The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-04-25
McCLUNG'S EULOGY
EULoGY ON THE LIFE AND SER.
VICES OF
HENRY CLAY,
Delivered in the Hall of the House
of Representatives, October IL,
1862, BIZ Alexander K.
McClung, Esq.
Lddic8 and Gentlemen:

Ladics and Gentlemen:
: We have met to commemorate the life
and services Of Henry CLAY. After II
long life-after long, useful and illus,
trious carcer-he has passed away. The
fiery and aspiring spirit, whose earthly
life was one long storm, has at length
sunk to rest, Neither praise nor censure
can now reach him. When his naughty
soul passed away from the earth, and the
grave closed over his dust, it also en-
tombcd in its dark ana narrow chamber
the bitterness Of dctraction, and the
tiger fcrocity of party spirit, with which
he had SO long wrestled. Death has hal
lowed his name and FURNISHED his ser.
vices bright in the memory of his coun-
trymcn. We have met to express, in
the manner which the custom of our
country has established, our apprccia-
ton of those services and our sense of
his glory. We have met, not as parti-
sans or frionds-political or personal-of
the illustrious dead but as Americans.
DESTROYS to do honor to great Ameyi-
can.
In attempting to discharge the duty
which has been imposed upon me, shall
avoid the indiscriminate eulogv which
is proverbial blcmish of obituaries and
funeral discourscs, and shall essay, how
ever feebly, to present Mr.. Clay as he
was, Or at least, as he seemed to me.
Great beings-grand human creatures
scattered sparsely throughout time,
should be painted with truth. An in.
discriminate deluge OF praise browns
mediocrity and greatness in the same
grave, where none can distinguish be
tween them. When The greatest of al
Englishmen, Oliver Cromwell sat to tn,
painter, Lcly, for his portrait, whose
pencil was addicted to ilattery, he said
paint me as am; leave not out on,
wrinkle, scar or blemish, at your peril
lie wished to go to the world as he was
and greatness is wise in wishing it. N
man the world ever saw was euuall
great in every quality of intellect an
i'll every walk of action. All men ar
unequal; and it is tasteful, as we'll ;
just, to plant the praise where it is tru,
rather than to drown all individualit
and all character in one foaming chaC
of eulogy.
Henry Clay was most emphatically
peculiar and strongly marked characte
incomparahly more peculiar than any {
those who were popularity considered h
mental equals. lmpetuous us n torren
yet patient to gain his ends; overbcarin
and trampling, yet winning and scott
ing; naughty and fierce, yet kind an
gentle; dauntlessly brave in all kinds ,
courage yet eminently prudent and col
servative in all his poicv-all the,
moral attributes, antithctical rs the
seem, would shine out under dflerel
phrases of his conduct.
| need not detain this audience viii
heightened biographical sketch of NJ
Clay. The leading historical inciden
of his life are universally known. I
was born is Virginia, certainly not lat
than l715, most probably year or tv
earlier. His parentage was extreme
humble. At the age of twenty, twcnt
one or twenty-five, he emigrated to lie
ington, Kentucky, where he underto,
to pursue the great American road
conference.-the bar. For this career,
would have seemed at that time, that /
advantages were small, indeed. Your
poor and unconnected, with scarcely ,
binary attachments of education, he {
tered the lists with numerous and al
competitors. Yet, Henry CLAY, dies
tute, as he was, Of all adventitious .
vantages, was not destined to strugs
upward along the weary and laborio
path through which mediocrity tolls
rank. The cedar imbedded in barr
rocks, upon the mountain side, wi
carcely soil to feed its roots, "