THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF COMMODORE BYRON MCCANDLESS ^^ X ^ /^^^ fi^ Jf — THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE: COLLECTION OF EXTRACTS IN PROSE AND VERSE, FROM THE MOST FAMOUS ORATORS AND POETS; INTENDED AS EXERCISES FOR DECLAMATION IN COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS. BY CHARLES D. WARNER. " Suit the action to the word, the word to the action ; with this special observance, that you o'crstep not the modesty of nature."— ^hakspeare. " Quid facundia posset Re patuit ." — Ovid, Met. Lib. xiii. CONCORD, N. H.: EDSON C. EASTMAN. 1877. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by CHARLES D. WARNER, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern Dislrici of New York. 8TRB0TYPED BY THOM\S B. SMITBf 216 WILLIAM STRKKT, N. Y, TK TO SIMON C. HITCHCOCK, ESQ., THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED Bl THE EDITOR, AS SOME LITTLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF KINDNESS SHOWN THROUGH MANY YEARS. PREFACE. The continual call in our schools for extracts suitable for declamation, and the difficulty of obtaining them, 1>&? induced the editor to prepare the present work, which he hopes will meet the demand. Of the many compilations of a similar de- sign in print, some are utterly unfit for their intended puipose, by reason of the too great length of the selections, and neariy all havinof been long; in use, have become irksome to the stu- dent ; and it has been an especial endeavor in this work to pre- sent new and spirited extracts, and not to encumber it with those too lengthy for practical use. With the object in view of compiling a really valuable book for declamation, the usual mode has been slightly departed from ; the prose being made to outbalance the poetry, and dialogues being entirely omitted, as the writings of the best dramatists, — and those alone can be used with pi'ofit, — are in every one's hands, and the introduc- tion of the usual hackneyed colloquies of school-books would only serve to crowd out more useful matter". Yet, in making this a new book, the editor has not permitted hnnself to lose sight of those master-pieces of eloquence, which, though familiar, never grow old, neither lose their interest by lapse of years, nor grow stale by repetition, and which should always find a j)lace in a book of this character, until the groat names of American and of Euroj^ean story fall unheeded on the ear, until the mention of Marathon and Bannockburn and Bun- ker ilill fails to quicken the pulse and brighten the eye. It has not been thought best to insert rules for declamation, as comprehensive and approved works on elocution are accessi- 11 PREFACE ble to every one, and the compiler of tMs volume would only urge the absolute necessity of a constant and persevering course of drilling and practice in declamation, if the student would at- tain any excellence in the great art of oratory. An often cited maxim from Horace might not untruly read, " Poeta nascitur, orator fit," since it is only by untiring study that pre-eminence in elocution can be attained ; and, to substantiate this, we have the example of the Athenian orators, of Lord Chatham practising before his glass the gestures and the very expression which so en- tiauced the House of Lords, and the kno\vn fact that the most eloquent men of our own time are dihgent students and imi- tators of the best models. And it is grateful to observe that the art of oratory is every day obtaining more attention, and gradually regaining the rank and consideration it held in the early republics. The editor takes this opportunity to thank his personal friends for their assistance in this undertaking, and to acknowledge the courtesy of those gentlemen in various parts of the Union, to whom he has had occasion to apply, and whose liberal and efficient aid will always be remembered with pleasure and with jn-ide. C D. W. CONTENTS. ♦ « » PART I. SELECTIONS OF PROSE. AMERICAN ELOQUENCE. PAOK 1. Ancient and Modern Eloquence Adams. 18 2. Duty of America Webster. 14 3. The'Ultima Tliule Everett. 15 4. Our Relation to Europe Clay. 16 5. Tlie Name of Republic Legare. 17 6. Eulogy on Andrew Jackson Bancroet. 1 8 7. Injustice toward Kossuth Webster. 19 8. Importance of Literary Pursuits Everett. 20 9. Freedom and Patriotism Dewey. 22 10. Teachings of the American Revolution Sparks. 23 11. The Present Age Channing. 25 12. State Veto Power Calhoun. 26 13. State Veto Power WebsteiJ-. 27 14. Vindication of the South Clemens. 28 15. Ties that bind the West to us Everett. 29 16. Patriotic Appeal McDowell. 31 17. California and Plymouth Rock Benton. 32 18. The Honor of War Channing. 32 19. Danger of Indian Hostilities Ames. 34 20. Nominal War Randolph. 35 21. Tlie DiBicult Step Randolph. 36 22. Death of John Q. Adams Seward. 37 23. Death of Napoleon Seward. 39 24. Who is Blannerhassett ? Wirt. 40 25. Doom of the Indians Story. 42 20. Virginia Bkdinoer. 44 27. Massachusetts Palfrey. 45 28. Tlie Constitution Wkisster. 47 29. The Peace Congress Anonymous. 48 80. Literature Perverted Anonymous, 49 IV CONTENTS. PAGE 31. Civilization of Africa Everett. 60 32. Public Di^honL•sty .Beeuheb. 51 33. World--svifle Fame of Washington Robbins. 52 34. On the VVitlidrawal of the Army from Mexico Hannegan. 63 35. Retributive Justice .Corwin. 6-t 36. JSTo National Greatness without Morality.. Channing. 57 37. True Grandeur of Nations Sumner. 59 38. Vicissitudes of 18-19 Greelev. 60 39. Acquisition of Territory Dickinson. 60 40. Acquisition of Territory Miller. 62 41. The First American Congress Maxlt. 63 42. Liberty and Despotism Clinton. 