New-York tribune., 1912-02-10
AMERICAN ORAT0RY
Two Collections of Speeches by
Contemporaries.
AMERICAN ADDRESSES. BY Joseph II.
Choate With portrait. Svo., pp. KIN
2hn The Century COMPANY.

AMERICAN ADDRESSES. BY Joseph r.
Choate. With portrait. sVo' PIP Mn
300 The Century Company.
AFTER DINNER SPEECHES At The
LOTOS CLUB Arranged by John ~
derkin, Chester $. Lord. Charles W
Price. Illustrated. svo., pp. XVI. hN
New York: Printed for the botos Cluo'
It would be difficult 10 find more
truly and widely representative collec-
ton Of the best Of contemporary Ameri-
can oratory than is TO be found in these
two volumes, one Of which, the privately
urinted Speeches at the Lotos Club,
Is. moreover. an exceptionally fine piece
Of book making.
Mr.. Choate's speeches cover pract-
ally the forty-seven years Of his promi-
nence as a public speaker. They are
not arranged chronologically, the first
of his addresses in matter OF time given
here-that at the opening Of the Metro
pOlitan Sanitary Fair in 1S64-being
Ulaced third in the volume, the position
Of honor being appropriately given, no
uoubt by Mr. Choite himself, 10 his ad-
dress at the unveiling OF F'rench's statue
Of his kinsman, Rufus Choate, at Bos-
ton, in 1898. In his preface, which deals
briefly but informingly with the circum-
stances and the occasion Of the delivery
Of these twenty-five addresses. Mr..
Chcate reprints the letter Of introduce
ton to Mr.. Evarts which his famous
relative gave him in 1850, when he came
10 New York to seek MS fortune, and TO
hch he has always ascribed the be-
ginnings of his success. a fac-simile Of
this letter is also given.
The range Of the volume is wide. 1t
includes, Of course, the famous address
on the Tweed ring, delivered by Mr..
Choatc at the meeting Of the Committee
Of Seventy. at Cooper Institute in 1871;
his addresses on Admiral Farragut.
Florence Nightingale. Carl Schurz and
Phillips Brooks among American nota-
hiities: seN eral OF his addresses on the
American bar. most important among
these being that on Trial by Jury"
and his eulogy of the late James c.
Carter.
Mr.. Choate is also represented in the
decade of after-dinner speaking at the
Lotos Club, ended in December, 1910.
over a hundred speeches are given, the
names of the speakers being practically
directory of contemporary eloquence,
with, in addition. the names Of many dis
tinguished foreigners, like NJ. Jusserand,
the Marquis WI Ting-fang, Baron
Kogoro Takahira, Lord Morley Forbes
Robertson, Laurence Irving and many
others. The voice Of David b. Hill seems
To be most remote from us of the pres
ent day: that OF Mark Twain still almost
living one among us. Mr.. Simeon
Ford deliberately ceased from entertain
ing us after dinner some time ago; Gov
ernor Wilson and Colonel Harvey are
separated in these pages by Andrew V.
V. Raymond OF American diplomats.
there are, besides Mr.. Choate, Mir. White
law Reid and Mr.. 'Charlemagne Tower.
The poets are many in the list and army
and navy are Well represented, as are
pulpit, public life and the press.
An interesting adornment Of the vol
ume are the facsimlcs i'm halftone of the
menus of the dinners given to the clubs
distinguished guests. To these Il num-
Der Of portraits have been added