In the sessions of 1842 and 1843 there came from the town of Woburn,
Nathaniel A. Richardson. When elected he was only twenty-one years of
age. His election was due to the local fame he had acquired as a
speaker in the Lyceum of the town. His career was brief. Whether he
had in him the elements of success cannot now be known, but it was
manifest that he did not get beyond words in his speeches.
His speeches were lacking in information and his powers of argument
were weak and limited. His most noted speech was in support of a
resolution in favor of refunding to General Jackson the fine of one
thousand dollars that had been imposed upon him by a New Orleans judge.
Richardson's opening sentence was this: "I rise, Mr. Speaker, and throw
myself into the crackling embers of this debate,"--from which, in the
judgment of the House, he never emerged.
The Lyceum, as it existed from 1840 to 1850, has disappeared, and to
the loss of young men who may be called to take part in public affairs.
In many cases, however, it led to the development of a style of
speaking that was not adapted to political discussion or to the
profession of the law. Speaking and writing should be pursued at the
same time, and study is an essential condition of success. In public
assemblies, even in those that are composed of selected persons, there
is always an opportunity for a well-trained man, who is also carefully
and fully informed upon the subject under debate, to exert an influence
and not infrequently he may succeed in securing the acceptance of his
opinions.
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