64 43. Resistance to Oppression Maxet. 66 44. Democracy Dem. Rkview. 67 45. Obhgation of Treaties Ames. 69 46. The Preservation of the Union Webster. 70 47. No Extinction of Freedom by Force Johnson. 71 48. Disunion and War inseparable Clay. 72 49. The Expunging Resolution Clay. 73 50. Censure of Austria Cass. 75 51. Improvement of the West Harrison. 76 52. Plea for the Descendants of James Rumsey Rumsey. 77 53. The Sabl)ath rRELiNGHtTYsE>f. 78 64. Invidious Distinctions Legaue. 80 55. Eulogy on Yell Bedinger. 81 56. Genoa in her Beauty Sumner. 82 57. Best Policy in Regard to Naturalization Levin. 83 58. An Appeal for Oregon McDowell. 84 59. Always Ready but never Rash Bedinger. 85 60. Secession AVebstkr. 86 61. Peaceful Conquests Dix. 88 62. A Striking Picture ' Everett. 89 63. Power of Wealth produced by Labor Burgess. 90 64. Modern Idol Worship Sprague. 91 65. Justice to Frontiermen Peyton. 92 66. Northern Laborers Naylor. 94 67. Discussion of Webster and Hayne Johnson. 95 68. On the Platform of the Constitution Webster. 97 69. Impressment of American Seamen Clay. 98 70. The Issue Anonymous. 99 71. The Marriage broken off Benton. 100 72. America's Influence Abroad McDowell. 101 73. The Extent of the Union Houston. 102 74. Clay and Webster Gentry. 103 75. Glory of Arms Sumner. 105 76. On the Removal of Washington's Remains Clayton. 106 77. On the Revolutionary Pension Bill Davis. 107 78. The Mayflower Everett. 108 79. Philanthropy Wayland. 110 80. Indemnity to the Niagara Sufferers Williams. Ill 81. Indemnity to the Niagara Sufferers Vance. 112 82. Suppression of Piracy Barbour. 1 13 CONTENTS. V PAGE 83. Communication with Mexico in 1825 Benton. 114 84. Liberty in South America Randolph. 116 85. Last Charge of 2fey Headi.ey. 117 86. Defense of Poets Lyon. 118 87. The Militia General and his Forces Corwin. 1 19 88. Who is Independent ? Ruett. 121 89. Condition of In-^olvejit Debtors Clay. 123 90. Remembrance of Wrongs Choate. 123 91. Military Character of General Taylor Hilliaed. 124 92. EuU)gium on South Carolina Hayne., 126 98. South Carolina and ilassachusetts Webstee. 128 94. Reply to Mr. Webster Havne. 129 95. Rejoinder to Mr. Hayue Wkbstk.r. 131 96. Final Triumph of Democracy Dem. Review. 1o3 97 Amendment to the Constitution Isaacs. 135 98. Mis-ion to Panama Webster. 136 99. Our Duty to Rcs-olutionary Soldiers Sprague. 138 100. Tne Zero Line of Valor Barton. 139 101. Effect of Steadiness of Pursuit Rubbins. 140 102. The Territories Winturop. 141 1U3. Triumph of Poetry over Arms Story. 143 104. Danger of Faction Gaston. 143 105. Evil of Duelling Bekoher. 144 106. Puritan and Sp.irtan Heroism Cuoate. 145 107. Appeal in Behalf of Greece ^.Clay. 147 108. Achievements of the Pilgrims Everett. 149 109. Duty of Lit', rary Men to America Gri.mke. 150 110. Death of Hamilton Nott. 152 111. Invective of Hungary Buell. 153 112. The Admission of California Skward. 154 113. Undivided Allegiance Sewaro. 155 114. Means of Health Man.v. 157 115. Brief Authority Bayaud. 15S 116. The Ground of Treaty Moimus. 159 117. Fourth of July, 185l' Webster. 161 118. Aspirations of the American People Hu.vter. 162 119. Eloquence Stanton. 164 120. Death of Washington Mason. 165 121. Address to South Carolina Jackson. 106 122. American History Verplanck. 167 123. Conte.-t of a I'eople for Freedom Everett. 168 1 24. Welcome to Lafayette Everett. 1 69 12.5. Right of Spanish America to Revolt Clay. 169 126. On the Recognition of La Plata Clay. 171 127. On the Judiciary Morris. 172 128. Necessity of Resistance Hknuy. 173 129. 'I'he War with Mexico Badger. 174 1 30. The Embargo (iuiNCHY. 176 131. Sorrow for (he Dead Irving. 177 1 32. Price of Liberty Giles. 1 79 133. How to gain an Honest Name Barnes. 180 134. The Poet Emerson. 181 VI CONTENTS. PAGK 135. Injustice the Cause of National Ruin Parker. 182 136. Suppo.*ed Speech against the Declaration WEissTEa. 184 137. Supposed Speech of Adams in Keply Webster. 185 138. Society without Morahty Beecuer. 186 139. Embassy to Rome Levin. 187 140. Cessation of Hostihties Dayton. 189 141. The Puritans Whu'ple. 190 142. Tlie Demagogue Beecher. 191 143. Eulogium on John Q. Adams Holmes. 192 144. The Levelling System Beeciier. 194 145. Spirit of Liberty in 1772 Warren. 195 146. On the Boston Massacre ^arren. 190 147. Men who never Die Everett. 197 148. Literary Position of America Story. 198 149. When War shall be no more Anonymous. 199 150. A Picture of Terror Upham. 2uO 151. Stopping the March of Freedom Parker. 201 152. Invective in the " Wilkinson 'J'rial" Prentiss. 202 153. The World of Beauty around us Mann. 203 154. Danger of Vast Fortune Mann. 204 155. Influfuce of Republican Geneva on the Puritans. . . .Choate. 205 1 56. The same — continued Choate. 206 157. Secret of the Murderer Webster. 207 158. Bunker Hill Monument Webster. 208 159. Mitral Power of Public Opinion Webster. 209 160. Sacred from War , Sumner. 211 161. Plea in the Michigan Railroad Conspiracy Trial. . . .Seward. 212 162. Danger of Military Supremacy Clay. 213 163. Executive Clemency Beecher. 214 164. Death of Jefferson and Adams Everett. 215 165. Executive Power Webster. 216 166. Greatness of Napoleon Channing. 217 EUROPEAN ELOQUENCE, ANCIENT AND MODERN. 1. The Perfect Orator Sheridan. 221 2. Appeal for Queen Caroline Brougham. 222 3. Demand for Justice to Ireland O'Connell. 223 4. Defence from the Charge of Tyranny Robespierre. 223 5. Peroration in the Oration against Warren Hastings.. . .Burke. 225 6. Catiline's Address to the Conspirators Sallust. 226 7. Conciliation of Ireland Erskine. 227 8. A Free Constitution Bolingbroke. 229 9. Immortal Influence of Athens Macaulay. 