The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-01-13
NOs27

was accuSt0m ed at college TO look owe
| a passage of q Greek or Laain book
and having ascertained its meaning
translate it off, hand into English
He was accustomed for ten years Il
practice in this way with his tutor, ant
it was thus that he acquired that US
hesitating fueney of speech, in whicl
he was unequalled. He was accts
toned to read the debates Of antiqui
ty, and to notice which of the arsu
ments of speaker were refuted b,
his oppone8t; which were parted ant
which were not nientioned. He alst
embraced opportunities of hearing de
bates in Parliament. ''' n
He was scarcely twenty years of ag'
when he attended his father to tht
House of Lords on that memorable
occasion when the statesman fell Il
the floor, while in the act Of address
ing the House. William Pitt assisted
to bear him from the place, and {
few weeks after followed his coffin al
chief ,l.ourner to Westminster Alb
hey. This event compelled him t.
embrace a profession, since he had II
his own right but three hundred
pounds year. He chose the law, anc
began to pratice that profession soor
after coming of age. At tho same
time a powerful friend of his fathers
procured him 8 seat in Parliament.
He had not been many days in his
seat before the young man, not syel
twenty-five years ofage, rose to address
the House IN favor of Mr.. Burke's bill
for abolishing a great number of need
edless Offices. Mr.. Fox rose at the
same time, but at once gave way to
his young friend, who was soon to be
his rival. The speech which he de.
ivered was, for lnaiden-speech, one
of the most extraordinary of which we
have any account. Lord Macaulay,
who derived his knowledge, in part,
from the conversation of old men, who
had heard it, says: t53E
"The lofty yet anhnated daport.
ment of the young member, his per
feet selt-possession, the readiness with
which he replied to the, orators who
had preceded him, the silvery tones
of his voice, the pelfeet structure of
bis, unprecedented sentences, aston
ished and delighted his hearers
In that one night he reaped tho IN
toxicating reward of ten years of lab
orious preparation Edmund Burke.
delighted to hear his measure suppor-
ted so effectively, and touched with
the success of the young orator, could
not repress his tears. lss.s -
s 'sIt is nett he exclaimed, "a chip
0r q s,is F5tsS T he ead las.; block se
itseif1 f2iFst 30 80
One member said to Fox, in the
course Of the evening:
"Pitt VIII be one Of the first men
in Parliament.
"He is soalready," replied Mr.. Fox.
In this generous manner did these
gallsat and high-bred men welcome
to the arena Of the House Of Commons
the orator who was to keep them from
place and power for many and many
year.
Before he had been two sessions in
Parliament, he was universally ac.
knowledged to be the peer, as an ora,
tor, of Fox, Burke and Sheridan
and, as a politician, superior to either
of them. At twenty-three he was
Chancellor of the Exchequer, which
it cost Beniamen Disraeh twenty y-five
years of service to reach. Attwenty-
six he was Prime Minister, and he
held the Office Eineteen .years-a long.
er period than it was ever held by the
same man before or since. '2 2@
Such success was not wholly due to
his own talents, but partly to the dis
sentions of the Opposition, and partly
to the obstinacy of the king. VIII
liam Pitt it was who welded the re
sources of E lgland, and united the
powers of Europe, in the titanic con.
fiict which was waged against Napo
leon D5REparte This was his prineipa
work in this world. He rose to al
most unequalled popularity as min.
ister by waging this needless war, and
it was the repeated triumpns of Ma
poleon which broke his heart and
health at last. The news of the bat
tie of Austerlitz gave him his death.
blow, and his countenance ever after
wore a peculiar expression which his
friend NNilberforce used to call "the
Austerlitz look" s
A few months before the battle so'
Austerlitz, while he was straining ev,
cry nerve, and rolling up the public
debt millions month, to concentrate
troops against his great enemy. ru
mors were in theair of the surrender Of
the Austrian army at Ulm.
stDo not 'beheve u wordof it," he
said ;gsit is all fiction"
On the following day he received Q
Dutch paper containing the terms o1
! the capitnlation. AS it was Sunday,
the tranalators were all absent, and af
he did not understand Dutch he took
it to one of his friends who had resid
ed in Holland, who translated it. The
news was too much for him, and he
went home pale and haggard, as
though stricken with death. Auster
litz soon followed, and he never raj
lied from the stroke.
1 He died in 1906, aged forty-seven
"A public funeral was decreed him.
and he was buried in Westminster
Abbey by the side of his father.
s. William Pitt was never married,
but dedicated his whole existence tq
public business. He not only refused
valuable appointments which were
pressed up6z ,Enn by the king, but ne
was careless IN the expenditure Of
imeuey, and in the management of bis
household, to degree which was a.
most criminal. Though he had en-.
ioyed Tor many years an income O
ten Thousand pounds sterling, and