GOVERNOR LONG’S ADDRESS.
“It is but a poor tribute that even the most eloquent1 voice, least of all mine, can pay for Massachusetts to the memory of her greatest statesman, her mightiest2 intellect and her most powerful orator3. Among her sons he towers like the lonely and massive shaft4 on Bunker Hill, upon the base and the crest5 of which his name is emblazoned clearer than if chiseled6 deep in its granite7 cubes. For years he was her synonym8. Among the States he sustained her at that proud height which Winthrop and Sam Adams gave her in the colonial and provincial9 days. With what matchless grandeur10 he defended her! With what overwhelming power he impressed her convictions upon the national life! God seems to appoint men to special work, and, that done, the very effort of its achievement exhausts them, and they rise not again to the summit of their meridian11. So it was with Webster. He knows little even of written constitutions and frames of government who does not know that they exist almost less in the letter than in the interpretation12 and construction of the letter. In this light it is not too much to say that the Constitution of the United States, as it existed when it carried our country through the greatest peril13 that ever tested it, was the crystallization of the mind of Webster as well as of its original framers. It came from them and was only accepted by some of our own as a compact of States, sovereign in all but certain enumerated14 powers delegated to a central government. He made it the crucible15 of a welded union—the charter of one great country, the United States of America. He made the States a nation and enfolded them in its single banner. It was the overwhelming logic16 of his discussion, the household familiarity of his simple but irresistible17 statement, that gave us munition18 to fight the war for the preservation19 of the union and the abolition20 of slavery. It was his eloquence21, clear as crystal and precipitating22 itself in the school-books and literature of a people, which had trained up the generation of twenty years ago to regard this nation as one, to love its flag with a patriotism23 that knew no faction25 or section, to be loyal to the whole country, and to find in its Constitution power to suppress any hand or combination raised against it. The great Rebellion of 1861 went down hardly more before the cannon26 of Grant and Farragut than the thunder of Webster’s reply to Hayne. He knew not the extent of his own achievement. His greatest failure was that he rose not to the height and actual stroke of his own resistless argument, and that he lacked the sublime27 inspiration, the disentanglement and the courage to let the giant he had created go upon his errand, first of force, and then, through that, of surer peace. He had put the work and genius of more than an ordinary lifetime of service into the arching and knitting of the union, and this he could not bear to put to the final test; his great heart was sincere in the prayer that his eyes might not behold28 the earthquake that would shake it to those foundations which, though he knew it not, he had made so strong that a succeeding generation saw them stand the shock as the oak withstands the storm. Men are not gods, and it needed in him that he should rise to a moral sublimity29 and daring as lofty as the intellectual heights above which he soared with unequaled strength. So had he been godlike.
“A great man touches the heart of the people as well as their intelligence. They not only admire, they also love him. It sometimes seems as if they sought in him some weakness of our common human nature, that they may chide30 him for it, forgive it, and so endear him to themselves the more. Massachusetts had her friction31 with the younger Adams, only to lay him away with profounder honor, and to remember him devotedly32 as the defender33 of the right of petition and ‘the old man eloquent.’ She forgave the overweening conceit34 of Sumner, she revoked35 her unjust censure36 of him, and now points her youth to him in his high niche37 as the unsullied patriot24, without fear and without reproach, who stood and spoke38 for equal rights, and whose last great service was to demand and enforce his country’s just claims against the dishonorable trespass39 of the cruisers of that England he had so much admired. Massachusetts smote40, too, and broke the heart of Webster, her idol41, and then broke her own above his grave, and to-day writes his name highest upon her roll of statesmen. It seems disjointed to say that, with such might as his, the impression that comes from his face upon the wall, as from his silhouette42 upon the background of our history, is that of sadness—the sadness of the great deep eyes, the sadness of the lonely shore he loved, and by which he sleeps. The story of Webster from the beginning is the very pathos43 of romance. A minor44 chord runs through it like the tenderest note in a song. What eloquence of tears is in that narrative45, which reveals in this giant of intellectual strength the heart, the single loving heart, of a child, and in which he describes the winter sleighride up the New Hampshire hills when his father told him that, at whatever cost, he should have a college education, and he, too full to speak, while a warm glow ran all over him, laid his head upon his father’s shoulder and wept!