230 10. Trial of Warren Hastings Macaulay. 231 11. Burns Carlyle. 232 12. Personal Vindication Mirabeau. 233 13. The Duke of Wellington Allson, 234 14. France and the Republic Berryer. 286 15. On tlie Presidential Election. . . . ^ Lamartine. 237 CONTENTS. ni PAOE 16. The Mystfiries of Life Chateaubriand. '238 17. Tn Relation to the Impeachment of Hastings Sheridan. '2o9 IS. Genius BuLWuii. '240 19. Hope for Italy Mariotti. 241 20. Province of the Hi^^torian Sculegel. 24'2 21. Protest against Turkish Perfidy Kossuth. 243 22. Lesson to Ambition Jekfrey. 244 23. Catholic Restrictions Sydney Smith. 246 24. Plea to George IV. in Behalf of the Queen Pnii-ui'S. '247 25. In Defence of Mr. Finnerty Curran. 248 26. The Evidence of Mr. O'Brien Curran. 250 27. Cremutius Cordus's Defence of his Annals Tacitus. 251 28. Monopolies . . .• Culpeiu'er. 252 29. The Poet's Theme Talkourd. 253 So. On the Prospect of an Invasion Hall. 254 31. Universality of Conscience Chalmers. 255 32. On Parliamentary Reform Fox. 256 33. Character of Justice Sukridan. 257 84. Tlie Hour of Destiny Dublin Nation. 258 35. The same — continued Dublin Nation. 260 36. Vindication from Treason McManus. 262 37. Vindication fiom Treason Meagher. 262 38. Influence of the Dutch Boyton. 265 39. Speech of Galgacus to the Caledcinians. Tatitus. 266 40. Speech of Agiicola to his Army in Britain Tacitus. 268 41. Invective against ^schines Demosthenes. 269 42. Religious Liberty Sydney Smith. 270 43. Securities from Catholic Ireland Phillips. 271 44. Blessings of Education Phillips. 272 45. Wrongs of Ireland Grattan. 274 46. On the Funeral of Henrietta Bossuet. 274 47. Trial of the Church Gilfillan. 275 48. Duty in Time of War CuALMiiRs. 277 49. On the Conspiracy of Catiline 7 Cickro. 278 50. A Defence from Impeacliinent Marat. 279 51. Liberty in the Revolution of 1830 St. Chamans. 280 52. The True Conqtierors BRoU(iiiAM. 282 53. Aljolition of die Slave 'IVade Wilbicrforce. 283 54. Futility of Ertbrts to stay Reform Sydney Smith. 2.S4 55. Plea of Sergeant Buzftiz in Bardell v. Pickwick Dickens. 285 56. The same — continued Dickens. 287 57. Death of Fox Shicridan. 289 58. On the Reformation in England Milton. 290 59. Attack of Antw.Tp Windham. 291 t)i). What is till- French Revolution ? Lamariine. 292 61. 'I'rue Use of Wealth Alison. 293 62. Yielding to PuV>lic Opinion Alison. 294 63. Decline of tlie Celtic Race Michklet. 295 64. Disregard of the Past Talfouhd. 297 65. On the Law of Cop) right Talfourd. 298 66. Hamlefs Address to the Players Shakspeark. 299 67. True Position of Napoleon Carmenin. 299 VIU CONTENTS. 68. Qualifications for Soldiers Stdney Smith. 301 CO. Grioviuioes of the Englis-h Government Mackintosh. 302 '70. Duty of Eni^rland to Italy M.ukinto.sh. S03 71. Defence of tlie Poet Archias Cicero. S04 1± Speech of Shrewsbury before Queen Elizabeth Schiller. 306 73. Mr. Fox and the East India Bill Burke. S07 1i. Detached Empire Burke. 308 1o. Taxation of America Burke. 308 76. The Return of Peace Jeffrey. 309 77. Glory of Holland and Ireland Boyto.v. 310 78. Apparitions Carlyle. 313 79. The Landed Interest D'Israell 313 80. Vindication from Dishonor Emmett. 315 81. Removal of the Troops from Boston Chatham. 316 82. " You cannot Conquer America" Chatham. 317 83. Days of Desolation Alison. 318 81. Indulgencies to the Catholics Sydney Smith. 319 85. Safety only in the Republic LamartIne. 320 86. Attachment of a People to their Religion Sy'dney Smith. 321 87. Speech of Icilius to the Romans Alkieri. 322 88. Visions of Joan of Arc and Bi.shop Beauvais De Quincey. 321-5 89. The same — continued De Quincey. 32 1 PART II. SELECTIONS OF POETEY. 1. Seaweed Longfellow. 329 2. The Winds Bryant. 330 3. The Steamboat Holmes. 331 4. Deatii of Osceola Street. 333 5. Rhyme of the Rail Saxe. 334 6. Lord of Belmont Tower Praed. 336 7. Song of the War McMaster. 337 8. Press On Willis. 339 9. Alnwick Castle Halleck. 340 10. Quin and Foote Anonymous. 341 1 1. The Quality of Mercy Shaksieare. 342 12. From Henry V Shakspeare. 342 13. Sleep Shakspeare. 343 14. Soliloquy of Macbeth Shakspeare. 344 15. Venice and America Byron. 344 16. The Dying Gladiator Byron. 346 17. Lvcidas — A Monody Mit.ton. 347 le. The Hour of Death Hemans 347 CONTENTS. IX PAGE 19. The Loved Dead Hkmans. 349 20. The Cloud Shelley, 349 21. Mary's Ghost Hood. 350 22. Battle of Beal' an' Duine Slott. 3J>2 23. Battle of the Baltic Campbell. 353 24. Address to au Egyptian Mummy Horace Smith. 355 25. The Press Elliott. 356 26. Tlie Height of the Ridiculous Holmes. 357 27. Horatius Macaulay. 358 28. Joan of Arc Sterling. 359 29. Napoleon's Return Browning. 360 30. The Beleaguered City Longfellow. 3(52 31. Antony's Speech over Caesar's Body Shakspeare. 364 32. The same — continued Shakspeare. 365 S3. Union Anonymous. 366 34. Tiie Banner of Murat VVetmore. 367 35. The Pri-^oner for Debt Whittieu. 368 36. A Death Bed Aldrich. 370 37. Thanatopsis Bryant. 372 38. Marmiou's Departure Scott. 373 39. " To Arras '.. '. Benjamin. 373 40. A Hundred Years Ago Anonymous. 374 41. The Cold Water Man Saxe. 375 42. A Sea Fog Crabbe. 377 43. Funeral of Charles I Bowles. 377 44. The Four Eras Rogers. 378 45. Seminole's Reply Patten. 379 46. The Rising of the North Procter. 3SU 47. The Soldier's Tear Bayley. 3sl 48. Leonidas Ckoly'. 382 49. Byron Pollok. 383 50. The Drowned Mariner E. Oakes Smith. 384 51. Tne Peri's Boon Moore. 3S5 62. Tlie Bards Read. 386 53. Death of Oriska Sigourney. 388 54. Little Kindnesses Talfourd. 389 55. Annie Clayville Cary. 390 56. The Spirit of my Song Fuller. 391 57. Pocahontas Morris. 392 58. A Solemn Conceit Motherwell. 392 69. The Departed Benjamin. 