Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-04-30
THE ELoauEScE OF PHILLIPS.
TContinuea.

friend Finlay, into high and just ridicule
and exposes with poignant satire a
standard of criticism which Finlay en-
deavor, to establish, in order by 1t to
prove his friend Phillips's pretSnsions to
a high rank among orators.
"To juries and public assemblies a.
lone (says this sage advocate,-fi"iaH,
in his preface to his friends speeches.
the following speeches have been ad-
dressed !; and IT is BY ascertain'ng their
effect on these assemblies or juries' that
the merit of this writer should in justice
be measured" .
We are anxious (says the Edinburgh
Reviewer, upon this passase) to pro'eS'
ADAMS, the new canon of criticism whicn
these gentlemen would introduce and
which. il adopted, would at once put d"
end to all class cal eloquence. Success
with a Jury or a mob, IT seems Is inc
criterion Of good oratcry. Now we ven
4u,a IN assert that no worse criterion can
he conceived for every one who Knows
any thing OF those audiences-(v'z' MODS
and juries} is aware thai hey are liable
to be led away BY the glare OF the worst
style of speaking,-althoush we have no
manner Of doubt that the purest and most
chas,e oratory, if adapted to the occa
sion, would always ensure a still gtea'-
er success even with the multitude"
OF Che ten speeches contained IN TINS
volume, proceed, the Reviewer, hive were
delivered at dinners ard other public
meetings, and five in courts OF justice -
But the style of all is exactly the same;
and indeed there is nothing in Mr.. Phil
lips's speeches more 70 be remarked than
their surprising uniformity. 1t almost
amounts to repetition il is SO very
perfect and exact that you can always
tell beforehand. how he is to g' on when
he has begun with topic. He proceeus
as it he worked BY a particular recelph
MECHANICALLY and the worst oil 1t is mat
he uses the same receipts whatever be
his object. The perfection Of orafory' ne
seems to think, consists in pouring out
without any selection, a multitude OF
images, 10 language always cpl gram'"a-
tic. whether the ideas It conveys be so
or not. The inject which ought t" be IN
view is perpetualIy sacrificed o what IS
no doubt. the real purpose of all these
speechrs-the saying something gaudy or
striking; and Mr.. Phillips has but one
way Of saving it. w may open the book
At random. Thus Of the Pope he SAYS,
"Placpd at the very pinnacle OF hu-
man elevation, .urrounded BY the PomP
of the Vatican and the splrndors OF he
court, pouring the mandates OF christ
from the throne of the Gears. aaii"ns
wer. his subjects, kings were his c"mPa-
Mons, religion was his handmade ne
went forth gorgeous With the accu"uist
ed dignity Of as IS, every knee bending
and every eye blessing the prince OF one
world and the prophet of,auother. Have
we not seen him in one moment h''
crown crumbled, his sceptre reed HI
throne a shadow, his home a dungeon -
ct Bonaparss.
"The goal Of other mems speed wa
his starting post; crowns we're his p'a.
things-thrones his fo"tstool; he strod
from victory to victory; his path was
p plane of continued elevations"
OF Ferdinand.
GA wretch Of even worse than pro
verbal princely ing9atitude; who bile
his dungeons aud fed his rack with tn
heroic remnant that braved war and ia
mine and massacre beneath his banner
who rewarded patriotism with the prison
fidelity with the torture, heroism wi,
the scaffoid, and piety with the inqu's
ton; whose ROYALTY was published by tn
signal OF lis death warrants, and who's
religion evaporated in the e'nbroideriu
of petticoats for the blessed Virgia!"
OF a bigot generally, we are told TIT
he is