The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-10-05
Patrick Henry.

trick Henry, " the natural orator." as he is
properly called, was very slightly, if at all,
indebted for his wonderful eloquence to
those sources of mental culture which are
! held in highest esteem, as at once the mo-
| del of taste and the instruments OF learning.
1t seems, however, that this opinion is un-
founded, and that the American Demosth-
enes is no exception to the great law which
afrms that "the gods give nothing TO men
without labor" From an interesting and
instructive Grafton delivered by Mr.. Hugh
Blair Grgsby, before the students OF Will
liam and Mary College, on the Fourth of
July last, we cite the following statement in
reference TO the literary style and easy class
ica' proficiency of Patrick Henry:
" One instance of the application OF phil.
ology TO the history of Virginia is within
my own experience, and may not be with
out interest 10 the students of William and
Mary. From critical examination of the
fragments Of the speeches and writings of
Patrick Henry, which have come down to
us, and by careful collation. of them with
those OF his prominent contemporaries,
was convinced that our patriot prophet had
received regular and thorough training in
the Latin classic, and that he had received
that training in early life. There was 10 be
seen in his style ctuiosa tetieitas and a
ealida junetura,' purity and tact, which
could not have been the result of chance,
or they would have been equally apparent
in the works of his rivals; and it was evil
dent, so finely were these characteristics
interviewer in the general texture of his
style, that he must have studied the ancient
authors in early life, as such results rarely
appear so conspicuously in the productions
of those who become acquainted with the
classics at more advanced age. This was
the argument of internal evldence-an ar.
gument which was satisfactory TO me, but
which, without an infinitely minute exposi-
tion of details that more but a philologist
could omprehend, would not be conclus.
i've TO others.
at would thus be regarded rather as an
opinion than a demonstration and must,
therefore, sustain my conclusion, for the
benefit of others, from the facts of Henry's
early life. His father was teacher, and
native of Scotland, and he was educated in
that country when Latin was taught with
substantial skill, but many years before the
snr of Gre<F 4;seraturG had a-T;sea in The
Scottish horizon. Now the Scotch teach
Latin al the tenderest age. l am myself of
Scottish descent on the maternal side, and
was taught by Scottish teachers, and can
hardly remember a time when could not
read Latin, or at least when was not faml.
liar with grammar. But the father OF Henry
was not only a teacher and Scotchman,
but he was an admirable Latin scholar; for
we are told in the diary of Samuel Davis,
himself a fine scholar, that the father of
Henry was more familiar with his Horace
than with his Bible. Hence the conclusion
was irresistible that, if the father of Henry
taught his pupils the classics, he would,
like the rest OF his countrymen, teach them
early; and, as he was proved 10 have been
thoroughly skilled in them, that he would
teach them well !; and, further, that if he
taught the children of other people Latin,
he would at the same time teach his own.
This was the argument from probability,
which did not need TO enchance my own
conviction, but which might be necessary
TO gain the assent OF others. Here, then,
was fact ascertained in the life of Patrick
Henry which was not only not known, but
which ran counter TO the opinions and
statements of all his contemporaries and
biographers. But was my conclusion true
after all 1t was strictly true IN both re-
spects, that our great orator had learned The
Latin classics, and that he had learned them
in early life; for, in the recently published
diary of John Adams, under the date of
September, 1774, we have it from the lips
of Henry himself, that before fifteen he had
read Virgil and Livy-a degree of proficiency
which, even 10 this day, except under favor
able auspices, is rarely attained at so early
an age; for, between the grammar and Livy
as was observed by my venerable friend,
Bishop Meade, our old teachers, even those
with whom studied, introduced nearly the
entire series of classical authors. ."-Wash-
ington Intelligeneer.