394 60. St-venty-six Bryant. 395 61. The Hurricane Bryant. 396 62. D.Mth of Harrison Willis. 397 68. The Happiest Land Longfellow. 398 64. Hymn of the Moravian Nuns Longfellow. 399 6.5. Thf UiMJ Fisherman Puaed. 4(iO 66. Shy lock to Antonio Shakspeare. 401 67. Speech of Robespierre Coleridge. 402 68. Morning Meditations Hood. 403 69. Crystal Fountain Anonymou.s. 404 10. Song of Steam Cutter. 406 1* X CONTENTS. PAOK 71. Storming of Monterey Hoffman. 407 72. Angels of Buena Vista Whittier. 408 73. Entry of the Austriaus into Naples Moore. 411 74. Forgive and Forget Tupper. 412 75. Robert Burns Montgomery. 413 76. Old Ironsides Holmes. 415 77. The Last Leaf Holmes. 415 78. The English Tongue Saxe. 417 79. Munody on Sam Patch Sands. 418 80. The War Cross Scott. 419 81. Soliloquy of Richard HI Shak^peare. 420 82. Mathew Lee Dana. 421 83. The Seven Ages Shakspeare. 422 84. Ambition Willis. 423 85. The Contrast Street. 424 86. The Pilgrim's Funeral Bryant. 425 87. March Coxe. 427 88. Last Days of Autumn Percival. 428 89. Music of the Night Neal. 429 90. My Mother's Grave Prentice. 430 91. " Passing Away" , Pierpont. 431 92. Shakspeare Ode Sprague. 433 93. The Ivy and the Vine Bailey. 435 94. The De: tri^ction of the Universe Bailey. 435 95. Mazeppa Byron. 436 96. Universality of Poetry Percivat.. 438 97. Greece Byron 438 98. Fame Byron. 439 99. Faithless Nelly Gray Hood. 440 100. The Hat Regained Rejected Addresses. 441 101. Capture of the Alhambra Anonymous. 442 102. The Seer Whittier. 443 103. Evening Paulding. 444 104. Manfred's Soliloquy Byron. 446 105. Moonlight March Heber. 447 106. The Guerilla Brainard. 447 107. I Remember, I Remember Hood. 448 108. Earth's Angels Anonymous. 449 109. Address to Spain Byron. 4^1 PART I. SELECTIONS OF PRO^E THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE. 8-EiECTIONS FROM AMERICAN ELOQUENCE. I— ANCIENT AND MODERN ELOQUENCE. J. Q. ADAMS. With the dissolution of Koman liberty, and the decline of Roman taste, the reputation and excellency of the oratorical art fell alike into decay. Under the despotism of the Gsesars, the end of eloquence was perverted from persuasion to pane- gyric, and all her faculties were soon palsied by the touch ot corruption, or enervated by the impotence of servitude. There Bucceeded the midnight of the monkish ages, when with the other liberal arts, she slumbered in the protouud darkness ot the cloister. , ^ ^, . At the revival of letters in modern Europe, Eloquence to- gether with her sister muses, awoki, and shook the poppies from her brow. But their torpors still tingled in her veins. In the interval her voice was gone ; her favorite languages were extinct ; her organs were no longer attuned to harmmiy, and her hearers could no longer understand her speech. Ihe discordant jargon of feudal anarchy had banished the musical dialects, in which she had always delighted. The theatres of her former triumph were either deserted, or they were filled with the dabblers of sophistry and chicane. She shrunk intuitively from the former, for the last object she remember- ed to have seen there w^as the head of her darhng Cicero T)l:uited upon the rostrum. She ascended the tribunals ot justice- there she Ibuud her child, Persuasion, manacled and pinioned by the letter of the law ; there she beheld an image of herself, slai.nnering in barbarous Latin, and staggering under the lumber of a thousand volumes. Her heart lamted within her. !Sho lost all coulideuce in hersell. Togethei ^^ TUE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE. with all her irresistible powers, she lost proportionablv the consideration of the world, until, instead of comprising the whole system of public education, she found herself excluded Irom the circle of science, and declared an outlaw from the realms oi learnincr. She was not however doomed to eternal silence With the progress of freedom and of liberal science, in various parts of modern Europe, she obtained access to mingle in the deliberations of her parliaments. With labor and difficulty she learned their languages, and lent her aid in giving them foi-m and polish. But she has never recovered the graces of her lormer beauty, nor the energies of her ancient victor II.— DUTY OF AMERICA. DANIEL 'WEBSTEE. Neither individuals nor nations can perform their part well, until they understand and feel its importance, and com- prehend and justly appreciate all the duties belongino- to it It IS not to inflate national vanity, nor to swell a light and empty feeling oi self-importance, but it is that we may jud-e justly of our situation, and of our duties, that I earnestly urge this consideration of our position, and our character among the nations of the earth. It cannot be denied, but by those who would dispute against the sun, that with America, and in America, a new era commences in human aflliirs ihis era is distinguished by free representative governments by entire religious hberty, by improved systems of national intercourse, by a newly awakened, and unconquerable spirit ot free inquiry, and by a diffusion of knowledge throucrh the community, such as has been before altogether unknown and unheard of. America, America, our country, our own dear and native land, is inseparably connected, fast bound up, in fbrtune and by fate, with these great interests. If they fall, we fall with them; if they stand, it will be because we have up- holden them. Let us contem[)late, then, this connectidn, which binds the prosperity of others to our own ; and let us man- luUy discharge all the duties which it imposes. If we cher- ish the virtues and the principles of our fkthers, Heaven will assist us to carry on the work of human liberty and human THK ULTIMA THULE, 15 happiness Auspicious omens cheer us. Great examples are belbre us. Our own firmament now shines brightly upon our path. Washington is in the clear upper sky. There other stars have now joined the American constellation ; they circle round their centre, and the heavens beam with new light. Beneath this illumination, let us walk the course of life, and at its close devoutly commend our beloved country, the common parent of us all, to the Divine Benignity. III.