Part 1 (1/2)

Daniel Webster

by Henry Cabot Lodge

[NOTE--In preparing this volume I have carefully exa to Mr Webster I have not gone beyond the printed material, of which there is a vast mass, much of it of no value, but which contains all andof the man and of his public and private life No one can pretend to write a life of Webster without following in large iven in the elaborate, careful, and scholarly biography which e to Mr George T Curtis In many of my conclusions I have differed widely from those of Mr Curtis, but I desire at the outset to acknowledge fully ht information in all directions, and have obtained soht upon certain points, but this does not in the least diraphy of Mr Curtis in regard to the details as well as the general outline of Mr Webster's public and private life]

CHAPTER I

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH

No sooner was the stout Puritan Coan rapidly to throw out branches in all directions With every succeeding year the long, thin, sinuous line of settlements stretched farther and farther away to the northeast, fringing the wild shores of the Atlantic with houses and farether at the mouths or on the banks of the rivers, and with the horoups beneath the shelter of the rocky headlands The extension of these plantations was chiefly along the coast, but there was also a movement up the river courses toward the west and into the interior The line of northeastern settlean first to broaden in this way very slowly but still steadily from the plantations at Portsmouth and Dover, which were nearly coeval with the flourishi+ng towns of the Bay These settlements beyond the Massachusetts line all had one common and marked characteristic They were all exposed to Indian attack fro after the dangers of Indian raids had become littlecoes of Maine and New Hampshi+re continued to be the outposts of a dark and bloody border land French and Indian warfare with all its attendant horrors was the nor the latter part of the seventeenth and the first quarter of the eighteenth century Even after the destruction of the Jesuit nal for the appearance of Frenchland, where their course was hted by the flaes The people thus assailed were not slow in taking frequent and thorough vengeance, and so the conflict, with rare intermissions, went on until the power of France was destroyed, and the awful danger fro over the land for nearly a century, was finally extinguished

The people aged this fierce war and ed at the same time in a conflict with nature which was hardly less desperate The soil, even in the most favored places, was none of the best, and the predoreat rock foriven it the name of the Granite State

Slowly and painfully the settlerson every fertile spot, and wringing subsistence and even a certain prosperity froardly soil and a harsh climate Their little hamlets crept onward toward the base of those beautiful hills which have now becorounds of Arimly even in suer part of the year were sheeted with the glittering, untra with the force of an unbroken wilderness, they forround to the sparse settlements in the valleys and on the seashore

