The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-08-08

w. of America. He CLASH
IA fled them as follows:
q Calhoun the metaphy-
q sician, Clay the poll
- tician, Webster the logi-
clan Everett the rhetorician. Cass the
courteous, McDuffie the impetuous,
C0rWin the natural orator, Preston the
inspired decaimer. There were 9TH
ers. but / happen to remember those
mentioned above, after more than fiji
ty years since l read the book. I
would be glad to get a copy of the
book but it is out of print. This was
an apt classification of those orators,
for Calhoun was n of the greatest
metaphysicians who has ever lived.
Mr.. Calhoun's ancestors came Origi-
emigrated with his family to Penn
|syIvania in 1888 and removed to Vir-
ginia and finally settled in South
Carolina in 1856, near the base of the
Blue Ridge. The father Of Mr.. Cal
houn was Patrick Calhoun, who was
born in Donegal, Ireland, and was a
mere child when he came to America.
In 1870 he married a Miss Caldwell
OF Charlotte county, Virginia. Her
father was a Scotch Irish Presbyterian.
Ireland and Scotland lave ever eel
the nurseries of genius and from their
fruitful hives have sprung many great
men, poets, orators, statesmen, phil
osophers and soldiers. Sprung from
such sturdy ancestors, it is natural
that Mr.. Calhoun should have been a
man of such gigantic intellect and
made him a tower above the sons Of
men as some great mountain peak. He
was born in Abbeville district, South
Carolina, at the residence of his faith
er on the 18th Of March. 1882, and
$500 81 l;~ ~-a ,~a1o
Major John Caldwell, who was muir
dered by the Tories. Webster was
born in the same year, the 18th Of
January preceding. Clay was born
April 18th, 1777. They were known as
the great triumvirate, they were the
first senator's to be designated by
this title. They we'll deserved it. The
father of Calhoun was for forty years
a member of the Legislature of South
Carolina. He was opposed to the adop.
ton of the Federal Constitution, be-
cause he said it permitted other peO-
pie than those Of South Carolina to
tax the people of South Carolina and
thus allowed taxation without repre-
sentation, which was a violation Of the
fundamental principles Of the revolu-
tionary struggle. His father died In
1875, when the son was only Is years
Did. Mr.. relates a ConVerSa-
ton he had with his father when he
was g years old in which his father
maintained, that government to be
best which allowed the largest amount
of individual liberty, compatible with
social order and tranquility and in
sisted that the improvements in poll
teal science would be found to CON
SlSt in throwing off many Of the re-
straints then imposed by law and
deemed necessary to an organized So
Ciety. It is no wonder that a son who
bod 81 50 tI-- ~@-I 4o~ S,,a1
profound sentiments upon the prln-
Ciples of government, should in after
lille become the greatest master OF
the science of government in all his
world in any age, greater than Plate
Or Harrington. The upper portion Of
South Carolina where alhOu liveC
was settled by Irish and Scotch Irish
emlgrants, a very different class OF
people from the more polished anG
refined Huguenots and descendants Of
the Cavaliers, who dwelt in the Eastern
part of The State near the sea coast
Yet with all their culture he
ca them as a statesman, and carved
MS name upon the highest niche II
the temple of fame. When old enough
ne was sent to a country school anC
soon learned all that his cache
could communicate. Upon the dealt
OF his father when but Is years ole
ne was sent to Columbia county
Georgia, where his brother-in-law
Mr.. Waddle, a Presbyterian preacher
was the principal of a school. Il
possessed a good library and Calhoun
aVailed himself of the opportunity tt
read and in. fourteen weeks he hat
read Rollins Ancient History, Robert
sons Life of Charles V, Noltoir's Lift
OF Charles the Twelfth, Cooks Voy
ages, Browns Essays, Locke on tn
Understanding. These were grea
books for a boy of such tender year
10 read and showed the philosophical
peht of his mind, and which mad
MN in his maturer years the maste
~metaphysician and philosopher tina
ne was. SO intense was his application
mat his eyes became seriously affect
bU, his OUntppanoa@ na1lid aud his