The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-08-28
EULOGY ON THE LIFE AND SER.
VICES OF
HENRY CLAY.
Delivered i'm the Hall of the House Of
Representatives, October II. 1852.
by Alexander X. McCIung. ESQ.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :

''NniN' AND "EN lLEMEN
we nave met 10 commemorate the lii
ana services OF HENRY CLAY. After
long llle,--altef long, useful and illustr
Gus career,--hc has passed away. Th
lery and aspiring spirit, whose earthly lif
was one long storm, has at length sunk
rest. Neither praise nor censure can no,
rcach nm. when his naughty soul passe'
away from the earth, and the grave cloSet
over MS uusU, IL also cnt0mDcd in its dar
and narrow chamber the bitterness of de
traction, and the tiger ferocity of part
spirit, with which he had so long wrestled
Death has halloWed his name and burniSh
ed his services bright in the memory of hi,
countrymen. We have met to express, il
the manner which the custom of our colln
| Try has established, our appreciation o
| those services and our sense of his glory
| we nave met, not AS partiSans or friends
| political or perSOnal,-Of the ilustriOlI,
dead, but as Americans, deSirous to dc
honor to great American.
IN attempting to discharge the duty
which has been imposed upon me, | shal
avoid the indiscrimiminatc elllopy which
is prOverbial blcmish Of obituaries and
funeral diScOurScs, and shall essay, how
ever fcebly, to present Mr.. Clay as he was,
or, at least, as he seemed to me. Great be-
in@S,-9rand human creatures, s,-scattercd
sparseIy throughout time, should be paint
ed with truth. An indiscriminatc delu~e
Of praise browns mediOcrity and greatness
in the same grave, where none can distin-
guish between them. When the greatest
of all EngliShmen, Oliver Cromwell. sat TO
the painter, Lcly, for his portrait, whose
pencil was addicted to tlattery he said I:
- Paint me as | am; leave not ont one wrin-
kle, scar or blemish, ut your peril" lie
wished to go the world as he was; and
greatness Is wise i'll wishing il. No man
the world ever saw was equally great in
every quality of intellect and in every
walk of nction All mon are unemIoI. on1
praise where il Is true, raineF iilin 10
drown all Individuality and alI character
IL, ,,n fnnn,inIr ,hnna ~ o,,lo,,,,
u" ~ Iie iotiri5 o'i'o' VI 0"iOSS' I
llenIy Clay WAS most clnplnIIcalig
pec',l,nr pii ahn strongly n,luiheu 'iI c,,'t"rt'l
i' mn'io pInu,,"i Vii ~
@ .lioot Wv Ii 49, ppt! ta,,,l''t
ny ~ 80 ,.I,'',,
yet Pn.lenG ~ "a" NE tiuS I'cioGniins oti'is
anu tLalhpllIS: !et NilinilS I''u s"o.iinS
hauSty IlI mui't suI ,i i.i,i hinI "'tu w Sun,io
ua.'nIlessS Draw in "li , Minus I, vi
!9I eillel.ly Pru'iG,hI t, anu nInt III
an nis Polcs, .ncHc illol ni 'Iti W ;
anIllneiieni ~ ~ as .ncs scelir' Moull snlne o"'
"nuel III ,nclthI 10Y pn"S1S VI liiH , ?ohu"cu;
nGcu n ny ~ ueGn,,i .ials % auuienSe WI w.
M she1cn Vi " -; CiHf' ~;
me leaulnS nlsiollcui l'Gi1enls vi ms hie
I,t,u .I,,, 1--s
Nlr3'nlu, ceItal'in! not iater i, th"n iI.?, -,
most propapl! year oi INo eaIlleI. ~ ~
pafehtage was eMtrenely huillnie. A. @ .he
nSe ol tWenlS' tMel'S-?ile or IWenty-IMo'
ne eihiSr"tcu 70 LeAihstoI, hGHluuNy;
Wherc ne uhdertooh 10 pursue IN" SIS'I
A AMERICAN ro!tu 10 eihlilence'--tne I' par, t Tot
thlS career; II Wouiu nave seemed ~ VIial
llhe, tnat MS advantages were shlalI, m
deed. Young, poor ana lhcohnertcd, WIN
scarcely ordliary attaihln9hts ol eullcNtloli
ne entered inc HStS WIN numerous anu
able competitors. let, Henry Gay, destl-
lute, as he was OF an adVeht'IlohS adNah-
lageS, was n0t deStlled 10 struggle up
ward along the weary anu laD0rlous PAIN
through Whlch lneu!0crlly tolls 10 RANK
lhc ceuaf lnbeudeu III Darreh ROCKS, upon
the mountain SIDE, Win scarcely SOL TO
feed Its roots, VIII tower apONe the taIlcSt
of the forest; for 1t Is nature so TO 10. so
this great Genus al once snot up IKE
shaft. lie rose to high rank at the par.
In lTD he was elected TO the hehtucky
1906 to the L. ,. senate; IN
1871 to the House of Representatives; ana
there began his national career since
that time, Mr.. Clay has illled large space
IN the public eye. HIS career mas Deeh
rheckered, stormy, ana IelllpcStuouS' NOW