Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-13
PATRICK HENRY,
THE MATCHLESS ORATOR.
A. the Great Homer Wrote 80 the GREAT
yirg.nian Srcke- M. Eicauencc no Myth.

IoSt 10 NIllc. Ills tlViu'hNN 80
Is not myth, but HISTORICAL verify. IL
has been amply aitested by hearers OF the
highest cha, meter and Of the finest oratori-
cal taste. Thomas Jefferson, who had heard
Henry, said Of him: "Hc spoke as Homer
wro,e.v or him said John Randolph. OF
Roanoke, who himself was also great ora
tor: "lle was shakespeare and Garrick
combined
The newer by which one inluses into an
assembly his own emotions and leads u
capiiye TO his will is a wonderful, perhaps
fearful one. Though 1t has sometimes
locn used, "to make the worst appear the
better reason TO perpleX aud dash maturest
sounscls.' vet generally il has been made
to suhsorvc great and useful purposes.
History does not record any examples OF
a greater natural orator than Henry. He
YVES not an orator rs the resultant OF long
and elaborate course Of preparation. The
loftinCss Of his nature, his strong emotions,
his possession in himself OF everything no.
bic and true more than supplied The rheto-
rician's art. His forehead was high; his
eyes were blush gray and very express
siye: his mouth was large. and often wore
a smile Of inercdulity while an opponent
was speaking. HenTy's counlenance
was highly intellectual and mobile, and
he was speaking. contributed much
10 the effect produced. He had all the nat
maj aptitudes for great orat0ry. One OF his
greatest. il not the greatest, auxiliary to ii
was a very full and melodiois voice, capa.
ble Of expressing vividly all his emotions.
Both Demosihenes and Cicero, the greatest
Of ancient orators, assiduously cultivated
oratoIy before they obtained cmlnence in
il. But II was not so with Henry. In
almost his first legal speech. that in the
Parsons case, in which the law was against
him, he triumphcd and almost at n single
bound took his place among the greatest
orators Of the country. II has been stated
that in this and some other OF his
speeches that his manner at first
was somewhat awkward and cmbar-
rasS6d. but that soon lac seemed to be ami
mated by the sound OF his own voice. and
kindlcd by his own emotions, and that then
his hearing became not only easy and grace
iul. but commanding. The same embar-
rassmcnt at the beginning OF his speeches
and The speedy recovery OF scli-possession
has been related OF two other great orators,
Cicero and Henry Grattan. Patrick Henry
had great extempore power. and was never
discOncertcd ly interruptions. His replies
when interrupted. made on the spur Of the
moment. were always The most effective
portions OF ms speech. His dauntless spi-
rit and his eXtemporaneouS power enabled
HIM 10 Tisc 10 the demands OF every occa-
sion.
The fame of Henry as political orator
eliminated in his speech on his resolutions
against the Stamp-aCt in The Virginia House
OF BurgcSSes in 1865. Judged by the eject
produced on The audience. that speech has
not been surpassed in clcqueucc by any
since tue great Grafton OF Demosthenes on
the crown. The stamp resolutions differed
from previous ones which had been offered
IN our colonial assemblies i'm this, that they
addressed the PEOPLE directly. They did
not protest, aS Heretofore, only against
threatened evils, but denounced an existing
law. They we're the bU.le blasts melting
thCm 10 resistance.
The speech Of James Otis, in 116l, before
4 Massachusetts court on Writs OF As
sstarce" was one Of great ability and
cloquence. and has sometimes been com
pared to the one OF Henry iu,t mentioned.
