Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-03-14
The Light in the Clearing
lContinued from page twol
dramatic stages In my CONSCIOUSNESS

SWer Calhoun on detail or the bank
ing laws. The floor and galleries were
filed. With what emotion l saw him
rise and begin his argument as all ears
bent to hear hint He aimed not at
popular sentiments in highly finished
rhetoric, as did Webster, to be quoted
in the school books and repeated on
every platform. But no words Of mine
and l have used many in the effort
are able to convey a notion of the
masterfu ease and charm of his man.
ner on the floor Of the senate or of the
singular modesty courtesy, aptness
and simplicity of his words as they
fell from his lips. There were the
thunderous Webster, the grandeur Of
whose sentences no American has
equaled; the agile-mnded Clay, whose
voice was like silver clarion; the far
seeing, fiery Calhoun, Of "the swift
sword"-most formidable in debate
but | was soon to learn that neither
nor all of these men-gifted Of heaven
so highly-cOuld cope with the suave,
inclsive, conversational sentences of
Wright, going straight to the heart Of
the subject and laying it bare to his
hearers. That was what people were
saying as we left the senate chamber,
late In the evening; that, indeed, was
what they were always saying after
they had heard him answer an ad-
versary.
He had a priceless and unusual tai.
ent for avoiding school-reader English
and the arts of defamation and for
preparing a difficult subject to enter
the average brain. The underlying So
cret of his power was soon apparent
to me, He stood always for that great
thing in America which, since then,
Whitman has called "the divine aggre-
gate" and seeing clearly how every
measure would be likely to affect its
welfare, he followed the compass. 1t
had led him to a height of power
above all others and was to lead him
unto the loneliest summit of accom-
plishment in American history.
Not much in my term Of service
there is important to this little task
OF mine. | did my work well, If l may
believe the senator, and grew familiar
with the gentle and ungentle arts Of
the politician.
One great fact grew in magnitude
and Sullen pOrtent as the months
passed: the gigantic slave-holdlng in
tereStS of the South viewed with grow
ing alarm the spread of abolition SEN
timent. Subtly, quietly and naturally
they were feeling for the means to de
fend and increase their power Straws
were coming to the surface in that
session which betrayed this deep I'M
dercurrent of purpose. We felt it and
the senator was worried, l knew, but
held his peace. He knew how to keep
his opinions until the hour had struck
that summoned them to service. The
senator never played with his lance.
BY and by Spencer openly sounded the
note of conflict.
The most welcome year of my life
d0wned on the first of January, 1874.
| remember that l arose before day
light that morning and dressed and
went out on the street to welcome it.
| had less than six months to wait
for that day appointed by Sally. l had
no doubt that she would be true to me.
had had my days of fear and depres-
sion, but always my sublime faith in
her came back in good time.
Oh, yes, indeed, Washington was a
fair Of beauty and gallantry those
days. saw it all. l have spent many
years in the capital, and l tell you the
girls Of that time had manners and
knew how to wear their clothes, but
again the magic Of old memories kept
my lady on her throne. There was
one of them-just one Of those others
who, l sometimes thought, was almost
as graceful and charming and noble
hearted as Sally, and she liked me, I
know, but the ideal of my youth
glOwed In the light of the early morn
ing, so to speak, and was brighter than
all others. Above all, l had given my
word to Sally, and-well, you know,
the old-time Yankee of good stock was
fairly steadfast, whatever else may
be said of him-Often a little too
steadfast, as were Ben Grimshaw and
Squire Fullerton.
The senator and I went calling that
New Years day. We saw all the
great people and some of them were
more cheerful than they had right
to be. 1t was a weakness Of the time.
| shall not go into details for fear Of
wandering too far from my main road.
Let me step aside a moment to say,
however, that there were two clouds
in the sky of the Washington society
of those days. One was strong drink
and the other was the crude rough
coated aggressive democrat from the
frontiers Of the West. These latter
were often seen in the holiday regalla
of farm or village at fashionable func-
tiOns. Some of them changed slowly,
and by and by reached the stage Of
white linen and diamond breastplns