New-York tribune., 1885-03-01
BRITISH ORATORS
r,oouENcE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.


The eloauence of the House of Commons Is cur'-
oIv yentional IN it's character. It's peculiar
n islocal il can hardly be appreciated by ono ho'
familiar with the place and the ways. stranger
Is almost always disappointed with our parliaiaoh-
tary speaking more so with tho house vi I'm
mons, l think, than with the House OF Lores ino
auNons the illustrations, tho hits Una. 'e'' u0''
in the House of Commons would hardly be uhoer-
stood by any one not well acquainted WIN al 'na'
is going on IN English public life. we seioom vi
never hear in the House OF Commons, ROW, pas
sage of sustained eloquencs which wonIn DO ih'c'
estipp for its own sake for its beauty of language
its power or its pathes. the very size and shapc o.
the chamber are unfavorabe to the higher order OIL
eIoouepce aud are distinctly encouraging to the
close and clever practical debatcr Wo SELDOM ho"
have great principles to deal with. 1he business
of the House Of Commons E1ainly practical, "''
to saw parochial. Some of the forms OIL tue ho"so
too have Il teudeacy to spoil attempts at eA"'0'
rhetorical flight. Den0sthenes we know M" many
dificulties 10 encounter In striving TO be an oTator
but he was not compelled to allude to every one aS
his honorable friend" or the right hohofipie
Centleman' l sometimes wonder now even MI
Gladstone contrive to be elective when nc hs "
tell the right honorable gentleman that IN MS
effort to reply 10 the arguments of my honoraoio
aud learned friend the member for Smallborough'
he has wholly failed to appreciate the effect or the
statistics quoted by the honorable and gallant gen
teman who represents the northern divisloh OF
DoubIe-G worcestershire and who followed with so
much effect the speech of the right honorable Daro-
net who sits below the gangway." There are MANY
good reasons for not altuding 10 Members OF Iar-
lament by their names; but the rulo OF the House
of Parliament does not tend to promote clearness OF
speech or beauty of rhetoric.
The most elsuuent and powerful dobator in the
House of Commons is Mr.. Gladstone; bayond all
comparison, If we take him for ali bis remaIkahle
qualities fluency, readiness resources OF arguAoht
and of lauguage, voice, delivery, banner, dramauc
gesture variety Of tone, style, and phrase, AN III
cined tn oubt whether he snot the greatest deoaer
who ever sat in the House of Commons but he
certainly not the greatest orator; sometimes fcei
Inclined to question whether he is an orator at all
AT tbs most h)uld call him Parliamentary ora
tor. n House of Commons orator. HIS speecheS
will not be read Even now in his swn lifetime
speech of his is not read after ts Immediate occa-
sion has pa ssed away. Mr.. Gladstone Is only 10 DE
appreciated by those who hear hlm. nave oIteu
heard innocent wonder expressed at the fact 'ha'
one who is 80 great speaker should not be par
ticulary good writer. Bat ANYBODY VINO
listens to Ole of Mr.. Gladst"aes spsocneS
and observes how the involved sentences
are made clear by the speakers mastery
stand why written essay from Mr.. Gladstone
,bouh NOT he very easy reading. or late years,
indeed, the liner qualities OF Mr. Giad'tones voice
are often wanting Sometimes it becomes almost
feebe. mstimes the speaker Is ndistinctly heard
There was time, and that not long ago, when
every word every syllable swept e1sly over all
parts of the House of Commons, and the most
distant listener in the most inconvenlent gaiery
never had 20 trouble himself by any anxiety lest
he should lose one phrase OF the orators eloqneAch
Years must tell; one cannot pass seventy ana lose
nothing Mr.. Gladstone is marvellous man 1Or
his age; and except in voice, do not think nc mas
suffered as Speaker. He is as ready as varied as
full of resource as rhetorical and rich in language
as he ever was. go much cannot be said of Mr.
Bright. At one time Mr. Bright stood distinctly
above Mr. Gladstone as an orator; he never ap-
preached him as debater. Mr. Brights was
pursr and loftier eloquence; and, like Mr.. Glad
stones it was aided by q voice of noble quality,
voice which lent itself to every emotion OF passion
of pathos, of humor. of scorn. Mr.. Brghts voice
now is almost gone, and his resources OF language
seem gone or nearly so One who did not hear Mr.
Bright in his better days would not do well to hear
him now. He would not hear the real Mr.. Bright !;
he would only do wrong to the memory and tho
fame of the real Mr. Bright.
After Mr. Gladstone and Mr.. Bright who are the
orators of the House of Commonsf One has
IN panse a little and think before giving
an answer The House of Commons has never been
ou,te the same since Mr. Disraeli left It, 1t seems
to have changed its character since the days sl
those glorious ducls, those splendid hand -to-hano
combats between Gladstone and Dlsraeli. i eau
not help thinking that Gladstone must often fee
like Tlackeray's- not Scots" Ivanhoe," ant
rnust wish that his old rival could come back frou
the grave and brighten life again by arenewaof the
ancient strife. There is no one Oh the Conservative
bench who is fit to break lauce with Mr.. Glad
stone nobody v who is fit to stand before him for
one mement. Who comes next to Mr. Gladstone II
the present Housef Mr.. Bright we need not name
he is practically out of The debate. Next to Mr.
Gladstone in my opinion comes Mr.. Joseph Cowen
the Democratic member for Newcastle Mr. COwen
Is indeed of an orator In the familiar sense OF
the word than Mr. Gladstone His style is highly
wrought; it is impassoned sometimes even poetic
but Mr.. Cowen is not great debater. His speeches
are usually prepared and sometimes give too much
evidence Of their careful preparation. L have
listened 10 Mr. COwen when at his best with the
highest admiration, tempered by deep shade OF re-
pret. The admiration is for the splendid diction
for the lofty phrase, for the noble thought for the
generous earncstness of the speaker; the regret
comes of the fear that this is the last of our Paria
mentary orators the last OF the men.who appeal tt
something higher than business considerations anC
talk language somewhat more exalted
than that of clauses and subsections
Mr.. Cowcn's speeches are spoiled TO
many persons-not for me-by the strong North
nmbrian accent of the orator When COwen made
his first remarkable speech In the House OF Com
mons and every one was talking about 1T. Mr.
Disraeli rather illnaturedly remarked that he dlt
not understand the patois Mr. Diraeli, however
would seem to have learned the patois somehow
H. .a.l
in support of Disraeli's Eastern pelicy, Disrael
said 1t was mot merely great speech bnt great
event" The other eloquent speakers i'll the presen
unnsa of Cnmmnns are-I hone l shall not be &C