The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-25
MODERN LEGISLATIVE oRAToRY.

10 the latter particular, may be sound one but its
incubation has led great many men into trouble.
1t is very probable that where high order of talent
exists the laborous study and practice of gestic-
ulation and elocuton may contribute to very high
proficiency and skill in oratory. We are told of
distinguished instances in which men of high intel
leetual endowments have overcome serious ply
steal deficiencies by Iaborious exerton--of Demos
themes, for instance having natural thick
Of tongue by rehearsing his orations the sol
itary sea-shore with pebbles in his mouth and Of
our own Legare having snrmounted certain unhappy
defects Of voice by beakng himself in open boat far
into the ocean and harangung for hours its surgng
waves But there is no instance that has ever been
recorded Of Ounce, even though endowed with the
highest physical advantages for oraory having
become Cicero a Henry.
There great many instances, however, in
which moderate and ordinary men have adopted the
maxim of the rhetorcians orator ft-as their mot
to, and who, not having been intended by Nature
for orators, anything of the kind, have deter
mined to make themselves in spite of her. Ac-
cordingly the practice in the county courts, and the
debates in the Legislative assemblies of country
have furnished innumerabe and melancholy nstam-
ces Of the desperate struggles Of mediocrity with
nature and fate in which lungs invariably get the
worst Of the battle. Art may fashion the human
form out of the precise elements Of which it is
posed, but the promethean spark of life can only be
inspired by Nature. If she has not youchsafed the
gift of eloquence, the unfortunate victim of her
decree will never accomplish anything higher than
mdrum prose. II is vain to struggle against Ma
ture for she is sure to assert her dominion If her
victim attempt to overcome her by force he engages
in hopeless contest which viii consume his whole
lifetime for she will not submit to be coerced Nah-
ram erpelies Jtpca, tamen itsque recu1re
Furious are the struggles which are always going
on in the forum, the rostrum, and in halls OF
legislation between auditories unwilling to hear
or resolute!y bent upon coughing down the speaker,
and the struggles Of the latter in spite of nature,
destiny fate. and want of intellect to prove himself
an orator by dn of lungs and energetic gestculation
What vast quantity of this oratory of the lungs,
and how little that of the soul, has been packed
away by the nation in the Congressional Globe; and
how many battles of the sort we have been describ
ing ar recounted in the eaden leaves of those deary
chAonicles Where we have had one Lowndes, one
Randolph, one Clay, one Webster and few dozen
orators of the class degree inferior, what swarms
of f,uzfuzes have there been, who, not content, by
attentive listening and wise voting, with acquir-
ing the honest fame Of sages and patriots have at
tempted to carry off by storm the reputation of ora
TORS but have succeeded only in upsetting the the
DRY of the rhetoricans which they hoped to vindi-
cate by their own eloquence, and in demonstrating
the incapacity of art to make silk purse out of
sow's ear.
The mishaps which often beial these clumsy de-
baterS while in full career are often droll and
amusing Like unparalleled skaters, they not unfre-
quenty find their heads all of sudden shifting po
sitions with their heels and the most exhilarating
and triumphant snccess abruptly cut short by catas
trophe. An instance Of this sort occurred in the
House on "Wednesday. An orator from Illinois Of sur
passing wisdom ami coquence was pronouncing
scatiiing philippe, with Demoshenic vehemence,
against tho administration, and dissenting with the
profnndity Of Burke and the rhapsody of Mirabeau
npon the right of territorial citizens to elect their
own governors, judges, and militia colonies " in
their own way when lie suddenly interrupted
by the inquiry, whether his remarks were made with
special reference to the petitions that had been sent
up 10 Congress ny Tie Peopic VI ptu
The oraiion for profundity and power, is too good
to be lost. We snatch few extracts from it before
it is stored away as worthless lumber in the Globe
Posterity will be under obligations to us:
Mr.. Morris ioquitu,
FL will not pause to vindcate the democracy of
the State which have the honor in part to represent
Its history sir, speaks for itself and IL proud and en-
during monument to its fidelity to principle Its ban
ner in the hottest and ercest political battles that have
been fought In the nation has never traled in the
dust That State has cast her electoral vote for
any other than the democratic candidates for President
and Vice President And yet sir the democratic party
there has been subjected to the huatng spectacle be-
fore the nation OF having its bravest and truest men
brought to the gulotine and their places supplied by
miserable scoundrels and sycophants will say this
much and if occasion Offers intend to prove to
this House and the country the character of these mser
able Creatures, who crowd around the public table +
for the crumbs that may fall from II. Thank God
sir, the true hearted of Illinois value their prnc
Piles far above place or official position and these
vampires who have sloughed oil from the moral
face OF society, and who congregated here last
winter for the oaves and fishes while they hold their
places do in defiance of the public wish. and at
fhe price Of public scorn And sir when the proper
time arrives shall call shall produce records
and shall show that some of the most Infamous men
that haze dsgraced public station society have
been placed In official positions in Illinois the heads
of brave and true and good men; and, aside from the
record will prove It, in part by their turning States
evidence each other
I'VE believe the Senate Of the United States has