This life of constant battle with nature and with the savages, this work of wresting a subsistence froainst a subtle and cruel foe, had, of course, a marked effect upon the people who endured it That, under such circu a livelihood, but should have attained also a certain overnment, founded schools and churches, and built up a s commonwealth, is little short of th of character which was sure to enerations, not only on their ancestral soil, but in every region where they wandered in search of a fortune denied to them at holish Puritan stock They were the borderers of New England, and were a the hardiest and boldest of their race Their fierce battle for existence during nearly a century and a half left a deep ih it did not add new traits to their character, it strengthened and developed uished the Puritan Englishman These borderers, from lack of opportunity, were ruder than their more favored brethren to the south, but they were also more persistent, orous, bold, unforgiving, fighting race, hard and stern even beyond the ordinary standard of Puritanis the Puritans who settled in New Haration which preceded the Long Parlia the name of Thomas Webster He was said to be of Scotch extraction, but was, if this be true, undoubtedly of the Lowland or Saxon Scotch as distinguished frohlands He was, at all events, a Puritan of English race, and his naenitors were sturdy mechanics or handicraftsmen This Thoh New Ha, found settleston, in the year 1739, was born one of this fale for existence was so hard for this particular scion of the Webster stock, that he was obliged in boyhood to battle for a living and pick up learning as he best orous reat French war, and about 1760 enlisted in the then faers and the successes of desperate frontier fighting, the ”Rangers” had no equal; and of their hard and perilous experience in the wilderness, in conflict with Indians and French in tempera soldier and Indian fighter had tiht have been expected, he clung to the frontier to which he was accustomed, and in the year 1763 settled in the northern-house, to which, in the following year, he brought his first wife, and here he began his career as a far civilized between him and the French settlements of Canada The wilderness stretched away from his door an ocean of forest unbroken by any white h the as ended and the French power overthrown, there still lurked roving bands of savages, suggesting the constant possibilities of a ht foray or a noonday ae It was a fit home, however, for such a man as Ebenezer Webster He was a borderer in the fullest sense in a commonwealth of borderers He was, too, a splendid speciland race; a true descendant of ancestors who had been for generations yeoe, dark of hair and eyes, in the rough world in which he found himself he had been thrown at once upon his own resources without a day's schooling, and compelled to depend on his own innate force of sense and character for success He had had a full experience of desperate fighting with Frenchmen and Indians, and, the war over, he had returned to his native toith his hard-won rank of captain Then he had married, and had established his horiainst all the obstacles of soil and climate, with the same hardy bravery hich he had faced the Indians After ten years of this life, in 1774, his wife died and within a twelvee the alar the first to respond was the old ranger and Indian fighter, Ebenezer Webster In the tohich had grown up near his once solitary dwelling he raised a company of two hundredleader, dark, et occasional gli the war At Dorchester, Washi+ngton consulted hiton, we catch sight of hi out of the battle, his swarthy skin so blackened with dust and gunpowder that he could scarcely be recognized We hear of hiuard before the general's tent, and Washi+ngton says to him, ”Captain Webster, I believe I can trust you” That hat everybody see, silent, uneducated ave hie of the local court In the intervals of his toilsome and adventurous life he had picked up a little book-learning, but the lack of her honors which would otherwise have been easily his There were splendid sources of strength in this man, the outcome of such a race, fronificent ani bodily presence and appearance He had courage, energy, and tenacity, all in high degree He was business-like, a reat capacity for affection and self-sacrifice, noble aspirations, a vigorous , pure character which invited trust Force of will, force of mind, force of character; these were the three predominant qualities in Ebenezer Webster His life forms the necessary introduction to that of his celebrated son, and it is orth study, because we can learn froot from a father so finely endowed, and how far he profited by such a rich inheritance

By his first wife, Ebenezer Webster had five children By his second wife, Abigail Eastood sturdy New Hampshi+re stock, he had likewise five Of these, the second son and fourth child was born on the eighteenth of January, 1782, and was christened Daniel The infant was a delicate and rather sickly little being Sohbors predicted after inspection that it would not live long, and the poor ht the child to her bosom and wept over it She little dreamed of the iron constitution hidden solory and sorrohich her baby was destined

For e Cassandras by living, he continued weak and delicate Manual labor, which began very early with the children of New Hampshi+re farmers, was out of the question in his case, and so Daniel was allowed to devote much of his time to play, for which he showed a decided aptitude It was play of the best sort, in the woods and fields, where he learned to love nature and natural objects, to wonder at floods, to watch the habits of fish and birds, and to acquire a keen taste for field sports His companion was an old British sailor, who carried the child on his back, roith hiler's art, and, best of all, poured into his delighted ear endless stories of an adventurous life, of Ade Germaine, of Minden and Gibraltar, of Prince Ferdinand and General Gage, of Bunker Hill, and finally of the American armies, to which the soldier-sailor had deserted The boy repaid this devoted friend by reading the newspapers to hiraphy that he could not reht by his land fashi+on At a very early age he began to go to school; sometimes in his native town, sometimes in another, as the district school ht in these schools knew nothing but the barest rudiments, and even soe, enlightened perhaps by subsequent events, said that Webster had great rapidity of acquisition and was the quickest boy in school He certainly proved himself the possessor of a very retentive ue offered a jack-knife as a reward to the boy who should be able to recite the greatest nu day, when his turn cah,” and handed him the coveted prize Another of his instructors kept a sht a handkerchief on which was printed the Constitution just adopted, and, as he read everything and remembered much, he read that faive so ht When Mr Webster said that he read better than any of his ht The power of expression and of speech and readiness in reply were his greatest natural gifts, and, however much improved by cultivation, were born in hihborhood, and the passing teaet ”Webster's boy,” with his delicate look and great dark eyes, to come out beneath the shade of the trees and read the Bible to them with all the force of his childish eloquence He describes his own existence at that tiet to read, went to school when I could, and when not at school, was a farood for th, but expected to do so the saw-, and while it was going through would devour a book There was a se, and Webster read everything it contained, co most of the contents of the precious volumes to memory, for books were so scarce that he believed this to be their chief purpose

