The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-02-17
A CrifiCfSIrS:

A Criticism:
Mr.. George Bancroft delivered AMI
address on the occasion of the me-
mortal services in honor of the late|
President, on Monday last. The Pre-
!sident and his Cabinet, the two|
l Houses of Congress, the Supreme|
Court, and other high dignitaries,
/ were present. We have not read Mr..
|3ancroft's address, bat give the fol-
lowing notice of it from the Rich
mond Dispatch:
The immense flourish Of trumpets
I 1with'which MIR. Bancroft's oration inl
memory of Mr.. Lincoln was herald
led, had led us to expect something
more than q congressional speech.
We confess that we have been disap-
pointed, Notwithstanding that Mr..
Forney pronounces it to be s:mas-
aterly production. We DEFY any mani
! to point out in it one single new or
striking remark concerning any of
the topics discussed, or even an UNI
usually feGcitous expression of an old
! idea. He sets out with the declara-
1 tion that "God rules in the affairs of
men''-a thought which is much
better expressed by one of the pro
phets, and also by Dr. Watts. He
next describes, in good style, the
growth and extent of our Republic.
Then he utters Il few platitudes in
regard to slavery, aristocacy, &c. ,,
and quotes from some of our earlier
statesmen the remarks which Mr..
Sumner has so often Incorporated
into his speeches. Next, Mr.. Ban
croft gives the history of slavery in
3 its connection with Government
questions, stopping by the way to
initiate Thad. Stevens in kicking that!
dead lion, Chief Justice Taney, to|
whose celebrated decision, and thel
consequences resulting from it, Mr..
Bancroft ascribes the rebellion. The
rebellion brings him to Mr.. Lincoln,
whose character and policy Mr. Ban
Croft portrays in an unobjectionable!
manner. This policy affecting Great
Britain, Mr.. Bancroft stops to discuss!
her connection with the rebellion,
and repeats the stale story that she
3aided the South; and manages also to|
run a parallel between Lord Palmer
ston and MI. LincolA. MI. Bancroft
3also discusses the Monroe doctrine
and the French Emperor's Mexican)
policy, declaring that the Republic of
Mexico must be revived In fact, bel
4 lugs in China, Russia, and the Pope!
4 of Rome, and charges that the Pope|
"alone, among temporal sovereigns,
recognized the chief Of the Con1
federate States as President, and|
his supporters rs people," Mr..
Bancroft winds up with most unfor-
tunate allusion to George Washing,|
ton and William of Orange--the one
having for eight years of his life
stood hranuec as a ''rebel," and the
zother having been called to England, !,
by the almost unanimous voice of her
{ people, to drive from power the dy-
nasty which had, t8enty-eight wears
before, put an end to the ssGreat
zRebellion" in that country. One
sound doctrine is enunciated by Mr..
Bancroft, namely, that the right of
suffrage should be regulated by the
States themselves.
The Grafton is clothed in unexcep-
ationable English; there are few or no
violations of good taste in it, either
III respect of words OF the manner of
treating his topics; and it is on the
whole much better one than any of
the gentlemen previously chosen to-
perform the duty would have been
likely to deliver. But we find nothing
instructive in it from one end to the
other.