Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
As his reasonings, even so is his eloquence. One character pervades his
whole being. Words on words, finely arranged, and so dexterously
consequent, that the whole bears the semblance of argument, and still
keeps awake a sense of surprise; but when all is done, nothing
rememberable has been said; no one philosophical remark, no one image,
not even a pointed aphorism. Not a sentence of Mr. Pitt's has ever been
quoted, or formed the favorite phrase of the day--a thing unexampled in
any man of equal reputation. But while he speaks, the effect varies
according to the character of his auditor. The man of no talent is
swallowed up in surprise; and when the speech is ended, he remembers his
feelings, but nothing distinct of that which produced them--(how
opposite an effect to that of nature and genius, from whose works the
idea still remains, when the feeling is passed away--remains to connect
itself with the other feelings, and combine with new impressions!) The
mere man of talent hears him with admiration--the mere man of genius
with contempt--the philosopher neither admires nor contemns, but listens
to him with a deep and solemn interest, tracing in the effects of his
eloquence the power of words and phrases, and that peculiar constitution
of human affairs in their present state, which so eminently favors this
power.
Such appears to us to be the prime minister of Great Britain, whether we
consider him as a statesman or as an orator. The same character betrays
itself in his private life; the same coldness to realities, and to all
whose excellence relates to reality. He has patronized no science, he
has raised no man of genius from obscurity; he counts no one prime work
of God among his friends. From the same source he has no attachment to
female society, no fondness for children, no perceptions of beauty in
natural scenery; but he is fond of convivial indulgences, of that
stimulation, which, keeping up the glow of self-importance and the sense
of internal power, gives feelings without the mediation of ideas.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account