Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-16
BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND,
IA letter from DR.. Fred B. Robinson.l

great 1nQlVlQualS. II IS mag
nifcent state that can grow power
full private men. It makes one
proud of a nation who is proud Of
its private citizens, and it is always
hopeful for that government which
has very distinguished private cit
liens living in its borders. Indi-
viduals should support the
and not the govern
ment the individuals.
The United States has always
been proud of its private citizens
who have gained a celebrity in the
private walks Of life, but. few have
attained to such distinguished
prominence among his country
men as Chauncy M. DePew. While
in New York we were much
pleased with Mr.. DePew's elo-
quence and the esteem in which
his fellow toWnsmen held him and
his increasing reputation, MIR.
DePew gave a charitable lecture
for some benevolent cause to an
immense audience His text was
Contrasts" Mr.. DePeW's vast
experience in business with men
gave him ample scope to display
his eloquence on the variations Of
mankind. His travels abroad
furnished much interesting matter
to illustrate the "contro SITS" of not
only various men, but the various
men of different nations 1t is nc
unpleasant or discouraging matter
to say that Mr.. DePew was born
and raised on a farm. He is &
tall, slim man, with a pleasing anc
humorous address. His attraction
as a speaker is his easy and elo-
quent style Of delivery. He has
charming nomative powers, viviC
imagination and a penetrating view
of human motives. He is we'll Ell
dowed with a sense Of human
emotions. The real beauty Of his
eloquence is his polished wit anc
sparkling humor.
He uses no notes, is deeply wed
ded to his subject and can hold ar
audience long and deeply interest
ed. Its gratifying to observe that
such distinguished men find ample
reward and pleasure in pursuing
the simple private walks Of cit
liens life without striving to be
come the possessor Of an empty
government title, or the agent O
some party organ. New York has
quite a number of pulpit orators
whose reputation IS far from local
DIR. Dewitt Talmage is at present
the most widely known. Though
Beecher's style was like the deep
placid waters, Talmage's style is a
little sensational, and its turbulent
waters are occasionally dyed with
colors which really seem to set
deeper than nature. His main
power consists in stirring deep the
emotions and in cultivating the
zeal Of the religious spirit. DR.
Talmage speaks without desk or
notes. In fact, men who have
listened to him preach in different
parts Of the city, say that he will
preach the same sermon, word for
word in one church in the morning
and in another in the afternoon.
There is no doubt that his sermons
are prepared with the utmost care.
In his sermons he uses no book or
scrap of paper, and he announces
his text like boy "speaking his
piece" He is quite a master in
sarcasm, ridicule and irony.
But we must prepare to leave
the great mass of human
beings collected in the city of New
York, the darkest and brightest
place in America. In it the pen
dulum of afluent wealth swings to
its highest point, while the pen
dulum of wretched poverty swings
to its lowest ebb. 1t is a great
city, and the tide of human life
GIBBS and flows in the channel of
its varying wants. One wonders
where all these humans get a
living, and I do too. 1t is to be
hoped that New York will get no
larger, for large cities make wicked
people. In fact it is quite clear
that Wickedness increases with the
size of a city. We will bid good
by, for a season, to New York
with It's wealthy avenues, its mar
bic palaces, its lovely parks and all
the woop and warp that is woven
into the story of sea port town.
We will go down to, the edge of
the little 'pond'-the Atlantic
on which our bark must hoist its
sails. Here all is hustle and
action. The great ship swings and
creaks in the harbor, men and
women are hurrying too and fro,
some with bright and some with
anxious faces. Their emotions
are in a panic, for some seem to be
overtaken with tears, and some are
attacked with joy unconfned, only
the children play about the place