The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-10-16
English Oratory.

alton, artistic grouping of words and
effort, after the style of johnson, to give
to the sentences both rhythm and
resonance. An advocate of liberal
desired that the people should
be redeemed, regenerated and Olsen.
thralled by the irresistible genius of a
universal emancipation" The pulpit
was marked by the same character
istics. Sentences did not grow; they
were built up-constructed. I once
heard Lord Brougham speak for more
than two hours. He retained enough
of the departing style constantly to
recall it, but on that occasion. at least,
he had much of the simplicity and
.directness adapted to didactic purposes.
The stately method may now be
deemed obsolete. The men do not
make speeches. They speak. Even
where using notes or full manuscript
there is the directness- of conversation,
of a good newspaper .leader," rather
than the dignified and periphrastic pro-
lixity of former days. had a recent
opportunity to note the characteristics
of a number of prominent Englishmen,
all conscious that they not only spoke
to the crowd that filled the Guildhall-
q noble assembly room in the city of
London-but to the English people.
The occasion was the jubilee of the
British emancipation of negro slaves,
and the foremost men of England ap-
peared and threw as much energy as it
is sin good form" in England to do
into their addresses.
The Prince of Wales-who, by the
way, was received with a good deal of
49, En,.1se1 syobaarsn~ ~ yhtobsooncisfo
of the rapid repetition of tsYah! Yah!"
standing for Heart! HearD-presided.
and gave a quite heightened speech
for a prince. 1t was carefully written
by whom I do not pretend to know
but was in good taste, in keeping with
his position, and marked by a generous
tions, while modestly assuming, OF
course, that Great Britain is the leader
of civilization. The illusions to the
and dignitied, as, indeed, YER those
of all the speakers. His royal highness
has a very good voice, a pleasant
true Of all Londoners-speaks English
intelligibly. He was the only one to
read, and, indeed, the only INT to enter
into the history of the struggle. and
thus very appropriately introduced the
speakers. It was impossible to forget,
while noting the respectful attention
with which he was heard, the eno-.
nous influence such a man may WELD;
and it is pleasant to say to the readers
of the Ledger that the future king OF
England stands well in the metropolis,
and that the gossiping stories regard
Ting him to which we are treated, find
no credence in London. .tYou get
them through adventurous actresses"
said an Intelligent E~nglishman.
Earl Granville has been long in the
public service and is well entitled to be
heard by English people. Standing
upright, almost motionless, with hardly
an approach to a gesture, and speaking
slowly, one has in him a. good repre-.
sentative of the sseloquenee'' of the
House of Lords. Reporters must find
such speakers pleasant There is mo
difficulty in getting every word. The
least approach to any display of feeling
was received with the inevitable "yah,
yah, but such q speech in New York,
for such an occasion, would have been
deemed intolerably tame. Neither
smile nor tear would it call forth. and
a Boston audience would have been as
unmoyed by it as a company Of heather
| gods.
2 More animated and elastic Sir Stat.
| ford Northcote interested the people,
but the same general tone of dignified
dullness constantly raised the question,
Do these noblemen and gentlemen show
| no more FIRE when appealing to a con.
stituency or laboring for a party vote?
The Archbishop Of Canterbury might
pass for aniAmerican minister of TWEEN.
ty years ago, when it was the correct
thing to keep pretty long hair to be
brushed behind the ears and down to
the coat-collar. He threw a new ele.
ment into the meeting by saying that
| the resolution to which they were all
speaking indicated the subject of their
gratitude, namely, the emancipation at
a cost of twenty millions of British
money; but he hoped he would be par.
| doned by his royal highness and the
distinguished preceding speakers and
that great audience, Il he reminded
| them of the object of, their. gratitude,
namely, the Divine Being. Consider.
ing how INNOCENT this proceeding was,
and that he is archbishop, n did not
see how any M could reasonably take
offence. Ofscourse, he spoke in the
fashion7of semi-intonation which marks
the average English clergyman, which
is little countenanced by effective speak
ers like Canon Liddon, and is conspic
uoas by its absence from the ~utGerance;
Of such men as John Bright and Charlie:
II. Sturgeon,
Next to his royal highness, the Ear
ofDerby appeared to have most of The
favor of the meeting. if one is to judg.
by. the fervor of the ..Yaht yah!" Hi.
+ history is remarkable. The son of
great Tory, he is a popular, Liberal. i
was mi of his fathers jokes shat. hi
son had never had time to look into hi
Homer;sLe was too busy in the study o
blue-books. Imagine a well-to-do, En-
glish farmer, in his Sunday clothes, Sc
up to repeat something lie had care
fully learned by heart, and you hav,
no bad idea of Lord Derby, who speak
as if his mouth were too small for hi
,tengue. but who is undoubtedly a mos
painstaking mastered details. The dis
regard of elegance of attire in tn
speakers vas quite noticeable, ant
many of the noble ladies present mus
have wished for the better gadjustmen
of one nobleman's necktie. 1t twas 'spos
itively shocking beside the high, Stiff
roundabout, coat-of-mail collar il
which the Prince of Wales gives tn
cue to young men. Elocution ant
appearance of dress are both disre
garded by the average English orator
1t would not, however, be fair togiv'
the foregoing as entirely representative
In the House of Commons, Mr.. Glad
stone moves about a little, strikes tn
i iy's and di not n ungrseefully. and is eEtem
with ease and sometimes with remark
able felicity and impressiveness. Their
is no one in the House who-all thing
considered and simply as a speaker
in advance of him. He is ready