Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-07
THE LUCAS LECTURE.
Continued from Fourth Page.

hours and half. Shiel followed him and
failed His estimate Of O'Connell' s success
before an English audience may be regard
ed as not partial to the speaker, but If any
thing the reverse. His description is pho
tographic, without anything whatever
chromatic about it. He tells us that
0'Connell spoke for three and halt hours
and carried away with him not only the
bulk of his hearers, but made
4 MOST FAVORABLE IMPRESSION
upon 1.-The literary and English portion of
the audience This was many years be-
fore O'Connell's fame and power were at
their heis h.. Shelton Mckenzie, who heard
him, says of him: He has been compared
at times 10 the great orators whom Ireland
has produced, but he resembles none of
them singly He had less imagination
than Curran. less philosophy than Burke,
less wit than Canning, less rhetoric than
Shiel. less claSSicality than Bushe, less elo-
qucnce than Plunkett, less pathOs than
Grattan; but he had more pOrer than any
of them" When John Randolph WAS in
England he had daily access TO the House
BY order of Lord Londonderry, he
had the entire by the Pri-
vate entrance near the throne.
He was himself the most brilliant speaker
in Congress- while he was on the floor, q
scholar of cultivated taste, who had heard
the most brilliant speakers in Europe and
America. When he heard O'Connell he
exclaimed: This is the man. these are
the lips, the most eloquent that speak
English in my day" Wendell Phillips
heard him i'll EXcrter Hall, and was ~
INTOXICATED WITH HIS ELoQUENCE
that he loses his self possession in his ef-
fort To describe him Webster, says he,
could awe Senate, Everett could
charm college and Choatc cheat jury;
Clay could magnetic the millions
and Corwin lead them captive;
OConnell WAS Clay, COrwin, Choatc, Ey-
erctt. and Webster in one" Henry Giles
heard him before Scotch audience on
Charlton hill, overlooking Edinburgh. 1T
WAS acknowledged, he says, that nothing
like him had ever been heard in Scotland.
The estimate OF him on the Continent
was equally exalted. MontllembcSt, Ven
tura, lacordaiSc, have all testified 10 the
unrivaled power of his eloquencc. Upon
such testimony, therefore ~ ought Ia sat
isfy history. | think We should have nO
difficulty in reaching the conclusion that
rs an orator for the popular assembly,
O'COnncll has had no equal since Demos
themes For temporarily enthusing the
multitude, perhaps Henry or Otis were his
equals: but for permanently inspiring a
people, no man but Dcmosthcncs was his
rival.
Never was role more difficult than
UConncll'S. Go :lS far aS he might, he
fell short of the expectations oi his own
church. while however moderate his de
mandS, the Orange faction, and the advo'
Gates of Protestant asccndcncy stood ready
To commit him To the tower. Would IA
COL" he cNclaimS in a letter to DR.. McllalC
of Tuam. Would 10 God | could have
your Grace, and DR.. Murray understand
each other" Later on the young Ireland
crs undertook Ia rcScuSciatc
THE OLD DOCTRINE or VIOLENCE
which he had devoted his life 10 eradicate
from the Irish heart Despite of them h,
held out Il will not take, he said
nor allow to be- taken, one step inconSlSt
cnt with law
Just ont OF prison, he was applaudco
when he entered the House of Commons
radical rrformer and Democrat; he r.
ccivcd three votes for the throne oi Bel
gium: private subject. he granted his au
tograph at the request of a king whom 1t
admired, but he refused it Ia an Empero
whom he dcspiScd; Il Catholic, he was en-
dorscd by DiSScnterS and embraced by th'
BuakeS; an lriShmrn, h was stnrtly
sober: convict, hc was culogizcd by th'
Judge who sentenced him; the CREATES
pacificator Of his age, he was bound Owe
/ in two thousand pounds 10 keep the peace
| Such was the strange. almost incredible
career of Daniel O'ConmclI, the libcrator
the Repeater, the Agtator, the Orator
the Great Commoner, aud the Greatest
| Irishman.