New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-04
Hove We Any orator, ,
From the Round Table,


1t haslheen common to speak of America as
land peculiarly eongenial to the graces Of oratory-
Indeed, history does not record a people with
whom public speaking has welded greater actual
power than ia this car own free nation. In the
earlier days of the republic great speakers were
not unmindfnl OF these opportunities, and they
made their Influence felt on every rostrum that
they could find. Not a few of our most essential
theories OF government have gained credence
through the medium of Oratory alone, and, fully
one half of our Presidents have been elected by
the influence of public speaking.
OF more recent names, Webster stands high
above all, of course, as the great parliamentary
debatef Douglas is first the listas the political
orator; Everett has precedence for elegance,
Beecher for the pulpit, Brady for the bar, and
Phillips for special pleading. OF these the three
greatest have passed away, and in their places we
have no orators that may in the remotest de-
gree be said to fill theiE places, nor have we to-
day, from Maine to California a single public
speaker that deserves 10 be called great orator.
twas thought that tie four years of war, with
their ever varying Inspirations, would call forth
some golden-tonged and electric speaker who
would thrill the people with eloqlence more po-
tent than the scathings of the sword. But in all
that mighty and terrible struggle not new gen
| Jus of speech arose to- kndle hope or enthusiasm
not one great, overwhelming grafton was recorded
| We came cat of the contest with the same oil
| speakers who had grown wel-nigh dead to us be
! fore the war trumpet was sounded. Not one maj
in all the land was SO stirred by the troubles of hi
/
national atterance.
La the Senate, IN the House of Representatives
| on the soors of State legislatures, nor on an
stage the wide country over, did any patriot
statesman or citizen give vent to even singl
anathema of indignation or laudeat Of gloriou
homage to his NATIVE LAND which is worthy of pre-
serVati0n. OratoTy seemed to have deserted tn
| republic, and no new name was added to the bri
liant list of those who, from time to time, hav
brought forensic honor.to the land. Great speai
ers generally the result of some crisis or greG
eyen4, and surely if ever there was time for
latent geniusto como with burning words as on til
breath of lightning, that time was when our GOO
ship Of state was threatened with destrugtiou
We know it is q very common idea that Il
, deCadenco, Of oratoFy is in proportion to ii
advance of education; that the more men becor
informed the less susceptible they are to the log
q Of the orator In, fact, the students ct our Il
/. schools are piled with the idea that forensic e
/, Quence IS no more of the account that it was
n that its power is too artificial to be used b
!. thorough student. And so the art of oratory fl
Il away and its graees are not studied as they OF
r were. This condition Of things we cannot
q much deplore. Oratory is a dgnifed, mo-
/ accomplishment. and one which young men shol
. aspire aftsrSssolutaiy, Our schools and colleg
: should teach it, that we may have more natioi
). speakers and debaters, and fewer partisan
= chalmers,