— THE ULTIMA THULE. EDWARD EVERKTT. When we engage in that solemn study, the history of our race ; surveying the progress of man, from his cradle in tlie East to these limits of his wanderings ; when we behold him forever flying M'estward from civil and religious thraldom, over mountains and seas, seeking rest and finding none, but still pursuing the ilying bow of promise to the glittering hills which it spans in Hesperian climes ; we cannot but exclaim, with Bishop Berkeley, the generous prelate, who bestowed his benefactions, as well as blessings, on our country, — '* Westward the course of empire takes its way ; The first four acts already past, A fifth ^hall close tlie drama with the day ; Time's noblest offspring is the last." This exclamation is but the embodiment of a vision, which the ancients, from the earliest period, cherished of .some fa- vored land beyond the mountains and the seas ; a land of equal laws and happy men. The primitive poets placed it in the Islands of the Blest ; the Doric bards diiidy beheld it in the Hyperborean region ; the mystical sage of the Academy found it in his lost Atlantis ; and even the stem spirit of Seneca dreamed of the restoration of the golden age in dis- tant worhls, hereafter to be discovered. Can we look back upon these uninspired predictions, and not feel the weight of obligations w'iicli they imply ? Here must these bright iiin- cies be turned into truth ; here must these high visions be realized, in wliich tlie seers and sages of the elder world took refuge from the calamities of the days in which they lived. 16 THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE. There are no more continents to be revealed ; Atlantis hath arisen from the ocean ; the farthest thule is reached ; there are no more retreats beyond the sea, no more discoveries, no more hopes. IV._OUR RELATION TO EUROPE. HENRT CLAT. Sir, gentlemen appear to me to forget that they stand on American soil ; that they are not in the British House of Commons, but in the Chamber of the House of Represeiita- tives of the United States ; that we have nothing to do with the afl'airs of Europe, the partition of territory and sovereignty there, except so far as these things affect tlie interests of our own country. Gentlemen transform themselves into the Eurkes, Chathams, and Pitts, of another country, and forget- ting, from honest zeal, the interests of America, engage with European sensibility in the discussion of European interests. If the gentlemen ask me whether I do not view with regret and horror the concentration of such vast power in the hanos of Bonaparte, I reply that I do ; I regret to see the Emperor of China holding such immense sway over the fortunes of millions of our species ; I regret to see Great Britain possess- ing so uncontrolled a command over all the waters of our globe. If I had the ability to distribute among the nations of Europe, their several portions of sovereignty and power, I would say, that Holland should be reinstated, and given the weight she enjoyed in the days of her De Witts. I would confine France within her natural boundaries, the Alps, Pyrenees, and the Rhine, and make her a secondary naval power only. I would abridge the British maritime power, raise Prussia and Austria to their original conditions, and preserve the integrity of the empire of Russia. But these are speculations. I look at the political transactions of Europe, with the single exception of their possible bearing upon us, as I do at the history of other countries, or other times. I do not survey them with half the interest that I do the move- ments in South America. Our political relation with them is much less important than it is supposed to be. I have no fears of French or English subjugation. If we are united wo THE NAME OF REPUBLIC. 17 are too powerful for the mightiest nation in Europe, or all Europe combined. If we are separated and torn asunder, we shall become an easy prey to the weakest of them. In the hitter dreadful contingency, our country will not be worth preserving. v.— THE NAME OF REPUBLIC. HUGH S. LEG.iKB. The name of Republic is Inscribed upon the most imperish- able monuments of the species, and it is probable that it will continue to be associated, as it has been in all past ages, with whatever is heroic in character, sublime in genius, and elegant and bripiaut in the cultivation of arts and letters. Wliat land has ever been visited with the influence of liberty, that did not flourish like the spring ? What people has ever worsliipped at her altars without kindling with a loftier spirit, and putting forth more noble energies ? Where has slie ever acted that her deeds have not been heroic ? Where has she CA^er spoken, that her eloquence has not been trium- phant and sublime ? Is it f/othing then to he free ? How many nations, in the whole annals of human kind, have proved themselves worthy of being so ? Is it nothing that we are Republicans ? Were all men as enlightened, as brave, as ]jroi{d as they ought to be, would they sufl'er themselves to be insulted with any otlier title ? Is it