REV. DR. CHOULES" 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 If 
 
 ON THf: DEATH OF THE 
 
 HON. DANIEL WEBSTER. 
 
 h 
 
 * ■»»» > 
 
n 
 
SERMON, 
 
 UPON THE DEATH OF THE 
 
 HON. DAIIEL¥EBSTER, 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH, NEWPORT, R. I. 
 
 NOVEMBER 21, 1852. 
 
 BT 
 
 J/0:^1]H0ULES 
 
 I ^^fc*H 
 
 -' TT 9, A 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 EVANS & BRITTAN 
 
 18 5 2. 
 
_ 34-0 
 
 CRANSTON & NORMAK, PB., NEXVPORT, R.I. 
 
S E E M N . 
 
 -*-*^i^-»— 
 
 1 Samuel xxv : I. " And Samuel died, and all the Israel- 
 ites were gathered together and lamented him, and buried 
 him in his house at Ramah.''^ 
 
 One of our Piiritaii Fathers remarked that it was "a hard 
 thmg to funeral it well." We find Moses praying for Heaven- 
 ly wisdom, that he might meditate upon mortality when God 
 issued the decree of death upon the whole generation cf 
 Israel, that came out of Egypt as a punishment for their 
 sin. The present is no ordinary occasion. — God has taught 
 us by his providence, and you hear his voice crying, " Earth,, 
 earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." 
 
 A few weeks ago this sanctuary was crowded, while I en- 
 deavored to improve the nation's loss in tlie removal of her 
 patriot statesman, Henry Clay, and you will remember that 
 then I comforted you, and cheered my own mind, with the 
 thought, that the nation could turn, amid all its bereavement,, 
 to her favorite son, the defender of the Constitution ; — but as if 
 God would teach us that vain is the help of man, we are here 
 again summoned to mourn the mighty, the wise, the prudent^, 
 and the eloquent man, for Webster, the earthly stayand staff 
 of his country is no more. He, in whose world-wide fame, 
 the Union gloried, is in the embrace of death. 
 
 The text challenges our attention to the death of a great 
 and good man. 
 
 1. A great and good man is dead. ''Samuel diedP I 
 is appointed unto man once to die." I need not stop long to^ 
 
names in pur national heraldry. They were nobility of God's 
 own creation — but they are gone. 
 
 They bury Samuel at his own abode in Ramah — where he 
 lived and ruled, and loved and was beloved, there let the pro- 
 phet's dust be laid, there let the Israelites gather together, 
 and let their piety be encouraged, and their nationality ani- 
 mated, at the grave of departed worth and excellence. There, 
 where God had so often spoken to his servant, there let his 
 flesh rest in hope and wait his waking voice, for he though 
 dead shall live again, God who called him in childhood, 
 again and again, shall yet once more address his faithful ser- 
 vant, and call him forth from the dust and darkness of the 
 grave, to a new and more glorious existence ; when instead of 
 being a prophet, he shall be a king and priest unto God. 
 
 I shall not be guilty of the vain attempt to circumscribe a 
 survey of the intellectual powers and the public career of the 
 departed patriot within the limits of a discourse. 1 do not feel 
 that this is the time, or fitting occasion, to record or even sketch 
 his mighty acts. They are written in men's memories — they 
 are to constitute the proudest pages of our country's history. 
 I have no inclination, amid the grief of our national bereave- 
 ment, to aim at any thing beyond a retrospect of the memora- 
 ble death scenes of the great statesman, record some recol- 
 lections of my own intercourse vvath him,' and offer some re- 
 flections adapted to secure our profit. 
 
 Whatever Daniel Webster was, belongs to the United States. 
 To use the language of Mr. Burke in his pathetic lamentation 
 for his sou, " He was a jniblic creature;'^ for more than 
 half the period of our existence as a nation. He was, (to ac- 
 commodate the language of John duincy Adams, employed 
 in an eulogy upon Canning,) " American through and through; 
 American in his feelings, American in his aims, American in 
 his policy and projects. The influence, the grandeur, the do- 
 minion of America were the dreams of his boyhood, and the 
 intense eflbrt of his riper years. For this he valued power, 
 and for this he used it." From his first appearance at Wash- 
 
ington. his public career was a series of triumphs. It was 
 truly said of him that the '• north had not his equal, and the 
 south had not his superior." To discharge the duty of his po- 
 sition, to satisfy the claims and expectations of the land, and 
 above all to satisfy his own conscience ; Mr. Webster lived 
 intensely — lived in the eye of the world, the pride of his own 
 country and the admiration of all lands ; But — 
 
 " The boast of heraldrj^ the pomp of power, 
 Hai- With all^beauty, all that wealth e'er gave. 
 Await alike the inevitable hour, 
 
 The paths of glory lend but to the grave. — " 
 
 The full age of man had been accorded to Mr. Webster, 
 and then the silver cord began to show signs of loosening. 
 There came at first uncertain rumours, indefinite intelligence 
 that the great statesman's health was in a precarious condi- 
 tion. Apprehensions at length became mingled v/ith alarm, 
 and doubts darkened into certainty. Still he had not aban- 
 doned the helm of the ship of State ; it was known that he 
 held it in his mighty grasp ; his skill was daily exhibited, but 
 the life of labor was over, the evening of repose had set in ; 
 he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death 
 but he feared no evil, the rod and the staff were there to sup- 
 port the pilgrim, beat down his enemies, and point out his 
 way. The springs of life were freezing at their source, and 
 they no longer revivify and strengthen. Yet amid the wreck 
 of matter, that wondrous world of intellect retains its lustre, 
 and seems even more brilliant from the perishing condition of 
 the casket that enshrines it. 
 
