[Boston—Thursday, 24 April 1873]
April 24. Prof. & Mrs Sanborn of Hanover (Dartmouth College) dined here; his first wife was a niece of Daniel Webster and he told us a touching incident connected with that great man. Soon after Prof. Sanborn’s marriage with the daughter of Ezekiel Webster, Daniel’s favorite if not his only brother, Daniel Webster made a magnificent dinner at his fine house in Boston and invited his brother with Prof. S. and his wife. In the middle of the entertainment Daniel leaned over the table and said “’Zekiel, do you think we shall live through this!” and then recalled to his mind how when they were boys and had been hard at work all day they came home hungry as hornets to find their mother had nothing in the house for them to eat but a cake made of potatoes into which she had put all the meal there was in the bowl which was little enough and baked for their supper. As they crept tired off to bed after their frugal meal Ezekiel said to his brother “Daniel do you think we shall live through this?” It was striking enough to hear the story recalled at such a time.
He also recalled one of Sydney Smith which we had never heard before. Some people, who were surprised at the small stature of Sir John Russell when he came to speak in a country town, said to S.S. “So that [is] Lord John why we thought he was a large fine looking man.” “So he was, before he had so much on his mind” said S.S. “the weight of affairs has caused him to shrink.”
