The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-15

decd m elegant and finished speaker: and Q
beautiful and sympathetic voice and grace
sul action add to The effects Of his oratory.
We do not say that whom he speaks no is
better prepared than others. but:he goes
forward with such al assured step. aud one
proposition flows 80 naturally out OF the
other, that the critics are almost con.
vluced that 1t has been wrought out ana
decorated beforehand with consummate
attention and Infinite polish: yet we dare
gay this is not so. 1t seems when We listen
to CouDEBr that no Is MN of erudition.
scholar at homo IN every sphere OF Thought
! and investigation. His command OF Wit
and humor. both OF them. Is ample ana
unfailing, md no applies the mot In
way that is peculiarly his own. and is apt
| to be surprising. Though native OF the
| United States and capable OF being elected
| President, French Is his native language
quite as much rs English. When he speaks
| In New York. though hc Is thoroughly
master OF our vernacular. his accent con-
yinces us that he Is Frcnchman: and WHOM
| ho speaks In Paris. the Fronch understand
from his American intonations that he IS
Yankee. What an enviabe condition! Yet
1t is always the substance Of his utterance
that Is most enviable. and the only COM
plalnt we have right to urge against him
is that he Is not heard half as often as he
ought 20 DO.
CARE. ScHuEz Is one OF the foremost. we
had almost said the very foremost. OF our
public orators: but the advance OF time
tho cares Of increasing fortune. and the dis
locations OF politics. not to speak OF the !ndo-
ttxA ,l,r,os ff
cesses satisfies their ambition. oil consplre
to keep him beyond the hearing OF our fes-
tival audiences. Indeed. we dare say there
may be intelligent young men here In New
York who are not aware TINT this
red-bearded and grzzled Teuton pos
sesses the vocabulary OK SHAKESPEARE
and the eloqucnce OF KossuTH. We
must admit. nevertheless. that SEIZURE
has never been so fond Of the moro fanciful
and sportlve after-dinner battles OF oratory
as OF those great engagements where some
question OF supreme principle. like the OK
istcnce Of slavery or tho authority Of q
national Government, arouscs every energy
and every fro OF tho soul. But. II he will.
he can shine in the ono field as well as In
the other, and we condemn TINT laziness OF
his which leads him to forget that he owes
something to the mere diversion and enter
tainmcnt Of tho people.
These that wo have mentioned IRE all
great champions and heroes Of oratory:
and where, we shall DO asked. arc the young
men. the beginners. tho flowers OF hope
that are to take up the art and carry 1t for
ward when DEPEw. CHoATE, and CoUDERr
are no longer within our hearing? Well.
we don't know. We dare say there aro
young fellows Of genius as well as old ones.
but they do not seem to be fully evoluted rs
yet. Plenty OF clever speakers thcro are,
however. and one OF tho clcvercst is Mr..
WHIrELAw REID. We name also SETH Low,
BoURKR COCHRAN. WAGER SwAYNE. EL1HU
RooT. ST. CLAIR MCKELwAY. JOHN II.
FELLOWS. WILLIAM WINTER. CHARLES
STEWART SMITH: and there is throng Of
others. some young and some portly. who
can do credit to every requirement
which demands familiarity with the doc
trino and practice Of this noble art.
At any rate there is no reason to feur
thatit will run out among u.s. Future gen.
erations will very likely not have such wits
rs DEPEw and CHoATE. such humOrists as
PORTER. such philosophers and artists as
ScHURz and CoUDERT; but we may be conf
dent that the art OF talking. like the art
OF writing, will preserve itself and boar
the flower and fruit OF genius and beauty In
the future US 1t has in tho past.