 " The soul's dark cottage battered and decayed, 
 
 Lets in new light through chinks that time has made." 
 
 Still gleams that eye of magic power, still flows in weak- 
 ness, tones of melody sweet as woman's voice, still the wan 
 features are irradiated with the smiles of passing majesty and 
 beauty, as the exquisite forms upon certain vases, are only visi- 
 ble when lighted from within. He knows he is passing 
 through the dark valley, " but the lamp of his love is his light 
 
through tlie gloom. '' I see no terror, no alarm in that cham- 
 ber of death, the room is full of the light of the Lord, it is a 
 holy, hallowed atmosphere. The end of life was in perfect 
 harmony with its course. Day by day v^^as filled up with du- 
 ty. Calm and serene, while all around were deeply agitated, 
 he continued to serve his country, received and answered let- 
 ters, and gave directions for the daily management of his 
 farm. 
 
 I love to think of that great man, mingling his discharge of 
 life's business with the utterance of deep religious sentiments, 
 O, it was nature speaking nattirally and grace speaking graci- 
 ously. Flesh and heart are failing, but he comforts his friends 
 and speaks of his country and her welfare. The waters of 
 death cannot drown the warm affections of that princely 
 heart. " Harvey! 1 am not so sick but that I know you, I am 
 well enough to know you, and well enough to call down the 
 richest of heaven's blessings upon you and yours. Harvey! 
 don't leave me till I am dead — don't leave Marshfield till I am 
 a dead man !" Harvey! mortal man cannot be more richly en- 
 dowed, and as far as our language shall be spread or spoken, 
 this shall be thy memorial, thou faithful friend ! Listen ! 
 let the great ones of the earth listen to a slow sepulchral voice 
 from the death bed of Webster. " On the 2ith October all 
 that is 7nortal of Daniel Webster will be no nioreP But he 
 gazed through the gloom of the grave, to the glory that lies be- 
 yond, for he prays, and closes his petition with "Heavenly Fa- 
 ther forgive my sins and receive me to thyself through Jesus 
 Christ." Every mind alive to beauty has loved to dwell on 
 Gray's elegy in a country Church yard, but henceforth its 
 lines shall be sacred household words, for the dying moments 
 of our patriot were charmed by their melody. I bless God 
 that"the good physician at his side, knew words of wondrous 
 power to charm ; and when the dying sufferer talked of the 
 difficulty of dying. Dr. Jeffries whispered, " Though I walk 
 through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, 
 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." The prompt reply 
 
was. '• ttie Ikct; liie Ikct, that is what i wuul, thy rud. tliy 
 staff — thy staff." The last words of the dying man were,, on 
 Avaking up to consciousness, ^^ I still Itve.'^ Prophetic, signi- 
 ficant, immortal testimony ; yes, he will live — greatly live — 
 not only as a redeemed spiiit Vvhere death is knovv^n no more, 
 but as a spiritual presence in our land, a guardian watcher, 
 whose words of wondrous wisdom shall be read by childhood, 
 and valued by all true manhood, so long as that Union lasts. 
 which he cemented by his self-sacrifice. There rests upon 
 that couch, the mortal remains of the greatest man our coun- 
 try ever called her son. — peace his pillow, and piety his guar- 
 dian an2:el. — 
 
 'a^ 
 
 "So rests the ea2;Ie on the rocky steep 
 
 Of Kilda's isle, amiutt the roai ing deep ; 
 
 The tempest rages and the billows pour 
 
 Their foam and fury on the echoing shore. 
 
 Meanwhile he sits in undisturbed repose, 
 
 His eye with fire, liis heart with coui'age glows. 
 
 He looks in joy, majestic port assumes, 
 
 Views the dread wrath, and careless trims his plumes. 
 
