The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-04-28
The Importance Of oratory.

[From James Anthony Froude's new work, "The
English In the West Indies."l
Those who build up empires or discover
secrets Of science, those who paint great pic
lures or write great poems, are not often to
be found spouting. upon platforms. The ST.
lent men do the work. The talking men lcry
out at what is done because it is not done as
they would have had it, and afterwards take
possession of it as II it were their own pro
perty. Warren Hastings wins India for us
the eloquent Burke desires and passi0nately
tries to hang him for 1t. At the supreme
crisis in our history when America had re-
yolted and Ireland was defiant, when the
great powers of Europe had coaleseed to
crush us, and we were staggering under the
disaster at York Town, Rodney struck a
blow in the West Indies which sounded over
the world and saved for Britain her ocean
scepter. just in time, for the popular lead
ers had persuaded the House Of Commons
that Rodney ought to be recalled and peace
made on any terms. Eyen In politics the
names OF oratorial statesmen are rarely as
sOciated with the organic growth Of enduring
Institutions. The most distinguished OF
them have been conspicuous only as instru-
ments Of destruction. Institutions are the
slow grOwths of centuries The orator cuts
them down in day. The tree fails, and the
hand that wields the axe Is admired and ap-
plauded. The speeches of Dem0sthenes and
Cicero pass into literature, and are studied
as models OF language. But Demosthenes
and Cicero did not understand the facts Of
their time; their language might be beautl-
full, and their sentiments noble, but with
their fine words and sentiments they only
misled their cOuntrymen. The periods
where the orator is supreme are marked al
ways by confusion and disintregation,
Goethe could say Of Luther that he had
thrown back for centuries ond spiritual cul-
tivation of mankind, by calling the passions
of the multitude TO judge of matters which
should have beer left to the thinkers. We
ourselves are just now in one Of those un-
easy periods, and we have decided that ora
tors are the fittest people to rule over us.
The constituencies choose their members ac-
cording to the fiuency of their tongues. Can
he make speech? is the one test of COM
potency for a legislator, and the most persua-
sive OF the whole we make Prime Minister.
We admire the man fer his gifts, and We ac-
cept what he says for the manner in which
it Is uttered. He may contradict today what
he said yesterday. No matter. He can per-
suaded himself. And such is the nature of
him that he can convince himself of anything
which it is his interest to believe. These are
the persons who are now regarded as our
wisest. 1t was not always so. 1t Is not so
now with nations who are in a sound state OF
health. The Americans, when they chose a
IItSlutut OI u OtcIcbdIJ VI CLdLc Vi any luLC-
tionary from whom they require wise action
do not select these famous speech makers.
Such LerlOds do not last, for the condition
which they bring about becomes always in
tolerable. l do not believe in the degeneracy
Of our race. | believe the present generation
of Englishmen to be capable Of all that their
fathers were, and possibly of more; but we
are just now in q moulting state, and are sick
while the process Is going on. Or to take
another metaphor. The bow OF Ulysses l.
unstrung. The worms have not eaten into
the horn or the moths injured the string, but
the owner of the house is away and the suit
ors of Penelope Brittania consumes her sub
stance, rivals, one Of another, each caring
ony for himself, but with common heart
in evil. They can not string the bow.
Ony the true lord and master can string II,
and in due time he comes, and the cord Is
stretched once more upon the notch, singing
to the touch of the finger with the sharp note
of the swallow: and tine arrows fly to their
mark in the breasts of the pretenders, while
Pallas Athene looks on approving from her
coign of vantage. Is there a single
instance in our own or any other history Of
a great political speaker who has added any
thing to human knowledge or TO human
worth Lord Chatham may stand as lone
ly exception. But, except Chatham, who is
there? Not one that / know Of. OratOry Is
the spendthrift sister of the arts, which decks
itself ike strumpet, with the tags and Or
naments which 1t steals from real superior
ity. The object of it is not truth; anything
which il can persuade people TO believe by
calling their passions TO obscure their intelll-
Qenca.