Oratory

Thought is the great motive forcé and ropelling power of the world. It is bat faculty of man which distinguishs him from tho brute oreation and makes him rational, angelio, God-like. janguage ia tho eijjbodinient, the exression and dross of thought, and henee lio paramount importanoo and magie jowor of human speech must bo appaent to all intelligent beings. Thought nd language are the bases of man's in;elligence, supromacy and immortality, nd the instrumenta of all human chievements- of social progress, politcal reform, religious growth and of the ormation and development of the arts nd sciences. From these facts it is evdont that the theme which has been hosfiii for this occasion is one of the jreatest value and tho most practical uterest. Oratory, the art of euibodj-ing the no jlest ideas and grandest truths in beauliful form and elegant dress, and exiressing them in the best possiblo lanuage, istho highestandrarestof human ccomplishments. It ranks first among be useful arts and should be placed at be head of the sisterhood of fine arts. iusbandry is a useful art, but oratory sof more uso. For, while the husbandman tills the soil, sows the seed and eaps the rich harvest of golden grain rom which the markets are suppliod nd the multitudes fed - the orator does reator deedg. He tills the mind, cultiates the heart, and sows the seeds of ruth and virtue, which spring forth, jud, blossom and bear the fruits of benevolence, humility and love ; s weet, deicious fruits that feed the soul and satsfy the spiritual hunger of man. The skilled mechanic, who is busy 'rom early morning until night, performs n important part in the great drama of ïuman action. But the orator plays a nobler and a better part. "While invenive genius is at work discovering the 'orces of nature and the elemeuts of mahinery and applying them to the physcal labor of mankind ; while forests are leared, mountains tunnoled, railroads )uilt, and the nations of the earth bound y iron ties so closo that they can whisjer to one another, - while all these wonders are acmoved by mechanical skill and ingenuity, the orator is doing nore. He discovers ideas and truths and ap)iea theiu to intellectual work - to the solution of the monientous questions of ife and eternity. He Iets alone the sturdy oak and towering pine, but cuts down forests of darkness; he does not tunnel the Alps, norclimb the Andes and Himalaya,but removes niountains of ignorance; he does not eounect the Old World with the New, by an iron, electric vein that causes the heart of the Fatherland and the British pulse to beat in unisón with the free, Auiorican heart, but he links man to God, mortality to immortality, earth to heaven, and causes humanity's heart to throb in unisón with angelio pulsations. The artistic beauty exhibited in sculpture, painting, ppetry and ïnusic, is excolled in oratory. The sculpture by tho exercise of the highest imaginativo povvers soes hiddeu in the ruarble block his idea of a perfect, symuietrical huinan form, and after unny raonths of earnest toil with his chisel, ho presents to the world a workmanship of art that excites surprise, admiration and awe in every beholdor But the logic and eloqneuce of the true orator excite all the higher emotions and in addition awaken the sense o moral obligation, convince man and become the occasion f'or the certain exer cise of right volitious. Paintiug as an art bas reachtd au approximation to perfectiun that is truly wonderful. I representa on the walls in the parlo in the most vivid colors andlife-like ex prcsiion the sublime and picturesque bcenery of nature und all the variec phases and iiicidents of life. Yea more tho artist with his spiritual eye, "see tbrough a glass darkly," into the celes tial country, and his hand as with an angel's touch and guided by a hig] idealiiy aud heavenly iuspiration, paint on canvas the glorious golden city o the spirit land. Yet the orator paiuts brighter pietures. He presenta word paintings; paintiugs whoso every shade is a sublime truth and far prettier aud more expressive than the finest touches of R:tphael. The artiat paints the form, tho material, the real; the orator rises higher and paints the thought, the immaterial, tho ideal; the oue paints an imaginary hoaven, tho other an incomprehensible God. Poetry has done noble service in the cause of truth and for the elevation of mankind, but oratorioal power has a higher claim on humanity than poetical genius. While poets heighten the imagination, refine the sensibilitios, and oharin the soul, orators do the same and topping the climax, they rouse the intellect, Ihrill the heart, convict the mind and lead man to action. An appeal to the history of the past and observation of tho present, alike continu theennoblinginfluenco and vivifying effects of music. Music so ploasing to the ear and sweet to the soul is a rioh iutellectual dessert and spiritual feast to all sentient beings. But when in the evcnts of time a social or political reformation ia to be made, or a great moral question is to be decideii, a convention is aunounced, not a concert. - The singing school must give place to the mass meeting, and the musician yield the platform to the orator. Secular oiutory has done more for so ciety aud government than all the sentimental songs that have ever been Bang; and pulpit oratory brings myriads more souls to the f'eotof Jesus than all the operatic airs of church choirs. It is tho eloquence of Boecher not Plymouth choir that attracts each Sabbath the largo Brooklyn audience. Oratory is an eclectic art - a science all-comprehensive. It combineR the beauty mm] im agina ti on of poetry, the cliarming olrects or music, tne reasomng of pnilosophy, and tho laws of scienoe and excels them all as an exponent anc isseminator of truth. The orator ie a good man whose meditations and words are pure in the sighl of bis Creator. TJngentleinanly or profane langu age never pollutes hi8 lips. In his noblo, gonerous nature the rich, ripening qualitiea óf the soul are beautii ully blended, harmoniously developed, evenly balanced, and converge into a focus of sympathy- sympatby strong, glowing, intense, as the rays of tbe noon-day sun. ín addition there is an indcrinaliUisoiuething - anall-pervading irresistible uiaguetio influenco that enchaots tho bearer's heart and Lolds it spell-bound. R'.iü the orator in the forum or pulpit. There he stands witli a quiuk perception, a strong memory, a high imagination, groat analytic and sympathetic powers, and a right oonception of the Boautiful, the True and the (Jood. His head is a itorehouse of knowledge, aud in his breast dwells the spirit of God lighting up hia couutenimce and animating his whole nature. He is freo, easy, selfpossessed, master of the situation. Tho fust word is spoken, the first sentence uttered; and now all his senses are active and in full play; the reason is at work - and the understanding aoting in unisón and complete harinony olaburates judgrnent after judguieut, and truth after truth. He warms with tbc spirit oi' his theme and theenthusiasin of the occasion. He thinks, he toéis, he wills, he rises, there is a gush of thought and feeling and streams of eloquence flow forth in rhetorical channels. Hear him! lear truth asserted as truth and not as iotion. Truth coming from the heart, parkling in the eye, beaming in the ace, rolling from the tongue, ringing hrough the hall, and echoing from the wall. See him sway his hearers, now his way, now that, then lift them up 'rom the lower sphere of sense into the ligher realm of thought, where they jask in the golden, genial sunlight of aith, reason, pathos, inspiration, convicion, and drink deep draughts from the rystal, freely-flowing fountains of everasting truth.