Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-05-11
ALEXANDRIA:
SATURDAY, NAY NJ
HON. SAMUEL D<XTEg

the melancholy lhtel'lgehce OF the de,R
,f the Hon. Samuel Dexter, the Ss saa
cratic candidate for the office Of Goys sV'
,rof Massachusetts. Tie sudden w y
oarture of a man who +" filed so Iarn w.
share in his country's eye" is calculsstt.,,
to admonish us, how comparativel, -
| Hing are the honors of this world. xS -
set in opposition to that awful cb,ns'
| that awaits US in the midst of this turts
jlent career. lie is now removed f,;ss
| the dusty region of political contest
Hike insensible to ceasure, or te rane,r
|ric. !"
The eio9uence Of this eminent orst,
possessed native and t US an irresi>..
Eble charm. 1t was an eloquence model.
lied on the subject which he had under.
taken to illustrate, explain, Or to enforce
Where cool, dispassionate and Iunj.
nous argument was req .ired, tile orator
was cool, dispassionate and luminous,
He arrested attention in the first place
lby his calm and collected manner, and
having once taken us captive by bis pow.
e:tul spells, he led us through all the in.
ltricate mazes of his ,unent, With 50
familiar hand, that he tmed ratherb
follow us than to be the .ide OF our foO..
steps: whenever pa.hos was required,
lour bosoms were taken BY storm, befCn
we were apprized Of the assault. Kess
yering from bis powerful shock, we found
ourselves accompanying this enshsrtst
on the plain even ground of arguments.
gain, who seemed to be utterly unsvn.
scious of tie might which he had 50 re.
CO ntIy put forth, or more properly topper.
,uade as that he himself had M agency
In all this transaction. tle made bis al.
|dience believe, while he chained them
to their seats. that he was no orator,
that it was not the orator, bat the ellen.
who was telling " a plain and an unya..
|nished tale" While we saw and felt,
and breathed the atmcspn ere of his yeni.
us, we were insensi5ie of it, bat by,heet
fects which it wrought upon our sep.es.
Ha displayed no unnatural warmth;
there was no rising above, or falling be.
low the subject; no turbulent violence
of manner. He unclaimed cur reasOAiH:
faculties in the FIST instance, cid thea
with those powerful auxi.iaIies he ap.
preached the heart that seemed, whenso
assaulted, TO surrender at discretion
His language was remarkable fer its els'
gant and perspicuOus simplicity, ovei
which his slow and deliberate denuuela.
ten gave him an absolute command.
Whatever the subject was, he always had
the happy address to persuade his audi
ence, that they were perfectly at home,
We now reeoIIect an anecdote that vii
serve to explain the peculiar characte,
of the orators eioqueDce. The adverse
council had persuaded the jury again and
again, to be upon their guard against the
srtiul wiles of his antagonist, and Dir.
Dexter rose in reply, under all the dis.
advantages which those suspicious eScit.
I'd. He began BY Informing the jarI
hat he had no pretensions to eloquenes'
they would find him, he said, PLAN
nan, incapable even if he had the wish
% impose upon their judgments. and the
apparent sincerity and simplicity ofhii
manner, won the confidence of the jury.
After this preparatory Iodemeht was
made in their feelings, the willy orator
poured all the strength Of his mind thrO'
hat subtle channel, and the arguments
he eloquence and the case of his oppo.
TENT were gone, before the jury were
ensible of the change themselves. Eve
y man cfthe jury rose from hi. seat wl'o
firm conviction that Dexter was nOtao
rator, for he had the consumDate ATTIC
ersuade them that he was not, andtbs9
iscredited, utterly diseredited, the sN'
Iencs Of their own senses.
He nesar snatched verdict from the
ands o The jury; it was rendered .
is acceptance. Another premnein,,
oiptin his eloquenee was, that he coula-
ither adopta close or wide range OF ar
ument, as suited his purpose. II pc
edent was fave. able to the clause Of o.,
lient, it possessed sort of sanctty nu
0 be approached without awe; i va
he safe guard of property ard OF r'sns
nd the jury we're warned not to 'o's'
he consecrated landmark. II the pre-
edent was unfavorable, then the reason
the thing came in play; general pI'att
iples were urged with all the force u
is eloquence, to which this solitary PR. prs.
edent was hostile, this stain on the ts'
utcheofi of justice, which the jury YER
nplored to wipe away. TIE mid o
|exter never staggered ander mass q
and cumberous metaphors
lustrasIon was required-the metSPn"
.o.1 Ia Il r,nnn dHu W.