nothing that so many independent sovereignties sliould be held together in such a confederacy as ours ? What does history teach us of the difficulty of instituting and maintaining such a polity, and of the glory that, of consequence, ought to be given to those who enjoy its advantages in so naich perfection, and on so grand a scale ? For, can any- thing be more striking and sublime than the idea of an Imperial Republic, spreading over an extent of territory, more imrnen.se than the empire of the Ctesars, in the accumu- lated conquests of a tliuusand years — without prasfects, or proconsuls, or publicans — founded in the maxims of common sense — erii])lf)ying williin itself no arms but those of reason — and kncnvn to its suhjeds only hy the bh-ssings it bestows or perpoluates, yet capable of direcLuig, against a foreign ioe, 18 THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE. all the energies of a military despotism — a Republic in which men are completely iusiguilicant, and ^wi/^ciyj/c6' and laias exercise, throughout its vast dominion, a peacei'ul and irresist- ible sway, blending in one divine harmony, such various habits and conflicting opinions ; and mingling in our institu- tions the light of philosophy, with all that is dazzling in the associations of heroic achievement and extended domination, and deep-seated and formidable power I YL— EULOGIUM ON ANDREW JACKSON. GEORGE BANCROFT. No man in private life so possessed the hearts of all around him — no public man of this century, ever returned to jn'ivate lii'e with such an abiding mastery over the aliections of tlio people. No man with truer instinct received American ideas — no man expressed them so completely, or so boldly or so sincerely. He was as sincere a man as ever lived. He was wholly, always, and altogether sincere and true, tip to the last, he dared to do anything that it was right to do. He united personal courage and moral courage beyond any man of whom history keeps the record. Beli)re the nation, before the world, before coming ages, he stands forth tlie representative, for his generation, of the American mind. And the secret of his greatness is this : by intuitive con- ception, he shared and possessed all the creative ideas of his country and his time. He expressed them with daimtless intrepidity ; he enforced them with an immovable will ; he executed them with an electric power, that attracte'd and swayed the American people. The nation, in his time, had not one great thought, of which he was not the boldest and clearest expositor. History does not describe the man that equalled him in firmness of nerve. Not danger, not an army in' battle array, not wounds, not wide-spread clamor, not age, not the anguish of disease, could impair, in the least degree, the vigor of his steadfast mind. The heroes of antiquity, would have con- templated with awe the unmatched hardihood of his charac- ter ; and Napoleon, had he possessed his disinterested will, «ould never have been vanquished. Andrew Jackson never INJUSTICE TOWARD KOSSUI'II. 10 was vanqiushed. He was always fortunate. He conquered the wilderness ; he conquered the savage ; he conquered the bravest veterans trained in the battle-fields of" Europe ; he conquered everywhere in statesmanship ; and, when death came to get the mastery over him, he turned that last enemy aside as tranquilly as he had done the feeblest of his adver- saries, and escaped from earth in the triumphant consciousness ot immortality. His bodv has its fit resting-place in the great central val- ley of the Mississippi ; his spirit rests upon our whole territo- ry ; it hovers over the vales of Oregon, and guards, in ad- vance, the frontier of Del Norte. The fires of party spirit are quenched at his grave. His faults and frailties have perished. Whatever of good he has done, lives, and will live forever. VII.— INJUSTICE TOWARD KOSSUTH. DANIEL WEBSTER. The Emperor of Russia demands of Turkey that the noble Kossuth and his companions shall be given up. This demand is made in derision of the established law of nations. Gen- tlemen, there is something on earth greater than arbitrary or despotic power. Tlie lightning has its power, and the wiiirl- wind has its power, and the earthquake has its poAver. But there is something among men more capable of shaking des- potic power tlian lightning, whirlwind, or eartliquake, — that is the threatened indignation of the whole civilized world. The Emperor of Russia holds himself to be bound by the law of nations, from the fact that he treats with nations — that he forms alliances — he professes in fact to live in a civil- ized age, and to govern an enlightened nation. I say, that if, under these circumstances, he shall perpetrate so great a vi- olation of natural law, as to seize these Hungarians, and to execute them, he will stand as a criminal anc) malefactor in the view of the law. The whole world will be the tribuniil to try him, and he mu.st appear belbre it, and hohl up his hand, and plead, and abide its judgment. The Etnperor of Russia is the su])reme lawgiver in his own country, and for aught I know, the executor of it also. But, tlianks be to God, he is not the supreme lawgiver or executor ofthenational 20 THE BOOK OF ELOQCEXCE. law, and every ofTence against that is an offence against the rights of the civihzed world ; and if he breaks that law in the case of Turkey, or in any other case, the whole world has a right to call him out and demand liis punishment Our rights as a nation are held under the sanction of national law — a law which becomes more important from day to day — a law which none who profess to agree to, are