Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-16
MRS,LEASE At COOPER UNION
A Graphic Description of Her
/. Great Speech.
AN AUDIENCE HYPNOTIZED
Some Who Came to Scoff Stayed to Cheer
A Dramatic Climax in Half a
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Mr.. Sidney M. Ullman, formerly of this
city, but now of New York, in a letter to
relatives in this city, writes the follow
ing of the great speech of Mrs. Mary Ell
len Lease at Cooper's union, in New
York, on the night of August 10:
In spite of the heat L went to Cooper's
union last night to hear some speeches
by Mrs. Lease, ST. John and others, but
was agreeably surprised, for it was quite
nice and cool in there, at least degrees
cooler than outside, but in an hour or
so it became warm from the immense
number of people there, probably $500 or
5000. When st. John was announced 1
thought the house would come down,
and that lasted for five minutes. He
spoke a few moments, and well it was,
for he knew the crowd was anxious for
Mrs Lease, whose appearance set them
wild
But as great as was the demonstration
accorded st. John, it was insignificant
compared with that given by the crowd
to Mrs. Lease. She spoke in deliber-
ate, even, earnest and very conservative
manner. She held that concourse of peo-
pie in heat and latenesS for over two
hours in the most enraptured state l
have ever seen an audience held by po-
litical speech.
Men who came out of curiosity to ridi-
Guile would have followed her in open
revolution had she but said the word.
l have never seen the like of it in my life.
And the best of all was it's freeness from
vulgarity and SANDER and all for Bryan
and America. L heard men in dead earn
est say that, she alone could turn the
state of New York for Bryan IL she were
given chance to stump the state. There
was no joking or laughing humor in her
whole speech all was dignified, indig-
nant seriousness welded by a MASTER
ful> oratoresS. And when she spoke of
degradation and misery I was in tears,
and when she took us back to the famine
IN Ireland all felt the woe that her beau
ttul and wonderful words carried. Then
when this profound climax had been fin
ished and the wild and deadening APP
piauSe had ceaSed-She looked at the au-
dience in it's pin-fall silence, and they
at her; 1t seemed as If she had the great
audience hypnotized. A smile came
across her face, suggestive and carrying
the impression that something was COM
ing; it was a trick, a trick Of an orator
only, one who knows when an audience
wants that trick played on them, one
who appreciates the appreciation Of an
audience spell bound and waiting. but
not impatient and nervous or afraid that
the orator was going to make a mistake.
AS / said she said nothing of parties
nor of principles of parties nor of in
dividuals in politics. The audience had
been swept away from partisan prejudice
or bias-all had been made to think
themselves only men and women and
Americans, and, If you please, patriots
Qor she made them patriots, indignant
and serious, and ready for something
good.
She had led them up from history to
the glorious present in civilization; had
set their minds afire with her dazzling,
running description of the achievements
of the century and America, and all
thought we had no more to learn.
Then her tongue changed and she pic
tured by the side of grandeur want; with
invective, depression; progress and retro
erosion; law and illegality; legality hon
ored and illegalty honored; illegality
honored and legality dishonored; she rent
asunder the tinzle and wells of wealth
that hides the corruption at the core;
With poverty and riches among us. Then
came that long pause I spoke of after
that tumultuous applause had subsidized;
then her sad face melted into a dainty
smile and all waited expectant-thenr
quietly, coquetishly, artfully and con-
cciously she said Bryan will be in New
York tomorrow night"
That is all we heard. Men old and
young and women old and young, labor
ers mechanics, professional men, idlers,
society chaps all fell down before that
artful trick of climax. They arose.
those 5000 men and many women, en-
iaasse, and Mrs. Lease could have rested
for ten minutes, perhaps, if she had de-
sired, while the demonstration was CO.
ing on. To them, to me, to ALL those
words meant that Bryan was a God send
an undoubted hero; no one doubted it at
tat supreme moment. All, socialists
republicans. democrats, populists, indie
pendents, prohibitionists, all felt their
crseds depart and vanish in a moment,
sand only to be born anew as Americans
only, and as I said, she could have led
them into open rebellion against the un-
iuSt tyranny of the classes.
She did not linger much longer after
that; 1t was not necessary. They needed
no more instructions; they did not have
t. be told to vote any. way at ALL they
all knew.