Evening journal., 1910-03-11

Accompanied by my friend Of other
days, the late John Boyle O'Reilly. the
poet, / was walking through Essex
street, Boston, one afternoon in the
summer of 1882 when my attention was
attracted to n face in the window of
typical bow-windowed Boston home. 1t
was a face like that of a craven
image, perfectly motionless, and there
was an expression Of severe dignity
and yet of perfect repose upon it.
I turned to Mr.. O'Reilly, THAT looks
like Wendell Phillips 1 said.
1T looks like Wendell Phillips be-
cause IL Is Wendell Phillips" Mr.
O'Reilly replied. "That is his Boston
home. Here he has lived for many
years, resisting the inevitable march Of
business, which is soon to swallow up
the few remaining homes upon this and
neghboring streets.
"Mr. Phillips" Mr.. OReilly went on,
'is very fond of sitting I'm that window.
Sometimes he occupies his chair there
for hours. seeming scarcely to move,
and / have been told that frequently,
when in that perfect repose. he writes
mentally portions of an oration or ad-
dress.
"But even more interesting to me was
the manner in which Mr.. Phillips wrote
/ his now famous Phi Beta Kappa ora
1 tion. "The Scholar in a Republic de-
/ livered last year at the centennial an
/ niversary of the Phi Beta Kappa So
ciety at Harvard You may recall that
the address was one that stung He
spoke for civil and religious liberty,
and he made bitter accusation
against men OF scholarship who took
so little part in public affairs, and who,
when they did, usually sided with the
aristocratic and the rich.
"WelI. in the room at the rear Of the
one in Which you saw Mr.. Phillips sit
ting at his window moment ago there
is a sofa couch. After Mr.. Phillips had
accepted the invitation TO address the
Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Society, he
shut himself up In this room, as I have
been told, for three or four days, and
most OF the time he lay stretched out
upon that sofa couch. Occasionally
some member OF the househould, chanc-
ing to pass through the room, would
see his lips moving, but they would
hear no sound. They knew that he
was writing his Grafton for the Phi
Beta Kappa anniversary celebration
writing it mentally; although, / should
add. that one Of my friends is Of the
opinion that the address thus com
posed was not the one delivered TO the
Harvard students and alumni, but was
another one.
But as I have the story, at the end
OF tho three or four days Mr. Phillips
arose from the sofa, which he had
not left except 10 take his meals. or his
nights sleep. or TO perform some de-
voted service for his invalid wife, and
he arose with the address completed
Yet he had not put pen TO paper; he
had not a scrap OF memorandum OF
what he had planned 10 say. But the
address-every word of twas in
denbly printed upon the tablets of his
mind, so that he read it clearly and
without error, when he came to deliver
Il. with his minds eye Consequently
at no time that he was delivering that
superb and classic Grafton did he run
any danger Of forgetting any portion
of it-a great danger that is constantly
before anyone who writes out an ad-
dress on paper and then commits II "a
memory"
"BtN what YOU have said does not
explain Mr.. Phillipss wonderful
melodious voice. his perfectly distinct
enunciation. and his apparent conver.
sational tose." I said.
"Ah." answered Mr.. O'Renly. "Gof
gave him that exquisite vocal orgar
for public speaking. and he was ever
mentally practicing enunciation. ant
the lurking power that Is IN the ap-