The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-06-05

drilling his recruits TO charge certain posts
dressed up with flowing robes and .urbans
like Turkish soldiers:
CHE made no answer, but took the city.n
Mr.. Monroe made no answer, but be
provided an army which swept every thing
before it. He knew men we'll, and he
rarely failed to make good selection
Under his auspices the country recovered
from its humiliation, and New Orleans soon
followed.
Though no orator, Nj. NJ. was, never.
'heless, listened TO with great respect in
he convention. And he was entitled to
be thus listened to. He had filed the
highest Offices, had been twice elected
President Of the United States, and had
conducted one Of the most successful ad.
ministrations the country had ever known
10 spite Of his embarrassed manner and
awkward delivery, these facts denoted him
TO be no ordinary man, and his fame had
ALREADY been placed beyond the reach Of
accident.
DODDRIDGE.
Among the most eminent of the conven-
ton was the great western orator, Philip
Doddridge.
Mr.. Doddridge has been called, perhaps
with too little reflection, the Patrick Henry
of western Virginia. We say with too lit.
lie reflection; for if halt that is said Of Pat
rick Henry be true, It is doubtful whether
The world ever, il is certain that Virgins
never, saw either his equal or his like. Blu,
there were in these two extraordinary men
many points OF resemblance. Each may
claim for himself the title accorded to one
Of them, that Of the ''fores,- born Demos,he
nes." Each had matured in solitude the
fruit Of those reflections, the germ of which
mad been planted by the hand of the Crea
t'r. Each drew his inspiration from thai
source which the favorite of nature never
finds exhausted. In knowledge Of men
md of the means Of reaching their hearts
the great eastern orator remains, and mus
iprever remain, without an equal, at leas,
mong those who profess the art of which
he was the master. But the eloquence Of
Mr. Doddridge was, like his. an imitation
f no man. ], was derived only from his
awn mind, and it ceased with him. Lik.
Patrick Henry, he remains alike inmitabl.
tnd nnimiated.
The language Of Mr.. Doddridge, with al
its impetuosity. was remarkable for its cas
sicsl purity. He violated no rule Of gram
mar or Of philoogy in giving vent to hi.
powerful aud i'm m)assioned thoughts. Nc
rhetorician could find the sligh,es, flaw
li,er the most rigid scrntinv, in the texture
# his imagery, the congrnitv of his figures
ar the consistency Of his argument. The
stream Of his eloqnence resemhled one oI
his native mountain torrents-small in the
beginning ng-gshering volume as it pro
gresses-sweeping all obstacles before il ri
il rolls along as clear md as iranspar
en', in the full majesty of its irresistible
strength. as the crystal fountain in which
| it had its origin. We have never seen an,
person who had words more entirely al
command, or whose words were more in
lissoluhiv welded to the meaning the,
we're designed to convey. We have never
thought Of his stvle of speaking within the
ns, few ye,rs without being irresistibl,
reminded Of the distinction which Charles
James Fox, the most candid and least en-
yions Of men. drew between his own ora
tory and that Of his great rival. 81" said
he, scan ALWAYS find word; but Pitt al
wavs finds the word" So it was with Mr.
Doddridge. He nlwavs used the word
The rery word, which of all others was bes,
suited to the occasion, and he picked it ur
without the slightest embarrassment, OF
The most mnmentarv hesitation. In this
respect he differed from the large majority
Of our orators. who as class were api,
described bv the celebrated General Black
burn in figure which, though applied b,
him 10 an individual, admits Of verv wide
application. "The gentleman" he said
"reminds me Of a carpenter, who has al
his tools spread before him; but, with :
strange ignorance Of his trade, when b.
wishes 10 bore hole he catches up {
hroadaxe."
There was no man in all that conven
,ion whose great mental and moral quail
ties. in spite Of a single weakness, which
greatly impaired his usefulness. more thor
onehlv commanded the respect Of frient
land Zoe. On one occasion, 1--WE have beer
told, Gor we we're no, presently thew drew
forth an eloquent encomium from Johr
Randolph, with all his genius, the least to'
Grant Of men. In spite Of The ex,speraiiol
which existed between the two sections O
the State, land it At one time mounted 81
thigh that separation was openly spoken Of.
he retained the respect, and. j, is believed
even the regard Of all. His heart was il
the right place. and was in everv respec
worthy Of the noble intellect with which
God had endowed him. II is so rare ,
hing TO behold great mental endowment:
United with high moral worth, that iht
most bigoted Of mankind are compelled 4
Ipav homage to him in whose person the,
IRE found.
The West has grent cause to he proud o
Philip D,ddridge. He was n child of ,hei
'wn raising--a specimen, and noble one
&c the western man in the ne rest ap
proach 10 perfection ,ht can he a,laine'
rs high moral and intellectual culture b.
-lowed upon great natural abilities. Mex
to Chapman Johnson. he was the ablesi o
II their champions, and we doubt, indeed