Their cordiality was fully reciprocated. "He is
amazingly tickled with the Yankees," reports a fellow traveler more
noted for veracity than for elegance of speech, "and the more he sees
on 'em, the better he likes 'em. 'No nullification here,' says he.
'No,' says I, 'General; Mr. Calhoun would stand no more chance down
east than a stumped-tail bull in fly time.'"
To the infinite disgust of John Quincy Adams, Harvard University
conferred upon the distinguished visitor the honorary degree of doctor
of laws. In the course of the ceremony one of the seniors delivered,
in Latin, a salutatory concluding with the words: "Harvard welcomes
Jackson the President. She embraces Jackson the Patriot." "A splendid
compliment, sir, a splendid compliment," declared the honored guest
after Woodbury had translated the phrases for his benefit; "but why
talk about so live a thing as patriotism in a dead language?" At the
close of the exercises the students filed past the President and were
introduced to him, each greeting him, "to the infinite edification and
amusement of the grizzly old warrior," by his new title _Doctor_
Jackson.
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