 Claps his strong v/ings, exulting in his might, 
 
 And mingles with the storm in steady flight!" 
 
 liCt US turn from the chamber where the good man dies, to 
 the last solemn offices of affection and respect. Grand sim- 
 plicity is to be witnessed in the closmg up of the sad scene. 
 " Let there be no pomp — no ceremony. Let my own minis- 
 ter, the village pastor, perform the services." But can those 
 s nvices be observed in privacy ? The Elect Ruler of the land 
 understood the 'case, when v/ith equal truth and beauty he 
 d:clarcd, " that the heart of the nation throbs heavily at the 
 portals of the grave." It was kindly ordered that the noble, 
 large hearted man should die in his own house, amid scenes 
 he loved so well, and surrounded by those who loved, honored 
 and admired him. The home which he had garnished and 
 adorned, the home of his cherished affections, shall be his 
 
 resting place, when tired nature's course is run. 
 2 
 
10 
 
 And all Israel gathered around his sepulchre. Never 
 before was such a spectacle witnessed in our day. Far away 
 from the crowded city, miles off from the iron track, on the 
 wild sea shore, thousands upon thousands are assembling and 
 deep solemnity reigns over the gathered masses. Friends 
 were there who never expect to feel such another loss, and 
 they too, were there as mourners, who had not manifested 
 love by recent acts, now that he had gone where human love 
 and hatred can reach him never more, they too would drop 
 tears upon his ashes, and shout his praises. They who had 
 quarreled with Samuel in his life time, would come and help 
 lo bury him at Raniah, as if he had manifested some merit in 
 dying off. Poor human nature ! — I could not avoid imagin- 
 ing that thinking men were talking to themselves something 
 like this, " The calamity is greater to him that survives than 
 to him that dies. The elfects of this calamity are beyond all 
 the powers of calculation to reach. When a great and ex- 
 cellent man dies, the chief part of what he was, (at least so 
 far as the world is concerned,) perishes. It is very little of 
 him that survives in his memory and works. The use and 
 application of his experience, the counsels he could give, the 
 firmness and sagacity with which he could have executed 
 what he might have thus counselled, are gone. He had ac- 
 cumulated great stores of learning; by long exercise he had 
 refined his taste, he had collected facts, he had drawn the 
 most curious conclusions. You might converse with this man 
 incessantly for a year, and might learn from him every day. 
 How many parts of his skill never came forward as topics of 
 conversation, and what extensive powers of learning and ob- 
 servation existed in him, that were never poured out upon 
 others." Such thoughts filled men's minds as they walked 
 the mansion of the dead. Men felt that it was " impossible 
 to calculate how much of good perishes, when a great and 
 good man dies. 
 
 V* 
 
 Goodwin'i Essay on Sepulchres 
 
11 
 
 "So when the pilgrim sun is jourueying o'er 
 Some western hill to illume a distant shore, 
 And all the landscape darkens into night, 
 We mourn his setting, but we bless his li^lit !" 
 
 Seldom has God crowned a long life of usefulness with 
 more signal honor at death. OtRcial rank and dignity, reli- 
 gion, learning, virtue, wealth and honest industry, all crowded 
 to witness death's most glorious and memorable conquest. 
 Men will never forget the scene when the great Secretary was 
 carried from his mansion to the chamber of the grave. There 
 in that modest, noble mansion, were the chosen companions of 
 his retired moments, the productions of the great and good of 
 every age and clime. From that tranquil spot where he had 
 so often held high converse with the mighty dead, and com- 
 munion with the Father of spirits, avIio gave to men their liv- 
 ing souls, he was brought forth to lie beneath the canopy of 
 the bright heavens, under the shade of his beloved trees. The 
 sun shone out in highest splendor, the air was balm, and ev- 
 ery breeze of Heaven, as it swept decaying foliage on the bier, 
 inculcated the solemn lesson, that '•' we all do fade as a leaf." 
 And millions sympathised in the emotions of that assemblage. 
 for the news, lightning winged, had pervaded the continent ; 
 and in the beautiful language of Mr. John C. Park, " the 
 fisherman on tlie banks pauses in his toil to echo back the 
 wail which reaches him from the shore ; and the trapper in 
 the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, catches it as it rolls across 
 the prairies." 
 
 The funeral services v/ere simple, truthful and aifecting. 
 When that procession formed, and I saw the desolate family, 
 the afflicted household, the mourning friends and neighbors, I 
 thought that it was a funeral becoming a patriarch. It was 
 in harmony with the character of the place where pilgrim 
 fathers slept — so once they buried Abraham, and so did our 
 forefathers bury Brewster, Winslow and others, of whom the 
 world was not worthy. There they buried our nation's stay 
 and staft', and the deep blue sea he loved so well shall sing 
 
12 
 
 his requiem, till the mighty One siiall stand upon the sea and 
 upon the dry land, and declare that Time shall be no longer. 
 
 " Trial and toil were o'er; 
 Anguish and hate, and the withering scowl 
 Of hot-tongued malice, and angers howl, 
 Were still as the dead sea shore — 
 O fame ! this was thy victor hour, 
 Earn'd not by spear or arm of power, 
 Nor bloody wreath, nor crimson brand — 
 Curses and glory hand in hand." 
 
