Voices; Birth-Marks; The Man and the ElephantHolt, Mathew Joseph
History
Voices; Birth-Marks; The Man and the Elephant
Holt, Mathew Joseph
Kentucky -- Fiction; Kentucky -- History
For several minutes, the majority of the crowd hesitated whether to go
or remain. The speaker had an excellent voice, an earnest manner and,
they soon found out, something to say and knew how to say it. He spoke
upon the sole theme of federal usurpation and his speech was so
remarkably good, his manner so earnest and the impression he made so
unexpected that his hearers were captivated and convinced. Even Calvin
Campbell felt his opposition disintegrating. The arguments his mind had
framed against what Nicholas had said seemed losing their potency; not
so much by what the speaker said as by the magnetic way in which he said
it. He seemed to put into words the thoughts of your own mind. Yet
Calvin Campbell after he recovered from the influence, said to himself:
“That speech would not read well,” and this impression was confirmed
when in later years he read many speeches of the Great Commoner.
When Clay finished there was a moment of absolute silence, then a great
burst of applause.
First Mr. Murray, then Mr. McLean, Federalists, attempted to respond but
the people would not hear them. Mr. McLean said something that incensed
the crowd. In a high state of excitement many rushed at him and he would
have suffered bodily harm had not Nicholas, Clay and Calvin Campbell
prevented it.
The two Democratic speakers were lifted first upon the shoulders of
several of the crowd, then into the wagon from which they had spoken and
drawn at the head of a very noisy procession through the streets of
Lexington.
The week that Nicholas and Clay spoke in Lexington, only one voice was
raised in support of the Union; and that was at the Presbyterian Church,
where Calvin Campbell, reading as the Scripture Lesson Matthew 22:15-22
and Romans 13:1-10, preached on citizenship: “Render therefore to all
their dues, custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom
honor.”
The Kentucky Gazette published a notice of and summary of the sermon, in
which it was said:
“The editor never misses an opportunity to hear Rev. Calvin Campbell. On
Sunday he spoke on ‘Citizenship’ to a great crowd at the Presbyterian
Church.
“I know of no man who can as quickly transform a partisan Democrat into
a Federalist. At least, all of Sunday afternoon after his sermon, I felt
it my duty to support the present federal administration.
“The first thought when you hear him is: ‘What a great statesman he
would make,’ then your better judgment suggests, ‘He is better placed
for service; he is doing greater work; he is the ambassador of Christ
and I believe, lives up to his credentials.’
“It is regrettable the whole city did not hear that sermon; it would
have created a fairer spirit towards the federal government, and each
who heard to question: ‘Am I as a citizen responsible for the very
things I condemn in the government.’
“I quote the beginning of the sermon:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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