The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-04-01
At the Home of Webster.

WORDS. THE DESIGNATION OF HIS TOMB.
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: [ have
| been lecturing during the past week in the
quaint old town of Marshtield, a place render
ed forever illustrious by having been the resi-
dence of Daniel Webster, the greatest of
American statesmen. The village is situated
near the sea coast, on Il branch of the Old Col
ony railroad, and about thirty miles in direct
| line from Boston. As its name implies, the
| town contains immense tracts Of marshy lands
| stretching away in all directions. In the farm
| ing portions, on higher ground, the soil is
| sandy and sterile and yet | am told that with
the aid of sea-weed and mussle beds, which
| abound on the shore, enormous crops are rails
| ed A large and touriShing agricultural So
ciety, having fine buildings and an excellent
| race course, would seem to prove the truth of
| these assertions.
IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF YoRE,
| when the sails Of our ships Whitened every
ocean, this town was favorite residence of
| sea captains and sailors during their days
ashore. These men have long since passed
| away. Many of them lie in yonder old church
| yard just across from where | sit writing,
| while others sleep beneath the angry waves
with which they battIed through life. Their
| descendants still remain, and together form Il
community of people as warm hearted and
generous can be found on the Atlantic coast.
| But it was to give few "reminiscences of Web
| ster's residence here that ! began this letter.
Webster as Il statesman, aud the grandest in
| tecctual production Of American institutions,
is too familiar to my readers to justify me in
dwelling on that phase of his life. it is of
WEBSTER TIE PLAIN, UNPRETENDINGi FARM
Err AND FISHERMAN,
of Mar>hlicld, among his friends and neigh
bors that | would write TO me it has been
| an ineNprc>sibe delight to wander about his
fields and fishing streams, to sit beneath the
grand old elm where often he watched with
loving tenderness the dying gorieS of the set
ting sun, and. above all, to minyle and converse
with the men and women who We're his every
day companions ana hear from their own lips
the story of his rustic life. \ drive of only
few minutes from the village brings us to the
Webster farm. The house is situated on Il
beautiful spot, surrounded by IN almost forest
of trees, nearly all of which We're planted by
ing>, and stretching away for more than two
| miles, is the great marsh where he 50 delighted
to hunt and fish. The original Webster man.
sion was burned several years ago and new
house Of the same style of architecture has
been erected upon the site. Aside from this
the other buildings are exactly AS he left them.
Fifteen hundred acres constituted the farm,
but since the dispersion and death of the Web
ster family it has been split up and sold off
pece-mcal until only about one hundred acres
| remain TO the homestead. A few rods farther
on is the humble home of Porter Wright, who
for fifteen years
WEBSrER's HEAD FARMER AND RIGHT HAND
MAN.
He is now an Old man. but his eye kindIes
with delight when speaking of the man with
whom he was 50 long associated. 1t was one
of the noblest traits Of Webstcrs character
that he never treated the men who worked for
him a> menials For Porter Wright he always
entertained the highest regard, and he was his
constant companion in all his fishing and hunt
ing excursions. Probably no man living knows
much about the inner life of Webster, of his
habits, customs and disposition, as MIR. Wright; !;
| and il was from his lips that | learned many of
| the facts that | shall relate. We found the old
| man chopping wood, and on learning my er-
rand he replied in CHEEKY tones: ''Come in,
| come in. All, yes. Mr.. Webster was grand
| good man and jova companion. His death
| left gap in Marshiell that can never be fill
| cd!' Ii didn't seem to occur to his honest soul
| that the death of Webster left Il gap that cX-
| tended from Maine to the Golden Gate. To
! his mind the public life of Webster was of
| secondary importance to Webster As a farmer,
| a~ a fisherman, and as a boon associate. From
| him learned more Of Webster's home life and
| of his character aS Il man, than from all the
| histories and biographies that have ever been
| written. He assured me that IL man of more
| simple habits never existed. For style he car
| ed absolutely nothing. In his dress about
| home he could not be distinguished from any
| OF his farmer and fisherman neighbors Rarely
ever did he Wear a collar. An old >louch hat
covered his head. and his pants were always
tucked inside his boots. 1t was only when he
| removed his hat Shown" the massive proper
| tion> of his brain, that you realized you were
| standing in the presence of Il mighty genius.
| When ThorWaldson, the great Danish sculptor.
| saw his bust in the studio of Powers at Rome,
he exclaimed: "Ah. A new design of Jupiter,
| | see. Grand.' lie could hardly be persuad-
ed that it was the head of a living American.
| Every man, woman and child in the neighbor-
hood had the full run of his house from cellar
| to "arret. Whenever man came in, the first
thing he did was to open the side board, take
down the old decantcr and pour ont glass of
| brandy. If the visitor drank, he was doublv
welcome; if he refused it Immediately lower
| ed him in Web>ter's estimation. OF children
he was particularly fond. Strange children
| would nestle in his arms as readily those
| who were familiar with his features. No hui
man being could induce him to Say a word
about politics here If the subject was men
| toned his brow darkened in an instant. Farm
ing, fishing, horses, cattle, pigs and hens, We're
| the staple subjects of conversation. lie knew
every one Of his cattle by name as well as lie
| knew the names of his brother Senators. OF
his garden he was very proud. and here he
would spend portion of each day pulling weeds
and hoeing the vegetables. A young lawyer of
| the village once came and asked him what he
l'tl DclttI SlulI 10 Dulu himself up III HIS pro-
feSsion. "Turnp-sceds,' was the laconic re
| ply. The disciple of Blackstone followed his
advice. He studied up everything that bore
npon the subject of turnips until he became a
master OF the principles of that vegetable. A
year or two afterwards neghboring farmer
| originated new turnip from the sale of which
| he expected to realize Il fortune. Another
| nei@hbOr began to raise and sell the same
seeds, and a law suit resulted. The originator
of the seed came to retain Webster to prose-
cute the suit. Webster replied: II am not as
well booked up on turnips as | ought to be, but
there is a young fellow over yonder who
knows all about them. He will win your
case" The farmer posted off and engaged the
other man. When the trial came off the lawyer
astonished Judge, jury, and audience, by his
profound learning on the subject of turnps
The case was triumphantly won, and the
young lawyer started on the road to fame and
| fortune.
WEBSTERS SENSE OF HUMOR
was infinite. On one occasion man presented
bill to him for payment. "Why," said Web
ster, 81 have paid this bill before" The neigh
Dor assured him that he was mistaken. "All
| right, then, call again tomorrow and | will
hnyn AS