Evening star., 1938-04-30
How the World Is Stirred
BY the Power of OratOry
To the Editor of The Star:

10 the Editor OF The Star:
Oratory is the moving power of the
language that has ever sounded its
clarion call through the wilderness Of
humanity and echoed down the dim
corridors of time. 1t has conquered
nations established religions and philos-
ophies, founded institutions and blazsd
the trails of progress.
1t served Socrates in the days when
he lifted up an ideal to the youth Of
Athens. only to drink the hemlock, that
made his name immortal.
DemoSthenes' "Oration on the Crown"
in defense of his political career remains
as one of the outstanding monuments
to Armenian glory.
Cato, who for 20 years rose daily in
the Roman Senate, and with the decla-
nation, "Delenda est Carthage" in
famed the ambition of the populace to
such action that Rome became the un-
disputed master of the world.
Peter the Hermit, a monk Of the 18th
century, with frenzied zeal aWoke Eu-
rope to such religious fervor that dur
ing the Crusades more than a million
men perished in their expeditions to re-
cover the Holy Land from the Moham-
medanS.
Savonarola, religious reformer, whose
Scathing denunciation of church and
state vices fought to the last his dream o1
Christian commonwealth, only to be-
come one of the great martyrs of all time.
Luther, the giant of the Reformation,
appeared on the human stage at time
when the world was rife with change.
He advocated what he believed to be
right and against an almost universal
opposition Waged q spiritual warfare
that changed ecclesiastical history.
Danton, the insurgent agitator, carried
his message OF liberty into the Sordd
slums OF France. Men, women and chill
dren, living skeletons. unfed, half naked
and homeless, rallied with their last
ounce Of strength to the banner of their
new messiah and helped make possible
the success of the French revolution.
The fiery eloquence of Patrick Henry,
the orator Of the American Revolution,
famed the flame Of liberty that with
increasing rapidity leaped from Colony
to Colony. To retract was impossible. II
was Ito arms" Then like thunderbolt,
surcharged with fire. flashed those men,
orable words, Give me liberty or give
me DEATH" that once and forever burned
Wendell Phillips, the abolitionist,
champion of the slave in the New
World, by his impassioned appeals
aroused the sentiment of Nation. OBJ
stinacy was overcome, precedent de-
throned and in the Emancipation Proc
lamation of Lincoln the last pillar from
its ancient base fell to destruction.
Robert j. Ingersoll, the distinguished
;oic
graced for awhile the rostrum Of INTEL
lectual freedom. Embattled on all sides
by the conventionalism of his day, he
rose 10 heights transcendent. All he
touched blossomed forth as if by magic
to remain through the ravages of time
imperishable flowers of thought.
And today human society is in the
throes of a new birth Its scope is
worldwide and the impetus has reached
into every cline and permeated all peo-
pies. What the outcome may be is a
matter of conjecture. International con-
ferenceS and world courts have failed
to analyze the situation and therefore
are unable to offer a solution. Possibly
they have not sounded the depths where
the primal urge and the burning ele-
mentS seek expression. Greed, hate and
revenge are but the reflex actions of our
economic political and social life, and
to become cleansed they must needs un-
dergo the fires of the crucible.
This is the task that faces a restless
and a waiting world. The day may
come-the hour may strike and perhaps
not far distant-when the false prophets
Of this iron age in all their artificial
pomp and glory shall go down to deci-
sive defeat and upon the ruins arise the
foundation of a new order OWNED by
the oratorical onslaughts of some dy-
manic thunder god.
FREDERICK FARRELL.