The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-02-22
Conversational Powers ofGreat TIen

Qunebaug Conn, Jan I, 1851.
Conversational Powers ofIreat Tien.
/ The late Wm, IIaztt, man gifted with great
powers of observation and expression, was of O.
pinlon that authors and actors We're not fitted.
generally speaking To shine in conversation An
thorS ought to be read and not heard = aud a. to
actors, they could not speak tragedies in the draw,
/ ny room, ana their Wit WIS likely TO be comedy
and farce at II second hand. The biography Of
men Of letters, in great measure confirms ths
olhninH; some of the greatest names in English
AMI French literature, Iueu who have filed books
with an eioquence and truth that defy oblivion,
were mere nlutes before their fellow men They
had golden ingots which III the privacy Of home
they could convert into coin bearing an impress
/ that would insure universal curl encv : but they
could not on the spur OF the moment, produce tie
/ hthngs current iR the market place Dcscartes
! the famous mathematician and philosopher La.
Forntaine celebrated for his witty fables, and
Button, the great naturalist, were all singularly
dehclent IN tine powers of conversation. Mar
Inontel, the novelist was sn dull in society tha,
his friend SAID Of him. nfter an interview, II ingSt
20 and read his taies, Ia rccOmpense my self for
the WEAKNESS of hearing him."
A. to Cnrneille. the greatest dramatist of
France, he WAS completely lost IN secietv--so nb.
sent and embarrassed that ho wrote of himself a
witty coupIct, importing that be- WAS never intel.
lIgible but through the mouth Of another Wit
ON paper seems to be something widely different
from that play Of wo'ds il conversation which,
while it sparkles, dies for Charles II tho WITH.
est monarch that ever sat on the English throne
was 50 charmed with "Ilulibras" that he caused
hlmSeI 10 be introduced. in the character Of a
private gentleman, Ia Butler, its author The
witty KING found the author very dull compan.
non, and was Of opinion, with others that 20 stu.
plI fellow conld never have written so clever n
book. Addison whose classic elegance Of styla
has long been considered the best model for
Young writers, was shy and absent in society
preserving, even before single stranger, stint and
digniticd silence
He was accustomed 10 say there could be no
real conversation but between two rcrsois
frlends--and that it was then thinking aloud
Steel, Swift Pope aud Congreva, men possessing
literary and conversational powcrs ofthe highest
order, allowed him to have been delightful com.
panion among inmatcs-and Young writes Of him
tLa'"he WAS rather mute in society on some occa.
slons but when he began to be company, he was
full Of yiSacity, aud went on in n noble strain of
thought aud language, so aS 10 chain the attention
Of every one TO him Goldsmith. On tn, contra
. =
lSsrcd in company to have no spark Of that zen
lus which shone forth 50 brightly 10 lis works
/ His address awkward, his rnaurlrr uncouth Ian.
! gage unpublished; he hestated in speaking. and
was always unhappy If the conversation did not
turn upon himself DR.. johnson smoke Of him rs
an inspired idiot; yet the great essnyist though
d 'lNerIng Oracles TO those around him in porlp.
ous phrases, which have been happily described
as spoken 10 the JohnSUncse tongue was not emit.
tied 10 he called good converser
/ Near to our own time, we have had many M.
t'lors whose faculty told twice sheridan u,II
Theodore Hook were fellows uf infinite lost
they could set table in a roar, and fill pages
with pathos and wit Of such quality that j,
makes their survivors thni. I'VE could have
spared better men Burns was f,mou, for hi,
colIoqulal powers and Gait il reported to have
been ~ skilfn rs the story tcllcrs of the East in
liking the attention Of his auditors on his prolonr.
cd ntrraon' Coeridge was in the habit of
pouring forth brilliant mhrukcn monUloyues Of
two or three hours duration, to listeners 50 en-.
clnnted that, like Adam, whose ears were filed
with the cloguence of an archangcl they forgot
all pladc-all seasons AMI TIER change. but
this was not conversation, and fsw might ven.
ture to emulate that old man eloquent with
hopes to equal success
! S''' ii''"S' III tle account ne ias gwen
OF his visit to Abbotstord saws of Sir Walter
Scott, that his conversation was frank. henrty
picturesque and dramatic He never talked for
effect or display, but from the flow Of his spirits
the stores Of hls memory and the ,isor Of HI.
imagination. He was II. good listener a, u
tnlker; appreciated every tim, that other. -1il
however humble might he their rank aud prctcp.
slons, and was quick To testify hs PERCEPTION #
any point IN their discussion. 30 one. ropeprp.
no ones thoughts and opinions, no ono, tastes
aud pleasures seemed beneath hin. lie mad.
himself so thoroughly the companion Of those
with whom he happened to be, that they forgot
for time his vast superiuli,y and only rrcollec.
ted and wondered, when all was over. that i, was
Scott with whom they had been ON such hmi,iar
terms, in whose society they had felt 81 perfectly
at case Ch4misi' Jo.rpal