 An acquaintance of more than twenty-five years has ena- 
 bled me to form some just idea of the departed. I have al- 
 ways regarded him as a christian man, and the fact is singu- 
 lar, though melancholy, that many who were his malignant 
 revilers in life, acknowledge his excellence at death. I rest 
 my cheerful conviction of his piety upon personal knowledge. 
 I fully unite with the Rev. Mr. Alden, in hisopinion expressed 
 in his funeral oration, that the delineation which Mr. Web- 
 ster gave of one of his early and noble compeers '• could nev- 
 er have been written, except from an experimental acquaint- 
 ance with that which he holds up as the chief excellence of 
 his friend." "Political eminence and professional fame fade 
 away and die with all things earthly. Nothing of character 
 is really permanent but virtue and personal worth, these re- 
 main. Whatever of excellence is wrought into the soul it- 
 self, belongs to both worlds. Religion does not attach itself 
 merely to this life, it points to another world. Professional or 
 political reputation cannot last forever, but a conscience void 
 of offence towards God and man, is an inheritance for eternity. 
 Religion is the tie that connects man with his Creator, and 
 holds him to his throne. If that great tie be all sundered, all 
 broken, he floats away a worthless atom in the universe ; its 
 proper attraction all gone, its destiny thwarted, and its whole 
 future nothing but desolation, darkness and death. A man 
 with no sense of religious duty is he whom the scriptures de- 
 scribe in such true but terrible language, as " living without 
 
God ill the world." Such a nmu is out ut' his piopui being, 
 out of the circle of ail his duties, out of the circle of all his 
 happiness, and away, far. far away from the purposes of his 
 creation. 
 
 '•A mind like Mr. Mason's, active, thoughtful, penetrating, 
 sedate, could not but meditate dec[)ly on the condition of man 
 below, and feel its responsibilities. He could not look on this 
 mighty system, 
 
 "This universal frame thus wondrous fair," 
 
 without feeling that it was created and upheld by an intelli- 
 gence, to which all other intelligence must be responsible. 
 I am bound to say that in the course of my life, I never met 
 with an individual, in any profession or condition of life, who 
 always spoke, and always thought, with such awful reverence 
 of the povv'er and presence of God.'' 
 
 " No irreverence, no lightness, even no too familiar allusion 
 to God and his attributes ever escaped his lips. The very no- 
 tion of a Supreme Being, was wiih him made up of awe and 
 solemnity. It filled the whole of his great mind with the 
 strongest emotions. A man like him, with all his proper senti- 
 ments and sensibilities alive in him, must, in this state of ex- 
 istence, have something to believe and something to hope for ; 
 or else, as life is advancing to its close and parting, all is heart- 
 sinking and oppression. Depend upon it, whatever may be 
 the mind of an old man, old age is only really happy, when, 
 on feeling the enjoyments of this world pass away, it begins 
 to lay a stronger hold on those of another." 
 
 " Mr. Mason's religious sentiments and feelings were the 
 crowning glories of his character." 
 
 Such a man could not be reckless or thoughtless, and they 
 who knew him best,' knew that God was in all his thoughts ; 
 the God of nature in his works filling him with loftiest admi- 
 ration, the God of providence ordering all his daily steps, and 
 the God of grace speaking to him in the volume of a father's 
 love. 
 
14 
 
 Many years ago — 1834, in passing through the Sound, we 
 occupied the Captain's state-room. At night Mr. Webster took 
 up my bible and read the 23d Psahn, and then made some 
 fine rcmarlcs upon the character of David, observing that the 
 varied experience of David as a shepherd boy — a King, vic- 
 torious and vanquished, had made him acquainted with all 
 the diversified feelings of human nature, and had thus quali- 
 fied him to be the chorister of the church, in ail future ages. 
 After this, he asked me to commend ourselves to God, remark- 
 ing that none needed prayer more than " the wayfaring man." 
 That evening I asked Mr. Webster if his religious views 
 were those of the Orthodox Congregationalists, with whom I 
 had heard that he united in early life. " Yes," he said, " he 
 thought that he had never changed his religious opinions, that 
 he regarded Jonathan Edwards as being as nearly the stamp 
 of truth as any mere human writer. He spoke of his history, 
 of Redemption as having greatly interested him, and added, 
 "but I prefer to find truth as it is conveyed to us in the word, 
 without system, yet so clear and lucid." In regard to the 
 atonement, he expressed the most abiding confidence, observ- 
 ing that it seemed to him the great peculiarity of the gospel, 
 to deny which was to reduce it to a level with other systems 
 of religion. He observed that he had " no taste for metaphys- 
 ical refinement in theology, and preferred plain statements of 
 truth." He thought the pulpit had much to answer for in 
 producing difterences of opinion among ^christians, and ex- 
 pressed his belief that the best and safest way to oppose all 
 sorts of error was the plain enunciation of the truth. In this 
 conversation I was much impressed with the remark, "I 
 take the Bible to be inspired, and it must not be treated as 
 though it merely contained a revelation; it is a revelatio7i.^' 
 " You ministers make a great mistake i!i not dwelling more 
 upon the great facts of Christianity, they are the founda- 
 tions of the system, and there is a power connected with their 
 statement ; it seems to me that Peter and Paul understood 
 this. Plain preaching is what we all want, and as much il- 
 
15 
 
 lustration as you can bring iij). 1 once heard Dr. Beecher, 
 in Hanover street, Boston, talk lor an hour on God's law, in its 
 application to the heart and life; he did it, in my idea of good 
 preaching." 
 
