The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-19

pupils from every Greek colony, and gifted
youth TO find instruction. They were TAI
Inferior to us In apparatus, and we shouIl
rejoice In our advantages, and beware les
we abuse them, and descend to the mere
mechanical in education.
Besides the very best teachers, Demos
themes had The stimulation Of many gifted
fellow-students, among whom was Aristo
| tie. who was about the same age, who came
to Athens at the age OF seventeen, remained
twenty wears, studied under Plato, and al.
terwards taught. Plato
"To0K ALL KNOWLEDGE FOR HIS PROVINCE -
and his young student had The advantage OF
! his enthusiasm for the acquisition OF know
ledge, his tendency TO analyze and nationally
critIciSe everything, and bis subtle and
powerful logic.
The speaker here drew vivid picture OF
young Demosthenes walking home at eve
ming from the groves on the Cephissus with
young Aristotle, discussing conversational
lecture they had just heard from Plato,
while from the trees that crown the little
hill OF Colonus, on their left hand, come
the thrilling notes Of the Nightingale, re-
calling INSTANTLY to them both some ex-
qusite lines OF Sophocles. He said that
young students seldom realize what an i'm
,
,"" ,, i''u' u "1eu ny neRep alIusion to his
college intimacy with Governor Hoiliday.
Ailudlng to the fact that the social atmos-
phere OF Athens was full of educational in
spiration. be drew ahappy parallel with the
social atmosphere OF Richmond.
3. In the literature he Inherited. The
glorious Greek literature was now reaching
It's compIeteness, and scarcely any Of its
really great names were wanting to
( THE EARLY, STUDIES OF DEMosTHENEs
save his own name and that of his fellow
student. He pictured gifted youth read
ing, with facile enjoyment, I'M his own:
tongue, Homer, sSophoeles. Aristophanes,,
EHerodtus, Thucydides, and Plato, and said
that it makes ones mouth water'to think of
it. land yet, be said, we may, though with,
less perfect enjoyment, read these. and we
have besides !Chaucer, Bacon, Shakespeare,
Milton, &c.) But in addition to literature
Denosthenes had all the highest inspiration
OF art. ..or. =,
4. In the inspiring examples OF oratory
amonghis predecessors and contemporaries.
1t was the Greeks who first made oratory
IN art, and this had been fully done be-
fore Demosthenes. A century before his
time there had been famous teachers In
Athens. one OF whom taught rhetorical ar
gument, even boastiug that he could teach
them how to make the worse appear the,
better cause. .-'i- q, 4
: ANOTHER TAUGHT
how to distinguish synonyms. A third de-
veloped au artistic prose, with high
wrought poetical. expressions and elaborate
prose rhythm which we would now call
ssCUELING."
In the same age PericIes had set the ex-
ample Of carefully composing in advance
his political speeches. and though he left no
speeches on record, left an lmperishable
fame as great popular orator. OF the lead
ing orators, some OF whose speeches remain
to us, before the times OF Demosthenes, we
find one who was contemporary of Peri
cles, and great criminal lawyer, whose
speeches are unadorned, but dignified and
vigorous in thought and in expression, and
another who shows little rhetorical train
ing bnt much mother wit, Astounding in
anecdote and other homev illustrations.
In the generation immediately preceding
Delnosthenes lived Lyslas, the great master
OF the plain style-a modetof perfect clear
ness pnd elegant simplicity, SURPRISING even
his contemporary Zenophon, OF the same
generation; but living till Domosthcnos
reached middle age WAS Isocrates, VINO cur
ricd -.
THE ORNATE STYLE
OF oratorical composition to almost absolute
perfection, fully developing the capacities
of Attic Greek for periodic structure Of
sentences and prose rhythm, and training
bis pupils (of whom Demosthenes was one)
not to forensic nor deliberative but to a
charming literary rhetoric. like that Of Ed
ward Everett and James P..Holcombe.
The speaker brought out very vivldly the
point that, while. oratory had reached so
high state Of perfection and there were
such noble models at. Athens, yet Demos
themes at Que tiGle or another developed
the highest characteristics of them all.
8. a great crisis lnthe history Of, Athens
and OF Greece, which Denosthenes saw
and the people often did not, while many
unwise Or mercenary orators derided. j.,
II. Passing nextto consider the chief ele-
ments Of -.., % =: .;it ~. ;f -
THE MIGHTY AND NARvELLoUs POWER OF
..:- - DEMosTHENEs, - u = -:
the speaker made it to consist Of, e. a. r..
/. His capacity, wisdom, and knowledge.
These traits were fully illustrated by aptIy-
selected specimens OF his speeches.
2. In his elevated character aud aims. He
was a true patriot, seeking to lead his peo-
pie into the path'of right. ,,'.n"'.oi. .v5.
8. His mnstery Of the externaIs Of ora
tory:A He. gaVe:a vivid description of the
difficulties the great orator had at first to
contend with, and how by patient effort he
oyercame them. 4 n - !, ,t.r -..r3
The speaker then proceeded TO draw from
bis subject F.; ~ f.<I H.. - <.4itt&
IMPORTANT PRACTICAL LESSONS.
1.zDemosthenes combined four. great con-
ditions OF the highest success in any ele-
waited form OF human eSertion-genius,
common sense. moral principle, labor. He
ably and Yividly showed that while there
may be ahdesgee ofssuccess where one or
more OF these qualities wanting, yet all
are necessary to true greatness. He be-
lieved In genius, in special genius; but,he
ably argued to prove that common sense,
is a companion and handmade OF genius,
and by no means antagonistic, TO sher, and
that this common sense may be and should
be cultivated.
He earnestly and eloquenty insisted That
moral principle is absolutely essential to Ill
truly admirable character, 10 all really Sue
cessful life, and that nothing can be accom-
plished worth the doing without earnest
labor. .-.... - .' s'
>. Beyond Cicero and others Of those
times, Demosthenes was patriot. He was
empilatcally patriot. orator. His pa
triotism had an intensity born OF perfect
sympathy with his own Greek State, sharing
all OF its proud memories. ali OF It's peculiar
sentiments, al OF its local attachments, and
at the same time it had Pan-Hellenic
breadth and comprehensiyeuess. Perhaps