Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-02-15


liberal in person he is handsome and
winsome; his voice is unsteady res
onani, his gestures graceful, his ut
terances flowing. With sympathies
in accord with the great popular
heart his themes and his treatment
OF them never fail to command at
tention, aud If type of true elo-
quence exists anywhere, supplement
ted by rare st holalship, it is to be
found in the person of the subject of
this sketch.
Mr.. Weddings home and birth
place are in Shelbyville, three hours
ride east of St. Louis. Here, sur
rounded by fine private library and
frse from the usual Interruptions that
beset public man, he spends several
months of the year in the prepare
ton of the marvellous lectures which
for many years no has delivered in
the principal cities of the country,
winning wealth and fame.
lie is one of the exceptional men
upon whom the gods seem to smile
benignly at the very outset of their
career. In his youth he was elected
a member of the Convention that
formed the present Constitution OF
Illinois. In this body sat ex-United
States Senators, ex-Governors and
many of the ablest jurists of the
State. Vending, who had only at
tanned his majority a few weeks be-
fore, having but boyish face, at
tracted little or no attention. But a
question arose in the Convention
which involved the relations Of the
State and Federal governments,
when the young man took the floor
and delivered a speech so mastery
that it electrified his colleagues and
advanced him to the front rank with
the most profound thinkers Of the
Bench and Bar. The beardless law
yer from Shelbyville woke up the
next day to find himself famous.
1t being known that Mr., Vending
possessed fine literary taste and a
high reputation as an advocate, he
was invited in 1878 by number of
citizens of st Louis to deliver a lecture.
He chose for his subject "Au Even
ing with a Skeptic," and his success
was SO pronounced that from that
time until the present, the lecture
platform has been his chief field of
labor. Among other themes that
have held the public captive, are
"Saul of Tarsus," "Stonewsll jack
son." popular Decisions" "lIamlet
and his Interpreters" "Voltaire,"
and as Death the Eud?' The critics
one and all agree that these several
lectures are among the exquisitely
chiselled productions of the time,
while the audiences never fail to be-
come enthu siastic over both subject
and speaker. One of Mr.. Weddings
lectures has been delivered over sew
en- hundred times. Another, "Stone-
wall Jackson" elected the following
interesting description of an incident
that occurred in Nashville, Tenn.
Just as the orator concluded, and
while the large audience room was
resembling with tremendous ar
plause, Col. A. S. Colyar, editor and
proprietor ofthe Nashville American,
and ex-member of the Confederate
Congress, advanced to the platform,
signaled to the audience for silence,
and turning to Mr.. Vending said =
IA number of gentlemen in this
city who heard this celebrated lecture
year ago have desired me to make
some token of their appreciation of
the lecturer and the lecture. They
might have given the distinguished
lecturer a cane, but he is too young
to need a walking stick. They might
have given him a pair of gold spec
tacles, but he will not need them for
many yeors. So they have charged
me to present to him these two nice
ly wrought pieces Of gold, knit to-
gether into a charm by lock of hair
cut from the name of Stouewall jack
sons celebrated sorrel war-horse, by
a soldier after the famous hero was
shot from him at Charlottesville,
and which was brought to this city
from Virginia by Gen. Charles Thur
man. It is a part Of history that af-
ter the great General fell the soldiers
cut away tho name of his horse for
Permit me to say that
we deeply appreciate your lecture. It
will serve as a counter-irritsnt to in
speeches made in the
South and in the North. Let me say
that we are all for the old |
lag, and will stand by it il trouble
ZONES"
Mr. Weddings happy response,
he beauty of the souvenir, and the
renewed enthusiasm of the great au-
Hence formed altogether pictur-
,sque incident.
Mr.. Vending is still comparative
y young man, being less than forty
ears of age, and his future is there
ore rich with promise ofeven higher
distinction, but we believe he cares
title for political honors, and is con-
ent to remain in the arena on which
lis genius has already shed such q