The Washington herald., 1914-06-20
HISTORY BUlLDERs.
How Daniel Wshster Changed His
- Style ef 0ratory.
twhtAan szpsesaly for Ths Hesald)
By m. u. j. EDWARDS.

By m. .. J. EDWARDe.
The late Benjamin d. stllimsn was
when past ninety years Of age. engaged
actively In the practice Of his profession
as q lawyer. His name and some OF his
professional achievements were well
known to the bar Of the entire United
States. He was for some years before
his death. In 1899. regarded as the nestor
OF the American bar. He also came in
the early nfneties into somewhat sensa-
tional relation with the purchase of a
piece OF real estate In New York City.
1t was a little plot OF ground at the
II had been In the ownership of Mr.. SILL
nounced that the land had been sold for
a price much greater than had up to
that time been paid for any piece of
land In the United States. the transact
tion was widely commented upon. Mr..
Silliman always pointed to that property
as Justification of the investment he
had made years before when he fore
saw the great growth of the city, and
especially of the wall Street district
II was In little Office in the some
what antiquated building which stood
upon this plot OF ground that / spent
an hour or two one Afternoon with Mr..
Sitljman. He was then approaching
his ninetieth year. but there were no
evidences In his voice or In his mental
processes to suggest that he had
reached so great an age.
I wanted to talk to Mr.. Silliman about
the national whis convention which was
held in 1883. for / had been told that he
was a delegate to that convention and
was probably the last survivor then liv-
ing of all those who took part in the
gathering.
He seemed greatly pleased that should
have asked him for some Of his recol-
lections of that body.
1T was made up of very able men," he
said. II am sure that no other conven-
ton contained a larger number of men
Of very high ability than did this one.
II was one of the younger members
Of the convention and l made II a point
to talk with some Of the older men. es-
p-cially those who had taken part in pub
lie affairs twenty or thirty years earlier.
before there was any whig party. 1t was
my good fortune to meet two or three
gentlemen who had served in Congress
with Daniel Webster. 1 had never heard
Webster speak, but /. like every other
American Of that time. found our inter-
ests absorbed In the career Of the Wem-
ster and his personality and in his prob
able ambition which lay even al that time
the QlrcCtlOn Oh Inc ffeslueHCy-
In one of the chats which / had with
men who knew Webster I asked II II were
true that he had completely changed his
style as an orator and his use Of Eng
lish.
II was told that when Webster first
went to Congress-. about twenty-five years
earlier he was disposed to make some
what fowery speeches and to use long
words II was sometimes said of him
that he was an imitator of DR.. Samuel
Johnson. whose many-syllabled words
were at that time initiated by some pub
lie speakers.
"Afterwards-I think some eight or
nine years later-Webster made a speech
which attracted a good deal of attention.
because his style was so different from
that which heretofore had been charac-
teristic OF him. 1t was devoid Of any
flowers OF rhetoric. There were scarcely
any quotations from the classics, al
though there were a few from Shakes
peare. He made use of the simple An
gIo-Saxon words. many of them words
of one syllable. and this was a distinct
departure from fis earlier style
"One of the gentlemen told me thar
Webster had said to a friend that he had
changed his style after a careful reading
of the Book OF Job. He greatly admired
the sublimity and dignity of the Book
James version the translators had used
for the most part the rich and sinewy
tongue. From that time
on the Book of Job was his constant COM
panion and he based his later English
style upon it"
tCopyrishi, 1914. by Z J. Edwards. All rights re-
ssrredD