The comet., 1882-03-18
ANNIVERSARY OF ALEXANDER
n. STEPHENS BIRTH.
His GuestA-Themes Discussed and
Table TAIk-They Dream OF
Henry Clay.

1
Henry Clay.
A delightful afternoon was spent by
Georgia's M. C.'s with Mr.. Alex. H.
stephens. They came to celebrate
the 10th anniversary of his birth. A
table was spread, wines were drunk,
and conversational speeches made,
and genius and taste, aud even
| poetry and eloquenee ministered to
the delights of the occasion. Many
personal incidents, affecting historical
Georgians, were recited and anecdotes
of famous men and women. It was
not forgotten that the apartment occu-
pied by the hilarious assembly was
| that in which Henry Clay breathed
| his last, and when the fact was men
| toned, Mr.. Stephens guests, with
| bowed heads, bent reverently, silently
asserting profoundest reverence for
departed worth and greatness. And
yet there was nothing of words or
actions to make Mr.. Clay's death
memorable. He ceased to breathe as
every body knew he would, and that
was all. Perhaps, it was suggested,
he did not know that the end had
come. His son and United States Sen
atOr James G.. Jones, who had defeat
ed James X. Polk twice for the office
of Governor in Tennessee, and induced
the people by most impasSioned pos
ular Oratory to vote for Clay, instead
of Polk, when candidates for the Pres
idency, were of those about the bed
side when Mr.. Clay was dying. The
last words Jones heard him utter, as
he used to tell your correspondent,
were addressed to the son, who was
asked by the dying statesman:
"COME AND ADJUST MY CRAVAT ~
How singularly infelicitous the
theme of discourse! How trifing the
sentence at moment like this, to fall
from the lips of such man! Henry
Clay's dying words pertained to mat
ters of dress. Webster, Adams and
others died grandly, and If biOgraphers
be credible so have most heroes of all
ages and countries. Their speeches
were worthy, as reported through the
pale tremulous lips of history, of their
splendid deeds and virtues. But
Henry Clay, most earnest in his con-
victiOns and vigorous in action, was,
it seems, at the supreme moment,
trifler and fop. The proposition is
absurd. Therefore I have imagined
that he was unconscious that the end
had come. HI other words, he had
not prepared a speech for the oc-
easiOn.o
May it not be true that these epi-
grams and apOthegyms, uttered with
the last breath of the dying, are of
slow growth anq not remembered till
months or years have elapsed. Per-
haps "dying words'' are inventions of
generous survivors who inherit the
fortunes and fame of the dead and
would it not be well for those of us who
would be immortal to file away with
our latest wills and testaments the
supposed latest sentence we would
have pronounced if, at the moment, we
could have recalled it. There is no
other means of setting ourselves up for
the generous admiration Of posterity.
We must like Shakespeare creations,
utter the brightest sentence when
qnitting the stage. It's pity Henry
Clay did not. When expiring, happen
to think abont it.
IN this connection 1t may be remark
ed that Mr.. Stephens entertains
more than any other member of Con-
gress. His visitors are mainly
young people, girls and boys, or
rather young ladies and gentlemen.
He is passionately fond of a game of
whist, but will not indulge in the
game with elderly people, his excuse
being that "they are too slow" At
any hour after dinner (he usually
dimes about o'clock) young voices
and merry peals of laughter may be
heard issuing from the old Com
moner's parIors at the National Hotel.
He usually wheels into the House
OF Representatives when there is ses-
sion about 9 O'Clock, if there is moth
ing of importance before the House
he remains only ABOUT an hour.
He is always accompanied by his
faithful colored servant Alec, who is
as devoted to him as one could possi-
bly, imagine. We see it stated in
Georgia papers that Mr.. Stephens will
not consent to again run for Congress.