OK, who said this:
“The love of money is the ruling passion in this country….While this holds everything in its grip, America will produce few great characters in the sciences and arts. We have no patronage for genius. No reward for merit. Money is the chief good. Every heart sighs for it.”
Donald Trump in a lecture on getting real, right?
Bill Gates on why he likes having more of it than almost anyone else?
Some poor, bitter, starving artist?
Nope.
Daniel Webster, and don’t you forget it.
For more nuggets from one of American history’s greatest orators, go to Francis W. Parker School at 330 W. Webster at 5 p.m. next Wednesday. The most acclaimed historian of the Jacksonian era, Robert V. Remini, professor emeritus from the University of Chicago, will address a most provocative question:
“Could Daniel Webster be elected in 2000?”
(One guess: Not on your life. Too loose in his personal matters, what with borrowing money he never paid back, political conniving and, some historians hint, a penchant for the ladies.)
This is all part of the kickoff for the 8th annual Chicago Humanities Festival, the theme of which is “Work and Play.”
The author, who is scheduled to start talking at 6 p.m., knows everything about the subject, having written the book “The Life and Times of Daniel Webster.”
You can have all the qualms you wish about Webster’s electability, but qualms won’t get you in to the free event. You need reservations for that. So call 312-422-5585, ext. 230, to get a seat.
