The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-04-01
STATJNTON VIRGINIA THURSDAY APRIL 1876

who who loved him personally, as Mr.. March
did; those who pinned their faith to him politi-
| cally, and those who differed from in the great
7th of March speech, yet who would serve ne
other leader-their name was legion.
Mr.. March died in Egypt in 1869, believe,
leaving behind him only memory OF what
'smight have been" great, gifted, but incom-
| plete nature.
As he said of himself, ''No one can say Of
] me half the evil can Of myself; no one has in
iurcd me as have injured myself" Such wa:
his melancholy autobiography.
| From this breakfast Mr.. Webster rose to 60
{ to the Senate and to consider those great ques-
| tons which led to the 9TH Of March speech. 1t
| was picturesque winter at Washington. We
| who assisted as lockers on little knew what a
! great momentons, decisive winter it was. With
| it was to end one period Of our history; with it
| were to end two great lives who had no small
| influence OH our national existence-Mr. Clay
and Mr. Calhoun. Never was there more
| dramatic scene than thai in the Senate on the
| 18th of March. Air. Calhoun, dying man,
scarcely able to sit in his chair, rose OCCASION
| ally to interrupt with a question.
"The gentleman from South Carolina and
myself have broken lance before this, said
Mr.. Webster in lis grand manner.
81 have no wish to do it again." said Mr..
\ Calhoun, with the dignity Of a dying Cato
| There were giants in those days and, as
remember the breakfasts and dinners, as | re-
member how brilliant was the material OF which
| they were composed. what takers and thinkers
one could summon around the most unpretend-
ing mahogany, feel tempted to quote Charles
Levers regret over the s'lost art OF cenversa-
tion.''
Men made study Of agreeablity in those
days; few were as gifted as Mr.. Webster, hut
all men tried to talk and to be witty. The re-
suit was not stiltcd or formal, it was often ele-
| CANT and instructive, often amusing, and never
| dull or commonplace.
| What fine taker was Mr.. Badger, OF North
| Carolina! what a delightful person Judge Eer-
rian, of Georgia how witty and accomplished
Judge Wayne and never-to-be forgotten
George Asnum, of Massachusetts dare not
trust myself to speak OF thle living. There are
many who once formed part OF that brilliant
| society still living. The amiable, accomplish
ed hostess still lives; may it be long before it
| is proper to describe the charm she threN over
| these breakfasts. But where are the others?
gone over to the majority all but two or three
| Of that brilliant company are gone.
| have spoken OF Mrs. Ashley as feature OF
| old Washington. She was one of the first I'M
| official Americans of wealth who found ont, as
| many have done since, that Washington was q
| regularly every winter as If she had been a
| Senator; beautiful and amiable woman, al
ways we'll dressed and in a company frame OF
mind, DESTROYS OF giving every one his filll IL
| tie. Mrs. Ashley was a style OF woman one
sees in Europe but not often here. She was
! dignifed and excellent aud unainbitons OF any
reputation rs q political Or society intrlgrler.-
So she preserved an uuhlemished popularity
and went everywhere always welcome she
had no desire to figure as Il wit but occasional
" said something worth remembering, as when
a contemporary Of hers said to her once.
ssWon't you buy this pair Of French slippers
of me, they are a world too large Tor my ioot!,
| Mrs Ashley answered brayely, Yes, VIII,
| for am a larger woman than you are in'every
respect ~
| When she brought her fair daughter there
Nle beautiful Wilcox of MIR. Webster's break
fast,) they made lovely picture together. Al
| ter her daughters marriage Mrs Ashley mar
ried Mr.. Crittenden, OF Kentucky, whom she
survived. She passed her last days in New
York. What "reminiscences OF Washington
she could have written!
| During the war, Washington became camp.
and it, mad was so eifectually stirred up that
out of it rose a new beautiful, imperial city.
The wealth which poured in during and after
the war has built upan entirely different town.
| No one calls W ashingtoA shabby now. How
impossible to believe, While driving through
|
they are the once muddy lanes that we trl-
versed painfully in a carriage to our colorea
| laundress, who had disappeared with the linen
OF large multitude! That old col,rcd pop
ulation of Washington was revelation to the
Northern mind. There We're amiable and
| honorable exceptions, but believe us whole,
that they combined the vices OF their masters
with great many of their own.
As to the zone OF the public vlrture' | am
afraid it was not high. There were no stories
OF gigantic speculation, but there were many
! of private immortality. Perhaps the situation
was not favorable to correct living. There
was much separation of families: there We're,
as there must always be Becky Sharps, solde'S
Of fortune, atlvenetures OF both sexes, hanging
around the capital.
/ But there was quiet. genuine hospitality, {
sociabity. and Il rendering Of tribute to true
WORTH to education. and to agreeabllity, which
were very faciliating Subsequently at the Ell
eoant entertainments OF Governor Morgan,
had met many OF the older Washingtonlans
who, while they rejfice over the beauty OF tht
new city, still have a tender recollection q
the inconvtnicnt part.
Mfr. George ITcknor Curtis. in bis admirable
Site of Webster" takes proper pains to show
his great Kindness of heart his love Tor ills
fricnt.s. and his attachment to Mansfield ant
to tsCommodorc Peterson his fisherman farm
er. He auotes his letter to Mr.. Blatchford, begin
ming ALWAYS with some pleasant ailusion TO ths
hour. as. s.beforc SUNRISE Or ''Thur1uay eve
ming, over a wood fire, ;; and pays every tribute
to his first grand uncommon nature, cut ne
saws hardly enough OF the charm with which Mr.
Webster presided over his own table. 1t wa:
nav good fortune to see him once at Marshileld
entertaining II houseful OF guests. Notillil@
could sllrp IS the elegance ease, ahaoillty o
this distinguished host on his own ground
At Washington in la.er Yeas, he WAS apt u
be cloudy and moody at times under great op
position, from the loss Of his children, puh
care, disappointment, iiheaith; ana Charlie
March described his countenancc APPLY, on on
occasion, as being like Brke's description
the a,,pearancc OF IIyder Ais army just &c
fore it broke into the Carnic-',lt was an EN-
: bodinent OF she moral tcrriblc;'' bit whei
in good humor and OF hosptabls mind. II
full dress. with his hair brushed back from TN
prandest of foreheads, with his slarge WEB
, ster snile'' illuminating his face; with man
rers which Kenyon and Carlyle united l!
praising, during his visit to Enyiaha' Win
conversation Overlooking with quotation re
nartec. old-fashioned, dignified compliment II
/ women, happy and quick all"slon TO some e
vent which show that he knew ana measures
well his listenel-all these gifts maze Mr
Webster a man OF society, shcil as one stiu',.,
= meets in this country or anywhere else.-Al.
w. s. in Appleton's Journal
Cow Rootb OF California having resignel hi
office in order to take his seat in the U. D. Sen