The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-21

Nearly All Spoke on the Side of a Los
ing Cause-Greatness In Men Extends
From the Womb to the Tomb-Napo-
leon was One of the Great Ones, But the
Essence of Greatness, He Thinks, Was
Shakespeare.
Hon. Temple Houston of Woodward,
Oklahoma, was in the city yesterday on
his way to Burton, where he had legal
business on hand. Mr.. Houston is the
oldest son Of General Samuel Houston,
the Hberator and emancipator of Texas.
Mr.. Houston is one of the brightest
men in the southwest and an orator OF
more than ordinary ability. His ad-
dress at the dedication of the state
capitol of Texas is reputed TO be one Of
the finest displays of oratory in the his
tory Of the Lone Star state. Second to
that was his speech in the Texas legis-
lature nominating Maxey for the Unit
ed States senate
While Mr.. Houston is a great man
he is very modest man and If he had
been otherwise he would be represent
Ing the great state that gave him birth
In the United States senate today.
Personally he is a very odd man. He
goes nohing on style and the most I'M
appropriate thing a man could call him
is a dude or a fashion plate. He wears
suit Of long brown shocky hair and
next to that the most striking charac-
teristic Of his appearance is the high
ness Of the heels Of his boots He is
typical western man and nothing can
change him from that. He belongs TO
the true and ideal chivalry Of the broad
plains.
When asked about the politics Of
Oklahoma he said that he did not know
anything about politics-that he took
no interest in them beyond the passing
interest created by the newspaper head
lines over some speeches on the money
question or some opinion Of the relative
strength Of candidates. That is COM
paratively all he knew and it was evil
dent that politics was not TO his taste.
When the question of oratory was
preached he said that oratory was in
the decline; that 1t was never a success
except in few rare instances. He
said that all orators were enlisted in
either losing cause or lost cause ex-
cept Maribeau and Patrick Henry. So
far as he could recall they were the
only orators Of note that spoke on a
cause that won. Demosthenes, in his
opinion, was the greatest orator of the
world, and next to him was Cicero.
Greece and Rome were moth declining
when the thunder of the eloquence Of
those two great orators sounded. Mr.
Houston thinks that oratory is a racial
gift and is most fully developed in the
Anglo-Saxon and Celt. He thinks that
the Celt is the orator par excellent.
French oratory comes( he says, from
the kinship of Celtic blood.
From orators Mr.. Houston went to
snakes. 1t is admitted that he knows
a great deal about the animal king
dom; he certainly knows a great deal
about snakes and their habits He says
that the fatality Of snakes depends a
great deal on the season Of the year
that they bite. In the spring and early
summer they have no venom while in
the fall months they have so much of
1T that they fairly spit it out of their
mouths and can't hold it. This is the
time they are dangerous. 1t might be
stated that Mr.. Houston has more In
dian relics and Indian country speci-
mems than any man possibly in the
country. He will give them some day
to some college or institution worthy OF
them. He was to have given them to
the Smithsonian Institute, but he does
not like the way that institution treats
the public
Mr.. Houston is TO some extent a fatal
Est. He has some peculiar notions in
that line and illustrate them with the
history of nations and men.
Being for a long time a resident Of
Mobetie, near which place a military
post was located, he has acquired a
military knowledge that is simply won
derful II is doubtful whether there
IS a man in Oklahoma or in Kansas
who knows more about the great wars
of the world than he does. He is es-
pecially well acquainted with the Russo
Turkish war, its issues, the men who
played star parts in it and the style and
results Of the various engagements. He
says that the greatest friend the Turks
had in that war was rife that carried
II calibre bullest. The Russians car
RED arms using a smaller bullet The
result was that before the Turks who
were shot died they did considerable
injury to the enemy while the Russians
who were shot with the big buIlest
We're either killed outright or could not
do anything further on account of their
wounds.
But neither war nor politics IS the
theme that can bring out the eloquence
of Mr.. Houston. Fishing is the theme
that arouses his enthusiasm. He
spends a great deal Of his time when
his extensive law business does not
claim it, fishing and hunting, and he is
reputed to be one of the greatest sports
men of Oklahoma. To lift a curved
bass out of a stream Is his delight.
Great men," said he, when talking
about the stars OF history, are great
men from the womb to the tomb" He
does not think that man cartsbe really
great in youth and mediocre in old age
and vice versa. He things that great
men are always great. They ara
great" he says. when they are babies
although no one may know II but their
mothers" He thinks Napoleon was
great all the time even in defeat at
Waterloo. His essence of ideal great
ness. however, is Shakespeare. h
would give ten years of either end of
his life to speak with him for ten min
utes or stand dumb in his presence. He
cannot see why God did not give Shakes
peare to the world l 900 years before he
did 50 that thirty more generations
could enjoy the delights of studying his
wisdom.
Mr.. Houston IS one OF the most cul-
tured and delightful takers one can
meet anywhere. He is not only a fine
scholar, but he has that conversational
sweetness that charms one. But he is
almost criminslly modest. It is sin