Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-17
mon 1OOmaS ORAyiOS.
A souihsrnc,'s Good story OF sn unimpress'ou'
abi. New Eng lander.

A sou,hsrnc,'s Good story OF an unimprc.s'on-
able New Eng lander.
PROM tho Atlanta t0a) Constitution.
Several months before the outbreak OF tho
war Robert Toombs WAS booked for speech
in Atlanta when tho night came for the
speech tho streets swarmed with people
streaming up to tho court house 1t 40 hap
pened that | fell In with a New -snglander,
who was stopping at one OF tho hotels for a
day or two aud as no expressed desire to
hear the great Georgian took him along
with the.
"You mover heard Edward Everett, did
your" inquired my companion, as we
started out
"No," replied, "but We think very
highly OF him down here
Eyes, no doubt, but his style would not
suit your people. lie IL always calm and
dignined. lie never rants. His olocution Is
simply perfect, aud no living man equals
him in precision of diction."
al don't SEQ how he can move the masses"
| remarked.
Tho New Highlander smiled superior.
"Therein lies the difference between your
people and mine" no said. Z" You talk
about speaker moving tho masses. With
us the masses move the speaker. l mean
that our masses are intelligent a.id think for
themselves. They would laugh at a speaker
who addressed them IN the spread eagle
fashion. Now, have been trained under
such orators ~ Everett, Summer, Win
throp and others Of that school, and l must
confess that while am Democrat, can
not read the speeches Of your famous south
eTn orators without amusement. Your
speakers overdo the thing. rhcy are TOO
iiorid and gradiloquent. They do not deal III
facts and logic. Now, sir, no speaker iiVihg
can move me-"
"Wait until you hear Toombs" broke
out.
"Mv dear sir" said my New England az.
~ 4 fN.l I'm All
not please me. l am so constituted, ! have
such ajuiicial mind, ~ 1t were, that can
not hello Judging "A speech simply upon It's
merits as a logical argument IL 1t Is only
what you Southerners call eloquenco 1t has
no weight with mo"
"lIil right" responded rather shortly. al
trust you will not ba bored o.nght."
We walked ON for some time in silence.
The New Englander was a man of about A.,
and his appearance sustained what he had
said OF himself lie was as stili IA figure
cut out of cardboard. His eyes had cold,
fixed stare His thin lips were cured in u
perpetual sneer. lie seemed To have about
much life ~ a marble statue.
"What IL the noise ?' he asked.
"Ths crowd shouting for Toombs," ! an
swered. "Tbey are impatient"
"There N where you differ from us again.
lie said. ain my part OF the country We are
not demonstrative. We never lose our heads.
1t il u rare thing to hear boisterOus applause
at our public meetings. As for me, | never
applaud"
was disgusted with this icy egotist, and
relapsed into silence, Arriving at the court
house we secured seats In tho crowd. Fortu-
nutely there was plenty OF room, ~ the meet
ing was held out Of doors. ! gave myself up
Ia the enjoyment of the occasion, and did not
even take the trouble To look at my compan-
ion, who sat seat or two back OF me.
Toombs was at his best His indictment OF
the Republicans and abolitonist was terrific.
Ills words seemed 10 have wings of flames,
aud went straight to the mark. Rising higher
and higher with each flight OF eloquence he
looked the very genius OF revolution. The
speech was literally thunder and flame.
The wild cheering OF the audience did not
annoy me. 1t was music To my ears, but
toward the close ot the speech came to the
conclusion that there must be a maniac Just
bohiud me- Such deirious wells l never
heard In my life. Finally ! shifted my
position and managed to get look at Toombs'
noisy adInirer. Could / believe my eyes ?
Standing on wooden bench, pounding with
his cane and shouting at the top OF his voice,
stood my New England friend!
| stared at him in paralyzed amazement
This was the man who couldn't be moved,
didn't care for eloquence, who never ap-
plauded! Knowing what did the spectacle
wa ludicrous In his excitement the poor
fellow had broken his eyeglass. His glossy
beaver WAS tho worse for the part II had
taken in the applause. The mans face was
red with excitement and his eyes fairly
danced. Just then the meeting broke up
and driited OFF in the crowd.
Hut l saw my man again that nlght.
There was a torch-light procession down
town, aud IN the very front rank rushed a
barebeaded man, waving his pitch pine
torch and roaring at every step: "'Rah
for Bob Toombs ~ 1t was the cold, unde-
mOnstratve gentleman from New England.
The next morning | called at the hotel
where the stranger stopped and inquired
AFTER him.
"Aseep," said the clerk. "You see he got
plumb full of Toombs' speech, and then
fooled around with that torchlght procession
until he snged all his hair OF and got all
mussed up with hot pitch until he was
sight to see. Then he set 'em up tor the
boys, and ! reckon he'll want some setzel
when he wakes"
l lett aud never saw the man again. But
always wanted to get chance to ask hin
what ha thought OF Toombs' speech.