In the year 1791 the brave old soldier, Ebenezer Webster, was ot a salary of three or four hundred dollars a year This accession of wealth turned his thoughts at once toward that education which he had ive to his children what he had irretrievably lost himself Two years later he disclosed his purpose to his son, one hot day in the hay-field, with apathos which the boy never forgot The next spring his father took Daniel to Exeter Academy

This was the boy's first contact with the world, and there was the usual sting which invariably accohed at his rustic dress and manners, and the poor little farm lad felt it bitterly The natural and unconscious power by which he had delighted the teareatest orator of e to stand up and recite verses before these Exeter school-boys Intelligentof as in the lad, and gave hiement He rose rapidly in the classes, and at the end of nine months his father took hi clergyman As they drove over, about a month later, to Boscahere Dr Wood, the future preceptor, lived, Ebenezer Webster imparted to his son the full extent of his plan, which was to end in a college education The joy at the accoled with a full sense of the enerosity of his father, overwhel es overcame him He laid his head upon his father's shoulder and wept

With Dr Wood Webster remained only sixwas not to his tastes He found it ”dull and loneso in the woods with his sister in search of berries, so that his indulgent father sent him back to his studies With the help of Dr Wood in Latin, and another tutor in Greek, he contrived to enter Dartust, 1797 He was, of course, hastily and poorly prepared He knew so ofin the little libraries of Salisbury and Boscawen, and thus had acquired a desultory knowledge of a li Addison, Pope, Watts, and ”Don Quixote” But however little he knew, the gates of learning were open, and he had entered the precincts of her tehty intellect hich he was endowed

”In those boyish days,” he wrote s which I did dearly love, reading and playing,--passions which did not cease to struggle when boyhood was over, (have they yet altogether?) and in regard to which neither _cita mors_ nor the _victoria laeta_ could be said of either” In truth they did not cease, these two strong passions

One was of the head, the other of the heart; one typified the intellectual, the other the ani forces ith him to the end The childhood of Webster has a deep interest which is by no enerally raphers to the contrary If they are not, they are very apt to be little prigs like the second Pitt, full of ”wise saws and modern instances” Webster was neither the one nor the other He was simple, natural, affectionate, and free from pertness or precocity At the same time there was an innate pohich i exactly why, and there was abundant evidence of uncommon talents Webster's boyish days are pleasant to look upon, but they gain a peculiar lustre from the noble character of his father, the deep solicitude of his enerous devotion and self-sacrifice of both parents There was in this so and sacrificing for hi, and this was not without its effect upon his character A little anecdote which was current in Boston o condenses the whole situation The story may be true or false,--it is very probably unfounded,--but it contains an essential truth and illustrates the character of the boy and the atrew up Ezekiel, the oldest son, and Daniel were allowed on one occasion to go to a fair in a neighboring town, and each was furnished with a little money fro, Daniel was radiant with enjoyment; Ezekiel rather silent Their mother inquired as to their adventures, and finally asked Daniel what he did with his money

”Spent it,” was the reply ”And what did you do with yours, Ezekiel?” ”Lent it to Daniel” That ansell sums up the story of Webster's ho to Daniel of their money, their ti was partly due to Webster's delicate health, but it was also in greatto his nature He was one of those rare and fortunate beings ithout exertion draw to themselves the devotion of other people, and are always surrounded by er to do and to suffer for them The boy accepted all that was showered upon him, not without an obvious sense that it was his due He took it in the royal spirit which is characteristic of such natures; but in those childish days when laughter and tears ca love with the warratitude of an earnest nature and a naturally loving heart He was never cold, or selfish, or designing Others loved him, and sacrificed to him, but he loved them in return and appreciated their sacrifices These conditions of his early days must, however, have had an effect upon his disposition and increased his belief in the fitness of having the devotion of other people as one of his regal rights and privileges, while, at the saive war

