Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-05-21
DEMOSTHENES,
a Thoroughly Appreciative Tribute to tn
Lately Deceased Orator

a Thoroughly Appreciative Tribute to the
Lately Deceased Orator.
Twenty centuries ago last Christmas,
there was born in Attica, near Athens,
the father of oratory, the greatest ora
tor of whom history has told us. His
name was i emosthenes. Had he lived
until this spring he would have been
twenty-five hundred and seventy years
old; but he did not live. Demosthenes
has crossed the mysterious river. He
has gone to that bourne whence no
traveller returns
Most of you. no doubt. have heard
about it. On those who may not have
heard 1T, the announcement will fall
with sickening thud.
This sketch is not intended to cast a
gloom over your hearts. 1t was de-
signed TO cheer those who read 1t, and
make them glad they could read.
Therefore, L would have been glad if
could have spared them the pain
which this sudden breaking of the
news of the death of Demosthenes will
bring. But it could not be avoided.
We should remember the transitory
nature of life. and when we are tempt
ed to boast of our health, and
strength, and wealth, let us remember
the sudden and early death of Demos
themes.
Demosthenes was not born an ora
tor. He struggled hard and failed
many times He was homely, and he
stammered in his speech, but before
his death they came to him for hun
dreds of miles to get him to open their
county fairs and jerk the bird of free
dom bald-headed ON the Fourth of
July.
When Demosthenes' father died, he
left fifteen talents to be divided be-
tween Demosthenes and his sister. A
talent is equal to about one thousand
dollars. l often wish that | had been
born a little more talented.
Demosthenes had short breath, a
hesitating speech. and his manners
were very ungraceful. To remedy his
stammering he filled his mouth full of
pebbles and howied his sentiments at
the angry sea. However. Plu-
tarch says that Demosthenes made
a gloomy fizzle of his first speech.
This d d not discourage him. He fin
ally became the smoothest orator in
that country. and it was no uncommon
thing for him to fill the First Baptist
Church of Athens full. There are now
sixty of his orations extant, part of
them written by Demosthenes and part
of them written by his private secre-
tary.
When he started in he was gentle.
mild and quiet in his manner, but later
on, carrying his audience with him, he
at last became enthusiastic. He thun-
dered, he roared, he whooped, he
howled, he Jared the windows. he
sawed the air. he split the horizon
with his clarion notes, he tipped over
the table, kicked the lamps out of the
chandeliers, and smashed the big bass
viol over the chief fddler's head.
Oh, Demosthenes was business when
he got started. 1t will be a long time
before we see another off-hand speaker
like Demosthenes. and l, for one, have
never been the same man since l
learned of his death.
''Such was the first of orators,' says
Lord Brougham. ssAt the head of all
the mighty masters of speech, the
alteration of ages has consecrated his
place, and the loss of the noble instru-
ment with which he forged and
launched his thunders is sure to main
tain it unapproachable forever"
l have always been a great admirer
of the oratory of Demosthenes, and
those who have heard both of us think
there is certain degree of sim larity in
our style.
And not only d ID [ admire Demosthe-
mes as an orator. but as a man, and
though l am no Vanderbilt, feel as
though | would be willing to head a
list for the purpose of do
ing the square thing by his sorrowing
wife if she is left in want, as l under
stand that she is.
L must now leave Demosthenes and
pass on rapidly to speak of Patrick
Henry. Mr.. Henry was the man who
wanted liberty or death. He preferred
liberty though. If he couldn't have
liberty he wanted to die, but he was in
no great rush about it. He would like
liberty if there was plenty of it, but if
the British had no liberty to spare he
yearned for death. When the tyrant
asked him what style of death he want
ed he said that he would rather die of
extreme old age. He was willing to
wait, he said. He didn't want to 90
and he thought it would
take him eighty or ninety years more
W pIepdfc, So tndt WHcn he was uSHeEcu
into another world he wouldn't be
ashamed of himself.
One hundred and ten years ago
Patrick Henry said: ''Sir. our chains
are forged. Their clanking may be
heard on the plains of Boston. The
war is inevitable, and let it come. l
repeat it, sir. let it Gomez
in the spring of 1860 l used almost
the same language. So did Horace
There were four or five of us
who got our heads together and decided
that the war was inevitable, and con-
sented to let it come.
Then it came. Whenever there is
large, inevitable conflict floating around
waiting for permission to come, it de-
wolves on the great statesmen and bald
headed literatI of the Nation to avoid
all delay. 1t was so with Patrick
Henry. He permitted the land to be
deluged in gore, and then he retired.
1t is the duty of the great orator to
howl for war and then hold some other
mans coat while he fights. Nye.
in Boston Globe.
SAW THE JUDGE.