Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince's banner Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes. A craven hung along the battle's edge,

And thought, "Had I a sword of keener steel

That blue blade that the king's son bears, --but this 5
Blunt thing!" he snapt and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.

Then came the king's son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,

And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

10

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Describe the pictures in this

happens only in "a furious battle"? Might it happen in your school or at home? How might it happen there? Tell how it might happen at a football game. Which counts for more, a fine weapon and a favorable situation or something in the spirit of the fighter which makes him willing to use whatever weapon is at hand? Which of the persons de

scribed in the poem are you?

THE GREAT DEBATE OF HAYNE AND WEBSTER IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE

JANUARY 21-27, 1830

There is no greater gift than the power by means of speech, to compel men to think, to feel, and to act. Throughout history, men who have possessed this power have been greatly honored by their peoples.

Nothing but the living truth can survive the peering eyes of time. And hence only those great orators who had not only power over men, but also true insight into the future and wholly honest, patriotic, and unselfish motives, are remembered at the present day, and still read, honored, and loved.

Three such men, in all history, stand out above all others, like sublime peaks among high mountains,

Demosthenes, the great orator of Ancient Greece;

Edmund Burke, the great Irish orator of the English parliament in the days of the American Revolution;

And Daniel Webster, the great American orator and statesman. Of the three great orators mentioned, Webster had qualities not possessed by either of the others, while in marvelous insight, clearness of thought and language, and fervor he was their equal.

Demosthenes was very homely and unimpressive in appearance, and he stammered, at least in his youth.

Burke was awkward, he had an unpleasant voice, he wore great, clumsy horn spectacles, and he was called "The Dinner Bell," because, when he rose to speak, most of his hearers got up and went to dinner.

Webster had every gift of the sublime orator, personal appearance, fine voice, great mind, clear ideas, perfect command of language, power of persuasion, great learning always at his command, and a sublime and unselfish devotion to the great truth for which he spoke. It is not improbable that, as the greatness of the institutions of the country to which he devoted his life and his sublime talents tower higher and higher in history, and as Webster's efforts to preserve those institutions grow more and more familiar to the world, he will be given first place among the world's greatest orators.

Daniel Webster was born in Salisbury, New Hampshire, in 1782, the son of a poor farmer. As a boy he read all the books he could borrow, and he could read aloud so beautifully that neighbors used to stop their teams in front of farmer Webster's house and ask "Webster's boy" to come out and read aloud to them from the Bible.

He was graduated from Dartmouth College and studied law.

After a successful practice of law and a service in the lower branch of Congress, he became United States Senator from Massachusetts, a position which he held with great honor for many years.

Daniel Webster, like all men who have done great things, concentrated all the powers of his great mind upon one idea, - the preservation of the Union of the American States.

It is hard for us now to realize that the Union of the states was ever threatened. But if you studied carefully in your United States history the time when the Constitution was framed in 1787, you will remember that two ideas were brought to the Convention, one for a strong union of the colonies, and another for a loose partnership of the colonies.

The present constitution, less the later amendments, was the result of the work of the Convention.

But the controversy did not end there. As time went on, two parties in Congress contended for and against the same two ideas. One party, headed by Webster, contended that, originally, the

234 GREAT DEBATE OF HAYNE AND WEBSTER

people had made the Constitution supreme over the states in certain matters. The other party, headed by John C. Calhoun and Robert Young Hayne of South Carolina, held that each state was "a sovereign state," and that it could declare "null and void" any law passed by Congress.

In 1830, Senator Foote of Connecticut brought forward in the United States Senate a simple resolution concerning the disposal of the public lands belonging to the government.

A debate began upon this innocent resolution, but soon turned from that subject to the greater one as to whether the Union was supreme over the states, or whether a state was "a sovereign state" and had power to disregard or nullify a national law. Thus, we may say, the great question which had been smoldering for years, blazed up in the great debate known as the "Webster-Hayne Debate," in the United States Senate, January 21-27, 1830.

It is hard for you to-day to understand the supreme importance of the question involved in this debate. The question was so great that it really amounted to this: Whether the American Union should remain a Union, with all the great future that is now a realization, or whether it should be broken up into two or possibly more separate countries?

You have read of the great contest over this question, how it terminated in a war between the states, and how the Union was finally preserved. All the parties then contending over this question are now glad that the United States remained a Union. They are doubly glad now since America, as her part in the Great World War, devoted her beliefs, her ideals, and her mighty power to winning for others the liberties she enjoys and so placed herself at the summit of greatness and goodness among the nations of the world. Speaking for the South, the lamented Henry W. Grady, of Georgia, said, "I am glad that the omniscient God held the balance of battle in His Almighty hand and that the American Union was saved from the wreck of war."

Webster's opponent in "The Great Debate "

was Robert

Young Hayne, senator from South Carolina. Senator Hayne was one of the finest, ablest, and best examples of the chivalry of the South. Like all the others who adhered to his side of the great question, he was absolutely honest and sincere. His speeches in the Great Debate were extremely able presentations of "state sovereignty." He was an orator of remarkable power. His tribute to South Carolina is a superb specimen of oratory.

We present in the two following selections only a brief extract from the speeches of each of the orators in this Great Debate. But it is to be hoped that sometime you will read the remarkable speeches in full.

Before you read the speeches, you should try to picture the the grave senators and the crowded galleries, for the news of the great debate had drawn immense crowds.

scene

-

As you read Hayne's speech, try to imagine a splendidlooking gentleman, in the full prime of thirty-eight years, as with flashing eyes and superb manner he delivers his tribute to South Carolina.

Then imagine Webster (he was at the time forty-eight years of age), with grand, commanding figure, his large, deep-set, splendid eyes aglow, as, with a voice like the deep-toned, thrilling notes of a great organ, he delivers his tribute to both South Carolina. and Massachusetts.

SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE UNION

ROBERT YOUNG HAYNE

This selection is an extract from the speech of Senator Hayne in "The Great Debate." Do not fail to note the simplicity of the language. There is hardly a word that you do not know. The reason is that men, when they are really in earnest and Senator Hayne was in deadly earnest—always use simple language.