Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-16
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookIOvev

editor OF the Phillips Bulletin at
Phillips Academy, Andover. Mass. He
is the author Of several historical
brochures on Andover and Of the
biography. Rufus Choate." His Daniel
Webster" Is that rather rare combina-
tion-a work of scholarship, we'll doc
umented, and work full Of interest
for the general reader. It is in no
sense one OF the new" sensational
biographies: but equally It is not one
of the old-fashioned. dry-as-dust tyne
In collecting his original material. Mr.
Fuess consulted the National Edition
Of Webster's Writings and Speeches,
the Papers of Caleb Cushing. Edward
Everett and others and public and
private documents In the New Hamp-
shire and Massachusetts, Historical So
cieties and the Library Of Congress
These. only q few Of the sources, are
the most important.
%AA
The aptness of phrase possessed by
Mr.. Fuess is Illustrated by his chapter
titles. Here are some OF them: 'The
Background" First Adventures in
Politics" "A Congressman in Opposi-
ton" The Athens Of America" Life
Becomes More Complex" "A Restless
Legislator" "slings and Arrows" "a
Candidate for the Presidency" 1.-THE
Wings Come Into Their Own "A
Statesman In Retirement" Sorrow
Upon Sorrow" The Fight for the
Union" The Final Disillusionment,"
WEBSTER: the Farmer and Sports
man; The Last of Earth After
math," THE Voice Of the Devils
Advocate" Through these chapters and
others is developed the story of Web
ster's advancement from humble begin
nings, through success after success, to
almost the highest honor in the Nations
Government. That almost" was one of
the tragic elements in Webster's life.
He desired earnestly TO be President,
but was never able to attain that office
In 1885, 1s4S and 1852 he was recep-
tive to the nomination for the presi-
idency, but did not win 1t. Once,
when asked by an acquaintance wheth-
er, after ALL the presidency could have
been of any value to him, he replied:
To be frank with you, Mr.. Bates, the
same question has occurred to me. And
perhaps 1t Is as you say; perhaps
am just as well without that ONCE.
But sir, 1t Is a great once; why Mr..
Bates, 1t is the greatest ofice in the
world, and I am but a man, sir;
want 1t, want it,"
Backgrounds Of great men are always
INTERESTING. Daniel Webster's back
ground was the New Hampshire hills.
He was born at Salisbury CFranklin)
N H, in small frame house, built
by his father, Capt. Ebene5er Web
ster, near the log cabin, which had
family. It faced Searles Hill, which
Daniel called MT. Pisgah." He was
called crying baby" and his parents
did not expect to raise him" This
delicacy proved an advantage. for he
was unable as he grew older to be of
much use in the farm work, of which
there was plenty for all the Webster
children. so he was allowed to spend
much time over the few books he had.
His first knowledge of the United
Stats Constitution came early. "On
Summer afternoon in 1890 q frail.
black-eyed boy barefooted and dressed
in tow shirt and coarse cashmere
trousers, stepped out Of his fathers
tavern at Salisbury Lower Village
Capt. Webster had moved his family
into a larger frame house, where he
kept q tavern for Travellers, in the
upper valley of the Merrimack River
Across the highway was the general
store kept by his school teacher, Will
liam Hoyt. filled with tempting things
TO eat and wear. There his glance
fell on novelty large cotton hand
kerchief crudely printed on both sides
and. having already a passion for lit
erature, he bought 1t with the coins
which were jingling in his pocket
What he saw was the text of the
Federal Constitution, which had re-
Gently ben ratified by the States and
was being circulated in this quaint
fashion. Then and there he sat down
under spreading elm and read it
through"
The chapter, THE Voice of the
Devils Advocate" takes up the scandals
connected with Webster Every man
in conspicuous position is likely to be
the object OF calumny." Mr.. Fuess tests
all the scandals circulated about Web
ster by the simple question, What is
the proof" Most of them he finds I'M
proved. His conclusion is that Webster
was a mixture of faults and virtues,
that many of his faults were those of
his time and were shared by nearly all
public men, and that he undoubtedly
deteriorated after the death of his first
wife. His wife, brought up in a
clergyman's frugal household, exercised
restraining influence upon him while
she lived" Primary responsibility for
the tales about Webster is placed:
dEOuIlQ
Webster's name, it made its appearance
in the venomous pages of John Quincy
Adams Diary. Later his enemies. the
Abolittonists, took good care that no
defamation should die for want of repe-
tition; and today, in clubs and private
homes, the familiar stories are being
idly perpetuated, although their myth
tcal source may long ago have been
proved; However, Mr.. Fuess considers
that Daniel Webster was certainly no
saint. He would have been more at
home with Lancelot than with Galahad.
and his chosen friends were men of
the world. After his long, hard hours
in the Senate, he was undoubtedly glad
as Emerson said, to get back among his
cronies, where he could stretch himself
at his ease and drink his mulled wine
He had some weaknesses of the flesh
and committed some indiscretions Rut
his faults were those of a large and
liberal personality. His age was
one OF drinking; 1t was prevalent in
Congress and the Supreme Court: many
Webster was of his time, but was rarely
incapacitated by liquor = " The truth
is that Webster usually held his LIQUOR
like gentleman. It was for him
that particularly delectabIe nunch
was named in Washington The
charges made against Webster in con-
nection with money matters had a more
serious public significance. OF these
Mr.. Fuess says: ''Webster's careless
ness in money matters was sometimes
not far from moral DELINQUENCY. But
there is no evidence whatever to show
that he ever took brides or diverted
public funds to his own use, or. indeed,
that his attitude toward legislation
was ever affected by sinister motives
His fault was that, by living beyond
ms means, he fell into debt, and
obliged to borrow, drifted into ffnanciai
dependence on men who meant we'll
but whose influence was dangerous to-
any statesman" '"' "
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