The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-02-25
sENrER ON. D. WEBSTER.
"Createst English Orator That Ever
Lived" Said Speaker Last Night.

John II. senter OF Montpelier was the
guest OF honor at the second meeting Of
the Laymen's Laegue Of the UniverHalisi
church last evening, and he gave an inter
esting and informing address on Daniel
Webster before an audience Of 72 men
An oyster supper was served at Gala
o'clock, the Ladies' Union of the church
being the caterer. After the good things
on the tables had been eaten, L. w. Bis.
bee, president Of the league, announced q
piano solo by Miss Emily Benedict, who
played very aceeptably.
The president then introduced the
speaker, who is we'll known TO Barre
audiences, and his address on the life ana
standing Of Daniel Webster as an orator
was listened TO with much pleasure by
the company. In opening his remarks,
Mr.. Senter said that he was glad that
the Universalist church has a minister
who Is far-eightad enough to SEQ the
benefits to be derived from a league Of
this kind. 1t is grand thing, he said,
TO get together at meetings Of this kipd.
New Englandsrs are 30 hard-shehed in
their social relations that they do not
get acquainted with each other except In
a business way. IL IL n grand thing to
promote sociability, for as you learn to
know each other better, you will learn
to love each other.
'sDaniel Webster was the greatest Eng.
lish orator." he said, shat ever lived,
and his great public and parliamentary
speeches aroused more patriotism and did
more for the preservation of the union
than any other orator Of his time. Dan
iel Webster was born In Salisbury, n. H.,
February 10, l7s2 His father was OF
pure Puritan stock and became a captain
in the Revolution, being one OF the first
to scale the breastworks Of the Hessians
at Bennington. He was q strong, self.
made man, who educated himself en-
tirely and became Judge Of common pleas
in Sullivan county, New Hampshire.
II am a believer in the old adage that
blood will tell and the same indomitabla
spirit and courage and intellectual mind
was inherited by Daniel Webster from
his father. Daniel was a feeble child
and II was thought that he would not
live long. he was early taught 20 read
by his mother, and he tells us in his biog-
raphy that he could not remember when
he first began 10 read the Bibls. 1t Ia
known that be was a lazy boy, but he
read and committed to memory all Of
the books he could find in the little
town OF Salisbury. An incident in his
early school days is told that the school.
master promised jack knife to the boy
ska 1.s-.r he kmAt
the Bible. When II came to Daniel, he
quoted so long that the teacher was
forced 10 stop him and hand him the
knife. When be graduated from the
academy he was recognized a. the great
est genius that had ever gone from the
school,
TN 1907 he entered Dartmouth college,
where he was graduated with little hon
or, and after his graduation foolishly
tore up his diploma and made 4 speech
about It. This act, It IL said, was much
regretted By him in his later years. He
was never great scholar for the reason
that he never would apply himself TO
study. He had way OF acquiring all
knowledge without working for it.
After college he began the study of
law, which he kept up while teaching
in Maine to earn money to aid his brother
through school. In 1901 he was admitted
to the bar, and at that time his genius
began to be known, and he was offered
the clerkship OF the Suffolk county bar
at a salary Of $500 year, but he
declined it. He opened law Office in
Boscowen, NJ H., whereehe practiced for
q year, and then moved to Portsmouth,
NJ H., where he fast came into promi.
nence as lawyer. In 1912 he entered
politics and was elected TO Congress- that
year. He was placed on the committee
on foreign relations, which was the com
mittee of Importance in Congress at that
time. His first great public speech was
delivered at the two hundredth anniver-
sary OF the landing of the Pilgrims at |
Plymouth. His eloquence and patriotism |
put forth in this speech thrilled the
country from end to end.
In 1882, when member Of the United |
States Senate from Massachusetts,, he |
was appointed to the committee on Judi. |
ciary and wrote the bill known as the
crimes act, which remains to-day practi- |
cally the same at 1t did when it left |
his hands 85 years ago. Webster was |
probably at his greatest as public
speaker, and his address made
at the laying Of the corner stone of the
Bunker Hill monument was the grandest |
burst OF eloquence that ever fell from
the lips of man. This grafton has become
a classic and is known throughout the
land. His other great public orations
We're his eulogy on Adams and Jefferson
and his address at the laying of the cor
ner stone Of the erection Of an addition
TO the national capitol.
As a pleader before the bar, he had
few equals, and his eloguence and logic
often moved Judge and Jurors to tears.
His greatest parliamentary speech was
his second reply to Hayne, which IL so
well known to all. BY this speech he
did more to bring the North to the real
lzing sense Of the situation and aroused |
more patriotism than any other man.
His seventh of March speech was the
only one he ever delivered that could not /
be called bright, but / believe that he
made it in the best Of faith and that he
thought that it was the only way to
save the Union. But this was fatal
mistake for him, for the whole North
turned against him, shocked that this
great advocator of the Union, now and
forever, one and inseparable, should
stoop1 to compromise with wrong. This
spurning by his countrymen broke his
heart, and, ] believe, hastened his death"
At the conclusion Of the address. an
enjoyable piano solo was given by Miss
Ethel Lamberton, after which the report
Of the last meeting was read by the
secretary of the league, A. A. Stebbins.
Fifty-three charter members joined the
eague at the first meeting, and last even.