Evening journal., 1912-06-14
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Great orator Who
Spoke Poetry UnCOnSCiOusly
By Holland

IF you ever have a chance to hear
Samuel f. Carey make a speech" said
Peter Cooper to me one afternoon in
the fall of 1877, "and especially upon
The issue OF the greenbacks don't miss
1t.
"Mr. Cary, was, you may remember, |
nominated for yice-president upon the
ticket at the head OF which my name
was placed in the presidential election
Of last year. We were called the can
didates Of the Greenback party, but
that was only partially true We were
candidates of those who believed that
was only partially true We we're can
didates Of those who believed that the
money of the United States should not
be so issued or controlled as to make
It difficult for the poor man or the
man Of moderate means to get on in
the world.
"In that entire campaign General
Cary made, ! think the most powerful
addresses, Certainly he had the big
gest audiences of any of the campaign
speakers. 1 think the Republicans
would have given any reasonable
amount of money II they could have
secured General Cary for a campaign
speaker for the presidential campaign
Of last year"
1t so happened that in 1880, when
the Greenback campaign was In pro-
gress in Maine, / had an opportunity
not only to hear General Carey, (who
first gained national fame as power
ful temperance orator. but afterwards
OF having a brief chat with him. He
was man of great physique; he had a
massive head; his eyes were very
large and deepset and, being sur
mounted by heavy dark eyebrows, gave
to them the peculiar expression which
was Characteristic of Daniel Webster.
His hair was wornslong and brushed
back from his forehead. His lips were
the lips of an orator, sensitive, sug-
gesting the temperament and magma
tion Of poet
Cary certainly held the audience on
the evening I heard him as though it
we're entranced. II was unconscious
of the lapse of the minutes. His mar
ration OF anecdotes was the perfection
of the actors art. His voice was musi-
cal and he had perfect command of it
His language was copious. There were
sentences in the speech which sound
ed as though he was reciting blank
verse. In addition to that, he possessed
the indescribable, not to be analyzed,
quality purely personal or tempera-
mental which is the distinguishing
mark Of the truly great orator.
When met General Cary ventured
TO ask him how he was persuaded,
having the gift of oratory he possess
ed to abandon the practice of the law.
"You make the mistake so often
made" he replied. "No really great
orator has been a really great lawyer,
with the possible exception of Daniel
Webster. He, however, was not SUI
preme orator. He was unsurpassed as
forensic speaker, but he belonged
to the forum and not the platform.
81 had been practlcing law about
fifteen years in Cincinnati, my native
town when il suddenly dawned upon
me that oratory was good upon the
stump or platform but not worth q
copper in the practice Of law, excep'
occasionally in some criminal trial be-
fore jury.
Il had seen enough in my years o
practice, of the demoralizing habit o
! drink TO persuade me that il the mel
of the United States we're all total alb
stainers there wouldn't be much us'
for the lawyers I realized too tina
whatever gift l had for public speak
ing would be effective in appeals Z
men to refrain from the drink hani'
So shut my law books.
81 noticed, General Cary said
that in some portions of your speecl
this evening you seemed to be recruit
ing blank verse. And many o. your eN
, pressions had the hint OF poetry.
"Why. I couldn't help that; | dion
recite any blank verse excepting sue
as composed on the platform uncon
sciously." Then with a smile, he ad
, ded.
you have put your finger on
characteristic of the Cary family. W
p are all poets. l have a streak Of 1t Il
, me. Mine finds expression upon TN
, platform but I had two cousins, VII
r whose poetry you are familiar II
doubt, who will be remembered ION
, after I am forgotten, because the
{ ] wrote poetry and published IL. DO yo
a know who they wereg
4 I could not answer that question
:. and General Cary said as he close
the interview. Alice and Phoebe Car
L are first cousins of mine, and whe
10 you know that you may get an eXpl'
y nation of what you call the poet
quality in my speech"
u Copyright. 1912. by e. J. Edwards A
y rights reserved.