The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-07
STOLE HIS THUNDER.
ITemple Bar.l

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 Temple Bar.l
 Those who have only heard Lord BrouHham speak must understand that they have scarcely an idea ef the orztory of Harry Brougham. From the first day he entered the house of peers as lord chancellor, he seemed to be trammeIed by a sense of his position. He would have compromised its dignity, as veil as the character of minister of the crown, if he addressed his new audience, cold and aristocratic as it was, with the fierce and powerful declamation in which he had formerly excelled. There is a we'll known story that when his mother heard that he had accepted the chancellorship, sine said: .Then Harry Brougham is ruined" and ruined he most certainly was as an orator. He had made him. self great, but he was destroyed by being made great by others. Harry Brougham's speeches produced much the same kind of sensation as would be experienced on witnessing the acting of the elder Kean. Brougham unconsciously acted his speeches. His action, too, was anything but graceful but it was natural, and per haps that which is natural can scarcely be deemed ungraceful. The want of finish, however, was always lost in the sense of the rugged earnestness of the speaker, and of the terrific power with which he hurled his invectives at his op- ponents-a power which once had the effect of causing an old stager like Can ming to spring from his seat, half frantic, and exclaim, while striking the table in front of him with extraordinary force, [" It is fal5ehood." While Brougham spoke the impression would be on the nearer that any attempt to reply would be hopeless undertaking. And hopeless it would have been to any one but Canning. Brougham had great fund of humor at his command, but Canning, with an amount of humor still more redundant, had command of wit and anecdote which carried everything before it. The house has more than once been abso- lutely electrified by some fierce denun- citation on the part of Brougham, and in less than five minutes atterward that same house has been indulging in peal after peal of immoderate laughter at the inimitable dexterity with which Canning warded off the attack and flung ridicule on his opponent. On one occasion on the first night of session, Brougham attacked the government for having, ac- cording to the announcement in the speech from the throne, stolen many of the measures advocated by his side ot the house, and made them their own. The speech was telling one, and the more telling because it was true. It was applauded to the very echo, and doubt less many of those who heard him won- dered how Canning would rebut the fierce attack. When he rose the house welcomed him with tremendous cheering, as if anticipating the success which usually attended his efforts. In this in- stance, too, it was not doomed to be dis appointed. In spirit of the utmost good humor he said that the honorable and learned gentleman had reminded him of an anecdote, which he would re- late to the house. In the reign of 0 Qaeen Elizabeth, an author named Denis, had written play which was produced at the theatev Royal of the day. yn this play was introduced scene in which for the first time on any stage there was an imitation of thunderstorm. Denis at tended the performance, aud had the modification to witness bis piece, not withstanding the thunderstorm, une- quivocally damned. Time passed on, and with it the memory of his play and its unlucky fate, when, one night, he went to see new play from the pen of another author. This piece was in every respect superior to that of poor Denis, who witnessed each successive scene with feelings of envy. It happened, however, that his author also introduced a thun- der storm. As soon as Denis, who was in the pit, heard the rolling of the thun- der, followed by the plaudits of the aud. fence, he jumped upon one of the seats, and, raising himself to his fullest night, shouted out with the voice of a stentor, " That's my thunder that's my thunder p The roars of laughter which followed, and in which Brougham himself, the Denis for the moment was compelled to join, baffle all description. His speech was no longer to be thought of, except in so far as it had elicited the ready wit of Canning.