He had to bear the bitterness and agony of a long and doubtful struggle, with common weapons and against terrible odds.

He came out of it with soiled garments and with a mortal wound, but without a regret and without a memory of hate.
It was fortunate for Sumner and fortunate for the Commonwealth and the country that he had Henry Wilson for his colleague.
Wilson supplied almost everything that Sumner lacked.

I cannot undertake to tell the story of his useful life in the space at my command here.

If I were to try I should do great injustice to him and to myself.
He was a very impressive and interesting character, of many virtues, of many faults.

His faults he would have been the first to acknowledge himself.