Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-23

THE IRISH ORATOR, MASON JoEEs.-The
lecture horizon has recently been illumina-
ted by the appearance of a young orator, Mr..
7. Mason Jones, who bids fair to mount to
the zenith. Wherever he has lectured, the
press speak extravagantly in his praise. He
is to lecture here before the Library Associa-
tion on Wednesday and Friday evenings of
this week. The New York World, of Novem-
Der 18th, 1862, makes the following notice of
lecture he delivered in that city on Garri-
baldi:
"A critical and intellectual audience as
sembled at Irving Hall last evening to listen
to the first oration of Mr.. T. Mason Jones, a
young Irish orator recently from England.
The high eulOgiums that had been invariably
passed upon him by the London press had
created a curiosity to see him, and, notwith-
standing the disagreeable state of the wealth
er, the hall was well filed.
" Mr.. Jones stepped upon the platform at
precisely o'clock. There is nothing strik-
ing in his appearance unless it be the parting
Of his hair in the middle, and an eye lumin-
ous and expressive-he is q plain young man.
looking like diligent student and an earn
est thinker. He commenced by speaking
briefly Of our war-Of which he could not tell
US much that was new, excepting to set him
self right with the audience as a firm friend
of the North, and to assure them that the
honest working men of Europe we're all with
US and only the monarchies, aristOeracies,
snObOeracies, cotton merchants, and noble
army Of funkeys Wero against us in
this struggle. At first there was nothing
impressive about him he only talked in q
plain, earnest way Of common place sub
iect. Then he commenced his lecture prop
er, prefaeing it with some apologies to the
effect that the subject was too great to be
entirely grasped in one lecture, and too
grand to be intensified by any artificial ef-
fects, either of literature or Of oratory. He
was rather sensitive of noise, and stopped in
the midst of a historical sketch to say few
pleasant words about the ethics and theory
of coughing, and to request the audience to
cough at intervals which he would indicate,
and refrain from it in the middle of his SEN
tences. Now he said, let Us all cough,
and then will go on So Mr.. Jones took
a swallow Of water and coughed, and most
Of the audience also coughed, greatly to
their own amusement. Then the speaker
confined himself closely to the subject, and
showed the secrets Of his popularity
developed in a marvellous fuency Of
speech a aconsummate art Of grouping together,
comparing and contrasting his themes, and
a power of enchanting an audience and lift
ing it through every modulatiOn Of passion
and feeling by the mere magic of a simple,
easy, uninterrupted flow of language, nat
ural, unobtrusiYe gesticulation, and capac-
ity to place every subject before the mind s
eye in the clearest light. With the grand
story of Garibaldi's life, to which, if child
told it, the world would listen with interest
and EOnder-to portray to the audience, he
had a subject worthy Of an orator. he pic
tured the man as he appeared in every day
life ; the herO-the very approximation of
the God Of War, as in the hour of imminent
peril of defeat he rode across the battlefield
tho strategist working out by curious ma
neuvres victories that caused him to be deem
ed almost inyineible and lastly the man
Of great, kind heart, as he went through
the hospitals, from ward to ward, cheer
ing and comforting his wounded SOL
diers. From the quiet narration of
historical facts, mingling with sensible
dissertations and beautiful references, he
passed on to vivid descriptions of the battle
field; then to scenes in the hospitals, the pa
thOs Of which brought tears into some eyes;
went on, TO sketch, as the justification of
Italian revolution, the CHASTITY dungeons OF
Naples and Palermo, at the glare Of whose
horrors Cell No. faded from thou Zht, and
ended with a peroratiOn to Italy, in which
he concentrated all the music of his voice,
the impetuOsity and rapidity of his utterance
the vigOr and elegance Of his language, and
an enthusiasm that carried tho whole audi
ence along with it.
Upon retiring, he was called out and greet
ed with continued applause.