In later
years I heard Edward Everett often. His genius in preparation and in
the delivery of his orations and speeches was quite equal to anything
we can imagine at Athens and by Athenian orators, excepting only the
force of his argument.
In 1851 or 1852 I was present at an agricultural fair at Northampton
and in company with Mr. Everett. After dinner speeches were made.
When we rode to the fair grounds in the morning a dense river fog
covered the valley but at ten o'clock it lifted, and the day became
clear. At the dinner Mr. Everett in his speech described the morning,
the dense fog, the lifting, the sun illuminating first the hills and
then the valleys, revealing the spires of the churches, etc. For the
moment I was deceived. But when he had concluded I saw him hand his
manuscript to a reporter and the speech appeared the next morning,
verbatim as he had delivered it. He knew the river towns, and he knew
that every fair day in autumn was preceded by a dense fog, and the
speech was written upon that theory. What alternative he had prepared
in case of a rain, I know not.
As a judge, and at the same time the candidate of the Democratic Party
for Governor for many years, the rank and file of the party came to
regard Judge Morton as a man of fine abilities and sterling integrity.
His abilities were sturdy rather than attractive.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99