Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-01-09
THE EIoauEHcE OF HON. GERRrr SMITH


Ed. Era.
THE EIoaUENCE OF HON GERRT SMITH.
The source Of the power Of an orator over
his auditors is a thing that has never been de-
scribed The presence of the orator can alone
reveal it, His language may be written down
and printed, word for word as he delivers 1T, and
vet fail to impress the reader with more than
ordinary emotions; but wc can only attempt to
describe the looks, the gestures, the tones, and
the modnlations, of the speaker.
When Gerrit Smith arose to address the
House in an impromptn manner, few days
ago. after Messrs. Smith, of Alabama, and
Smith, Of Virginia, had occupied the attention
Of that body, a member remarked, very audi
bly,, that g the Smith family appeared to have
possession of the Hall!v In few moments,
however that gentleman as did almost every
individual present lcant forward, profoundly
attentive, to catch every word that should fall
from the lips of the speaker. Along the aisles
there were many who paused and stood still to
i.tcn We looked around to observe the as
pect Of the House, and could nowhere detect
an instance Of inattenton. Whence was the
charm? Our readers have perused the words
of the speaker, They were beautifully simple
and appropriate; but tho occasion did not per-
init the utterance of vehement or impassioned
language The remarkable effect produced
would not have been witnessed, If any other
orator had uttered these words II has been
said that it proceeded from the peculiar voice Of
Mr. Smith, which is described by a writer as
aequal to that of Henry Clay" We were fa-
miliar with the tones of Mr.. Clay's voice, and
have often been enraptured Nth its eject;
but, in our opinion, it was by no means SO uni
formly good as that of Mr.. Smith. We have
never heard voice 80 pleasing, 80 impressive
and 80 unaffected The elder Vandenhof, in
the zenith Of his powers-noblc and stately
tragedian that he was-possessed voice the
musical richness and depth Of which recur to
us ar We listen TO Mr. Smith; but it was artist
ic: the practiced elocutionist could not fail to
detect the agency Of art in the formation OF
that voice. Mr.. Smith, on tho contrary, speaks
without effort The muscles Of his throat are
not strained, and no words are "mouthed,o az
Hamlet expresses it.
In the days Of his childhood, the writer fro
quented on the Sabbath largo old church, in
which there was majestic organ, and many
time was he the involuntary but delighted cap
tive Of the influence OF that instrument the
tones Of which were so deep and perfect, as
their tremor rolled along the vaultcd dome and
woke an echo in each arch and angle in tho
edfce. The voice of Mr.. Smith now produces
a similar influence upon him.
But il is not alone the voice. Not moro
distinct and impressive are its tones than
is the inspiration produced by the appearance
Of tho speaker Fifty-odd years probably have
passed over, without bending his tall and ener-
getic form His features are strongly marked
with tho impress OF an active mind and an in
dependent and elevated character. Upon them,
especially when speaking, rests the pleasing
and snbduing influence OF a bencvolence, tho
genuineness Of which no beholder can for a
moment doubt This if wc may DO permitted
to judge, rs the most effective point In his clio.
quence. His intellectual power and the tones
that thrill ms, may indeed be resisted but the
attributes Of the heart that are mirrorcd upon
the features Of the face demand our respect and
our sympathy.
In proof Of this truth, the noble and manly
response Of the Hon. Mr.. Preston, Of Kentucky,
may be instanced as also tho effects of the
brief speech to which wc have already alluded,
when having given utterance to sentiments 30
Numerically opposed to those entertained by
vast majority Of the people Of the South and
their representatives Mr.. Smith was approach
cd by a member from Alabama, and by other
gentlemen, who pressed towards him, and
ardently cIasped his hands in acknowledgement
Of the impression his sloquence had made upon
them. c.