The passions for reading and play ith hie of which he was always so proud and so fond The instruction there was of good quality enough, but it was e, coh schools of the present day In the reminiscences of his fellow-students there is abundant nized by all as the foree, as easily first, with no second

Yet at the same time Mr Webster was neither a student nor a scholar in the truest sense of the words He read voraciously all the English literature he could lay his hands on, and re he read He achieved fareat deal of history He was the best general scholar in the college He was not only not deficient but he showed excellence at recitation in every branch of study He could learn anything if he tried But with all this he never gainedof Greek and still less ofe for its own sake, a zeal for learning incompatible with indolence, and a close, steady, and disinterested attention These were not the characteristics of Mr Webster's mind He had aunless he liked the subject and took pleasure in it or else was compelled to the task This is not the stuff fro mind, is made It is only fair to say that this estimate, drawn from the opinions of his fellow-students, coincided with his own, for he was too large-minded and too clear-headed to have any s hie, and with perfect truth, that his scholarshi+p was not remarkable, nor equal to what he was credited with

He explained his reputation afterthat he read carefully, meditated on what he had read, and retained it so that on any subject he was able to tell all he knew to the best advantage, and was careful never to go beyond his depth There is no better analysis of Mr

Webster's strongest qualities of e standing Rapid acquisition, quick assimilation of ideas, an ironall he knew characterized hie and the range of his mind, not the depth or soundness of his scholarshi+p, were the traits which his companions remembered One of them says that they often felt that he had athan the tutors to whom he recited, and this was probably true The Faculty of the college recognized in Webster thetherounds to award hiht by every rule to have been at his feet He had all the proreat man, but he was not a fine scholar

He was studious, punctual, and regular in all his habits He was so dignified that his friends would as soon have thought of seeing President Wheelock indulge in boyish disorders as of seeing hinity and seriousness of talk and enial coreeable conversation He had few intienerally liked as well as universally ade societies, active and successful in sports, siishness and with a wealth of wholesoe days, besides the vague feeling of students and professors that they had a them a very remarkable man, there is a clear indication that the qualities which afterwards raised him to fame and poere already apparent, and affected the little world about him All his conteift of speech, the unequalled power of statement, which were born in him, just like the musical tones of his voice, could not be repressed There was no recurrence of the diffidence of Exeter His native genius led hi the inevitable path He loved to speak, to hold the attention of a listening audience He practised off-hand speaking, but heon his subject andnotes, which, however, he never used He would enter the class-rooin in a low voice and alradually rouse himself like a lion, and pour forth his words until he had his hearers co with enthusiasm

We see too, at this tiift of bountiful nature in his coh cheek bones and dark skin, but he was still iot the look of his deep-set eyes, or the sound of the solenity of mien, and his absorption in his subject Above all they were conscious of soreatness It is not usual to dwell so much upon mere physical attributes and appearance, but we ain, for Mr Webster's personal presence was one of the great elements of his success; it was the fit coenius, and was the cause of his influence, and of the wonder and ad he ever said or did

To Mr Webster's college career belong the first fruits of his intellect

He edited, during one year, a small weekly journal, and thus eked out his slender means Besides his strictly editorial labors, he printed some short pieces of his ohich have vanished, and he also indulged in poetical effusions, which he was fond of sending to absent friends His rhymes are without any especial character, neither e verses, and they have no intrinsic value beyond showing that their author, whatever else heof this ti a real importance, has come down to us The fa ever known in the college, was noised abroad, and in the year 1800 the citizens of Hanover, the college town, asked him to deliver the Fourth of July oration In this production, which was thought of sufficient , Mr