New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-25
ORITORY IN VIRGINIA.

| Is eloouence in danger of being numbered
among the lost arts, so lar as the fine old State
| of Virginia is concerned? Ii is momcntOus
question. in view of the fact that from the
| loins of Virginia sprang Patrick Henry, who
| was so consummate an orator his admirers did
not hesitate to declare that he was Shake
speare and Garrick combined" The prospect
that oratory is declining, and that its fall is
| only question OF time in Patrick Henry's
| State. is not one which can be contemplated
with compOsure by the friends of progress.
| But. according to 1.-THE Richmond Dis
patch" it was made evident at the Democratic
| State Convention recently held at Virginia 5
capital that few genuine orators were present
| in that large and representative gathering,
which, of course. furnished golden opportunity
| for the display of eloquenca. "The Dispatch"
| reports that " few of those who came to Rcn-
| mCnd with Welcomed speeches to deliver in
secOnding nominations were permitted to make
| them i'm peace" After making this gloomy
disclosure, it goes on to state that after the
Gubernatorial nomination was made "not many
speeches were attentively listened to-; that
after midnight the convention Gin most UNI
mistakable terms expressed its desire not to
hear set speeches.; that, nevertheless, half a
score of men attempted to unburden them
selves of what undoubtedly was resting heavily
on their minds" with the result that some
succeeded, but more failed" 1t is clear there
was not single person on the floor OF the
convention or in the gallery-althOugh it Is
estimated that there were three thousand per-
sons in the ball-who had genius for Oratory
All that 1.-THE Dispatch is inspired to say in
reference to the best of the speakers is that
they addressed "a willing and attentive audi
ence." Not to an audience which listened with
bated breath, which was completely carried
away by its emotions, which as one man jumped
to its feet and cheered-but to an audience
which was merely "wilIing and attentive"
In the circumstances "The Dispatch" feels
moved to inquire if the orator is losing his
power il the day of speechmaking is past
1t is not difficult to answer these questions.
All the world loves lover, says the philoso
pher. 1t is just as true that all the world loves
an orator. So it always was so it is now.
The man who has something worth the hearing
and who knows how to say it will never want
for listeners. no matter how late at night he
rises to his feet. But the American people are
growing more critical every day, and not
little which once passed with them for OratOry
now bores them. They give the gentlemen
vino manufacture it leave to print. but that
is as far as they go. 1t was remarked of
public man OF the last generation that " he had
nothing to say, but said it splenddly." That
variety of orator has had It's day, the general
diffusion of education breeding intolerance of
buncombe. But TO us, as to our fathers, the
true orator is " continual comfort
1t may happen that Virginia is not short of
orators, but that her eloquent sons are not in
politics just now If this is so, the fact that
there was no frst-class speaking at the Demo-
cratic Convention is deprived of much of its
significance. Let us not despair of the Old
Domain. She has nurtured a long line of clo-
qucnt sons, and there is no reason why the
line should fail.