National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-06

1
that you never thought Of him as diplomstist
He enjoyed very much this informal entertain.
msnt, and often referred to i, quoting 1t as 2
could be as great as Mr.. Webster looked"
And, indeed, 1t was on these occasions, as In his
playful and beautiful letters, that Mr.. Webster
showed his unequalled powers Of memory, fancy
grace and accomplishment: The great mind
hish owned me secrets Of statssu1nshiP had
inextinguishasle laughter Of the gods;" he was
one Of them himself worthy to banquet with i'm.
showing two rows of perfect teeth-"the large
Webster smile, /" as Mrs. Edward Curtis called n
said 10 Mr.. March; "your note was returned t 10
me from FOur-and-a-half street."
"Well, sir, / am a social bandit" replied March
taking my meals at Four and-a-hAlf when can.
not get invited out to dinner. am haunting the
Departments, trying to put things through, and
me that he had heard that / liked to look on the
wine when 1t was red, but told him that Con-
sideration, like an angel, came and whipped the
drew the remark, 1T is q matter OF patience
philosophy and long suffering to catch the ear oil
Secretary But have heard railing accuse
tion against you, sir, such as we are given TO IN.
derstand that the angels never prefer against
| mana generosity on their part l am truly sorry
| 70 perceive In the present instance wholly ne
| elected by erring man. They say you are for Civ
ing the Territories military government, and
| that you will ruin the country ~
Mr.. Webster vas extremely indulgent to
March; he loved him like a son, and always list
ened to him with his Large smile"
|
should be talked at his breakfast, so he changed
the subject TO some literary one or social one,
forget which. l AKA reminded, however that con-
Versation in Washington took on, at that time,
| very much the complexion that it has lstterIy
taken on in New York about Louisiana and its
ures had Just been proposed, Mr.. Webster's It'll
oEMarch speech was In the air. Truly, history
The friends Of Charles March ALWAYS regretted
| that so bright genius, 50 truly original a mind
informed, too, with the highest culture, and
| lighted up by the most viTaciOus wit, should not
have built to itself some permanent monument
his letters were clever, OVERLOOKING with original
and pretty coneeits. He was full OF observations
| somewhat sardonic on human nature but ALWAYS
| keen and apprecatiYe. Here is one Of them: II
am afraid your friend Mrs. Smith, will not get
| foreign mission; the chances are deadly against
her. She fails, however, from no untried exer
| ton, from no misuse Of her varied powers; she
was foredoomed. On Thursday morning she
| beats retrest for BorriObOols Cha, going of,
| however, with all the honOrs Of war. She, like
| the great chieftain under whom she serves, never
| THAN, most to be dreaded in flight. She might
| go very far before thought OF following her."
What description that, Of a female Office
| seeker!
To pretty widow, many of whose admirers
started for the then neWly-discOvered mines Of
California, he wrote:
"Bade adieu to-day to the Lieutenant He has
gone to the Peruvian mines, destined by a singu-
lar fatality to be the Botany Bay of so many of
ever, to go in transports. I hope he may dig from
out the bowels Of the harmless earth cords OF gold
inestimable jewels, precious stOnes-then how you
will regret him! All, my friend, when the Latin
poet made woman rise from the foam of the sea
he knew she would retain her love for the rides
cent, and that she would never disdain those con-
gealed water-drOps called diamOnds!r
The interest in politics which kept Mr.. March
in Washington ceased when Mr.. Webster died.
stale when the great orator left the scene. Ii
would be curious to enumerate the men whom
MI Webster dragged after him-those who loved
MIN personally, as Mr.. March did; those who
pinned their faith to him politically, and those
who differed from hin In the great 7th of March
speech, yet who would serve no other leader-their
Mr.. March die in Egypt, in 1859, 1 believe,
leaving behind him only a memory Of what
might have been" great, gifted, but Incomplete
nature.
As he said of himself, mo one can say Of me
half the evil can say Of myself; no one has In
lured me as have injured myself" Such was
his melancholy autobiography.
From this breakfast Mr.. Webster rose to 60 TO
the Senate and consider those great questions
which led to the 7th Of March speech. II was o
picturesque winter at Washington. We who as
sisted as lOokers-on little knew what q great,
momentous, decisive winter It was. With It was
to end one period Of our history with It were to
end two great lives who had had no small inlu-
enee on our national existence-Mr. Clay and Mr..
Calhoun. Never was there o more dramatic scene
than that in the Senate on the 7th Of March.
Mr.. Calhoun, dying man, scarcely able to sit in
his chair, rose occasionally to interrupt with a
question.
