The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-07-08
SERGEANT $. PRENTISS.
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES OF ONE
WHOKNEW HIM INTIMATELY.


n Man Oh wonderful AttlltliNCntS
His Ability as II Youth aud speedy Smc
cess at the Har-His Early Death.
AN ANALYSIS OF PRENTIsS' Ol,ATORY
The effect of the speeches of Mr.
Prentiss upon the mind and feelings
was always commensurate with tho
object to be attained when desiring
to convince he was calm and logical,
| no man more SO but when he desired
to enlist the feelings he gave vent to
his Imagination and was wonderfully
eloquent. He seemed to comprehend
tho character of every man as soon as
| nc looked into his face and was an
adept in the selection of a jury. In adj
dressing jury his eye wandered from
! face to face scrutinizingly, and his
manner and matter would be suited to
the one he especially addressed. So
subtle was his genius so wierd his
manner and thrilling his words, that
it seemed spirit within him spoke,
unaided and independent Of the outer
man. His figures were SO simple, yet
SO illustrative, that it seemed no words
beyond those were necessary to fix his
position and his cause in the minds
and convictions Of his auditors. Mind
: is said to be composed OF the three
great attributes, imagination, memory
and judgment. This wonderful COM
bination is rarely found in any man,
but when it is, the man is great intel
lectually. Yet he may be deficient in
will and consequently unable to make
the power of his mind available in
controlling men. a great will is fire.
qucntfy found where mind is deficient
and is made to substitute the offices of
the mind. a powerful memory, COM
blned with gorgeous Imagination,
makes a brilliant but never great
man. The two great rivals, Footc and
Prcntiss, were often compared, and l
have heard sage men ask what there
was in Prcntiss which gave him such
power over the minds and actions Of
mon and why Footc was SO deficient in
this particular. lie was equally
classical, even more finished in cduca-
ton, and yet his cloluencc, though
very finished, was often Intellectual. 1t
was simply because he was devoid of
judgment, though gifted with q strong
will. Prcntiss combined all these at
tributes of mind and will more cmi-
nently than any man, with the cScep-
ton of Henry Clay. lie had more
gorgeous imagination than Mr.. Clay,
had all the feeling Of McDuifcc, the
logic of Mr.. Webster and the will Of
Gen. Jackson. Hc was also brave,
kind and generous, af1;,blo and atrcc-
tionatc, devoted to his family and
faithful to his friends.
Footc was an orator, but only an
orator in his command of language.
He only excited the admiration of his
hearers. PrcntiSs on the other hand,
would in 4 fcw words fro the hearts
and arouse the enthusiasm of q crowd
almost to frenzy. To those who list
cncd tho reason was obvious. Footc
spoke alone from the hcad-Prentiss
from the head and the heart Foote'S
words were silvcry and beautiful, but
it was the head which gave them to
the lips. Though cogcnt, thcy were
cold. Prentiss' words bubbicd up
from the heart and were warmed by
its fires, whilst tho alcmbic of tho brain
fashioned them into brilliancy.
that Of PrcntisS at times equally so, but
feeling was brcathcd in them, and as
they trcmblcd upon his lips they
omcncd the volcanic burst which was
to follow.
1t was when ovcrmastcrcd with the
fires of genius that his feelings burst
forth. No one ever stopped to weigh
or criticize his words they heard
them and they felt the soul that was
in them and wcro led captive by their
mighty power. The magic influence
of his very presence, when animated
by the effort Of speaking, was wonder
full. Tho illitcratc and the cultivated
were equally enchanted by the magic
Of his manner and the witchcry OF his
words. No one who listened to him
ten minutes ever went from him until
he had concluded none ever seemed
to wear or flag i'll attention, and all
regretted when he finished and took
his seat.
ANECDOTES OF PRISTlSS' POWER.
l heard the great speech of William
Pinckncy upon the Missouri question
in the United States senate in 1920.
sat near by and listened to that of Mr.
Clay upon the same subject in the
housc.of representatives. They were,
perhaps, tho greatest of their lives and
were most powerful in their influence
upon the action of congress. The
speech of Mr.. pinckncy was perhaps
the most finished and mastery piece