at Jibert)- to violate. Nor let him imagine, nor let any one imagine, that mere force can subdue the general sentiment of mankind. It is much more hkely to extend that sentiment, and to destroy that power which he most desires to establish and secure. The bones of poor John Wickliffe were dug out of his grave seventy years after his death, and burnt, for his heresj', and his ashes were thrown upon a river in Warwickshire. Some prophet of that day said : " The AvoD to the Severn mns. The Severn to the sea. And Wickliife's dust shall spread abroad Wide as the waters be."' Gentlemen, if the blood of Kossuth is taken by an absolute, unqualified, unjustifiable violation of national law, what will it appease — what "will it pacify ? It will mingle with the earth — ^it will mix with the waters of the ocean — the whole civilized world will snuff it in the air, and it will return with awful retribution on the heads of those Anolatois of national law and imiversal justice. I cannot say when, or in what form : but depend upon it, that if such an act take place, the thrones and principalities and powers must look out for the consequences. VnL— BIPOETAXCE OF LITERARY PURSUITS. A. H. EVEBETT. IxDEPEXDENCE and liberty, the great political objects of all communities, have been secured to us by our glorious ances- tors. In these respects, we are only required to preserve and transmit unimpaired to our posterity- the inheritance which our fathers bequeathed to us. To the present, and to the follow- ing generations, is left the easier task of enriching with arts IMPORTAXCE OF LITKRABT PURSnTS. 21 and letters, the proud fabric of our national glory. Our Sparta is indeed a noble one. Let us then do our best for it. It will belong to your position to take the lead in arts and letters, as in policy, and to give the tone to the literature of the language. Let it be your care and study not to show yourselves unequal to this high calling, — to vindicate the honor of the new world in this generous and friendly compe- tition with the old. You w^ill perhaps be told that literary pursuits will disqualify you for the active business of life. Heed not the idle assertion. Reject it as a mere imagination, inconsistent with principle, unsupported by experience. Point out to those who make it, the illustrious characters who have reaped iu every age the highest honors of studious and active exertion. Show them Demosthenes, forging by the light of the midnight lamp those thunderbolts of eloquence which " Shook the arsenal and fnlmined over Greece — To Macedon aDd Artaxerxes' throna" Ask them if Cicero would have been hailed w"ith rapture as the father of his country, if he had not been its pride and pat- tern in philosophy and letters. Inquire whether Caesar, or Frederick, or Bonaparte, or Wellington, or Washington, fought the worse because they knew how to write their own com- mentaries. Remind them of Franklin, tearing at the same time the lightning from heaven, and the sceptre from the hands of the oppressor. Do they say to you that study will lead j'ou to skepticism ? Recall to their memory the venerable names of Bacon, ililtou, Xewton and Locke. Would they persuade you that devotion to learning will withdraw your steps from the paths of pleasure ? Tell them they are mis- taken. Tell them that the only true pleasures are those which result from the diligent exercise of all the faculties of body, and mind, and heart, in pursuit of noble ends by noble means. Repeat to them the ancient apologue of the youthful Hercules, in the pride of strength and beaut}', giving up his generous soul to the worship of virtue. Tell them your choice is also ma^e. Tell them, with the illustrious Roman orator, you would rather be in the wrong with Plato, than in the right with Epicurus. Tell them that a mother in Sparta would have rather seen her son brought home from battle a corpse upon his shield, than dishonored by its loss. Tell them that your mother is America. y«'ur battle the warfare of life, youi shield the breastplate of Religion. 22 THE COOK OF ELOQUENCE. IX.— FREEDOM AND PATRIOTISM. ORVILLE DE-WET. G OD has stamped upon our very humauity this impress of freedom. It is the unchartered prerogative of human nature. A soul ceases to be a soul, in proportion as it ceases to be I'ree. , Strip it of this, and you strip it of one of its essential and char- acteristic attributes. It is this that draws the footsteps of the wild Indian to his wide and boimdless desert-paths, and makes him prefer them to the gay saloons and soft carpets of sump- tuous palaces. It is this that makes it so ditficult to bring him within the pale of artificial civilization. Our roving tribes are perishing — a sad and solemn sacrifice upon the altar of their wild freedom. They come among us, and look with childish wonder upon the perfection of our arts, and the splen- dor of our habitations : they submit with ennui and weariness, for a few days, to our burdensome forms and restraints ; and then turn their faces to their forest homes, and resolve to push those homes onward till they s'.nk in the Pacific waves, rather tluin not be free. It is thus that every people is attached to its country, just in proportion as it is free. No matter if that country be in the rocky fastnesses of Switzerland, amidst the snows of Tar- tary, or on the most barren and lonely island-shore ; no mat- ter if that country be so poor as to force away its children to other and richer lands, for employment and sustenance ; yet when the son^s of those free homes chance to fall upon the exile's ear, no soft and ravishing airs that wait upon the timid feastings of Asiatic opulence ever thrilled the heart with such mingled rapture and- agony as those simple tones. Sad mementos might they be of poverty and want and toil ; yet it was enough that they were mementos of happy free- dom. I have seen my countrymen, and I have been with them a fellow wanderer, in other lands ; and little did I see or feel to warrant the apprehension, sometimes expressed, that foreign travel would weaken our patriotic attachments. One sigh for home — home, arose from all hearts. And why, from palaces and courts — why, from galleries of the arts, where the marble softens into life, and painting sheds an almost living presence of beauty around it — why, from the moun- tain's awful brow, and the lonely valleys and lakes touched TEACHINGS OF THE AMERICAN KEVOLUTIOX. 