The Somerset reporter., 1892-04-21
The Milburn Club Lecture.

The lecture by Hon. Herbert NJ. Heath
Of Augusta, on the life and character of
John Bright, before the Miburn club and
their invited guests, at Mllburn Hall last
more than ordinary mention. Forrest
Goodwin, esq, President of tue club pre-
sided and gracefully introduce the speak
er. The lecture was fine in thought
| wording and delivery, and by securing
the presentation of such an instructive
address the club very effectively make
known one of the purposes of its organi-
cation. The audience gave the closest at
tention to the speaker and the address re-
ceived complimentary mention from many
of those in attendance.
A brief outline of the lecture is as fol-
lows:
In commencing Mr.. Heath spoke briefly
of heroes and heroism, and said that the
four greatest men in history were ST. Paul
Washington. Lincoln and Grant, whose
acts and characters he rapidly sketched
with graphic skill John Bright was made
of the same kind of stuff of ST. Paul and
Lincoln he was a magnificent example of
English manhood in mind and physique a
strong, sturdy, selfIeliant Englishman
He never forgot that We are a Teutonic
race. We live, we love, we hate, We have
our daily walk in the rugged language OF
Anglo Saxon ancestors.
To master the language of his own peo-
pile was to pave the way for onward march
of civil and religious liberty, to feed the
poor, to elevate mankind, grander themes
than the jealousies of Juno or the kidnap-
ping of the beautiful Helen.
His models of English were Shakespeare
Milton and the Holy Bible, trinity OF
| jewels, each masterpiece, in literature tt
the royal purple born.
Where Disraeli fought with dagger
Bright IL ed a club. To many an alleged
orator there is no music 80 sweet MS the
cadence of his own voice. He mistakes
words for ideas, airy rothings for the solid
meat of thought. John Bright never talk
ed for the sake of talk ng. He was always
in earnest, and because in earnest, honest
Life was n reality. and the gift of e'o
quence too precious to be the bauble OF
every hour. Conscience ruled his oratory
as 1t did his life. He made his hearers be-
lieve in his cause because they believed in
him
Because of his life, liberty was larger,
civilization broader, and man nobler
Coupled with tact'aud prac ical talent, be
moved an empire where weaker men
would have been mired In the first slough
of despond. He did not know the mean
ing of defeat. He was always prepared If
his legs failed him to fight upon his knees.
To the scholar, to the professional man, to
any man or woman searching for lofty
ideal, his life Is chart, whereby could
sail ship freighted with the culture of
the schools or the humble shallop that
meier sails beyond the harbor of the home,
Americans can never forget that in the
darkest hours of the rebellion, when even
Gladstone deserted us, when English aris-
tocracy longed to intervene and stamp out
sell. government so that it might forever
perish on the face of the earth,' the com
mon people of England never faltered in
their loyalty to the cause of liberty and
union. True as steel to the pole they fol-
lowed honest John Bright. Next to divine
Providence and the matchless heroism of
the Army of the North, We owe our unit
ed nation to the honest, earnest, burning
oratory of glorious John Bright, the
friend of humanity, the champion Of the
people, the defender of liberty at home
and abroad. He needs no grander monu-
ment than theslove, the respect. the graft
tude of the American people.