Case of every college.

Pathetic appeal.

auditory, and that in the few pathetic sentences, with which he closed his argument, he so wrought upon the feelings of his hearers that he left them

observed that Judge Story, at the opening of the case, had prepared himself, pen in hand, as if to take copious minutes. Hour after hour I saw him fixed in the same attitude, but, so far as I could perceive, with not a note on his paper. The argument closed, and I could not discover that he had taken a single note. Others around me remarked the same thing, and it was among the on dits of Washington, that a friend spoke to him of the fact with surprise, when the judge remarked, "Every thing was so clear, and so easy to remember, that not a note seemed necessary, and, in fact, I thought little or nothing about my notes." The argument ended. Mr. Webster stood for some moments silent before the court, while every eye was fixed intently upon him. At length, addressing the Chief Justice, Marshall, be proceeded thus:-" This, sir, is my case. It is the case, not merely of that humble institution, it is the case of every college in our land. It is more. It is the case of every eleemosynary institution throughout our country-of all those great charities founded by the piety of our ancestors to alleviate human misery, and scatter blessings along the pathway of life. It is more. It is, in some sense, the case of every man among us who has property of which he may be stripped; for the question is simply this: shall our State Legislatures be allowed to take that which is not their own, to turn it from its original use, and apply it to such ends or purposes as they, in their discretion, shall see fit? Sir, you may destroy this little institution; it is weak; it is in your hands! I know it is one of the lesser lights in the literary horizon of our country. You may put it out. But if you do so, you must carry through your work. You must extinguish, one after another, all those great lights of science which, for more than a century, have thrown their radiance over our land.

"It is, sir, as I have said, a small college. And yet, there are those who love it."

Here the feelings which he had thus far succeeded in keeping down,

Words of tenderness.

Emotion of the judges.

Scene for a painter.

and even that grave bench of judges, moved with the strongest emotions, and eyes suffused with tears.

It was my lot to have heard Mr. Webster but once.

broke forth. His lips quivered; his firm cheeks trembled with emo. tion; his eyes were filled with tears; his voice choked, and he seemed struggling to the utmost, simply to gain that mastery over himself which might save him from an unmanly burst of feeling. I will not attempt to give you the few broken words of tenderness in which he went on to speak of his attachment to the college. The whole seemed to be mingled throughout with the recollections of father, mother, brother, and all the trials and privations through which he had made his way into life. Every one saw that it was wholly unpremeditated, a pressure on his heart, which sought relief in words and tears. The court-room, during these two or three minutes, presented an extraordinary spectacle. Chief Justice Marshall, with his tall, gaunt figure, bent over as if to catch the slightest whisper, the deep furrows of his cheek expanded with emotion, and eyes suffused with tears; Mr. Justice Washington at his side, with his small and emaciated frame, and countenance more like marble than I ever saw on any other human being-leaning forward with an eager, troubled look; and the remainder of the court, at the two extremities, pressing, as it were, towards a single point, while the audience below wero wrapping themselves round in closer folds beneath the bench to catch each look, and every movement of the speaker's face. If a painter could give us the scene on canvas-those forms and countenances, and Daniel Webster as he then stood in the midst, it would be one of the most touching pictures in the history of eloquence. One thing it taught me, that the pathetic depends not merely on the words uttered, but still more on the estimate we put upon him who utters them. There was not one among the strong-minded men of that assembly who could think it unmanly to weep, when he saw, standing before him, the man who had made such an argument melted into the tenderness of a child.

Mr. Webster had now recovered his composure, and fixing hig

Alma Mater.

Personal recollection of Mr. Webster.

He had been secured by a "Library Association" to deliver an address. The occasion was one of simply ordinary interest—the usual weekly lecture. But long before the time announced, the spacious hall was filled to overflowing. I was so fortunate as to secure a favorable seat, and waited patiently for hours that I might fully satisfy the desire of seeing and hearing the American Cicero. At a few moments before eight o'clock the side door opened, and a hale, well-formed man, something past the meridian of life, advanced unattended to the platform, which he mounted with a ready step, and advancing a few paces, retaining a kid glove upon the left hand in which he held his hat, he bowed gracefully to the audience, and retired to a sofa. Daniel Webster was before us! The grace and noble bearing of the man upon his entrance, which seemed to sit so easily

keen eye on the Chief Justice, said, in that deep tone with which he sometimes thrilled the heart of an audience:-"Sir, I know not how others may feel," (glancing at the opponents of the college before him,) "but, for myself, when I see my alma mater surrounded, like Cæsar in the senate-house, by those who are reiterating stab upon stab, I would not, for this right hand, have her turn to me, and say, Et tu, quoque, mi fili! And thou, too, my son !" He sat down. There was a deathlike stillness throughout the room for some moments; every one seemed to be slowly recovering himself, and coming gradually back to his ordinary range of thought and feeling-Choate's Eulogy on Duniel Webster, page 35. Incident communicated by Dr. Chauncey A. Goodrich.

Emphatically a man.

The Constitution.

His voice.

upon him, produced a favorable impression. The thought that came to my mind, as we were greeted with the bow, was, that if a being from another world were to come upon this earth and desire to see a specimen of the race, here is the individual I would present,-in form-in features--in full-souled bearing, so entirely a man. As he arose to speak, I could observe him more minutely. His cheeks were ruddy, his eye was clear and bright, his dress was simple but tasteful-a blue coat, a buff vest and black pants,his usual dress for a public occasion. His hair, thin and sprinkled with the frosts of age, was brushed back as represented in the pictures.

His subject was the Constitution, that instrument which he first read, when a boy, printed upon his pocket handkerchief, and the theme which of all others he most delighted to speak about. The discourse was entirely extempore, and was mainly devoted to a history of the formation of the Constitution, and the opinions entertained of it by the framers. There was nothing particularly striking or original in the matter. Yet there were many facts which he had learned from the mouths of the men who took part in those grave deliberations, which were deeply interesting, and at times held the audience breathless. His voice was bold and majestic, like the full-toned bell of some lofty tower. It was

Eulogy of Adams and Jefferson.

"Sink or Swim."

the voice which could represent our race. But there was something in that presence which no pen can describe a majesty which we attach to kings and emperors. Sometimes he faltered for an instant, and when the precise word or thought would not come at his bidding, that noble eye would invariably roll up in the socket as if in search, and he would pass his hand over his forehead as though to arouse it. His countenance rarely changed-lofty and majestic like the fabled countenance of Jove in the halls of the gods. Every feature was lit up with the brightness of a great mind filled with generous thoughts.

Once only during the discourse a smile was seen to play upon his countenance. The occasion of it was this: in that part of his lecture in which he alluded to Adams and Jefferson, he said that at their death he had, at the request of his fellow-citizens, delivered a eulogy; and in that part which referred to Mr. Adams,—that he might inspire it with life,he was desirous of introducing his speech on the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As Congress sat in secret session at that time, and no speeches were reported, the remarks of Mr. Adams were lost. He accordingly composed and inserted in the eulogy, what he thought Mr. Adams would be likely to have said, beginning, "Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration."