The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-12-21
WILLIAM c. PRESTON.
"Reminiscences by one who Knew and
Heard ti,,,.

We have read many descriptions Of
the effect produced by great orators upon
their audiences, and haze once or twice
witnessed queer scenes OF the same kind,
as it has been our fortune To- hear some
great men speak, but an incident related
TO US severaI years ago by a gentleman
who has long been prominent in public
Affairs and who was once 4 CnItcd States
minister to European Court, is perhaps
rs remarkable Al illustration OF the pow
"r aud tl"quencc rs ANY ever recorded.
| The gentleman referred to was walking
with ua from the Capitol in Washington
just after we had both been listening to
| Representatives, upon which we were
commenting, when, turning 10 III, he
said
You are not old enough to remember
| William c. Preston when in public life
| He was by far the greatest orator that
! ever heard and never cqualcd, perhaps,
| by any American except Patrick Henry
| II by him. ! was sort of pet Of Nc.
| Clay, and often heard him and all his
great contemporaries speak, but, although
sometimes overwhelming, he was not the
! equal OF MIR. Preston. Clay. Webster,
! Calhoun, Sargent s. PrcutiSs, and all the
other great orators Of that day had eacli
his own peculiar style, and each was diff
| icrent from the other; bat Preston
seemed to combine all.
| ~ once witnessed 4 scene al Macon
| iia., which can never forget, and which,
ridiculous AZ it seemed afterwards, lurn.
i,hed for that very reason the most con-
elusive and striking proof Of MIR. Pres
tons absolute coDtrole over All audience.
have thought Of it Il thousand times,
and | know Of no parallel TO it..
1T was in the Clay campaign Of 1874.
An immense audience, fifteen or twenty
thousand, had assembled TO hear Preston.
A large stage had been erected, which
WAS crowded with prominent persons IL nd
the multitude was packed around it.
There wna the usual buzz and confusion
incident to such occasions, until after
Preston had been speaking few mo-
ments, when it began to subside, and
soon there was Il dead silence, except the
music of that wonderful voice. He was
in fine condition ius his work. and "ent
at it in his best style. Tho silence seemed
to intensity ~ the tide OF h;5 eloquence
poured over the dense mass of enchanted
listeners. With the swell Of his sono.
rous voice the audience seemed to rise
on tiptne, and to sink back again with
its obbing cadences; and again they
swayed with the sweep of his arm like q
wheat field TO the breeze. At length, in
a magnificent burst Of inspiration-witl
his long arm raised high his eyes flash
ing, and the multitude hanging breath.
lessly upon his words. he seized the brown
wig which he wore. held i, up over bis
shining bald head, and, still soaring in
his splendid flight, replaced it cross. wise
and SCARED on; and, air, assure you
that thrrelwas not, in that vast audience
the lc;s. ripple Of laughter at this most
ridiculous performance, but, on the con.
trary, no one seemed even TO notice it
80 completely cntranced WAS every lis.
tencr."
Another distinguished gentleman. now
dead, once tod us that he had heard all
the great orators of fifty years ago, but
that he never knew what human elo.
quence WA until he heard William G.
Preston. lie heard him only once, and
that was in the Senate, when upon the
urgent request of Mr.. Clay and others
he spoke extempOraneouHly for about
twenty minutes, on II bill To pension the
widow Tor daughter) Of the first solder
killed 1T the battle of Lexington. "He
had not been speaking" said he. Five
minutes before the cold chills began to
run down my spine, and from that time
until be finished sat like one in n trance.
1t was supernatural. ! never expect tu
hear anything like it again.