23 With the sunset hues of old romance — why, irom those vene- rable aind touching ruins to which our very heart grows — ■ why, from all these scenes, were they looking heyond the swellings of the Atlantic wave, to a dearer and holier spot of earth — their own, own country? Doubtless, it was in part because it is their country I But it was also, as every one's experience will testify, because they knew that iJicre was no oppression, no piliful exaction of petty tyranny ; because that there, they knew was no accredited and irresistible reli- gious domination ; because that there, they knew, ihey should not meet the odious soldier at every corner, nor swarms of imploring beggars, the victims oi" misrule ; that tJicre, no curse causeless did fall, and no blight, worse than plague and pestilence, did dc-scend amidst the pui-e dews of heaven ; be- cause, in fine, that there, they know, was libt-rly — upon all the green hills, and amidst all the peaceful villages — liberty, the wall of lire around the humblest home ; the crown of glory, studded with her ever-blazing stars upon the proudest luansion ! X.— TEACHINGS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. JAUKD SPAllKS. Happy was it for America, happy for the world, tliat a great nauu', a guanlian genius, pivsuied over lier destinies in war, combining more llian the virtues ol' the Ixoinan f'.ibiiis and the Tlieban Epamiiiondas, and compared with wlioin, the conquerors of the world, the Alexanders and (Jiesars, are but pageants crimsoned with blood and decked with the trophies of slaughter, objects equally of the wonder and the execration of mankind. The hero of America was the con- queror only of his country's foes, and the hearts of bis conn- tryinen. To the one he was a terror, and in the other he gained an ascendency, supreme, unrivalled, the tribute of admiring gratitude, the reward of a nation's love. The American armies, compared with the embattled legions of the old world, were small in numbers, but the soul ol a whule people centred in the bosom of those more than Spartan bands, and vibrated quickly and keenly with every incident that belell them, whether in their leats of valor, or the acuteuess of tlieir sullering.s. The cuuutry itself was one 24 THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE. wide battle-field, in which not merely the life-blood, but the dearest interests, the sustaining hopes, of" every individual, were at stake. It was not a war of pride and ambition be- tween raonarchs. in which an island or a province miafht be tlie award of success ; it was a contest for personal liberty and civil rights, coming down in its principles to the very sanctuary of home and the fireside, and determining for every man the measure of responsibility he should hold over his own condition, possessions and happiness. The spectacle was grand and new, and may well be cited as the most glowing page in the annals of progressive man. Theinstructive lesson of history, teaching by example, can nowhere be studied with more profit, or with a better promise, than in this revolutionary period of America ; and especially by us, who sit under the tree our fltthers have planted, enjoy its shade, and are nourished by its fruits. But little is our merit, or gain, that we applaud their deeds, unless we emulate their virtues. Love of country was in them an absorbing principle, an undivided feeling ; not of a fragment, a section, but of the whole country. Union was the arch on which they raised the strong tower of a nation's independence. Let the arm be palsied, that would loosen one stone in the basis of this fair structure, or mar its beauty ; the tongue mute, that would dishonor their names, by calcu- latin;; the value of that which they deemed without price. They have left us an example already inscribed in the world's memory ; an example portentous to the aims of tyr- anny in every land ; an example that will console in all ages the drooping aspirations of oppressed humanity. They have left us a written charter as a legacy, and as a guide to our course. But every day convinces us, that a written charter may become powerless. Ignorance may misinterpret it ; ambition may assail, and faction destroy its vital parts ; and aspiring knavery may at last sing its requiem on the tomb of departed liberty. It is the spirit which lives ; in this is our safety and our hope ; the spirit of our fathers ; and while this dwells deeply in our remembrance, and its flame is cherished, ever burnmg. ever pure, on the altar of our hearts ; while it incites us to think as they have thought, and do as Lhey have done, the honor and the praise will be ours, to have preserved unimpaired the rich inheritance, whicii they so nobly achieved. THE TKESENT AGE. 26 XL— THE PRESENT AGE. W. E. CHANNINO. The Present Ajje. In these brief words what a world of t]iou