The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-29

John Bri'sht's wonderful Gin II
EIoquence.


Bright, like his crest friends. Cob.
den. Mi. Argyll. sIlsner. Gibson,
Forster. T0m Hughes ksld yilfiers,
Nas always warm frie71 Of Ainerfca.
4 man Of peace he always excepted
our war for the Union from his gen.
eEai denurciasion Of wzfs The FINEST
speech that Bright ever uttered was
delivered At BIRMINGHAM on Derem-
Der II, 1857, FIVE days after the great
defeat Of Krederiersh- (. ~ the crisis
OF cur civil war. v k@s4 be said 4 see
one vast confederation stretching from
the frozen North IN unbroken line 70
the glowing south, and from the Wild
bliIows of the Atisntic westward 70
the calner waters of the Pacific rsaasa
and see one people and one lar
guage, and one law. and one faith.
and over al that vide continent. the
home OF freedom and refuge for the
oppressed Of every race and Of every
cline. Wendell Phillips. December
!. isfD. in quite - noble language. ex-
pressed tie same eloquent thought
when IN 1'refsont temple, Boston. he
said Of on.r future: ssCrowdiug to the
shelter Of iis stately arches, see old
and young, learned and ignorant. rich
and poor, native and foreign. Pagan.
Christian lind Jew. black and white. In
one glad. harmonious. triumphant
pr0cesSion At a meeting held In
kochdsas, November a. lss3. Bright
closed remarkable speech IN these
words:
And when this mortal strife Il OYER:
when peace IL restored. when slavery ii
destroyed. when the Union is eemeEted
1fTesh. then Europe ard England rany
learn that an instructed democracy 10 the
surest foardsfton. Of government. and
sources OF true greatness and true happi-
hess among any people.
As the orator of parliamentary de-
bate Mr.. Fright vas never the equal
of Mr.. Gladstone in versatility and
skill. but as the thrilling. majestic
Websterian popular tribune. Bright in
his prime was the greatest orator Eng
land has known In this century
Bright had nohley face and more inl-
fserlai figure than Gladstone. He had
q leonine head, lofty forehead. a
straight, STRONG. clear-cnt nose. full
mouth. bold chin and powerful neck,
over which flowed gracefully a mass
OF abundant hair. like lions name.
Gladstone is more Scotch than Eng
lish. while Bright Is q typical Anglo
Saxon in the grand beauty of his face
and physique. OF more majestic pres
ence than Gladstone. his voice was at
once resonant, powerful, and Yet clear
aud melodious SIS silver bell. Bright's
English was finer than that OF Glad
stone; il was like that Of Webster: the
mother tongue in simple purity and
strength, while Gladstone is Latinist,
using often long words and drifting
into long. involved sentences not easy
10 follow. Bright was not the child OF
any college, knows no language but
English, and once said he owed his ex-
tra0rdinary command of the language
70 long reading OF the Bible, Bunyan,
Milton and the English poets down to
the last century. A London GORE
spondent. writing last year of Bright
extraordinary eloquenee, finely said of
him:
wherever II may be, you listen to the
same stately opening of the case. In which
calm common sense 10 LII up with humor-
Gus CLEANS as he shows the weak side Of
the adversary . statement. Then follows
the plain presentation OF the root-facts. In
| his man-of- business vein Every now and
4 %e+f. - S-t<A<~ - $500 "a 4<SsAA
glaring Inconsistency. which you never
| thought 80 important before, and when he
sees and hears that his point has gone
home. then follow those siedge-hamIner
blows Of srgHment. demonstration, ridi-
cule, scoru which do more In one hour 10
| defnelish n wrong than the pleading OF
other leaders accomplish in q month.
when he has spent the volume of his stir
ring harangue In this torrent OF denuncia-
ton, his gentler tones come back, and
their music makes sweeter the pleading
words be hopes win bring all men into
rational mood and agreement. He has
never made an affer-dinner speech, nor
cared for applause. He Is, In truth, more
akin 10 the prophets of old than TO the
mGiern type of politician. His nature is
intensely religious. and his convictions,
happily always on the side OF Justice and
right, have been called narrow. Ifls this
Pnritanical earnestness, unwavering, un-
flinching. that long ago won for Bright the
respect OF his opponents. No speaker
causes so rspid rush from the dining and
other rooms In the house OF commons as
when the quick word goes round. bright 8
up" No tidisgs wiz bring wider wave
OF sadness over the heart of England than
wiz the rsessaxe tlong be IL deferred1,
Rights gene"