The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-24
Daniel Webster a Christian.

lHE IuttuScly lutcIOSuAS 4uoe"eion
from Harvey's "Reminiscences of
Daniel Webster" giving the account
of his personal confession and his PEN
itent prayer on meeting John Colby,
NAV seem to some an isolated incident
in the life of that great man, and SO not
a true index to his prevailing religious
conviction. Another notice of Har-
vey's book alluded to the fact that,
when quite young, Mr.. Webster pro-
fessed to have met The conversion by
Divine power which, later in life, he
saw in his brother-in-law. An Incl
dent of his ripening manhood, not re-
ported so far as the writer knows, may
add confirmation to the reality of the
change often alluded to by Mr.. Web
ster in the progress of his career.
In the winter of 1920, the design
of bringing Missouri into the Union as
a State, and the policy Of adding Maine
as a non-slaveholding equipoise, re-
quired the calling of Convention by
the State of Massachusetts to adjust the
boundary of the new State taken from
its territory. This call suggested a re-
visal of the Constitution in the matter
of religious liberty; and the writer's
father, prominent as Baptist clergy
man for more than forty years, was a
member of the Convention. The pro-
visions of the then existing Constitu-
ton, touching religious liberty and also
taxation for the support of the " stand
ing ORDER" were referred to commit
tee of five, whose Chairman was Dan
iel Webster and its junior member a
rising young lawyer, while one of the
remaining three was the writer's father.
One of the provisions of the old Con-
stitution was, that no person should be
a candidate for State office who could
not take his oath that he believed in the
Christian religion. When this provis-
ion came up. for consideration in COM
mittee, as the member referred to re-
lates, Mr.. Webster said: 81 will call
on my young brother in the profession,
first, for an opinion The young
lawyer was outspoken, declaring that
for himself he believed the Christian
religion fiction of designing men,
maintained by priest-craft; and, aside
from this, he argued that it was a dis
grace to the State that its Constitution
was not in harmony with that of the
United States and of other States of the
Union, in revoking ali religious tests.
The other three of the committee ac-
corded with the argument in favor of a
change in the Constitution, though not
in harmony with the young lawyer as
to their personal conviction. Mr.. Web
ster, as Chairman, spoke last. He was
then in his prime, distinguished for his
early power in the House Of Representa-
tives. Calmly towering in his seat, his
remarks were to this effect:
:" i confess that / have seen the day
when my convictions were much like
those OF my young brother. When,
however, l opened my Office for the
practice of the Common Law, of which,
as jurists all allow, Christianity is
part, felt that wanted at least to be
an honest man. l determined that my
first effort should be to determine for
myself whether could see that the re-
ligion of Jesus Christ was true. The
result of my examination was. that l
could no more disbelieve in the Divine
origin OF Christianity than could dis
believe in my own existence. That
belief | felt it my duty to profess.
acknowledge that my life has not been
thoroughly consistent with nv in
wrought conviction. I accord with
you all, however, gentlemen, in the
propriety Of modifying the provision of
the Constitution under discussion
Mr.. Curtis, in his :. Memoir" has re-
ported the argument of MIR. Webster in
his report to the Convention. Personal
avowal of religious conviction, in
wrought by experimental as well as
logical conviction, is a matter rather
for private declaration. Any expert
mental Christian, however, accustomed
for several years before his death to
hear Mr.. Webster, as in his argument
upon the Girard will case and in his
eulogy on Mr.. Calhoun, could read the
unmistakable testimony of deep and
heartfelt conviction in his illusions TO
the truths of redemption and immortal
ity; for the tone of the voice, the ex-
preston of the eye, when profound
thought overmasters a public man and
reveals his private sentiments. gave
ever-recurring testimony that, as in
youth and in old age. so all through his
career, Daniel Webster knew the trans
forming power of spiritual redemption;
yet, like David, his many and sad falls
compelled him also, like that ancient
public leader, to avow as characteristic
OF much of his life, 81 was dumb with
silence. withheld my tongue even
from good when the wicked was before
me-" But when deep conviction awoke
him, then in Webster, as in David, was
seen the added experience: "While / |
was musing, the fire burned. Then
spake l with my tongue, Deliver me |
from my transgressions. Oh, spare |
me. that may recover strength before |
60 hence and be no more. Req. g. |
W. Samson. In ~ r Observer.