The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-06-25
SOME FERVID ORATORY,
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES AND pO-
LITlCAL SPEECHES COMMENTED ON
BY DIR. Kingsbury, Who Has Heard
Many Notable Ones in His Day-A
Few of the Most Striking Examples
of Fervid Oratory as He Recalls
Them After The Lapse of Years.
Wilmington Messenger. |

| caileO commencement. The "OratOr
IS on hand all around the State. We
agree with our gifted contemporary OF
Richmond, Va, the Christian Advo-
cate, that it is good time to consider
The length of speeches. DR.. Lafferty
says pointedly:
"The summer solslice approaches.
Would that the torrid air might Sim
mer speeches into essences. An obese,
dropscal, waddling ora,ion, with the
mercury bubbling, is punishment of
the public without indictment or YER
dict. Boards of Trust ought to dis
courage wearisome unwindngs in
warm weather."
Our observation through fifty years
of school entertainments is that almost
invariably the addresses and sermons
are too long. We do not recall one
on a commencement occasion that we
did not feel satisfied when ii ended. A
speaker, especially if he is not intense
ly magnetic and finely imaginative,
who IS not true orator, is in his own
way to reputation if he fires at his
crowd a long, dreary, platitudinous
talk, lntcrspersed with much verse,
that leads the cultivated part of the
audience to conclude that he had been
"at feast Of the poets and stolen the
scraps" to quote the greatest poet
from memory, as we have no copy of
his works at hand. A twenty five
minutes, or half-hour address spoken
with stirring fervor and kindling with
inspiring and noble "thoughts that
breathe because clothed in "words
that burn (how expressive is that
word ''brealhe" and highly poetical)
will arouse and interest and hold a
promisCous audience, on a hot day,
when an hours speech or more-apt
to De more-of dropping, limping
rhetoric and rounded common place
delivered in drowsy monotone with
out gestlculaton or emphasis, will
simply invite dissipation of mind, and
cause gentle sleep, "tired natures
sweet restorer;" to fall pleasantly upon
the hearers.
The most animating and eloquent
political speech we ever heard was by
Judge John Kerr, in 1852, in the
court house at night in Oxford. Next
to that, the most vehement, passionate
and stirring political oratory we have
heard was by Judge Fowle at Raleigh,
in 1876, delivered also at night, after
Vance's nomination for Governor.
Both these splendid efforts were COM
paratively short. The most eloquent
speech we ever heard before an assem-
bly, met to express sympathy and Sc
cure aid was by Henry W. Miller at
Raleigh in 1S45 or E, when Ireland S
potato crop had failed and the people
met to aid the sufferers. The most
felicitous and admirable speech we
ever listened to were by George E..
Badger at Raleigh, in introducing Ed
ward Everett. who was to deliver his
celebrated s'Washington Grafton"
This was in 1859. Col. Duncan
X. McRae said in our hearing that
Badgers little speech was the only
eloquence he heard that night. The
scene was the Commons Hall, in the
Capitol. The other Introductory of
surprising felicity was by Col. McRa e
Nhen Vance Il ade his mastery speech
in Wilmington in 1880. We said of
it in newspaper that it was the best
political speech we ever heard. We
have had no occasion to change the
statement Col McRae held the same
opinion, we know These introduct-
ory speeches were short, pointed, rich,
| inspired.
The highest oratory we have ever
heard was not at the bar, not on the
hustings, not in deliberative assembly,
but in the pulpit. In fact by all COM
parison the noblest eloquence of the
modern world, with perhaps few
Ceptions, has come from the ambassa-
dors of God. If we were writing an
essay we would particularize and il
lustrate. We have heard public men
of great renown-Clay and Webster
and Everett and Winter Davis and
Alex Stephens and hosts of others
and we have heard distinguished
preachers from New York to New Or
leans. The noblest and most COM
manding eloquence in our hearing has
come from the preachers of the Cos
pei. The most beautiful sermon
extemporized-we ever heard was
twenty-five minutes long. 1t was
preached before an ignorant congrega-
ton (not more than three fairly edu.
Gated people presently in 1864 in Hal
fax county by Rev. Thomas G.. Lowe
The most overwhelmingly impressive,
most excoriating in invectiye, most in.
tensely passionate, most sur-charged
with rhetoric that corruscated wit +
absolute brilliancy and shone with i'm
aginatlve splendor, was preached in
this city in our hearing by man O
about 81, and but ten years or SO in
the ministry. 1t was only some
twenty minutes long. 1t was terrific
it scorched, it was like red hot lava
or, rather, like sheet lightning. We
shall never forget it.