undulv hurried nv syllables upon
each other, or rather tried to do so, so
that the vocal sounds became inextri-
cablv intermingled and hopelesslv in
distinct, and that every fresh effort
had involved me in greater and
greater embarrassments. | came at
last to the conclusion that the first
step had to take in order to acquire
to complete control of nv voice was
to put my own feelings under the
strictest discipline, to habituate myself
to sober thought, and to learn the in
dispensable art of keeping the fervent
sensibilities with which ! was en-
dowed under thorough command, and
that after / had done these things in
an effectual manner it would then be
indispensable that | should strive to
enunciate each syllable that | had to
utter clearly and emphaticallv before
attempting to emit succeeding one,
and so on until the whole sentence.
whether long or short, should have
passed forth from my lips By pur-
suing this course rigidly for a consid-
erable period of time, L hoped that at
least | might accomplish the great
object that | was seeking to attain,
and that | should become able to
speak huently and without pain either
to myself or to others / practiced
upon these ideas, and if |
now speak with ease, as you seem to
think, l am indebted for my power in
this respect to the labors which |
have just described This is so GER
tainly the ease that / assure you were
| even now to attempt to express
myself in the rapid manner which has
become so common of late among
young men of fiery temperament and
Of unchastened moral organism, j
should inevitably stutter just as dis
gustingly as did forty years ago
After this interesting recital had
closed, / ventured to refer to the |
great oratorical contest between him.
self and Mr.. Webster, in the national
Senate, now nearly half a century |
ago, and asked him what be thought
Of Mr.. Webster's powers as speaker. |
He at once answered that he suppos-
ed him, upon the whole, to be the !
most consummate orator of either an
,ient or modern times that his ability |
as reasoner, be was confident, had |
never been exceeded that his imag-
nation was as fertile and vigorous as
that Of Milton or Homer; that his
humor was both exquisite and abund-
ant; that his knowledge was unlimi-
ed that he had the most happy |
of his temper at all times,
and that on certain great occasions he
had excelled all the speakers that had |
ever lived, not excepting either
Demosthenes or Cicero. then asked /
him what he thought of Webster's
manner? He replied that it was
always grand and impressive, that be |
lad never heard him utter word in
careless or vulgar style; that he
seemed never to forget his own dig
litv, or to be unmindful of the char
lcter and feelings of others, and that
hen thoroughly excited. the sublime |