The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-03-20
"REMINISCENCES
PUBLIC MEN.
By Ex GOVERNOR B. r. PERRY.
EooNTiNUED FROM LAST wEEx.1
HUGH 8. LE0ARE.

This profound scholar, brilliant
writer, and finished. rator, lawyer
and Statesman, died at the early
age Of forty.six, whilst he was At.
torney General Of the United
States, and acting Secretary of
State. Had he lived to q ripe old
age. and gone OH increasing in
learning and scholarship as he did
in youth and manhood, he would
have left no superior behind him
in England or America. Mr.. Le-
gare was native of South Caro-
lima, Of Scotch and Hnguenot de.
scent, educated at tic South Caro-
lima College, elected a member of
the State Legislature for many
years in success.On. then Attorney
General of the State, and appoint-
ed by President jackson Minister
to Brussels. On his return home,
after an absence OF four wears he
was elected a member of Congress
from Charleston. and greatly dis
tinguished himself as an eloquent
and brilliant orator during his
brief Congressional career. -.
first saw Hugh Swinton Legare
in the tall of 1926. He WAS then
a member of the House of Repre-.
sen,atives, and his reputation, for
learning, talents, elouuence and
scholarship, was very high in.
deed. In tact, he brought
...is re putation with him
when he entered College in his
fourteenth year, as is stated by
Col. William @. Preston, his Col.
lege companion. Ihave frequent.
ly heard it said that Legare enter.
ed College'witl, more learning and
scholarship than McDuffie had
when hc lett College, though the
one was a boy who came to be ed
ucated, and the other was a man
grown, who l,ad finished his edu-
cation, and was destined to rank
with the greatest men of America
| remember hearing Judge Huger
say that when Legare graduated,
he went 10 the commencement out
OF respect to the College, and to
see the ladies. Whilst chatting
with some Of them, his ear was at.
tracted by a sentence in Legare's
valedictOry. He became interest.
ed, and his attention was riveted
ON the Grafton ill it was ended.
He enqnired who this you..g man
was. and asked one of the profes.
s"rs who wrote his va!edictnry for
him. The professor replied that
Lcgare had written it himself, and
that he was the only man in the
whole College who could have
written it. The snbjec' was, 1.-THE
influence of The imagination up
Oh hnman happiness.
cog / have heard Calhoun, Webster,
McDuffie, Hayne, Preston and
many others OF the distinguished
orators of the United States, but
in my estimation Legare was a far
more finished orator than any of
them. He had fine, noble voice,
aud seemed to have the same com
mand over it that a lady has over
the keys ut the instrument on
which she is playing. 1t is said
that the multitu' e, the great mass.
es OF the common people, are b, {
ter judges OF eloqnence than the
highly educated few. An old
friend of mine, Col. Benajan Dun
ham, remarkable for his good sense
and Judgment, very cool and dis
passionate, and not easily moved
by anything, once heard Leoare
speak in some commercial cnnven.
ton III Charleston. The old gen.
tlenlan, on his return home, said he
had not only never heard ANYTHING
like it, but it had surpassed all his
conceptions OF eloqnence and pub
lie speaking. Judge CIreves, on
his rcfnrn TO South Carolina. after
his residence in Philadelphia.
heard Legaie's speech on tie Judi
ciary system OF South Carolina lie.
fore the Legislature, and pronounc
editabove criticism. In list eniuy to
Legare you not only had your feel.
ingsronsed and excited, as the high
est eloquence never fails to do, but
st the same time, you saw there
was q depth Of ibought and a beau.
titnI finish in every expression,
which struck and charmed ynur
judgment. II was q combination
OF the force of Demosthenes, the
beauty of Cicero, and the brilliancy
Of Burke. aoJ. a...H =
In Congress, Legare made a
speech, s'1n after taking Ills seat,
on the sub Treasury, which was
eqnal to Edmond Burke's greatest
efforts in the British Parliament.
1t drew forth the highest praise
and warmest congratulations from
all who heard it. General Thomp