New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-09
MIR. WINTHROP.
SOME MEMORIES OF THE MASSACHU-
SETS Or WHICH HE WAS sun
HIS ORATORY-PERSONAL TRAITS
HIS INFLUENCE AND CHAR
ACTER-HIS ANTI-SLANERI
LIFE AND SERVICES.

London, November 81.
Mr. Winthror's death can leave nobody I'M
touched who remembers the Massachusetts OF
q generation ago, and what the name Oh WIN
throp has meant to the Old Bay state Tor many
generations before him and above all at its very
hag,nn,ng He was The last | suppose, Of the
men whom we ali thought of when the word
Massachusetts, was uttered and there Is none
other which has meant more to her sons Nep-
ster Everett Sumner, Andrew Emerson. fmI-
Inns Lowell Holmes-these and many more were
the idols If their time; not all with the SAINT
worghippcrs but each with a group of admirers
and followers. Winthrop. perhaps. never ior MS
own sake was put quite high. but for the
sake Of his family. his great ancestor, who was
the first and greatest of the Winthrops OF the
Puritan Commonwealth. whlch Is Tuii'"" ~
more.
He was nevertheless always an amlabe ana
interesting figure He had the Cd traditions lie
had scholarship. and dignity of character ana
q social position which Boston. at any rate ala
not undervalue. He had a capacity lor Pup''1
life especially while public life was more S"i-
pie. and perhaps more honorable, than II always
IS now The ,e.surely movement or MS mihu was
well suited to that period i'll suited 10 'he one
which has succeeded 1t. If he never had the ioice
and fuency and the Cceronian elegance OF Ever
eft he had a diction into which there entereu
nothing of vugarity. He was sonorous ana I'M
pressive and scholarly. and he lifted hmseh 10
the level of a high subject. The best NODES were
known to him. There was often an e.eNauoh VI
stvle and sometimes an elevation of thought such
as early and long familiarity with classic htera-
ture gives and nothing else gives in quite the
so,ro way The merits of his orations were
many and they seem the more since 'heie Is
NOW no orator who practses the same method
Once II would have been permissible to speak
of him as a gentleman; permissible and descrip-
tive do not know whether ii is permissible
NOW nor whether the word would convey TO
ovarvbody the meaning he himself attached TO IL
You could not imagine him doing an unworthy
act Distinguished as was his pohucai pos'io"
at one time there never was tune VINE" "e
could be called necessary TO the state nor ever
q time when he was not ornamental. Inc o'd'e'
INV State can i'll spare the services Of man
who had high ideals and a high sense OF her
dignity and who was himself kind OF impersoh-
alton of his ideal. On an occasion OF ceremony
ne smoke well. He understood the value vi "ia'
ever is stately in public life and OF Whatever -
remote from the hustle and competition OF po'''o''
rhere was in his very appearance on platform
something that spoke TO you OF the past not MS
white hairs merely nor his venerable air. but ms
from the common which his speech and thought
.,,lo denoted can hardly remember him Wheh
hts hair was not white so vivid are the impress
s,o,s ~ later years Yet ! heard him when
was q hoy at school and he in the prime OF HE.
There was always ! thought a marked Ike
ness between him and the late Mr.. John Jay
Roth held aloof IT their later years from 'he
strife that went on about them. Each hau' d. !.
were inherited his conception OF the state anu Vi
nuhlic duty and each was man OF sue" pui''s
and uprightness OF mind that the IDEAS "hio"
nravailed century ago with reference 10 puo'o
dutv were natural / them. congehal esse"""'
,ndisnensable ] think it misfortune wheh SUI"
na, disanpear and not less a misfortune because
they have ceased to take an active part III ah"i''
,rheir influence was felt. Each of them had
,h,. 20 uniting nan phlets on matters which in
o.,oa ,baro That Of itself old-fashoned
century ago the pamphlet was recoehzeu
,oanon which almost everybody used As 'he
,ousnaner grew the pamphlet waned, ana what
was left Of its prestige passed to the Pia"o''"
PHI, Mr. Winthrop and Mr. Jay and rev o'heis
kent to the instrument they were faniiiar Will
Often they published speech ana distribute" -
In pamphlet form. The most modern pon'''a'''
have been known to DO as much
yet tho influence they exerted OF which was
sneaking. did not depend on speeches. or iea"e's
and should think neither of the two ever III MS
life was interviewed. The influence was persoi'a'
the influence which rectitude ana a charaooe'
,,,oun n he free from every stain always ex-
erts There are still in every community men
,,.ho nossess that kind of influence. and also
those who accept 1t from others. IL you Sd" MI
yinthro,'s name or Mr. jays name on COM
-. o,, Lrev at once that the cause which
that committee sought to promote was an nom
orable one.
1,h. DAYS when these men where wings, WERE
=. course long ago and there are no more
Wings | should think Mr.. winthrop might oe
the last OF once powerful party; the parry
which those who were brought UP III us ial'n
used ever to think Of as the party OF gooo ci"-
zens How many Democratic Governors mas
Massachusetts had since Republicans succeeued
IN the Wing heritage? Before the transfer she
had had one and he was the offspring OF d"
accident Was General Benjamin F. Butter the
ers, ~ the Democratic intruders? ! forget, but
know he was one VINO IN 'he oiu UNIV" WYNN
have been impossible
An Irish Roman Catholic Mayor OF Boston
-.o,,,a have been equally impossible We have
,,oa soon an Irish Roman Catholic elected twice
- .hr,ce In succession Chief Magistrate OF that
arcan. CITY and only beaten at last because
the women Of Boston. alarmed lest their SCHOOLS
sbould pass into the hands OF the priests tufheu
on, and canvassed the town. ward by waro' anu
street by street. and chose an American Protest
ant TO rule In his place
All this marks the difference between the
time when Webster and Everett and Choate ana
winthrop were the guides and philosophers OF
the people Of Boston and OF MASSACHUSETTS II
Mr. Winthrop was not the greatest OF 'hese ne
was the last and to me 1t Is Impossible 10 see
hin, pass away without word OF regret "o'
for him only but for what he Represented. was
born Wing. sat at Websters iee' "n''op
was name which every one theh heio III no" .'
.na hone still does. If the young men OF 1871
90 - e...nnanu with the Wings they