The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-24
lp'coNNELL AS AN ORATOR.

~ Tue tOuf courts, enters tue court Oi ENine-
er, and beholds portly figure Standing in the
tire OF the inner bar with head erect and
builders thrown back; he Is the very embodi-
,nt. OF ofatoIical power. What is he doing 2
sailing Mr.. Attorney. General Saurin; desoant-
- upon the farrago Of helpless absurdity with
ich the honorable gentlemauhad regaled the "a I;
Is telling the court and jury that the speech
distinguished by congenial vulgarity, and
aimed no poetry az all; and with unusual
rs he is bTOwbeating the law-ofilcers Of the
!. That remarkable and most versatile mn-
III. Hercules amongst the Orators-is Daniel
'M Hnell, or more ffequenty called Dan.
'43ehold, again, that round and stilwart form.
pin he is seen In the -Four Courts, pleading the
Sc Of one who pr0fessed 20 have been Injured
+ bat which is dearest TO all men-his personal
Dor. | say protessed, because the client was
Of those whose own character was question
ei yet be came forward, according to the
8esent usages of law, TO demand just ,e for a
ing which he had himself inflicted. The aivO.
e pleaded the cause with great energy and elo.
|Uence; described the agony, real or assumed
by the husband, and The loss which he mad
seined from the alienation Of the atf.cu ius
wife, and brought tears to the eyes OF the
Il Posing counsel, who was likewise bis politcl
JOnent and polemical antagOnist-the c0urtsou
able Ned Litt0n.
81 )COnnell had wonderful power over his au-
~ nee, quite as great as that possessed by Sheri
:, or greater; be could deal With any theme in
naslerly manner. Now, IN my j1dgmen, /
&. s a greater triumph 10 extract tears from Ned
IS non than thousand pounds from Jury, be-
|f0se no one better knew than be did what
81 @ter of oratorica flourish his celebrated oppo.
# was and no one had stronger political dis
y 's than Ned. The appearance of the ora or was
a atty in his favor; he had a commanding pres
" an eye like Mars or Apollo; a voice soft and
s ave, mellituous or strong, overwhelming aud
y fiole-the breathing OF the 1ute or the roaring
8 be thunder.
4 was NOS alone his voice that spoke, his hand,
"A eye, his mouth, his iOot-each and all was q
N guage OF persuasion, coercion, insinuation, or
"A lmidaiion Never in all my experience Of men
Fl known one who had such power over the
RI titude; who so thoroughly ruled the people
81 and him one so influential in swaying and
N itTOlling the minds and passions of his audi
& 'e, or who had more completely in his gasp
M relns OF the political Pegasus. His scowl was
" able, his anathema withering his revenge
M shing. have seen description of Brough am
] O'Connel, in which IL was said Brougham
s tped his enemies, while O'Connell contented
3 nself with killing them but in my opinion
W luRham never excelled O'Connell in the re-
| Useless use Of the scalping-knife.
II siever brooked single voice that chlmed not with
pIe, when he had power to crush, a rival near the
never sp ared fiend or foe, if such could serve his
rome to fatter and to fawn as curse condemn, and
III spurn.
hen was he known to hide or check his scathing
bold eneush again to brave his mstchless Billings
poets paint the good and bad with an impartial
sIAndes blandest, hodest coldes best and worst Of
menl'
wrote the foregoing lines at the foot of a poem
i enis Florence Mccarthy, which need not
"A was unlimited praise and I ask any candid
son TO assert that any human being deserves
81 a a eulogium as this. II any one doubt Mr..
,onnells ability to abuse in the most genuine
~ ingsgate style, let him read the dialogue be-
en him and Biddy Moriarty, when, in mathe-
bical parlance, be called her a whisky-drink-
;parallelogram, and the porter-swiping simili-
y of the dissection of q vortex.
have seen O'Connell upon very great occa-
ns !: have seen him conducting a great case
Nisi Prius; have seen him on his political
trum Ia the Corn Exchange; / have seen him
ara, an uncrowned king; have heard him in
MS mOods-tender, terocious, apathetic,
norous, scornful, satirical, political, poetcal.
