The Shasta courier., 1866-04-07
COURIER.
Three Noted Men.

In late lecture delivered on Lincoln, at
Springfield, Illinois. w. H. llerndon por.
trayed the characteristics of the oratory of
three distinguished men of that State:
The strength and power of Liucoln's elo-
quence lay
.First-fu his strong logical faculty. his
power of reasoning, and his love of principle,
not 90 much in their abstractness as in their
20 crete practical application to men and
t ings.
Secondlv-In his clear vision and excel
lent understanding-the full comprehension
Of the exact state and condition of things.
Thirdly-In his cool and masterly state
ment of the issue around which the debate
swung-of the principles involved; and
Finally, in the clearness, strength and
solidity of his premises. He stood up square
and bold to his convictions, and fashioned
and formed by them his thoughts and utter.
ances. His mind was not great, wide,
deep generalizing and comprehensive one !;
it was not quick, discursive, versatile, flying
here and there generally to meet all emer
gencles and contingencies; it ran in paths,
ruts and deep iron grooves. He thought
long and we'll on his subject, stripped it of
all useless adjuncts, condensng and defining
all things as he proceeded. He had no
spontaneity in his nature, no enthusiasm, no
energy, no fancy. He was candid and di
rect. having an abiding confidence in the
final triumph of truth and right. Whatever
of life. force and power of eloquence these
qualities, or wise combination of them,
could give-whatever there is in fair, hon.
est and impartial administration of equity
and justice to all men alike at all times and
places-whatever there is in strong will in
the right, with tenderness and mercy-what.
ever there is in Q sublime patience and
never ending toll. with the strongest moral
courage-whatever there is in an individual
faculty or a combination of them, all work.
ing conjointly-not losing sight of his i'm
perfections, all entitle Lincoln to the fame
of good and wise Executive of the peoples
Government. They limit and define him as
an orator. politician and statesman.
lie 1.-THE lecturer) desired to get an exact
idea before their minds, and to do this he
would put in comparison and contrast three
different men, each with his own individual
ty and failing. They were men of national
reputation, and, taken collectively, exhaust
or define the varieties of eloquonce. The
difference in the men are broad. distinct and
radical. One of these men was somewhat
heavily built, about the average hight; his
face was round and somewhat forid, smooth
and clear; he had large. dancing blue eyes
to badness, his forehead tall and broad he
was squarely built, quick, active and full of
energy; he ii great fancy, was lively.
spontaneous, generous, profuse and careless
had an exquisite sense of the beautiful; was
bold, brave. chivalrous and restless. He
was foreigner by birth. This man cut and
carved his own way through life-coming
among US a poor lad and leaving us a fa-
nous name. He was sociable, and possessed
an unequal power over the young, who fol-
lowed him wherever he led, asking no aues
tions. This man was the gallant and the
lamented Colonel Baker, once our tovnsman
and dear friend.
Colonel Bakers type of oratory was like
himself-full of fancy, rich and forid, pleas
ing and eHrapturing to all who heard him.
His voice was musical and harmonious He
spoke with much emotion; his style and
manner were not absolutely original and
deep. nor what the world calls philosophic.
His eloquence was rhetoric it created feel
ing and moved others to sublime action
Colonel Baker was graceful, his gestures
being generally undulatory. his arms moving
from left to right, sometimes up and some-
times down. His reason was not deep. as
the world uses that term, yet it effected what
was beyond the power of logic to do it pro-
duced merriment. it caused action and in
spired energy in his hearers. His mode of
reason was fgurative, fanciful and rhetorical.
He did not reason metaphysically, subject
lively, mathematically, inwardly His style
was metapboric, fgurative and external
that is. he used figures and illustrations of
the sensible world. Fragrant be the memo
ry of Colonel Baker.
The next gentleman, who is also a self
made man, shall be nameless. 1t does not
matter to this audience who he is or where
be lives. His physical build is short, thin
and square. in figure and features running
to sharp, keen points. He has light hair,
blush gray eyes. large and square head,
stoop shouldered, shrunk and shriveled, ner.
vous and restless. full of action and energy.
His eye keen and penetrating, his voice sharp
and shrill-" squeaky and squallv." His
gestures are angular. see. saw, his fore finger
long and bony, striking the palm of his left
hand. His gestures rather awkward than
otherwise. His method of reasoning is met
aphysical, mathematical. precise and logical.
His eloquence is forcible. Under this man Is
oratory the speaker often wished be was
surgeons knife, that he might cut the things
into atoms and see into them. He spoke to
the inner man by snbject. thought and
and speech, rather than through figures or
the physical world Baker reused the
nameless man made one think and fed
Baker made his auditors boisterous; the
other caused them to think and reflect
Bakers eloquence was like Baker; the
others like himself So with all men.
JThe aameless orator alluded to in this
paragraph cannot be mistaken by any one
who has ever lived in Springfield. It is
none other than Judge Stephen T. Logan,
one of the most profound lawyers of the
West. He is the father of the Hon. David |
Logan, of Oregon.
The third man was long, tall and bony, as
has been described; he had no grace of
STYLE. beauty or action. His features were
long and blunt. and consisted mainly in
snaps and jerks-sometimes the gestures
were extended to bis whole body. His voice
was husky. loud and ratlline. This man