“The greatness of Webster and his title to enduring gratitude46 have two illustrations. He taught the people of the United States, in the simplicity47 of common understanding, the principles of the Constitution and government of the country, and he wrought48 for them, in a style of matchless strength and beauty, the literature of statesmanship. From his lips flowed the discussion of constitutional law, of economic philosophy, of finance, of international right, of national grandeur and of the whole range of high public themes, so clear and judicial49 that it was no longer discussion, but judgment50. To-day—and so it will be while the republic endures—the student and the legislator turn to the full fountain of his statement for the enunciation51 of these principles. What other authority is quoted, or holds even the second or third place? Even his words have imbedded themselves in the common phraseology, and come to the tongue like passages from the Psalms52 or the poets. I do not know that a sentence or a word of Sumner’s repeats itself in our every-day parlance53. The exquisite54 periods of Everett are recalled like the consummate55 work of some master of music, but no note or refrain sings itself over and over again to our ears. The brilliant eloquence of Choate is like the flash of a bursting rocket, lingering upon the retina indeed after it has faded from the wings of the night, but as elusive56 of our grasp as spray-drops that glisten57 in the sun. The fiery58 enthusiasm of Andrews did, indeed, burn some of his heart-beats forever into the sentiment of Massachusetts; but Webster made his language the very household words of a nation. They are the library of a people. They inspired and still inspire patriotism. They taught and still teach loyalty59. They are the school-book of the citizen. They are the inwrought and accepted fiber60 of American politics. If the temple of our republic shall ever fall, they will ‘still live’ above the ground like those great foundation stones in ancient ruins, which remain in lonely grandeur, unburied in the dust that springs to turf over all else, and making men wonder from what rare quarry61 and by what mighty62 force they came. To Webster, as to few other men, is it due that to-day, wherever a son of the United States, at home or abroad, ‘beholds the gorgeous ensign of the republic, now known and honored throughout the earth, still full high advanced, its arms and trophies63 streaming in their original luster64, not a stripe erased65 or polluted, nor a single star obscured,’ he can utter a prouder boast than, Civis Romanus sum. For he can say, I am an American citizen.”
As a fitting pendant to this eloquent tribute I quote a portion of the address of Mr. Winthrop, whose name, personally and by inheritance, makes him one of the most eminent66 sons of Massachusetts:
“And, after all, Mr. President, what are all the fine things which have ever been said of him, or which ever can be said of him, to-night or a hundred years hence, compared with the splendid record which he has left of himself as an advocate in the courts, as a debater in the Senate, as an orator before the people? We do not search out for what was said about Pericles or Demosthenes or Cicero or Burke. It is enough for us to read their orations67. There are those, indeed, who may justly desire to be measured by the momentary68 opinions which others have formed and expressed about them. There are not a few who may well be content to live on the applauses and praises which their efforts have called forth69 from immediate70 hearers and admirers. They will enjoy at least a reflected and traditional fame. But Webster will always stand safest and strongest on his own showing. His fame will be independent of praise or dispraise from other men’s lips. He can be measured to his full altitude, as a thinker, a writer, a speaker, only by the standard of his own immortal71 productions. That masterly style, that pure Saxon English, that clear and cogent72 statement, that close and clinching73 logic, that power of going down to the depths and up to the heights of any great argument, letting the immaterial or incidental look out for itself, those vivid descriptions, those magnificent metaphors74, those thrilling appeals—not introduced as mere75 ornaments76 wrought out in advance, and stored up for an opportunity of display, but sparkling and blazing out in the very heat of an effort, like gems77 uncovering themselves in the working of a mine—these are some of the characteristics which will secure for Webster a fame altogether his own, and will make his works a model and a study, long after most of those who have praised him, or who have censured78 him, shall be forgotten.
“What if those six noble volumes of his were obliterated79 from the roll of American literature and American eloquence! What if those great speeches, recently issued in a single compendious80 volume, had no existence! What if those consummate defenses of the Constitution and the union had never been uttered, and their instruction and inspiration had been lost to us during the fearful ordeal81 to which that Constitution and that union have since been subjected? Are we quite sure that we should have had that Constitution as it was, and the union as it is, to be fought for, if the birth we are commemorating82 had never occurred—if that bright Northern Star had never gleamed above the hills of New Hampshire? Let it be, if you please, that its light was not always serene83 and steady. Let it be that mist and clouds sometimes gathered over its disk, and hid its guiding rays from many a wistful eye. Say even, if you will, that to some eyes it seemed once to be shooting madly from its sphere. Make every deduction84 which his bitterest enemies have ever made for any alleged85 deviation86 from the course which he had marked out for it by others, or which it seemed to have marked out for itself, in its path across the sky. Still, still there is radiance and glory enough left, as we contemplate87 its whole golden track, to make us feel and acknowledge that it had no fellow in our firmament88.”
