Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-08-03
Senator Carpenter and his Grafton at
Beloit.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati |
Gazette, whom we take to be Rev. 9.
L. Thomson, of that city, formerly
of Jaaesville, has an interesting &C
count of the Commencement exer-
cises at Beloit College, and partlcus
larry of the dedication of Memorial
Hall, with the fullest report OF Sen,
ator Carpenters speech which has
yet appeared, including some extracts
from notes taken at the time. We
copy a personal sketch of Senator
Carpenter, and what the writer says
of his speech as whole:
At two o'clock the exercises dedi>
catory of Memorial Hall, a very
handsome semi-gothic building of
cut stone, erected to the memory of
the sons of the college who fell in
the war, began. = 1t had
been announced that the Hon. Matt.
FL. Carpenter, United States Senator
from Wisconsin, would deliver the
grafton. Mr.. Carpenter is the favor
tie orator of the Northwest, favor
tie at the bar Of the Supreme Court
at Washington, and has already at
tracted marked attention of the Sen
ate. And so it came to pass that on
this occasion men and women had
come from far and near. 1t is very
rarely an orator has the privilege of
standing before such an audience as
greeted the young Senator to-day
The audience, alike by it's magnitude
and it's character, conspired with the
occasion to give Mr.. Carpenter an
opportunity worthy of his reputation
and his mastery powers. President
Chaplin introduced him in fitting
phrase, and, as during that introduc
ton the Senator is playing with the
tiny boquet in his hand let us sketch
his physique. His presence is every
inch the orator; tall, heavily and
squarely built, with deep chest, and
head firmly set upon his shoulders,
o step SO elastic it is almost boyish, a
face siDgularly winning in its express
sion, rather heavy in the features,
but capable of great illumination a
bright GEAR grey eye that is almost
rougish, mouth rather large and
expressive, even under the heavy
mustache that walls it, a noble brow
somewhat retreating, and usually
much concealed by the brown locks
that fall over it, tout ensemble that
speaks as plainly as words, of well
poised, cultivated, good-natured self
reliant man. This is Matt. III. Car
penter, the rising Senator of the
West. He begins in ringing voice,
with the frank declaration that this
is the first college commencement he
has ever attended. He makes an
| apology for his lack Of preparation.
| He has had no time TO write, and if
he had written, manuscript would
have overwhelmemed him, as d avid
would sink under the armour of Saul.
For an hour and twenty minutes he
he held the vast audience spell bound
by words, a taste of which it was to
my purpose to give you, but on look,
ing over my notes | shrink from the
task. The briefest sketch must suffice.
These extracts give no idea of the
superb eloquence of the Senator,
which lies not only in words, but in
all that constitutes the highest style
of speech. He is master Of every
mood and from the beginning till he
closes every eye is perforce riveted
upon the speaker. His command of
language is somewhat velous, and
the jaunty good humor of his manner
is only equaled by the brilliance of
his thoughts and the splendor of his
rhetoric.