The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-06-09
Inability to speak in Public.

- :" I'll uSS6 ana In all S0Ci6tleS-and its in
nuence has been always beneficial to man.
Aina' Men exercise certain control over
one another, something analogous to that ex-
elciSed by the heavenly bodies, on each other
unoer the principle of attraction. We all,
more OF less, regulate ourselves BY what we
suppose our fellows think of us. It's to
tnls universal principle We must refer that
perturbation of the generalityof men which
sel1es on them when they have to face and
apaieSS. ~" e a number of people--especially for
.ne nrst time, That panoramic aspect Of the
human lace divine seems to have powerful
fascination ormost men--a terrible one, for
lne sensitive or inexperiencedin public ad-
a sensitive person can brave the public
opinion one man; but when il comes out
upon him from the esess0f aco1ple OF score.
! he islost. - = = ,''-o't'
ne nesltates and stamners, and, aghaSt,
Stares Dnndly at the audience and sticks fast.
lhe finest wits have been disgraced in this
wayas the stupidest. Pope, the poet. whom
one would suppose to have been pale. aus
tere, self-sustained, mortal, could not sneak
ten consecutive words correctly in public
lie made that confession himself. tits anu
sing to hear him state that he could tell
thlng to three persons very well, but if his
audience was dozen, his polished intellect
experienced bewilderment-he did not feel
himself equal to a conversation with twelve
individuals. lie was once examined as a,
witness before the House of Lords, in the
case OF the Bishop of Rochester, and actually
made three blunders iAAn evidence of less
than twenty words, though he had merely to
state how the bishop passed his time at
b omley, and though he (the poet) cast his
eyes along the nearest bench Of peers, they
dad not venture to go farther off.-he saw
they were nearly all his personal acauaintan-
ces Then there is the French poet, Beranger,
he is even worse than Pope.
In 1913, the people elected him to the Ma.
tional Assembly for one of the departments
of the city of Paris, but it was against his
will, and he refused to sit. He was forced to
go to the Chamber nevertheless. He went
one day but would never 60 again. He then
wrote a letter to the papers, from his garret,
excuslng himself, and declaring thatto ad-
dress more than SIX people would disconcert
him, that his vocation was to be a ballad
maker, not law maker. With the grace Of
Latontaine, and philosophic wit of Voltaire,
the old man is as shy as Domino Sampson;
and those who did not know him would seem
'to have great genius for silence" as the
saying is. Erskine, the great lawyer, was
painfully unready Of speech, and SO extreme
ly embarrassed that he would have given Up
the attempt To be an orator, if he did not
think he telt as he says himself, his little
children tugging at his gown, and urging on
in spite OF his bungling and stammering.
Sheridan was, at first, poor hand at speech
making. But, said he II knew it was in
me and was determined it should come
out +" Curran was almost knocked down BY
the sound of his own voice when he first adj.
dressed his gentlemen in little room of
tavern
Cowper is another instance of extreme
bashfulness and want of presence of mind,
or whatever this infrmity may be termed. In
early life, his aristocratic family connections
had influence to procure for him the place of
clerk in the House of Lords, where his duties
would bave been little more than to stand up
and read parliamentary notices or documents
to the House, on occasion. Such was his IT,
nudity of disposition, that the idea of being
Obliged to speak before large audience ter
riied him extremely, and the thing SO work
ed on his imagination, as the time drew near
when he should begin his attendance, that he
gave way to an agony of apprehensions, and
absolutely attempted to hang himself. Rath-
er than make a figure in the eye of the pub
lie, he deliverately got rope and tried to
put an end to his mental sufferings. A ser
want entering his room as he was about to do
this dreadful business, hindered the design
His friends were informed of his condition
and the cause Of it-and his mind was re-
stored by the assurance that of course he was
not expected to do what affected him with
such repugnance. But for the old servant,
the world had wanted some immortal songs.
1t was so during the future life of this great
poet. While he lived in retirement with
Mrs Unwin, her son and daughter, he rather
avoided the company of strangers; and he
was often known in his rural walks, to leave
the road and conceal himself inside the hedge.
if he saw any one-a lady especialIy-com
ing to meet him. When the danger was past.
he would come out and proceed on his ram,
Bile.
Therefore--and this is the moral-let all
stammerers and scatter Drained members of
society console themselves under their ina
Ibility to WELD the people at will. If elo.
quence in speech is denied them, let them be
satisfied with as much of the superiority OF
mind as they possess in the non-harranguing
state, or as much as their kind friends please
to attribute to them.- Yankee Blude.