 In 1S40, at Washington, walking home from church, after I 
 had been preaching, the conversation turned upon the great 
 lights of the 17th century in England, Mr. Webster remarked, 
 " Barrow and Taylor are my favorites, although so different in 
 their style. Howe's living temple is grandeur itself Char- 
 nock must have been a capital preacher, his discourses on 
 the attributes are very solemn. Bishop Horsley is the great- 
 est polemic of the church; there seems to me no escape from 
 his grappling irons. It will not do to say that ho was an infi- 
 del ; no infidel could write as he does." Mr. Webster said 
 that he thought Robert Hall the best writer of the age, but he 
 admired Foster's essay on Popular Ignorance, as the best book 
 of the day for thought. Last February I dined with Mr. 
 Webster, in New York, upon the Sabbath day. He had been 
 hearing Dr. Hawks, and spoke in commendation of the ear- 
 nestness of the discourse, and pointing across the Park to the 
 brick church, said '• there I always hear capital sermons from 
 Dr. Spring, always full of strong^ sense and simple piety." 
 After dinner there was an immense procession going through 
 Broadway, in honor of a murdcuer who had been executed on 
 Friday. Mr. Webster gazed at the vast assemblage, and ob- 
 served, " that, sir, is a terrible sight, I have rarely seen any 
 thing more shocking ; but they are foreigners, their children 
 will become good citizens, education and religion will do eve- 
 ry thing for them." 
 
 On handing Mr. Webster a copy of Neal's History of the 
 Puritans, which I had edited with notes, he said, "You have 
 bestowed your time well. These Puritans made our country 
 what it is, I love to think of them, and down at Marshfield 
 I love to gaze over at Plymouth and live their sufferings over 
 in thought. O, what men they were, what they endured and 
 sacrificed ! How much they must have suffered at Leydeii 
 
16 
 
 among a strange pfOpie. Tiiey loved itie imih aud it made 
 them free." I asked, What do you think, sir, of Laud? 
 '• Why," said Mr. Webster, " the wonder to nie is, not that 
 they cut on his head, but that they did not give him compa- 
 ny from the bench." In relation to Charles ist, Mr. Webster 
 observed, '• to call Charles a martyr, degrades ray ideas of 
 martyrdom, certainly his road to that distinction was one of 
 chicanery and deception." 
 
 At a dinner party in Boston, Mr. Webster stated that he had 
 been reading "Burton's Diary," and that it was a mine of 
 great value. " There you get the true calibre of the Round- 
 heads ; their speeches in Parliament v/ere really wonderful 
 productions, and I am satisfied that their discussions about re- 
 ligion, were mainly in view of the great civil consequences 
 involved. The men of that day were richly furnished ; look 
 at Cowley, Evelyn, and Clarendon, on one side, and Elliot, 
 Sydney, Milton, Harrington, and Marvel on the other. These 
 men ail breathed in gardens, and kept up their humanity by 
 meditations amidst the tranquility of nature. Cromwell and 
 Hampden were the 'men. Cromwell was a statesman every 
 inch. Hampden is a man of whom I want to know more than 
 Lord Nugent has told us ; i want to know how he talked and 
 lived every day down in the country. A proper history or 
 biography is the story of a life; mere public facts do not make 
 a biography. I want to know not only what a man did, but 
 the wciy in which he did it, when it sprang up in his heart to 
 do it. I want to know all about the days of adversity or sun- 
 shine in which he was schooled, I want to know about the 
 boy as well as the man. Facts, naked facts, are not history, 
 they are but the oil and brushes, and when you have them 
 an artist must come along to work you up an historical pic- 
 ture." 
 
 Soon after the negotiation of the Ashburton treaty, I was 
 in the State Department, sitting with Mr. Webster, when a 
 Massachusetts gentleman, who hadj long been in Europe, 
 came in to pay his respects to the Secretar3'. Alluding to the 
 
17 
 
 treaty, he expressed the deep sense of obhgatioii, which Ame- 
 ricans abroad felt for liis eminent services in preserving the 
 peace of the country. Mc. Webster thanked liim for his kind 
 remarks, and then said,—" Sir, there have been many occasions, 
 while sitting at this table, Vv-hcn I could, by the motion of my 
 hand, have lighted up a war ; but sir, my duty was perfectly 
 plain. I had only to remember that I was negotiating for a 
 christian people, with a christian people, and that we were 
 living in the nineteenth century of the christian era." Mr. 
 Webster never uttered a nobler sentiment. 
 
