The Irish standard., 1910-08-13
.EL0QUENCE OF
DANIEL O'C0NNELL
Possessed Wonderful Gift of Speech
Together With Energy and
Prudence.
Noted for his Reasoning Power and
Ability to State his Case
Clearly.
He Was at Home in Parliament and
More Than Match for his
Contemporaries.

When O'Connell stepped into the
arena of political life some relaxation
of the penal code had taken place, but
he soon resolved to effect complete
emancipation of his Catholic fellow
countrymen-and for the accomplish
ment of this he depended chiefly on
his eloquence: but he felt that he had
as allies to his gift OF speech an ex-
traordinary combination OF rare pow
ers and qualities; genius to devise the
means of action, courage to dare the
attempt, energy to pursue 1t. moder-
alton to conciliate, and prudence and
sagacity to circumvent the strategy OF
the adversary, says w. A. S. in The
Irish Packet.
And with these great gifts united to
his magnificent eloquence he gained
emancipation. He gained it at time
when his bitterest enemies held the
reigns of power, and when they were
SuluCC Wy lIlC lIlcol Su\SSSoA"' oN~'>N
man of his generation, and by one OF
the most stubborn wills that ever d.
rected the affairs of the nation. 1t
was the glory of O'Connell that his
Church "entered into the Constitution
triumphant and unshackled, an object
of fear not of contempt--a power that
could visibly affect the policy of the
empire" OF his oratory the follow
ing is the critical opinion of Lecky.
who had no sympathy with him either
in religion or politics:
"IIad O'Connell been a man of sec
ond rate talent, he would have imitat-
ed some of the great orators who
adorned the Irish Parliament he would
have studied epigram like Grattan, or
irony like Punket or polished dccla-
nation like Curran. He seems, how
ever, to have early felt that neither the
character of his mind nor the career
he had chosen was propitious to these
forms of cloquence, while he was em'-
nently fitted to excel in other ways.
He possessed voice Of almost uneX-
ampled perfection. Rising with al
easy and meodious swell, it filed the
largest building and triumphed over
time it conveyed every infection Of
feeling with the most delicate inflexl-
bility. His action was so easy, nat
ural, and suited to his subject that It
almost escaped the notice of the OBJ
server. What specially struck the crit
les of his oratory was it's spontanety
ity. His speeches before a law court
before Parliament, and before a pop
ular audience, were wholly different;
and each kind was admirably adapted
to It's end.
"No man in his generation could rea-
son more powerfully or state case
more clearly, or sway the passions OF
great multitude with such cOnsumrnate
skill He used to say that his most
carefully prepared speeches were al
ways the least successful. But when
, he relied on the feelings of the mo-
ment, he rose to q strain of masculine
elouucnce that was all the more fore
ible from it's being evidently unpre-
pared. 4 know Of no living orator.
said an acute French critic, who com
| municatcs so thoroughly to his audi
t ence the idea of the most profound
| followed clearly the transparent work
| ings Of his mind-could perceive him
, hcwing his thoughts into rhetoric with
, a negligent but colossal grandeur with
, the chsel, not of a Canova, but Of a
Michael Angelo"
, It was, however, principally by the
J versatility Of his eloquence that O'Con-
nell contrasts favorably with his great
predecessors and contemporaries who
: were masters of that art. In Parlia-
ment, though entering it rather late In
{ life, he was quite at home, more than
match for those great orators who
had been trained to a Parliamentary
career from their youth: and fearless
ly encountering and frequently dfscom-
filing such accomplished debaters as
the Earl of DENLY, then Lord Stanley,