The Washington herald., 1916-03-26
WILLIAM PITT,
EARL OF CHATHAM
By Savoyard.

The decadence in our country of that
quality Of public speaking that is called
eloquence, oratOTy, elocution, declama-
ton, moved me to write some very de-
fective and rather lame stun about Tom
Marshall, S. S. Prentiss and Ed Marshall.
And that brings the speculation as to
what would be the effect of their rhetoric
If hired at an American audience of this
generation. l think Tom Marshall would
stand the test, but it Is extremely doubt
full II the others would, though Ed
Marshall most assuredly would con-
yulse his hearers with laughter by
his powers of ridicule and his re-.
markable gifts as an actor.
When asked to define oratory De-
mosthenes said it was manner, man
ner, always manner. Danton said it
was audacity, audacity. always, au-
dacity. Charles James Fox. whom
Edmund Burke declared to be the
greatest parliamentary debater the
world ever saw, said Oratory was "rea-
son redhot." Manner, audacity and
reason are all elements that the pop
ular orator must have at his COM
mand, but there are many other quail
ties that should supplement these.
The English actress, Mrs. Pritchard,
illustrated the effect of manner on an
magnetic woman, gifted with a superb
voice and commanding presence. But
she was hOpelessly ignorant and
ridiculously illiterate. DR.. Johnson
pronounced her IAN inspired idiot"
Until Mrs. Siddons appeared Pritchard
was the greatest Lady Macbeth the
stage had ever known, and yet she
did not know what the play was about;
she did not know who wrote it; she
kal Of . hny
part; but when she played the char
acter she thrilled her audience as no
other actress up to that time had ever
succeeded in doing.
l never recall a certain great ora
tion about a cross OF gold and a crown
of thorns without thinking of Mrs.
Pritchard. Oratory without thought
is like hospitality without food. II
may steal the expression from Balzac.
The first William Pitt, in different
way, illustrated the power of manner
when he employed it as a weapon of
debate. The most virile minister Eng
land has produced since Cromwell, he
brought as much glory to the English
flag as Marlborough before him or
Nelson after him. He saved Prussia
from the clutch of her enemies and
humbled the House of Bourbon to the
the Richelieu of England. He had
been instrumental in deposing Sir
Robert Walpole from the head OF the
British cabinet and certainly that
powerful ministers son, Horace Wal
pole, had no love for him but that
son, after hearing Pitts excoriation of
Hume Campbell. the head demagogue
of his day. wrote some verses, which
regret that 1 have not at hand, in
NUha
formed Pitt she had to combine De-
mosthenes and Cicero. Except that he
was familiar with the Latin classics
Pitt was an ignorant man, and ac-
eepted Defoe's novel, The Cavalier"
as authentic English history, and few
who have read it will quarrel with
him about that.
To show what effect Pitts man
ner" had on his hearers. a good story
Is told. That William Murray who
later, as Lord Mansfield, became the
most eminent judge the English bench
ever knew, was solicitor general in
the cabinet OF the Duke OF Newcastle.
He had a much finer intellect than
Pitt; his learning surpassed that of
any of his contemporaries; he was
recognized as the most powerful logi-
clan in Parliament: he was a lawyer
Of the highest rank and a statesman
VI the uIsl OEOeE, lne pFlQe ana the
hope of the Tory party.
One day Pitt was assailing the min
istry as only he was capable of as
sault, and after a time he halted in
his torrent of inYective and drawing
himself to his full height, battle. in
his eye and terror on his brow he
exclaimed: ~
And now have some wordsylor Mr.
Solicitor General, and promisstflim they
shall be daggers!"
Then he stood gazing at his victim,
who shrank from the contest, while the
whole house was frozen In awe. For
full minute he fascinated his prey, who
was in agony, and then allowing his voice
to fall, the orator closed in these words
low and distinct:
Felix trembles-Ir defer what I had
to say to a future occasion
Intellectually Murray was as superior
to Pitt as morally Pitt was superior to
him. Murray could not stand the racket
and he forced the ministry to give him
the chief justiceship and thus he was