The Portland daily press., 1864-02-18

Strange as ii may seen, the most distinguish
ed orators of the present time, those who are
listened TO with the most interest and who
draw the largest audience, are personss who
have heretofore been considered incapable of
holding the attention ofan audience for any
length Of time-persons whose education has
been limited, and who have had to meet pre-
judice against their sex and complexion.
Among the speakers who have visited
this city the present winter none has been
listened to with more interest and pleasure
or been received with more marked demon
strations of applause than Frederick Douglass
and Anne L. Dickinson..We see by the Boston
papers that youthful orator,a girl of only If
teen years OF age,spol1c in TremontTemple on
Tuesday evening upon the subject of Temper
ance. She was greeted with large and in
telligent audience, every seat in the house be-
ing occupied and many stood in the passage
way. The tickets for admission were twenty
Ave cents. The Boston Journal says
"The lecture was listened to with the clos
est attention throughout, and occasionally APP
plauded. The audience was evidently more
impressed by the sincerity and ndtuette of the
speaker than her intellectual power. She is
= very modest, unasuming young lady, rather
tall for her age, well formed, with frank in
telligent countenance, aid somewhat sharp
features. Her mind is of a strongly religious
cast, and all her appeals rest on a seriptural
basis. She speaks fiuently, with perfect ease
and composure, uses well chosen language
gesticulates moderately, tells anecdotes well
and is SO clearly in earnest that she carries
the sympathies of her hearers with her, occa-
sionally rising to flights OF eloquence that APP
peals deeply to the feelings. Her voice is clear
sweet and womanly. She appeared last even
ing in dark colored dress of the plainest
style, her hair confined in a net, and wearing
no ornaments excepta breastpin and chain.
She is announced to speak again on Sunday
eve ming.
Rev. T. L. Cuyler who heard her in New
York says she talks right on with the utmost
simplicity and drectness, eschews all clap
trap and bufoonery, and when she is through
hundreds are ready to enroll themselves in
the ranks Of pledged abstainers. Full grown
men are impressed by her artless eloquence
and "a little child leads them" Her speech
was seasoned with the salt of true religion.
and 1t would have aided rather than hindered
the deepest revival feeling. She seems to
have been raised up OF Providence to do
work for that neglected class who are now
marching downward almost unchallenged-he
fippters. Her history is singular.
Miss Susanna Evans ia a native of Aberdare,
in Wales; her father was dram seller and
drunkard A Sunday school recitation pro-
nounced by her at an anniversary was the
means of reforming her father. Discovering
she possessed gift for persuasive speaking,
she began, at twelve years, to address her
Weleh country folks on temperance In Lon
don and Manchester she was soon welcomed
by crowds of auditors, and last year she de-
termined on mission to America. Large
audiences have gathered to hear her at New
Haven and elsewhere; she is overwhelmed
with invitations to lecture; her head does not
seem to have grown dizzy with success, and.
1t Is believed she has been sent over TO
aid 10 forwarding that temperance revival SO
soreiy needed, and whose symptoms of
declensiou are growing more apparent on ey-
cry side.