176 Carson: Franklin 



Alliance, the Treaty of Peace and the Constitution of 

 the United States, thus aiding more than any other man 

 in building the national temple from foundation to 

 capstone. His life was so prolonged that after standing 

 by the cradle, he witnessed the marriage of American 

 liberty to Constitutional law. While writhing with the 

 pangs of death, he stretched forth a withered hand to 

 pluck the poisonous serpent of slavery from the bosom 

 of the land he loved. 



The basis of his character was like the bedrock of 

 a mountain. In its breadth, its depth and its solidity, 

 he was unapproached by any man of his day and by 

 few men of any time. His intellect was of that vast 

 and comprehensive order which entitles him to rank 

 with Bacon and Locke, with Newton and Boyle. With 

 him, " Knowledge was not a couch whereon to rest a 

 searching and restless spirit; or a terrace for a wander- 

 ing and variable mind to walk up and down with a fair 

 prospect; or a tower of state for a proud mind to raise 

 itself upon; or a sort of commanding ground for strife 

 and contention; or a shop for profit and sale; but a 

 rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the 

 relief of man's estate." He illustrated the saying of 

 Solomon that "a wise man is strong; yea, a man of 

 knowledge increaseth strength." He framed every 

 action and plan for the safety of the state and the eleva- 

 tion of her sons, with a reference to the unchanging 



