New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS,
MR.. pEPEw,s ORATIoNS AND SPEECHES.

and varied field they cover. Here are National
and State centennial OratiOns, Orations on Wash
ington's Birthday and Decoration Day, oTations
commemorative of the ilustriouS dead; addresses
at army reunions, the dedication Of monuments,
the unwilling of statues, the laying of corner
stones; addresses before college iraternitcs, grad
uating classes, alumni associations literary clubs,
medical Students sprigS of the law, newspaper
men, boys in blue, merchants, clerks. campaign
clubs; addresses TO sercnading friends in New
York Bay and to Emperor William of Germany;
addresses at the opening of new buildings and the
closing-n 'Ss-of the Depew canvass for the
Presidency of the United States; speeches at New
England Society dinners at st. Nicholas Society
dinners, at Holland Society dinners, at Chamber
of Commerce dinners at Union League dinners
tat Lotos Club dinners, at Yale dinners;
at dinners 10 distinguished strangers
foreign and domestic, and generally at
dinners. Where is the man that can 1--we with
out dining?' asks Owen Meredith. The ne
tropOliS puts the question little differently, IN
quirng through many and various organizations,
where is the man that can live without dining
with Depew?
The place of honor in this collection is prop
erly assigned to the elaborate Grafton whlcT
Mr. Depew delivered last April on the one hun
drcdth anniversary of the Inauguration of PrcN-
effort of his oratorical career. To record that it
generally regarded worthy of the ever
memorable occasion of National interest for which
it prepared is TO award it a full need of
praise The volume closes just as fttingly with
the powerful argument which Mr.. Depew lately
addressed to a United States Senate committee
in support of the proposition that the best, tho
only place for the Worlds Fair Of 1892 is
New-York The Centennial Grafton and the Fair
argument. each in its way attests Mr.. Dcpcws
earnest patriotism and public spirit as surely as
they do his potency as an orator. OF the other
OratiOrS and addresses, the most notable is the
ore delivered at the unveiIing of Bartholdfs
Liberty Enlightening the World" 1t would be
difficult to improve upon the opening sentence
I'VE dedicate this statue TO the friendship of
nations and the peace of the world while the
entire Grafton is glowing and vivid, noble tribute
10 the genius of peace and liberty and TO the
French alliance Half a dozen Of tie remaining
orations are allied in their general spirit TO
those of which we have spoken, and no true
hearted American can read them without feeling
that they are valuable contributions to the liter
allure of patriotism
But it is as an after-dinner speaker that Mr..
Depew is best known. Therefore, to the after
dinner speeches preserved in this book the aver
age reader will first turn. We all know that
these productions are not spoiled by
being reproduced in cold type. Thousands
Of men and women WHO have never
listened to Mr.. Depew have for years found the
newspaper reports of his after-dinneT speeches
among the delights and consultations OF winter
Why is it that his pOst-prandial eloqNence has
such vogue? What is the secret of Mr.. De-
pews acknowledged pre-eminence in this dcpIrt-
mcnt of applied oratory? He does not plough as
deep as Dr. Storrs In sustained elevation Of
thought and finished beauty of expression Mr..
Curtis eXces him. Mr.. Choate is more epigram-
matte, Mr.. Evarts is more massive and OF a slyer
humor Horace Porter can beat him in the manu-
factuTe of eXcruciating puns Mr.. lngeTsoll has a
richer fancy. Nevertheless, the fact remains that
wherever Mr. Depew sits is the head Of the table.
The explanation seems to be that he is more yer
satile and flexible than his brother orators; that
the range of his sympathies is wider that lie Is
more impressonable, that he kndles quicker that
he is apter at combining fact, fun and sentiment
so that there shall be an excess of none; that the
flow OF his spirits is fuller, that his mental process
es are swfter, that his aptitude for putting him
self in perfect sympathy with any and all occa-
sions is greater We have remarked that his
after-dinner speeches have not spoiled by being
printed. Still, it IS 10 be confessed that they
lose something of their charm in the trausercnce
the personal equation counts i'll such things.
The afteT-dinner speeches of this volume all
readable although an Questionable one is-to quote
one of Mr.. Depew's johes, at his own expense
more frll than shirt" However this sort of
ephemeral literature is not 10 be tried by the or
binary canOns; in any event, the fill being de
light, it behOoyes the generOus-hearted not 10
complain because the shirt is less voluulnOus than
ii might be, eXcaiming with the philosopher,
Give us the luNurics of life and we viii dispense
with its necessities" The Yale speeches are par
ticulary good. Naturally, Mr. Depcw IS at his
best and brightest when his alma mater is his
theme Then he scintillateS, then he is rrcpre,s-
ibe then he is irresistible, and the most cnthusi-
astic undergraduate is thrilled with am ardor
greater than his own. What could be better than
this opening Of one of the Yale speeches; This
is our night We have hired the hall and paid
for the dinner, and it is proud privilege to say
what we please in praise Of ourselves and criticism
of our enemies. / have the poorest opinion Of the
man who cannot at least a year, as q thcolo-
gan or politician, coleeian or crank shout him
self hoaI,e for that which re believes or loves.
Life is worth living only for those who can on
occasion let their convictions loudly overcome
their modesty7 II is 10 be added that these Yale
speeches have a solid basis Of sound sense. Mr..
Depcw expresses himself forcibly on the leadiu.
points involved in the broad subject Of the higher
education. At the clan dinners, those Of the New
England and the Holland societies, for example,
Mr.. Depew reveals his genius for being all things
10 all men, at least fog discovering that the
shield has two sides. While he discouTses to The
descendants Of those who came over in the May
flower they are convinced that he is convinced
that the Puritan is first and the rest Of ms no
where. But when his toast is the HaliAloon
he makes clear TO admiring Dutchmen that the
Puritan never would have amounted 10 much.
never would have founded a State, never would
have buded Government, if Providence had
sent him 10 Holland among my ancestors
Mr. Depews immediate friends and admirers
Will doubtless not rest satisfied until they have
all his oratinuS addresses and cppecbcs Inf,,cn,,