That OF Hcnry was dcliVed before more
mpaTtaut hodv-that j.. the General A.
sCmbly Of Virginia was more widely cir
cu!atod. and undoubtedly was more in
fuential than any other in bringing
about our revolution. In the speech re-
ferred 10. Henry said {" Cesar had his
Brutus. Charles /. his Cromwell, and
George III. may profit by their example,"
The cry OF treason being raised as lac Ut
tered the name Of George Ill.,. Henry,
pausing and fixing his eye on the first in
terlupter. dsuntiessly continued and con-
cludod the sentence with may prohl by
their example, OF the correctness OF this
Thomas Jefferson has youchcd. In his
Memoirs" he saws: ~ well remember
the cry Of treason. the pause Of Mr.. Henry
at The name Of George H.. and the pres
erce Of mind with which he closed his
sentence and bailled the charge yocif-
cratcd.'
Perhaps The speech next in greatness
which was made by Henry was the one IN
the Convention in Richmond on the 23d oI
Nav, I11J. in advocacy OF resolution OF
! fercd by bin for armng the militia ana
/ putting the colony in state OF defence, IL
( was i'm this speech he said "'Is life - dear
or peace 80 sweet Is TO be purchased at the
/ prlcc Of chains and slavery? Forbid 1t.
| Almighty God! ] know not what course
| others nav take, but as for me, give me
| liberty or give me death."
| It's related by one who heard him speak
| this uasslgc that at the delivery OF the
| word "chains." be crossed his arms and
! bent forward ana lowered bis body. so as
10 initiate the fettered slave, bu, when he
| uttered tie word "lihcrly,' he threw bis
arms wide apart and kept them so until tht
| conclusion OF the sentence just quoted.
No gestures could have possibly been more
appropriate.
| Another occasion on which Henry maze
one Of the grsnde,t displays OF his eloquenc(
was in the Continental Congress. on Tho
| 24th Of September. 1114, in the discussion
OF the relations Of the colonies TO Great 81
lair. 20 trausccndent then was his elo
| oucnce that many members OF that body
| called him its DemOsthencs.
Another and one of the latest p0litica
arenas on which Henry was speaker wa
| in the Virginia Convention OF 1ISS, whici
was convened TO consider the quesuol
whether The Federal Constitution should
be ratified The Convention soon became
divided INTO two parties, both ably leu an'
| ncarly Cqual in numbcrs-the one iaNOItht
the adoption Of certain amendments pre-
yiOus 10 ratification, and the other the iea'
ing Of all amendments to he made IN th'
wsv nrcscribed m the Constitution itscu.
| Patrick Henry and George Mason WeI.
| tbe leaders Of L, e former, and James Madi
son and Edmund Randolph OF lhe htU.r
The conflict OF these men was war OF III
tellectual giants. A. 4 lawyer Henry wa
greater in the management OF criminal thai
| civil cases. The wide range he could TAX
in the advocacy OF bis clients in the iofIne
suited the character Of his genius. fo
| legal te6hnicalitics he had not mhch aste
for large accumation of the book kno"iedS
Of law he had not sufficient industry. Ina
he could make great effort, even IN a clVi
case, is evidenced by bls speech IN IN
case OF William Jones, etc. rs. Ihein'
Walker. commonly called the Brt'N
Debt case. In his argument upon w. D
IFS second trial. in Richmond IN I'96' III
validity OF the British debts due lfohi ' II
ginIans, and which had been during th
Revolution confiscated by Virginia, wa
discussed. John Marshall, siterWSrd Cni'
Justice OF the United States, was aSsociacc ~,
rs counsel with Henry in thls case. y
former, in some conversation WIN Juus
Iredell. a member OF the United stal'
Circuit Court, spoke in such very nv
terms OF the eloqlence Of the latter th't VI
Judge EXPRESSED some degree OF incredui
ty. Ii is related that Ircdell, the sooner
! settle the issue between himself ana ha
shall, called up the cssc menlloheu out
its order, and while Henry was speah',
lie. no longer incrcdulOus, eSciiiio
Gracious God. He is an orator ihueeu'
The rare knowledge which Henr! Po'
sesscd Of the human heart and the de
potlc power which be welded over u
the charm OF his cloquence caused ms =,
vices IN important criminal cases 10
sought for from great distances. iiis y
putatlon in such cases was coeS.ens'