The Portland daily press., 1884-02-04
Wendell Phillips.

The greatest of American orators is dead.
Not that be has composed and left behind
him orations that will be regarded as mas
terpieces of literature excelling those of
other orators; but in direct power and fasci-
nation, in combination of genius, accom-
plishments, graces, motive and opportunity,
he was unmatched. 1t mattered not wheth-
er he spoke to a few plain farmers and their
wives in country school house, to divided
and angry mob in Boston hall, to COM
pany of sympathizing abolitionists in the
grove at birmingham, to an assembly of
scholars at some college festival, to a throng
of laborers called in from The city streets,
to the miscellaneous gathering Of every class
of the population which attends popular lee
ture courses, Everywhere and always he was
able to talk to them in way which no one
ever thought of crilicising as unequal TO the
occasion or to his fame. However much
men might disagree with his aims or his
thought, they with one accord confessed the
magical, enhancing power of his wonderful
speech.
With natural endowments, education and
fortune, which made it no arrogance for
him to aspire to the highest rewards of pop
ular favor, he early allied himself with de-
spised and hated cause. Fitted to adorn
the most cultured social circles, he deliber-
ately elected to be banished from them and
scorned by the associates of his youth, while
he proudly sought his friends among men
who in nothing but moral purpose could be
accounted his peers. He was hospitable to
the negro and the fanatic, and the more
fercely they were despised the more osten-
tatiously did be cultivate their friendship
and confidence; and he flung back upon
those who ignored and sneered at him a
contumely as courtly their own. With tai
ents that fitted him to shine in any public
station, that would have made him the most
powerful political orator of our time, wheth-
er before the people or in the Senate Cham
Der, and an advocate in the courts such as
juries have rarely been able to withstand, he
surrendered his commission as a lawyer, re-
nounced his opportunities as a citizen, and
attacked with all the force of his nature the
organic law and accepted theories of the
government as being basely wicked and mis-
chievous.
All that he vas, and all that he could
hope for he devoted without reservation and
without reluctance to the service of the
slave To do and to safer in that cause filled
the measure of his aspiration. For the slave
he made himself master of literatures,
studiously explored history, philosophy, art,
science, religion and the human heart,
to his pleading. And SO it came about that
whoever would listen to the most splendid
and brilliant orator of our age in his best
inspired and most triumphant effort must
hear him discuss some feature of the anti
slavery agitation. When he spoke on other
subjects it was with reluctance,as if it were
only to show that it was not because he
could not compete with other men in their
easier themes that he was an abolitlonist.
The motive of his life was clearly exempli-
fed in his reply to letter asking him on what
terms he would deliver an address on some
literary topic at college anniversary. he
named a high price, and added, "but if you
will let me speak on slavery Will come for
nothing and pay my expenses.
When the slavery question was out OF Inc
way he wandered without definite aim ana
scattered his powers among several agita-
lions, some reasonable and some otherwise.
Two more different men, in mental constr
tuition than Phillips and Garrison have rare