 Two years ago, at the dinner table at the Revere House, in 
 Boston, and several friends around the board, a remark was 
 made by one respecting the poetry of the Old Testament. Mr. 
 Webster immediately remarked, " ah, my friend, the poetry of 
 Isaiah and Job, and Habbakuk is beautiful indeed, but when 
 you reach your 69th year, you will give more for the 14th or 
 17th chapter of John's gospel, or for one of the Epistles, than 
 for all the poetry of the Bible." Mr. W^ebster then said to me, 
 " Sir, I deeply regret that I have never recorded my opinion 
 of God's Word in some public manner." He then stated that 
 he had declined speaking at Bible Societies, from fear that the 
 motives prompting to such a step would be regarded as sinis- 
 ter. I named the American Bible Society's Anniversary as a 
 suitable occasion, and he declared that if he was invited to 
 speak, he would embrace the opportunity with pleasure. The 
 cler'^vman to whom I made the suggestion, soon slept in death. 
 The glorious testimony in favor of Christianity, which closed 
 the inaugural speech of Gen. Harrison, was placed there at 
 the request of his Secretary of State. 
 
 I once asked Mr. Webster his opinion of the Oxford Tracts. 
 ''■ Sir, I have looked at them, but feel very little interest in the 
 subject. It is a simple point, in my view, to be decided. Does 
 Christianity support the church, or does the church support 
 Christianity? I go for the plain, old-fashioned congregational 
 form, but I love to meet with the church of God wherever I 
 find it ; and so 1 commune with mv ovNm church at Marsh- 
 3 
 
1» 
 
 Held, and with Presbyterians or Episcopalians, as I may hap- 
 pen to find them." 
 
 I think the sentiments embodied in a conversation which I 
 had with Mr. Webster, at Washington, previous to my visit 
 to Europe in 1851, are worthy of record. " Well sir, I notice 
 from your letter for Passports, that you take three of your pu- 
 pils. I am glad that they are going. You will teach them 
 things abroad which will be useful to them when they return. 
 Show them the great farms, the noble stock ; let them see the 
 rural life of England, and learn to love it. We want to have 
 more love for the country. We want more beauty thrown 
 around our houses, and the lads will come home with better 
 taste. Try to cultivate their memories as to the localities of 
 England. Let them never forget the places sacred to hberty. 
 The tower is a perfect study, it requires thought, it is no place 
 to be despatched in a hurried visit. It is history, sir. West- 
 minster Abbey is a wonderful place, not only for what it is, 
 but for what it is not. Smithf.eld, too, is full of glory. If ev- 
 er Jacob's ladder rested upon earth, it was there, where bloody 
 Mary made it the gate to heaven for so many martyrs. Bun- 
 hill fields; I was too good a Puritan not to go there. I wanted 
 to stand where Bunyan, Owen, Goodwin and Defoe were bu- 
 ried. I should hke to stand at the graves of all the great men 
 of England. This journey will do the lads great good ; it will 
 furnish them matter for thought in future life, and if- they 
 improve this opportunity, it will teach them what so few un- 
 derstand, how to grow old decently. An ignorant, unculti- 
 vated old man is a poor affair ; the tailor can pad oirt his 
 wasted form, but nothing except early acquirements and good 
 sentiments can make fine old age. You will see ' the Duke' 
 sir, he is the most remarkable man in the country ; so practi- 
 cal, such sterling sense, so self-reliant ; a man is nothing, no- 
 thing, who does not depend upon himself. I shall give you 
 letters, sir, addressed to men I value highly, who are orna- 
 ments to our nature. Pray make the lads notice the attention 
 paid in England to age and position, no where can the propri- 
 
19 
 
 eties of life be learned so well. What a destiny lies beforii 
 these two countries, England and the United States ; the 
 same language, laws, and religion. Did you ever think of 
 the wonderful concealment of America from Europe, till ' the 
 set time' had arrived for its revelation?" 
 
 For many years, in common with other friends, I had urged 
 upon Mr. Webster, the performance of a work which we feared 
 he might delay too long, — the publication of his own works, 
 revised under his own eye. Although solicitous to accom- 
 plish this object, there were impediments in his way. In Oct, 
 1850, Mr. Webster honored me with a telegraphic message to 
 meet him in Boston, and placed in my hands a commission 
 to purchase the copy-right of his works, which had for years 
 been in the hands of publishers. I shall never forget the grasp 
 of his hand when I announced the extinction of the copy- 
 right, nor the hearty expression, " thank God that I own my 
 own works.'' 
 
