Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-12-15
A atnAssAslt PRODUCTION

I,i hIs o. .satser IN ,hs sls's.
That srtrhei htils imp-sapt-s.-'
p,>.s, b,spsiI-s,,
A REMARKABLE PRODUCTION
rur ,ouRIu-or-JuL, oR,rIO> wuicH
DANIEL wIhsrIR prLiyrRrp
NIm ImrRug" ~ ls1?.
| In certain respect. "a. mo.i remark
abl. of all Daniel wsb.tsr's specche.
was the oraiinn h. delivered AZ frye.
burg, Ne. In is''l. when b. ~as only ~
Years old and connected herewith !.
romantic story. ay. Charlie. -. stick.
ncy In the Bo.ton Herald.
In hl. autobiography Webster men
tion. thi. fry.burg oratlon, and old rc.-
id~nt. ~ fry-hurg aud vicinity Who lis
! tened. .psll-bouni, to thl. youthful ~.
/ fort 10 the embryo statesman ever after
r-calle,i, With -nihu.las,ic prsi.., hl.
| .il,.ry ,oic- and patriotic, eloquent
words, which had bo lees astoni.h.'i
than delighted th-m.
IN. r-.cu- from oblivion, - wear. at
ter u. delivery. of the manuscript ~ this
oration, form. chapter 10 romance sp-
/ ptosching the m,rN-lou.. II appear.
| that lsrs. mass 90 Nsb.tst's private
papers. Including III. usnuscfip, In que.
/ ilon, bV som~ means found its waS Into n
/ Junk shop At !i2 fcieral street, Bo.inn,
/ aud va. thcr, rescued from destruction
/ n, ~. proprietor, John she's, shn.s
Keen eve luckily happened to catch 10"
nam" ~ Webster ou on" ~ the papers
Prom NJ She, the manuscrip, passed
into the hand. Il well-knOsn BOSTON
l.Wy.r. and ihsnc. lnio th. possession ~
~. I~Ni. 10 fryehurg, q g-n,l"man
20 IN. literary taste. snd attsiuments.
Tu him | am Indebted for the fact. w
thi. letter ani for the liberty 10 extract
lag fcs of th" nugg-ts from the time
stained. sgss honot~d manuscript, which
d. AMI hi. brother. calvin ". lrvi.,
have r.prUIuc,,i In memorial p,mphl-,
sl.o for Instructive J~tsonsl r-mlul.-
c-nc-. of the "t.odlik. Daniel
Ons of Webster. early experience. as
| a .ciool-trarhrr was whrn hc "a. prin-
clp,l ~ tho OLD ,c,dcmY In fry.butg
village, lu.t over the lin. from HI. native
state - New IIamp.hir-. fry.burg !.
lovely plac--rich not only In ustur-
| al charms, but Ia historic associations.
/ II~r- II was, aNay back in l1.i, that the
L
the .horr ~ pond 10 that name, b~tse"n
party ~ white invaders, under com
mind - capt. John loS.~-ll, and body
/ of the resilient trih~ ~ r~luawkrt ini'-
an., lei by their chief, raugus, resulting
/ In the rrtrrat ~ the white. aud the death
20 their commander and nearly half ofhi.
men
Ft,eburg Ia. ,--n the home - two of
Main.'. so,-rnOr. aud Dana
/ ani 20 other m-n ~ note. II derived ".
name from ten Jo.sph fry. ~ AndoNrf,
Ma.. brave veteran 20 III. fr-nch-sni-
/ Iniian aud Revolutionary VAR, to whom
| the township "a. granted In ls6i.
Hut about Webster. fryeburg Acad.
rny ~. founds,i in lig!, aud IT. hr.t
pfrC.p,or ~. Paul iAngion, .on ~
| President samuel lAng,ion of Harvard
/ College. lIi. successor sas Daniel Web
.isr. who taught thr-" quarter. and then
entered the more congcnlsl occupsilon.
oi law aud politics. IN. academy In
~hlCh b. taught ~as an humbl" anaif-
q primitive, oBe story, lo--po.i-i ~o"d.
.n building. II was long axe .up.r-.'ic'i
| by morr prvtsutious suc,~-.Or.
Webster. oration 40. delivered to an
apprrciati,c assembly. Who filloi to IL.
utmost capacity. the large, old.fsshlone,i
meeting hou.@. then standing at the
northeast -nd ~ M. village. The o,Cs-
.ion ~. fourh ~ July celebration.
| hft-f brief Introduction ola general
character, the young orator, In the two
suc,,.,ling paragraph. 81 hi. ofation,
l.id down thi. sound philosophy and
mt.t.rly reasoning Ia b"hslf ~ his life
long IDOL. the f~,icral constiiutlon
"Nuu have hitherto, frllos-citiS~ns,
on occs.ion. ~ thi. Kind, b--n ent.rtain-
81 With the discussion of nailond ques-
iion.; With inquiric. into the true princi-
pie. 20 government With rrcapitul,tIon.
| ot the var; siih speculation. on the c,u.-
- of our Revolution, aud on ". conss-
auenc-s to our.rlNc. aud Ia the world.
| leaving th~.e subjects, II shall d. the ain-
/ hltion of Ih. speaker ~ thi. day to pre-
sent such view ~ your constitution ani
,our union a. shall convince YOU that
you have nothing 10 hope from chsnge.
"rhls age Ia. been correctly irnom-
/ mated an az, of experiments. Innovation
4. the IDOL ~ the time.. The human
mini .s.m. To- have burst u. ancient lin
| It,, aud To b- travelling over the fsce of
the material aud intellectual creation la
search Of Improvement. The world hath
become like flcklc lover, In whom ey-
.ry nes face Inspire. a new passion. ln
ihi. rag. for novelty many things are
made better, ani many thing. are made
worse. old error. ARE discarded, AMI
new error. ar, embraced. Governments
feel th. .sm. effects from thl. spirit NJ.
everything .l.e. some, like our own,
grow Into beauty aud excellence, while
Others link .till deeper into deiormliy
and wr.tchedne... The experience IL
all age. will bear us out In saying that
alteration. of political systems are al
wsys attended with a greater ar less de-
gree of danger. They ought, therefore.
never Ia b- undertaken unless the evil
romplained of be really felt aud the pro--
pect OF remedy clearly seen. The poliil-
clan that undertakes to improve q consti-
tuition With a. little thought AZ farmer
sets about mending hi. plow, u no master
othis trade. II that constitution be = sys-
tsmstic one, II IL be- a free one, ~. parts
are .o necessarily connected that an al
terat'on In ore will work an alteration
Ia all aud this cobbler, however pure and
honest hi. intentions, will, in the end, hnd
that What came To hl. hands a fair and
lovely fabric goes from them q miserable
piece of patchwork"
lie then ably discusses the leading
features of our system of government,
at the same time adding eloquent word.
Of admonition as Ia the dangers which
menace IL, and pointing out th. means To
he u.ed for the avoidance of such dan
gers, and closes the Grafton as follows;
"Ancieut systems are falling; works
reared by ages are crumbling into atoms.
let us humbly implore Heaven that the
wide-spreading de.olation may never
reach the shores of our native land, but
Let "a. devoutly make up our minds 10 do
our duty In events that may happen To
u. Let us cherish genuine patriotism.
In that there IL sort of Inspiration that
gives strength and energy almost more
than human. When the mind u attach
ed to great object, IL grows TO the mag
nitude OF its undertaking. A true pstri-
ot, With his eye and his heart on the hon.
or and happiness Of hls country, hath an
elevation of soul that lifts him above the
Il .-.l 40 1r.lt,. 80 man tn e0mmOu O<s-