Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-11
A SINGING REBUKE.
Concsrnins the Dignity Of q Retired Pub
lie Onlcer.

pendent
On the foregoing subject, which has oc-
cupied the ingenious solicitude Of so many
eminent contributors to the Independent,
it would not be becoming in me to venture
with mere expressions of my own opinion.
But, having been personal witness Of
very eminent example, exactly bearing on
the question under consideration, l am
bold to believe that statement of it may be
as we'll worth pondering as the arguments
and opinions even Of the most illustrions
Of your correspondents.
The church which it is my privilege to
serve in the gospel has been most sorely
bereaved, within few months, by the
death of beloved and venerated members,
and notably by the death of La Fayettc S.
Foster, who for the twelve most moment
Gus years of American history was a
senator of the United States, and for
part of the time was president of the
Senate and after the death of President
Lincoln and the accession Of Mr.. johnson
to the presidency. succeeded to the chair Of
vice president. Until the expiration of his
senatorial term he fulfilled the duties Of
this high position with a dignity, fine
courtesy and a commanding ability which
l have often heard spoken OF by public
men, but never spoken of except with ad-
miration. The greatness ofhis public ser
vices during those memorable years is not
at all to be measured by his official station
or his public acts. Few men were more
resorted to for private personal counsel by
Abraham L:ncOln-aS. one after another,
or many at time. the awful questions Of
the war emerged-than the upright, clear
headed, learned senator from Connecticut, :,
o,,1 in tho I, r1lS loss ctn HcvS n?
construction, when great measures were
pending, there was 10 place where men
whose single anxiety was to do the best
thing for the whole country were more apt
to find each other in private conference
than at Senator Fosters apartment. His
was senatorial career to which COnnecti-
cut citizens look back with sense Of relief
and honorable pride from the double
shame which OF recent years We have been
compelled to bear.
From the second position in the repub-
lie Mr.. Foster returned, in the ripe
strength of his manhood, to his home in
Norwich and to the absolute level of pri-
vate citizenship. No doubt that which is
alleged concerning the retiring presidents
is true in this case-that his private busi-
ness had suffered by his twelve years de-
votion to public affairs. Certainly this
was true, that the compensatiOns with
which some men manage to balance this
| drawback were wholly absent Ill his case.
There had been no salary grab in
his time, and, if there had been a
| whisky ring, that made some senators rich
without visible disgrace, lie was not in
it. He came back to his fellow-citizens,
as he went from amongst them, with
"clean hands and pure heart" and re.
sumed practice as 4 lawyer. Something
had been lost, no doubt, by the long
disuse of his profession-sOmething Of IA
cility in practice, something of the " run
of business" But more had been gained
in solidity of mind, in breadth OF charac-
ter, in reputation wide as the continent !;
so that, if there would have been difficulty
in his taking at once just the same place
he had left, there was no difficulty at all in
his taking place higher and more honor
able. do not say and would not care to
say more lucrative.
Those that best knew Mr.. Foster aud the
needs of the public service grudsed that
his large aud unse!iish wisdom, ripened by
an experience SO long and exceptional,
| should DO lost to the national councils :;
but it did not occur to them-certainly it
did not to him-that there was need Ofany
other way Of getting q desirable man into
the Senate besides that Of electing him to
it. lie thought it no dshonor, either to
| himself or to the station he had filled, to
serve as member of tic lower house of
the Connecticut Legislature and to accept
the speakers chair of that imposing body.
For few years, until retired by law, at
the age Of seventy, he was judge Of the
! superior court OF Connecticut, but retired
at once from the bench to the bar, OF which
he was the ornament and pride.
1t was in these later years only that
have known him we'll. That courtly, but
most genial gentleman, the recOllectiOns
of whose life We're = thrilling chapter Of
unwrittcn history, the wit and wisdom Of
| whose table-talk gave added charms to his
generous hospitality was, in point OF civil
station, only dilisent and honorable at
was teacher OF Bible class in the Sunday
school of the Park church. This will,
doubtless, seem undignificd to some of
your correspondents but there are few
figures in my memory that l recall with
more reverence than that vigorous form.
scarcely beginning to droop under the
burden of years, and that "good gray
head that all men knew standing before
his class in animated discourse Oil a chap
ter Of the Word of God, OR in words of
singular grace and reverent beauty lead
ing the prayers of our Thursday evening
| meeting.
have only one letter of Senator Foster 5
and am not sure that it will seem to the
public of sufficient Importance to trans
cribc !; but it is a cherished possession with
ME. 1t reads thus
SUNDAY Noon, Oct. eth, 1873.
Rec. and Dear Sir:
l put in my pocket this mornin. what
seemed to me sufficient for my cOntribu-
ton to the cause Of foreign missions but
after hearing your sermon felt ashamed
it was 50 small. l dropped it into the
basket, but sense Of shame at its meagrc
ness harnts me still. It's a feeling can't
harbor, and, by way Of relief, I send yOu
the enclosed. Should it please God that
tho gift be blessing to others, 1 hope to
to be duly grateful. l have the delightful
consciousness that it is, at least blessing
to me.
With much respect and regard.
Your friend and parishiOner,
l.. F. S. FOSTER.
have been in the habit, these two years
that have been neichbor to Mr.. Foster, of
looking upon his diligent, fruitful, and
honorable old age as presenting the very
type and ideal OF 4 worthy close to the
career of q great statesman and public Off
cial in republic such rs ours. l have
been glad that such an example should be
before the eyes Of my sons; and, when
visitors from the Old World have come to
see me, have taken pride in pointing to
the late acting vicc-prcsident Of the
ITnited StateS t,kinr the mOdoSt n!ecc