 Mr. Webster, in numerous conversations which occurred in 
 a series of years, made remarks and dropped opinions, which 
 I thought deserved preservation, and I trust that I am not 
 guilty of any impropriety in placing a few of them upon record. 
 And here I rejoice to state, that in all the interviews which 
 I had the happiness and honor to enjoy with this great 
 man, I cannot remember that I ever heard him utter an un- 
 kind, acrimonious, or uncharitable remark upon any man. 
 Once, when a gentleman had named some violent censures 
 heaped upon him in his public character, Mr. Webster calm- 
 ly replied, " Perhaps my calumniator's misfortunes have 
 soured his temperament, for I remember him a very kindly 
 disposed person ; we must make allowances for the infirmities 
 of age." The provocation had been very great, and his mo- 
 tives had been wantonly assailed, yet his considerate and mag- 
 nanimous spirit triumphed nobly upon this occasion.* 
 
 * Perhups it is impossible to place Mr. Webster's true nobility of heart, and his forgiving 
 spirit in a more strilting light, than by the publication of the following letter :— 
 
 Letter from 3Ie. Webjter to Senator Dickinson.— The Binghamton Republican pub- 
 lishes the following interesting letter, addressed by Mr. Webster tn Mr. Dickinson, just as Mr. 
 
20 
 
 On one occasion Mr. Webster remarked, "When 1 
 was in England I was greatly pleased with the wall 
 flower, so often seen upon the walls of ruins and decay- 
 ing buildings. The country people call it the bloody wall 
 flower. I seldom picked this sweet scented flower without 
 thinking of the hopes and wishes of life — the best and sweet- 
 est of my life, all surrounded with ruin and decay, still we 
 must look out for the blossoms of hope " 
 
 " I have been reading White's Selbourne once more. What 
 moral beauty there was in White's mind ! How he revelled 
 in quiet country life ; and when he became deaf, and could no 
 longer hear the birds sing, yet he thanks God that his eye- 
 sight is still quick and good." 
 
 Walking in the evening at Marshfield, and gazing at the 
 sea, Mr. Webster stopped, and placing his hand Kipon my 
 shoulder, recited several verses of Mrs. Hemans' beautiful po- 
 em on the Sound of the Sea. — 
 
 Webster was leaving tlie Senate to take liis place as Secretary of State. Its allusion to pain- 
 ful occurrences in the past, is the charge brought by Mr. Dickinson against Mr. Webster, in 
 regard to the Ashburton treaty, and to the strong language in which they were repelled-: 
 
 " Washington, Sept. 27, 1850. 
 
 My Dear Sir : Our companionship in the Senate is dissolved. After tliis long and most 
 important session, you are about to return to your home, and I shall try to find leisure to visit 
 mine. I hope vveiuay meet each other again two months hence, for the discharge of our du- 
 ties in our respective stations in the government. But life is uncertain, and I have not I'elt 
 willing to take leave of you, witliout placing in your hands a note containing a very few words 
 which I wish to say to you. ' 
 
 In the earlier part of our acquaintance, my dear sir, occurrences took place which I remem- 
 ber with constantly increasing regret and pain, because the more I have known of you, the 
 greater have been my esteem for your character, and my respect for your talents. But it is 
 your noble, able, manly, and patriotic conduct in support of the great measure of this session, 
 which has entirely won my heart, and secured my highest regird; I hope you may live long 
 to serve your country ; but I do not think you are ever likely to see a crisis in which you may 
 be ab'.eto do so much, either for your own distinction, or the public good. You have stood 
 where others have fallen ; you have advanced with firm and manly step, where others liave 
 wavered, faltered, and fallen back ; and for one I desire to thank you, and to commend your 
 conduct, out of the fullness of an honest heart. 
 
 This letter needs no reply ; it is, I am aware, of very little value ; but I liave thought you 
 might be willing to receive it, and, perhaps, to leave it where it would be seen by those who 
 shall come after you. I pray you, when you reach your own threshold, to remember me most 
 kindly to your wife and daughter. 
 
 I remain, my dear sir, with the tiuest esteem, your friend obedient servant, 
 
 Daniel Webster. 
 Hon. Daniel 5. Dickinson, C S. Senate. 
 
21 
 
 ^^ . ,:v " Thou art ssouudiiig ou, thou mighty sea. 
 
 For ever and the same; 
 The ancient rocks yet ring to thee, 
 Whose thunders nought can tame. 
 
 Oh, !nany a glorious voice is gone 
 
 From the rich bowers of earth, 
 And hush'd is many a lovely one 
 
 Of ni'mrnfulness or mirth. 
 
 But thou art swelling ou, thou deep I 
 
 Through many an olden clime, 
 Thy billowy anthems ne'er to sleep, 
 
 Until the close of time. 
 
 Dining with a few friends at the Samoset House, in Ply- 
 mouth, Mr. Webster expressed his surprise "that none of our 
 best writers had made Plymonth Rock and its Pilgrim Colo- 
 ny, the subject of a great poem, or the ground-work of a no- 
 ble fiction. The greatness of the deeds connected with the 
 place is no reason why fancy should not go to work. The 
 materials are fine for a great fiction. There is Willis, who has 
 Written some of the most beautiful things in our language, he 
 should have made this a love afiair and gone at it." Wlieii 
 so.uc one questioned the high estimate just given of Mr. Willis, 
 Mr. Webster quoted the poem on " Hagar in the Wilderness," 
 and said, " Where can we find any thing better, my friend?" 
 
