New-York tribune., 1868-10-31

tRe sens III WHY" % Chatham of Patrick Henry of
4ConnelI of Henry CLAY of John Bright, anda damong
living Americans of Wendei hI,ips s "Vnd WLto ,yos
| Amouo Americans recently dem Meoster way
nearest "a bright in what we may call the merely
eyternol characteristics of oraory MT bright lacks
H. ;,nnosinp stature of Webster, which, combined
;,b un tbe colossal mold of his features and limbs,
lmnst entitled him to the eplthet majestic, by whlcn
adorng Boston delighted to describe MN ne % Iits
of actual resemblance between the Two are sIgn,,
et IN an American who sees Bright Tor the hrst time
ON the platform the memory of Webster wli DE sure
tn return What the two had i'll common was the
nower 10 produce on the mind the sensation oil mas
siyeness There are other marks OF likeness Il Sow
delivery, eocution sustained and IS s.ateS WI
ster i'm Faneuil Hail. Bright IN the free. lrade nan
at Manchester alike bore sway, and the mihds OF men
became obedent TO Their VII before II was Htteieu.
Theodore Parker said of Webster, lie could state
case better than any man IN America he same
power belongs to Bright. But the remark was not
only true of Webster. 1t was almost exhaustive ana
il does not begin TO be exhaustive when applied 10
the English orator The intellectual forces oil MeD-
ster were all summed up in the word understanding
Imagination he lacked. PathOs he desplsed-unleSs
AT an advanced period after dinner. Passion was not
his nor that force without which all other force ~
weak and which is To he found only IN strength OF
conviction, and absolute loyalty to the law OF con
science. Webster no more believed III the existence
of such thing as principle than Ihurlow Weed The
two agreed III regarding as an imaginary motlveby
which persons prOfessed to be guided IN some actions
which could not be inteligby explained on the ordi-
nary grounds of self-interest. There were certain
terms such as conscience, morality law of God,
which Webster recognized AZ having rhetorical
value. and he employed them rs he often dld BlDcal
illustrations. He had the same opinion about them
as Roman augur had about the entralls ola chicken
or an Indian medicine-man about the charms by
which he invoked rain and averted pestilence Ihey
imposed on the people, and they were a source OF
profit to the mpOstOr who used them. III was rank
heresV once confess much "a THIS In respect 10
Webster Nobody ever thought OF ever Will think
of casting such lmputatlOns on John Bright lie
has been attacked often. and on many grounds, but
il has not occurred to his enemies to suspect nm oi
nsnceritv. 1t is easy to differ from Mr. Bright but
| il is impossible to hear him. or even TO read his
printed speech, and doubt that every word is genu-
inc And we clearly of opinion that To an orator
there is single quality, no sum OF qualities SO
essential to his sincerity. III You Wish 10
persuade others, first be persuaded yourself
That is the first mark of similarity between Brght
and Wendell Phlllips-a profound sincerity OF char
| acter. MIR Bright is Quaker, cnglng ialthfully To
the best traditions of that people. MI Philips ~
Puritan tracing his ancestry through six generations
of New England ministers. the trllest representatives
of the true Puritan stock BOth nave won iaine ny
life long devotion to reforms. Both early learned 10
believe in something which IS on the whole the best
lesson ever learned i'm tins world and the basis of
every great speech that ever was made The careers
| of the two men have been very different MT PM,
| lips was born 10 wealth and social position, educated
| in the best culture America could give. ana every
avenue 10 professional or political distinction ana
| Office lay wide open before him. lie turned aside
from all 20 devote his genius to one unpopular cause
Abolition owed much 10 the zeal OF ITS earlier adYO-
Gates but for many years before the war ~ had be
come so odious and weak that II needed the elo-
quence and political sagacity OF Phillips To Iescue II
| from popular contempt and even from oblivion
| During the Corn Law agitation which brought Mr.