The End
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1 eloquent | |
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 | |
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2 mightiest | |
adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 );巨大的;强有力的;浩瀚的 | |
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3 orator | |
n.演说者,演讲者,雄辩家 | |
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4 shaft | |
n.(工具的)柄,杆状物 | |
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5 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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6 chiseled | |
adj.凿刻的,轮廓分明的v.凿,雕,镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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7 granite | |
adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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8 synonym | |
n.同义词,换喻词 | |
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9 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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10 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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11 meridian | |
adj.子午线的;全盛期的 | |
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12 interpretation | |
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理 | |
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13 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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14 enumerated | |
v.列举,枚举,数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 crucible | |
n.坩锅,严酷的考验 | |
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16 logic | |
n.逻辑(学);逻辑性 | |
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17 irresistible | |
adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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18 munition | |
n.军火;军需品;v.给某部门提供军火 | |
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19 preservation | |
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持 | |
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20 abolition | |
n.废除,取消 | |
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21 eloquence | |
n.雄辩;口才,修辞 | |
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22 precipitating | |
adj.急落的,猛冲的v.(突如其来地)使发生( precipitate的现在分词 );促成;猛然摔下;使沉淀 | |
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23 patriotism | |
n.爱国精神,爱国心,爱国主义 | |
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24 patriot | |
n.爱国者,爱国主义者 | |
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25 faction | |
n.宗派,小集团;派别;派系斗争 | |
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26 cannon | |
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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27 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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28 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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29 sublimity | |
崇高,庄严,气质高尚 | |
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30 chide | |
v.叱责;谴责 | |
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31 friction | |
n.摩擦,摩擦力 | |
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32 devotedly | |
专心地; 恩爱地; 忠实地; 一心一意地 | |
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33 defender | |
n.保卫者,拥护者,辩护人 | |
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34 conceit | |
n.自负,自高自大 | |
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35 revoked | |
adj.[法]取消的v.撤销,取消,废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 censure | |
v./n.责备;非难;责难 | |
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37 niche | |
n.壁龛;合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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38 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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39 trespass | |
n./v.侵犯,闯入私人领地 | |
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40 smote | |
v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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41 idol | |
n.偶像,红人,宠儿 | |
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42 silhouette | |
n.黑色半身侧面影,影子,轮廓;v.描绘成侧面影,照出影子来,仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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43 pathos | |
n.哀婉,悲怆 | |
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44 minor | |
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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45 narrative | |
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的 | |
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46 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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47 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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48 wrought | |
v.引起;以…原料制作;运转;adj.制造的 | |
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49 judicial | |
adj.司法的,法庭的,审判的,明断的,公正的 | |
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50 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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51 enunciation | |
n.清晰的发音;表明,宣言;口齿 | |
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52 psalms | |
n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 );圣诗;圣歌;(中的) | |
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53 parlance | |
n.说法;语调 | |
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54 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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55 consummate | |
adj.完美的;v.成婚;使完美 [反]baffle | |
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56 elusive | |
adj.难以表达(捉摸)的;令人困惑的;逃避的 | |
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57 glisten | |
vi.(光洁或湿润表面等)闪闪发光,闪闪发亮 | |
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58 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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59 loyalty | |
n.忠诚,忠心 | |
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60 fiber | |
n.纤维,纤维质 | |
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61 quarry | |
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 | |
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62 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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63 trophies | |
n.(为竞赛获胜者颁发的)奖品( trophy的名词复数 );奖杯;(尤指狩猎或战争中获得的)纪念品;(用于比赛或赛跑名称)奖 | |
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64 luster | |
n.光辉;光泽,光亮;荣誉 | |
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65 erased | |
v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;清除 | |
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66 eminent | |
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
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67 orations | |
n.(正式仪式中的)演说,演讲( oration的名词复数 ) | |
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68 momentary | |
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的 | |
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69 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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70 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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71 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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72 cogent | |
adj.强有力的,有说服力的 | |
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73 clinching | |
v.(尤指两人)互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的现在分词 );解决(争端、交易),达成(协议) | |
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74 metaphors | |
隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 ) | |
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75 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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76 ornaments | |
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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77 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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78 censured | |
v.指责,非难,谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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79 obliterated | |
v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 );涂去;擦掉;彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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80 compendious | |
adj.简要的,精简的 | |
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81 ordeal | |
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验 | |
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82 commemorating | |
v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 ) | |
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83 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
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84 deduction | |
n.减除,扣除,减除额;推论,推理,演绎 | |
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85 alleged | |
a.被指控的,嫌疑的 | |
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86 deviation | |
n.背离,偏离;偏差,偏向;离题 | |
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87 contemplate | |
vt.盘算,计议;周密考虑;注视,凝视 | |
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88 firmament | |
n.苍穹;最高层 | |
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