Middletown transcript., 1883-01-12
HOW HENRY A. WISE BECAME AN
ORATOR.

A recent letter from ''L. r. M"
dated Onancock, Aceomac county, Vir-
ginia, to the Baltimore Herald contains,
among other interesting things, the fol-
lowing:
About one mile below Onancock,
which is situated at the head of the
stream, the creek bends crescent-like
around jutting prominence of land,
which is made conspicuous by numbers
of large, sturdy oaks, and the grass lawn
that dips down to the placid waters
edge. There is on this place a large
two-story house with a half-dozen or
more sharp-roofed outbuildings which
look like overgrown chicken coops. This
place was the former residence and
home of Henry A. Wise, the Virginia
statesman, orator, politician and duel
ist. 1t is called "Only." The name
has curious derivation. Before Wise
was so well known to the political
world he was industriously winning for
himself reputation among his own
people in Accomac county. Atnights,
when the stars were out and everybody
else was in bed, he would quietly slip
out into the grove of oaks in front of
his house and there alone and undis-
turbed rehearse his speeches, his clear,
resonant voice mingling with the night
air, and echoing musically across the
waters of the creek which flowed closely
by. The trees were appropriately az
ranged. The three or four situated
just little back, he would address as
''your honors,'' the clump at the side,
gentlemen of the jury" and the
thicker portion Of the grove in front as
the crowd of spectators that had as
sembled to hear him. There was the
crude arrangement of court room, but
he was the only person present. For
that reason the place has been desig-
mated by the people thereabouts as
"Only," and by this name it is recog-
nized throughout the whole of Eastern
Virginia.
"There are many pleasant stories told
about these nocturnal rehearsals, which
shall not recite here, but which the
reader may easily surmise, when told
hat among certain classes of people
lround here, there exists not little
Many Of Wise's brightest
md most telling speeches were recited
ver and over again to this same inani-
nate audience and his powers of elo-
uence were doubtless as much owing
0 this persistence in practice as to any
atural talents in oratorical excellence.
When the story was being told me, by
ne who had known Wise intimately
or great number of years, 1 thought
Tom Corwin's explanation of his
enius as an orator. A friend asked
i'm one day the secret of his power on
le stump. "Well, the truth of it ISL
as the reply, "when want to makes a
oeech on any subject, 1 study it out
jot down my thoughts, write
nd rewrite the speech thoroughly, and
Dor on it until it suits me. Then [
,mmit it to memory, and at the first
oportunity go somewhere where there
sure to be a large gathering. If am
lied on, get up and make my speech.
he people call it genius, but call it
le hardest kind of work" A like ex-
anation would doubtless. have been
at of Henry A. Wise, as well as of
e majority of orators, from Demos
enes down. The career of Wise is of
o recent date to be recapitulated
re. 1t will be remembered, however,
nong other incidents of his eventful
e, that the last act of his term as
Of Virginia was to sign John
rown'S death warrant. His earnest
ID vehement eloquence killed the
now-Nothing movement in this coun-
y, and by that alone he deserves to be
as man of great power and
rong ability"