Bright into public life he always had on his side
great commercial interests. unlimited funds. and
powerful political machinery. Mr. Phillips fought his
battle for yye years, not only without aidirom
such sources, but with every one of them arraHed
against him. He spoke often at the peril oi MS ne
Ii was sterner school than that which the English
man passed through. aud It's influence on the Amer-
can orator is perccptblc in every speech. 10 per
suade an audience of men whose convictions and
interests are doubtful or opposed TO you, but
who come To hear You, II one thing. To confront
| a mob vino come 10 silence you and 70 succeed ia
silencng them Is quite another Inc cohd.h-
sation, yigor. and point which chaIacterlze MI.
Phllipss speeches could alone have caught the ear
Of the TiOtng audiences of the years before the war
Against such audiences the polished inycciNc which
Mr. Phillips employs with such mcrClless fuTcc was "A
weapon Of self-dcfcnsc. lie has been heard on the
lecture platform by large numbers Of Americans. but
his greatest speeches were delivered elsewhere thah
| in lyceums many Of them tO the m0bs many oi
! them before legislative committees equally hostile
but more orderly. There - no speaker either m IN
! gland or America who can be compared with Phillips
| in grace and elegance whether of appearance man
ner. dctOn. His oratOry has magical quality,
charm that wins every audience but s Understandable,
| a force and splcndor which partly explain the in
merse influence the popular mind exercised fOr
many years by this almost solitary champion OF a
| hated cause.
Mr. Bright has contrivod TO carry on business and
politics together dnrng all his life. making at the
same time excellent cotton goods ana t1e best
speeches in England. II orators be divided INTO
the philosophical and the practical he clearly belongs
10 the practical lie has aujmmcnSc fnnd oi common
sense. There are imaginative passages IN ms ora
tions but in his lonicst flights the ground j. still
firm under his feet lie Delights in details qn1 IN
bringing 10 bear upon politics tho experience he has
gained u the counting house and the MIL. lie i-
English in every fiber. with the English contempt
for generalization. There II seldom any reach of
thought in his speeches that could be- called slccua
tive, aud nothing that approaches the mttaphysi-
cal The principles 10 winch. he always ircurH
are moral or political No danger OF his wtaNlnR
the House likc Burke. by refining while they
thought Of dining. Ills outOucal trlumphs
have been gained IN dealing with practical
questions. His fame ~ orator and hls fame ~
statesman 80 intcrtwined that one can scarcely
be separated from the other. Free Trade was the
most practical of questions. IT touched the pocket
and almost nothing else. India was another amcli-
crate it's government, hls demand. in order that
you may encourage the growth oi cotton. War. and
the Crnean war in particular. he denounced ~ an
injury to trade. and the commercial argument WAS
put forward 30 prominently a. to give rise 10 Lord
PalmcrstOns sarcasm that II the enemy were 10 land
the shores OF England MI Bright would make a
calculation whether 1t would be cheaper To
take him IN or 10 keep him oui. But
Mr. Brghts hatred OF war rested on other and
higher grounds When We como to such qucs-
tons ~ Ireland. America. aud Reform. the
better qualities OF the orators intellect display them
selves IT Is no longer the necessities of trade or the
protection of property trade aud property would have
been much obliged 10 Mr. Bright II lie would have
left these three topics untouched 1Wde thought it
had nothing TO do with equal nights, and heard WIN
fear the cry, he just 10 the IRISH, give America fur
play and the sympathics due 10 people contcnding
for freedom. and give the people of England control
OfthcGoyemmcnt Of Of ENGLAND. On Reform lac IL almost
the first English statesman who demonstrated that
the franchise was Alright, and not privilege To be
grudgingy conceded by some superior power. Tho
nobcst passages IN these oratiOns some of the mo-
best ~ any language. those which relate 10 these
highest political themes.
The familiar paradox &" Does it read wcllf Then IL
was not a good speech must do duty once more for
tho sake of being reiutcd. Mr. Brights speeches
were good when they were made, and they are good
To read They are not only interesting. instructive,
ana eloquent, they are often amusing There are few
speeches III the two volumes " hch are not cnIycncd
ny touches OF a rare humor. Mr.. Bright likes fun.
KNOWS the value of good story in relieving
the strained attention OF an audience, and