The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1875-02-20
Whitelfc1al and Wesley

We know that our readers will
thank us for the following tlescrip
ton, taken from the British Quar-
tcrly Review, Of the greatest orator
the world ever produced; and the
contrast between him and his great
compecr, whose oratory seldom rose
beyond penetrating good SENSE
but the still white and sonndless
heat Of whose fcrvor was moro at
fectual than what seemed to BE the
more raging flame.
simultaneously with Wesley came tho
singular appnrition Of Whitrtle;d, WHO foil
into no groove Of Church routine or lite,
altlIong', undoubtedly standing on tn.
Calvinistic side Of Methodist opinion. 1t
is interesting to compare these two men
together. Whiteirld spr,ny upon the
world ready armed ~ a you'll, Of twenty,
aud finished his career in the prime nf life:
he seems almost to realize. il it can he
realised, the idea OF an abstract snml. We
read his words, aud they are nothing ;
Int those words uttered hy him broke
down, overwhelmed, and dissolved all
prc.jnlccs. What must he have been to
whom such strong men. such courtly, ar
fetal, yet highly cultured men, such skep-
tical and inaccessible men az I,nlinbrokc.
and CHESTERFIELD and DAVID Hume, and
Garrick. and Benjamin Franklin, were
as tow while he was az u spark to kindle
MI into consuming fame. Not immediate,
! connected with W-slry's organization.
this mysterious and marvellous man, an
entire soul Of all embracing love and con,
paseion, greatly aided the movement -
equally at homo in preaching in the select
saloons of the Countess Of IInntinslon, to
Dukes and Duchcsses and arrays of Peers
or II, the widest and most furious aud
mnrderons m"bs, Whteteld is q mystery
t." MS; he only seems to burn with an in
candesrcnt heat. =" that words shrjve!. and
rvaporate in the flame of that pure. in
g'n"""s, generous, and wholly co,,secra-
ted snul /: and this, otwithstandny tn,
melody Of that full. clear, all encompass
ing voice, varying to every passionate ac
cent, sinking to the most penetrating en-
treaty, swelling to the most ronsnr aros-
tr"Phe. IN the full carecr,ng heat of his
speech. Whitelield became, unconsciously
to himself, poet, philosopher psycholo-
g'St, thus enabling us to understand some
thing OF his s;npend"ns power, even while
we are still pcrplexed rs to it's cause. No
melody or poetry shines through the
words of his published discn,,rscs; lnt no
pictures we have over met will! Of insured.
iaPt oratory, are more surprising than
those which are presented to us by his
contemporaries of Whitctie!l's's preocl, 7uy
ON tho slope of some mountain or hill. the
trees and hedges full of people hushed to
profound silence, the open armament
above him, the green fields around him.
tho sight of thousands on thousands of
people. some in coaches, some on horse
back. gathered arounu him and oil affect
e!-mclted to tears.
But Wealey's success Wesley, as an
orator. seems still more inconceivable. By
all accounts Wlitelield was scraphic.
Wesley seldom rose beyond penetrating
good sense, and nothing appears to have
transported him ont Of bis invarialle calm
Yet tho effects Of his oratory we're even
still more wonderful ; there was .smethiny
of magnetism in it. Henry Moore, his
great friend, says, Al this moment, l well
remember my first thought after hearing
INN preach nearly fifty years ago. spiyitua,|
things are natural things to that man.
In innu'ner 'bie instances ~ fluid an
d'encrs shaken as by mighty wind.
hurled down, ayonzing screaming aload
there was much more of all this in Wesleys
preaching than in Whtehel.l's. vet in
w Wh'tchelds wo shon'd expect it more |
Wesley, IN the style Of his oratnry, seems
to have beer, judicial. and our readers are
not unaware OF the remarkable power that
70 ant Il,
~ Ptss'"nlcss apparently as Jonathan
Edwards. Il man who would have tlistlajned
b"eIy approach to scnsHtiotnlis,u, wAoso
rntire mode ofpnlpit delivery was ohuox-
ons to all IDEAS Of pulpit oratorv, ami
whose whole scheme of tl:omuht and OK
preston were as calm and clear as lori.a,
metaphysics could make them? vet what
scenes he witnessed when he preached
Thus 1t was elninently with Wesley
;rowds thronged around him intent t"
listen wherever he appeared; if the face
was beautiful, the height of tho body was
70 'aE beneath the average standard that
. seems almost contemplate for the hold.
ing OF snch powers as he welded and
then tho voice, not less than tho manner.
appears to have been untitled to carry
tenPcsts OF passion-nor did he desire that
It should; we suppose that it must have
been sin@ulnrly clear and penetrating, and
that every sentence was sharply cut and
elaborated, not by preparation and the
pen, but by convictions deep and in,le!ible,
Such sentences carried upon !. clear pene-
Eating v"lcs-and in or:'tory tue voice is
III but every thng-wi'l' achieve more than
more plausible means. IT. is teryoAr
which fires. but fer vonr often barns more
i'll the still, white, somnlless
neat, t,;n in what seems to 10 the most
aging f|amo.
l-2 Al GnteInriSiug LSrealite who