Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-12-06
PREFACE

The Hight in the Clearing shone upon
many thinga and mostly upon those
which, above all others, have impassioned
and perpetuated the Spirit OF America
and which, just now, seem to mo to be
worthy OF attention, ] believe that spirit
TO DO tho very candle OF the Lord which,
In this dark and windy night OF time, has
fliokered 30 that the souls of tho faithful
have been afraid. But let us be OF good
cheer. II Is shining brighter as write
and, under God, believe II shall, by and
BY, DO seen and loved OF all men.
One self-oontained, Homeric figure, OF
tho remote countryside in which ! was
born, had the true Spirit OF Democracy
and shed itB light abroad In the senate OF
the United States and the capitol at Al
bany. He carried the Candle OF the Lord.
II led him to height OF Belf-forgotful-
ness achieved by only two others-Wahh-
inKton and Lincoln. Yet have been sur
prised by the profound and general ig-
norancs OF this generation regarding the
career OF Silas Wright
Tho distinguished senator who served
At his ode for many years, Thomas II.
Benton OF Missouri, has this TO say OF
6ilas Wright In his Thirty Years View;
''He refused cabinet appointments un-
der his fast friend Van Buren, and under
Polk, whom he may be said to have
elected He refused seat on the bench
OF the Supreme court OF the United
States; he rejected instantly the nomina-
ton In 1874 for vice president; he refused
to be put in nomination for the presl-
dency. He spent that time in declining
office which others did In winning IT, The
Offices he did accept, II might well be
said, were thrust upon him. lie was born
great and above office and unwillngly de-
scended to IT,"
So much by way OF preparing the reader
to meet the great commoner In these
pages.
There were those who accused Mr..
Wright of being a spokesman, the only
warrant for which claim would seem &c
be his remark In a letter: when our
enemies accuse us OF feeding our friends
instead OF them never let them lie In tell
ing the story"
He was. in fact, a human being, through
and through, but so upright that they
used TO say Of him that he was ''as hon
est as any man under heaven or In II"
For my knowledge OF the color anc
spirit OF the time / am indebted TO long
course of reading In Its books, newspa'
pers and periodicals, notably the North
American Review, the United States Mag
azine and Democratic Review, the New
York Mirror, the Knickerbocker, the ST
Lawrence Republican, Benton's Thirty
Years View, Bancroft's Life Of Martif
Van Buren,. histories OF Wright and his
time by Hammond and jenkins, and tt
many manuscript letters OF the distin'
gulshed commoner In the New York pub
lie library and in the possession OF Mr.
Samuel Wright OF Weybridge, Vermont.
To any who may think that they dis
cover portraits in these pages ! desire te
say that all the characters-save only
Silas Wright and President Van Buret
and Barton Baynes-are purely imagln'
airy. However, there were Grimshawt
and Purvises and Binkses and Aunt Deel'
and Uncle Peabodys in almost every rus,
tic neighborhood those days, and regre'
to add that Rowing Kate was on many
roads The case Of Amos Grimshaw 'beari
a striking resemblance to that of youne
Blck!ord, executed long ago in Malone
for the particulars of which case l an
indebted to my friend, Mr.. II. L. Ives o.
Potsdam.
THE AUTHOR,