'emicalj and hesitate not to say, that he
ichsd each chord with the hand of a master.
N ere was time when listened to him SPELL
Y md, riveted to the spot, and wondering how
= b an orator could have been produced. / am
many respects disenchanted; and it Is my
lion that after the passing of the Catholic
nancipation Act, and the Municipal
,form Bill, his mission in Ireland had
ninated; and II would have been wei
society, though possibly not we'll for those
feathered their nests in other lands, If he had
n n promoted to the bench and selected as Lord
lef Baron, 10 which office his talents entitled d
II to aspire, if not indeed to the very highest
nion on the bench-a cOnsummAtiOn that con-
II ntionRl restrictions could alone have pre-
N tied. have nothing TO say TO his political
eer still less have l reason or necessity to
ak of him personally. l have no individual
five for praising or dispraising him. He wa.
ne always courteous; and, upon one occasion
the medium, as chief magistrate of the city
" Dublin, of putting from the chair, in the
smbly house, resolution of thanks there
ed to me for matter in which l was ther
aF1aA w-rHaNa vuraNNa .saNs al
\ cen OF ill-will. l am disposed to be Just, anC
speak of him as I would of celebrated char
n dead five hundred years; as one of the grea
of orators from Demosthenes to himself
q Q to deal with him merely as tribune and
at advocaie-an orator, native, natural, per
tsive, powerful, and unsurpassed.
hat he W The best Irishman that ever LIVED
I" tally deny still less do think that he wal
greatest man. Such assertions are simply
n urd. This is a country of eXaggerations
,amation is all-powerfu in ireland, at leas
h a certain class; and he who talks big, look
Z, and Is most abusive, Is sure TO be REGARDED
very great fellow. SO Ear with reference L
magnifying powers Of our public speakers
o are prone 10 eXaggerate, because for an iguO
multitude you must paint in oils-mer
- ter-eolors will not suffice. To O'Connell,
mot imagine that the tribunes Of old possesse
#-e power over the Roman people than tina
4 ent demagogue.
be Gracchi, Rienzi, Massaniello, Mirabeau
fd not have had higher powers to lead an
~ Ssuade the multitude than O'Sonnell. They
I,# syever used the sWord-he threatened 10 dra
.lH The Government awaited the fulhment
N threats few cannon dispersed the Assem-
A lge and the peaceful agitgtors put up the en-
ms of war, with which they had garnished th
yof bloOdless opposition. The GoVernmeI
ghed at his pastebOard and confectionery con
Ssarat, bis ginberbread, ginger-beer, and AuI
II ly professions, his mimic war, his ephemeri
- plays.
.Y these remarks are not made for the purpose {
~ paragng the courage OF Irishmen. The wore
Arthur, Duke Of Wellington, In the Hous
'H Lords uttered by him before Catholic emaI
"A alton was passed, must be acceptable to a
Fl Q dispassionate men :-"We must also cor
H . that without Catholic blood and Cathol
. )r no victory could ever have been Obtained
ain :-"The hour of danger and glory is II
II In which the gallant, the generous -hearte
hman best knows his own duty" In colcll
N m his grace says, and the words deserve recOrC
my lords, tits great additional qualification
to advocate these principles IN conjunctio
" b a distinguished member of my family,
,ly at the head Of the Government Of his natl'
II nry--a country ever dear TO me from IL
elections of my infancy, the memory of h.
" Jngs, and the bravery of her people,"
II such were the Irish on the battlefield when,
sexpTessiYe language Of Scott they "mareh,
iearh with military glee." But the Irish in
"a ok procession OF pastebOard heroes are OF
lerent class. Who is there that witnessed q
.Alcades of the monster meetings, and the r
n of O'Connell from Richmond Bridewe
len liberated by the judgment Of theAaw lord
3. { did not perceive, in the procession that OcC
E" the streets Of Dublin a few days since, q
e description OF theatrical manifestation
tr,s orderly, decorOus, decenily attired, and 20,