The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-21

ihaCS SO! tnats SOL" IL was Wild, lgnorant,
unframed element. which needed directing, and
not lnfiaming. But none the less the strange
magnetism of that voice and presence was felt as
much by those who rejected the sentiments ut
tered as by those who accepted them THAT
fascirator" as Mr. E. p Whipple exclaimed
once enthusiastically when he was relating some
incidents that illustrated this magnetic power
One of these incidents, by the way, will not
come amiss here.
Years ago. in the old anti-slavery DAYS, a
Southerner, who was visiting Boston, said to a
friend here that he wanted to hear Wendell
Phillips; that he had heard so much about him
and his eloquence that he was curious to judge
for himself The friend acceded to this request
with some nnisgvngs. and took the curious
Southerner to Fanueil Hall one night when Phil
lips was to hold forth upon his favorite topic of
assault upon the timidity of the government and
the arrogance of the South. From time to time
the Boston man would glance at the Southron
to see how he took it. The Southron sat stolidly
through it all, not an angry CLEAN apparent
In his face, but looking at the orator with liked
concentrated attention that never wavered.
At the end. Boston loaned forward and asked:
WELL what do you think of him2 Of course
he must have offended your prejudices-you
couldn't agree with what he said"
II don't care - what he SAYS. I could
listen to him all night" was the unlocked for re-
Spouse. The 'fascinator" had done his work Of
witchery WELL
The swift change of bearing. of which have
given an instance, shows not only how well Mr..
Phillips had himself in hand but how he separ-
rated his private from his public life. He never
carried the platform about with him. While
lesser men would never let you forget that they
were reformers, and were perpetually talking
shop wherever you met them, Mr.. Phil
lips would make you forget it entire
81 So the % oa Of sss grace SO an
concession of culture / we'll remember
one occasion when forgot it so entirely that
was for a few seconds overwhelmed with con-
fusion. 1t was in the earlier days of my ac-
quaintance with him, when was much younger
and had much less interest in public matters of
politics reform than I had later. He had
been invited to meet some strangers from
abroad at a friends house, and for little space,
before things were fully under way CHANGED to
be standing beside him, and we fell to talking
upon some topic which brought up, incidentally,
the vagaries Of certain gentleman who hap
pened to he reformer. Suddenly out OF the
swift impulse Of the swift thought, l cried:
were uttered | remembered that was talking,
not only to the most charming of men, but to
the king of reformers. The color flew to my
face, and made some deprecatory remark. My
companion saw the situation at a once, and with
quick tact fastened to say. II know what you
mean. Some years ago, in the old days of
slavery, party Of us were coming home from
New York on a sound steamer. We were re-
turning from week of hard ant-slavery work,
and were all tired out and ready to go to our
berths, when a fellow started up and proposed
that we should organize peace meeting" The
expression of Mr. Phillipss face as he told
this showed me that he appreciated perfectly
my feelings about the reformatory bore On
other occasions, when I had expressed dsbe-
lief in certain measures and principles that he
had espoused, he never retorted with irritation
or that patrouizing disdain that is the weapon of
so many reformers toward the younger and less
experienced persons. Yet, perhaps half an
hour after he would ascend the platform and as
sail the disbelief and questioning of his oppo-
nents with the most whitening disdain and scorn
Other reformers have been consistent where he
was inconsistent, have been fixed where he was
erratic, have been scrutible where he was in
scrutible yet none of them had the inspiring
powers that he had. While his bitterest foes
were at their bitterest, while his keenest and
cearest critics were deploring some speech that
seemed fagrantly inconsistent with his previous
avowals, no enc of them spoke or thought of
him with contempt; yet these inconsistencies
would have been sufficient to have made any
other man object of derisian, and would GER
tainly have robbed another of his charm and
prestige. That something Of this was due to
personal presence may be true, but beneath all
was the character of the man that carried every
thing. His character was not inconsistent. He
chose either impulsivey or deliberately the
weapons that, for the time, seemed to him most
effective in the warfare against right as he saw
it opposed to right, and he chose in the same
way the men or measures that would serve for
the time to further this work He has
been most sharply criticised because he
would never explain his inconsistent action
never take back his bitter assertions, even when
faced with the facts. But his silence had GER
tain element of strength. If he had broken it,
he would have been drowned in a sea of explapa-
tons, no one Of which might have been satisfac-
tory and all of which would have led on to end
less controversy. There was kind of audacity
too, in this unbroken silence, and courage that
provoked unwilling admiration, for all the time
he bore upfinchingly and without complaint the
savage criticism and rebuke that assailed him.
How much he felt the attitude Of protest and re-
buke that some of those who had been his warm
est admirers found themselves obliged to take
was never known-he gave no sign; certainly he
was consistent here-he was not personally en-
Uttered by it. But that he did feel this attitude
of the men whom he could not but respect men
tally and morally there is no doubt and that he
sometimes felt lonely without the sympathy of
these, his peers, there can be also little doubt
He had more blind followers doting admirers
among enthusiasts than friends among his peers
that he spoke to me once half satirically, half
playfully, of friends. He had Joined me one
day, upon fremont street. and, as we were walk
ing past fremont Temple, he asked
"Where are you gongp answered, Pm go,
round his mouth, and presently he said:
"A gentleman once asked his valet, who had
requested permission to go out, where he was
going, and when the valet replied that he was
going to friend, the gentleman rose, took
his hat and said: Pll go with you; never saw
one.n
1t was on the same occasion that got
glimpse of his feeling concerning his own power
or rather his gift of speech-he must have had
proof enough OF his power to accept that as a
fact long before. 1t was the first year of Rev.
Joseph Cooks Monday lectures and, as we were
walking past fremont Temple and met the
crowd of people hurrying into the hall, Mr.. Phil
lips asked me if had heard the reverend gen.
tleman. and what thought, ETC. In replying,
repeated this question, what did he thinkl
His reply was:
II think he can make a speech I have great
respect for a man who can make speech"
I laughed. and made some jesting remark
about the respect no must consequently have
for himself. In an instant. quite seriously. he
said:
II can't make speech"
/ burst out with almost indignant protest
though I WAS sura he WAC in lest To this ha