 Upon one occasion during the present year, Mr. Webster 
 said of some true-hearted men, " These have been with me 
 in my tribulation. Job, sir, well understood human nature, 
 he speaks of some of his friends as ritnning brooks." 
 
 I once asked Mr. Webster what speeches of the great men 
 of the age he most admired. He replied, " Mirabeau's on Na- 
 tional Bankruptcy ; Canning's, upon the South American In- 
 dependence, and the affairs of Portugal ; and Sir Robert Peel's, 
 on retiring from office, are all favorites with me." 
 
 W^hen History was once the subject of conversation, Mr. 
 Webster remarked, tliat " he did not think it was as well 
 taught as other subjects in education. I would teach a boy 
 
22 
 
 Roman History, with very many notes and annotations. A 
 lad should be made to know that Rome was a highwayman, 
 and principally admired because so successful. The whole 
 history of Rome is one of crime. We, as a people, ought to 
 study the history of Rome, very thoughtfully." 
 
 On one occasion, a Boston gentleman was talking to Mr. 
 Webster, respecting the best way to educate his son in the ci- 
 ty. " Sir, I would send him to the public school." But an ob- 
 jection was made that there was a great admixture of boys, 
 and evils to be apprehended from so many foreigners, &.c. 
 Mr. Webster replied, " Sir, send your son to the public school, 
 and if he sits by an Irish boy, they will both, perhaps, be bet- 
 ter for the association. I am strongly in favor of public 
 schools." 
 
 In relation to Education Societies, Mr. Webster had doubts 
 as to their expediency and efficacy. He thought that in New 
 England, a man who had the root of the matter in him, would 
 secure a theological education ; and he expressed his fear, that 
 the system so much in vogue, was calculated to lower the 
 character of the ministry in point of talent, and make it less 
 independent." 
 
 I shoidd disgrace my office as a minister of the Gospel, if I 
 were to give any currency , to the fatal opinion, that we are to 
 regard faithful public services, in the light of a commutation 
 for personal piety. No man has more sternly rebuked this fal- 
 lacy than the lamented patriot whose death we deplore. 
 
 How different is the death of Webster, acknowledging his 
 guilt, and asking for pardon through Jesus Christ, to that of 
 Lord Nelson, declaring with his dying breath that he was 
 " not a great sinner." How glorious was the scene at Marsh- 
 field, when compared with the circumstances of the great un- 
 believer of the last century. Bolingbroke, gifted with every 
 talent that distinguishes a man, a commanding intellect, a 
 glowing imagination, and a captivating eloquence, wanting 
 nothing but a sense of religion. On seeing a friend in the 
 
agonies of death, he exclaimed, "It is hardly worth wliiie to 
 be here at all." 
 
 I wish to hold up Daniel Webster to the attention of the 
 young. Remember that he was a New England farmer's boy. 
 In early boyhood, he had fewer advantages than you possess 
 at the present day ; but he worked hard, he improved his time, 
 and laid in early life the foundation of his fame. Read his 
 life, my young friends, and let all the anecdotes of his boy- 
 hood pass into year recollections, as a type of that peculiar 
 training which has raised up so many great good men in our 
 countrj\ 
 
 It is a very striking fact that so many of our great men haA^e 
 recently passed away, while yet "in the harness" of public 
 life. Clinton, Harrison, Adams, Calhoun, Woodbury, Clay, 
 and Webster, each at his post when the summons came 
 crying, '-give aji account of thy stewardship."' Surely, my 
 hearers, we are taught a lesson, and have matter for solemn 
 reflection. 
 
 Who shall fill these places we cannot tell. One thing is 
 certain, that men of their strength and stature, we are not soon 
 likely to see again. And yet the mighty God, " who fainteth 
 not neither is weary," can give his spirit of wisdom and under- 
 standing to others, as he did to our deceased patriot. Let us 
 not despair of our beloved land. To do so would be ingrati- 
 tude to the God who v/as with our fathers, and " led them liy 
 the right way." I pray you my fellow citizens, let us not 
 make an arm of flesh our trust, and let us learn to look less to 
 the creature, and more to the Creator. God is at no loss to 
 save and bless a country to which he has a favor. Moses and 
 Joshua, Othniel and Ehud, Gideon and Samuel, and David, 
 were all raised up for the welfare of Israel ; and when God 
 would bless our father land, he brought out Alfred and Crom- 
 well as terrors to our foes ; and when he would break the fa- 
 tal yoke of Popery in Europe, he brought forth Luther, and 
 Calvin, and Knox ; and when our country was in danger, he 
 gave us Washington to lay the foundation of our Constitution 
 
24 
 
 and then lie gave ns Webster to defend it. And as it was in 
 the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without 
 end. Amen. 
 
 " Duncan is in liis grave ; 
 After life's fitful fever he sleeps well. 
 Treason has done its worst; nor steel, nor poison^ 
 Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing 
 Can touch him farther." 
 
 LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 
 
 a 011 895 019 7 # 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 011 895 019 7 
 
 HoUinger 
 
 pH 8J5 
 
 MIU Run F05.2193