"The gentleman from South Carolina and my
self have broken lance before this, }" said Mr..
webster, in his grand manner.
~ have no wish to do 1t again" said SIR. CAL
houn, with the dignity Of a dying Cato.
There were giants in those days and as / re-
member the breakfasts and dinners, as / remem-
Der how brilliant was the material of which they
were composed, what takers and thinkers one
could summon around the most unpretending
Ters regret over the ''lost art Of conversation"
Men made o study of agreeability in those
days: few were as gifted as Mr.. Webster, but all
not stilted or formal; 1t was often elegant and
instructive, often amusing, and never dull or CON-
monplace
What fine taIker was Mr.. Badger, Of North
Carolina! What delightful person Judge Der
rtan, Of Georgia How witty and accomplished
Judge Wayne and the neyer-to be-forgotten Geo.
Ashmun, Of Massachusetts! 1dare not trust my
self to speak OF the living. There are many who
once formed part Of that brilliant society still
living. The amiable, accomplished hostess still
lives; may It be long before It is proper to de-.
scribe the charm she threw over these breakfasts.
But where are the others? Gone over to the ma
pany are gone-they will say no more brilliant
things; they are silent; their eloquence is gone
"Who still lives in the halls of IVor?'
1t is melancholy business to think Of the feasts
we have eaten, of the friends we have known
"Eheu, fugaees, Posthume, Posthume,
Labunter ami, nee pietss moran,
Rugis ct Instant senecte.
Aferet, indOmi taque NORTH"
have spoken of Mrs. Ashley as a feature Of
old Washington. She was one OF the tirst unoth-
eial Americans Of wealth who found out, as many
have done since, that Washington was very
agreeable winter watering place. She came as
regularly every winter as II she had been Sena-
tor; beautiful and amiabIe woman, always we'll
Of giving every one his full title. Mrs. Ashley
was a style OF woman one sees in Europe, but not
often here. She was dignihed and excellent, and
unambitiOus of any reputation as political or
society ntriRuer. So she preserved an unblem-
ished popularity, and went everywhere, always
welcome. She had no desire to figure as wit,
but occasionally said something worth remember
ing, as when q contemporary of hers said to her
once, Wont you buy this pair of French slippers
Mrs. Ashley answered brayely, Eyes, will, for
am larger woman than you are, in every re-
When she brought her fair daughter there 1.-THE
beautiful Wilcox of Mr.. Websters breakfast)
they made lovely picture together. After her
Crittenden, Of Kentucky, whom she survived.
She passed her last days in New York. What
"reminiscences Of Washington she could have
During the war Washington became q camp,
and its mud was so etectually stirred up that out
wealth which poured in during and after the war
has built up an entirely different town. No one
can call Washington shabby now. How imposSl-
Bile to believe, while driving through the we'll
paved and luxurious squares, that they are the
once muddy lanes which we trayersed painfully
in q carriage to find our colored laundress, who
had disappeared with the linen Of large null.
titude! That old colored population OF wash
ington was revelation to the Northern MIND.
but believe, as o whole, that they combined
the vices Of their masters with o great many OF
their own.
As to the "tone of public virtue,"I am afraid
1t was not high. There we're no stories OF gigantic
peculation, but there were many OF private i'm
morality. Perhaps the situation was not favor
able to correct living. There was much separa-
ton Of families; there were, as there must always
be, Becky Sharps, soldiers Of fortune, adyen-
turers Of both sexes, hanging around the Capital.
But there was q quiet, genuine hospitality,
sociabIlity, and q rendering Of tribute to true
worth, to education, and to agreeablllty, which
were very fascinating. Subsequently, at the ele-
giant entertainments Of Governor Morgan, l had
met many Of the older WashngtOnians, who,
while they rejoice over the beauty Of the new
city, still have tender recollection OF the In
convenient past.
Mr.. George Tlcknor Curtis, in his admirable
Life Of Webster" takes proper pains 70 show
his kindness OF heart, his love for his friends, and
HIS attachment to Marshheld and to Commodore
Peterson" his isherman-farmer. He quotes his
letters to Mr.. Blatchford, beginning always with
some pleasant slluson to the hour, as before
SUNRISE" or Thursday evening, over wood
FIRE" and pays every tribute to his great, grand
and uncommon nature, but he says hardly enough
Of the charm with which Mr.. Webster presided at
his own table. II was my good fortune to see
him once at Marshfield, entertaining house null
Of guests. Nothing could surpass the elegance
eAse afability OF this distinguished host on MS
own ground. At Washington, particularly IN
later years, he was apt to be clouded and moody