Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-30
Review of the American Orators


 A correspondent propounds an interesting question which is, in truth, easier to ask than to answer. Who is the greatest orator now living in America? That depends 6 good deal on your understanding of what consti tutes great oratory. Great in brains, or in lungs, or in practical accomplishment {? Great in the power to bribe the fancy with the flowers of eloquence or in power to conquer the judgment by reasonable appeals to req son? An orator may charm everybody who hears him, and go spouting through life with out converting single wise man or a single fool to his own notions. Another may talk to caucuses or Legislatures or juries in such an everyday, matter of-fsct manner that it does not seem oratory at all, and yet so per suasively that people will wonder, as they did in regard to Sir James Scarlett. how he always manages to be on the right side of the question. Is our correspondent sure he has a distinct idea what it is he is after? There is such an astounding variety of orators, and there are so many different measures of great ness.
 Let some of the orators of the day step forth, however, in order that we may judge of tk cir abilities.
 If our young friend admires the graceful utterance of poignant phrases, we advise him to lose no opportunity of hearing Wendell Phillips. Mir. Phillips speech is like silver plated steel. He is one of the surviving vet erans of war in which his words counted for as much as the bullets of ten years after. Three generations have listened to the elo. quence proceeding from the remarkable lar ynx of this old man, but we are not aware that he has ever provoked yawn. If the only test of the great orator was the ability to say given thing in the most graceful way possible, perhaps we should be inclined to look no further than Wendell Phillips; for words come to his lips with the promptness and easy carriage of invited gue-es. Bat it is not necessary to say thing in the right way the thing thus said must also be the right thing to say. It is proper to record the fact that Mir. Wendell Phillips has not unfre- quently lent his voice to propositions that will no more hold water than coIander
 It is long distance from Boston to Peoria. Colonel Bob Ingersoll, as he is affectionately known to our esteemed contemporaries of the religious press, acquired somewhat sudden fame half dozen years ago by horid but effective speech at 8 political convention. He is probably at this time the most popular speaker in the land. Whatever he talks about, people like to hear him. Who else could fill the Academy of Music to overflow ing on Sunday night, and hold the big au- dience in state of noisy delight for three hours while he explained his not edify ing views in matters of theological doctrine and exegesis2 It is 8 mistake to assume that Colonel Ingersoll draws crowds because he attacks the Christian asligion. The secret of his power is not different from that of the eminent revivalists and preachers of the past Folks go to hear Ingersoll because of his hearty, humane way, because he amuses them and stirs their sensibilities in judicial alter nation, and especially because he does not try to shoot his intellect over their heads Let our correspondent go to bear Bob Inger- soil by all means, if he gets the chance This terrible fellow is a bland, grandfatheriy gentleman of fifty or more and when he hoists his spectaoles above his rosy, round face, and with his hands in his coat tail peck cts begins to tell a good story-few can tell