Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-01-16
Southern oratory on Womanhood

Southern Oratory on Womannooo
For centuries the South has been
famous for it's chivalry and apparently
the Southern men of our generation,
especially those who rise to prominence
in public life, are the peers of their pre-
decessors in this matter. Within the
past few days two members or COn-
gress. Chandler of Mississippi. and
Sheppard Of Texas, with womanhood
as their theme have electrified the gal
lcries with flights of elOquence which
show that oratory still lives and that
the fair sex in this country is not with
out its brilliant eulogists and defend
ers. Mr.. Chandler was discussing
hazing at Annapolis, and he was
dwelling upon the terrible hardship
done to the lower classmen in forbid
ding them TO call upon young ladies.
incidentally the orator felt that this
was a hardship for the young ladies al
SO. To enhance the Nervousness of the
offense the gallant Mississippan tells
the listening world what kind of a
creature the American girl is:
Some one has said that when God
made the American girl, He sent his
angel messengers throughout all the
star strewn realms of space to gather
all there was of beauty and brightness.
of enchantment, of glamour. When
these angels returned from their
harvesting of beauty and threw down
their glittering burden at his feet, he
began in their wondering presence the
fashioning of the American girl. He
wrought with the gold and the gleam
of the stars. shifting gOries of the
rainbow hues. and the pallid silver of
the moon. He wrought with the crim-
son which swooned in the roses rubbed
heart. with the pure. sweet snow which
CLEANS from the lily's petals. and the
fires and the flames which flash and
leap from jewels depth. Then glanc-
ing deep into his own bosom. he took
of the love which cleaned there like
some rare pearl beneath the wind
kissed waves of summer sea. thrilled
into the form he was fashioning, and
all heaven and earth rejOiced. for 10!
ne had wrought the American girl"
Hardly had the blood of the members
ceased to thrill at this NIississippian
outburst. when Sheppard of Texas pro-
ceded to add his contribution to the
demonstration that old-fashioned elo-
quence with womanhood as it's theme
is not one of the lost arts. He found
his text in the election Of Mrs. Morris
from the White House.. He had little
to say about her, however. but much to
say about women in general. He
showed how womanhood iIlumines life.
sustains ambition. adorns success,
lishtens sorrow, and does other things
too numerous to mention, and this lam
guage was turned on:
I'VE need but mention the loyalty Of
Artemisia to the memory of Mausolus.
the devotion of Margaret Roper to Sir
Thomas More, the affection of Eleanor
for Edward. the hcroism of Lucy
Hutchinson in the castle of Newark
the daring Of Catherine Herman at the
siege of Ostcnd. the fortitude of Lady
Russell. the eloquence of Cornciia, the
cOnstancy of Madame Lavergnc."
The orator halted. not because he
had run out of examples for he had
not mentioned Grace Darling or Kate
Shelley or Louise of Prussia. or Lord
tllins daughter. or even Madame Ro-
land and her lament for the crimes in
Liberty's name. He stopped simply in
order that his hearers might catch lIp
but at the latest report most of them
were still some distance behind him.