my memories of eighty years-第63章

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　or　in　the　city。

One　of　the　amusing　incidents　which　are　my　life…preservers　occurred　at　the　station。　　Two　elderly　English　spinsters　were　excitedly　discussing　the　currency　trouble。　　One　of　them　smoothed　out　a　bank　of　England　note　and　said　to　her　sister：　　〃There；　Sarah；　is　a　bank　of　England　note　which　has　been　good　as　gold　all　over　the　world　since　Christ　came　to　earth；　and　these　Swiss　pigs　won't　take　it。〃

I　told　this　incident　afterwards　to　a　banker　in　London。　　He　said　they　were　very　ignorant　women；　there　were　no　bank　of　England　notes　at　that　time。

German　hostility　developed　so　rapidly　that　our　train　was　the　last　which　left　Switzerland　for　France　for　nearly　two　months。　　We　were　due　in　Paris　at　ten　o'clock　in　the　evening；　but　did　not　arrive　until　the　next　morning　because　of　the　mobilization　of　French　recruits。

The　excitement　in　Paris　was　intense。　　A　French　statesman　said　to　me：　　〃We　are　doing　our　best　to　avoid　war。　　Our　troops　are　kept　ten　kilometres　from　the　frontier；　but　the　Germans　have　crossed　and　seized　strategic　points。　　They　will　hear　nothing　and　accept　nothing　and　are　determined　to　crush　us　if　they　can。〃

From　all　ranks　of　the　people　was　heard：　　〃We　will　fight　to　the　last　man；　but　we　are　outnumbered　and　will　be　destroyed　unless　England　helps。　　Will　England　help？　　Will　England　help？〃　　I　have　been　through　several　crises　but　never　witnessed　nor　felt　such　a　reaction　to　ecstatic　joy　as　occurred　when　Great　Britain　joined　France。

The　restrictions　on　leaving　Paris　required　time；　patience；　and　all　the　resources　of　our　Embassy　to　get　us　out　of　France。　　The　helpfulness；　resourcefulness；　and　untiring　efforts　of　our　Ambassador；　Myron　T。　Herrick；　won　the　gratitude　of　all　Americans　whom　the　war　had　interned　on　the　continent　and　who　must　get　home。

There　was　a　remarkable　change　in　England。　　When　we　left　in　July　there　was　almost　hysteria　over　the　threatening　civil　war。　　In　October　the　people　were　calm　though　involved　in　the　greatest　war　in　their　history。　　They　did　not　minimize　the　magnitude　of　the　struggle；　or　the　sacrifices　it　would　require。　　There　was　a　characteristic　grim　determination　to　see　the　crisis　through；　regardless　of　cost。　Cabinet　ministers　whom　I　met　thought　the　war　would　last　three　years。

The　constant　appeal　to　me；　as　to　other　Americans；　was；　〃When　will　you　join　us？　　If　we　fail　it　is　your　turn　next。　　It　is　autocracy　and　militarism　against　civilization；　liberty；　and　representative　government　for　the　whole　world。〃

We　had　a　perilous　and　anxious　voyage　home　and　found　few　grasping　the　situation　or　working　to　be　prepared　for　the　inevitable；　except　Theodore　Roosevelt　and　General　Wood。



XX。　　ORATORS　AND　CAMPAIGN　SPEAKERS

During　my　college　days　at　Yale　Wendell　Phillips；　William　Lloyd　Garrison；　and　Henry　Ward　Beecher　were　frequent　lecturers；　and　generally　on　the　slavery　question。　　I　have　heard　most　of　the　great　orators　of　the　world；　but　none　of　them　produced　such　an　immediate　and　lasting　effect　upon　their　audience　as　Wendell　Phillips。　　He　was　the　finest　type　of　a　cultured　New　Englander。　　He　was　the　recipient　of　the　best　education　possible　in　his　time　and　with　independent　means　which　enabled　him　to　pursue　his　studies　and　career。　　Besides；　he　was　one　of　the　handsomest　men　I　ever　saw　upon　the　platform；　and　in　his　inspired　moments　met　one's　imaginative　conception　of　a　Greek　god。

Phillips　rarely　made　a　gesture　or　spoke　above　the　conversational；　but　his　musical　voice　reached　the　remotest　comers　of　the　hall。　The　eager　audience；　fearful　of　losing　a　word；　would　bend　forward　with　open　mouths　as　well　as　attentive　ears。　　It　was　always　a　hostile　audience　at　the　beginning　of　Mr。　Phillips's　address；　but　before　the　end　he　swayed　them　to　applause；　tears；　or　laughter；　as　a　skilled　performer　upon　a　perfect　instrument。　　His　subject　was　nearly　always　slavery；　his　views　very　extreme　and　for　immediate　abolition；　but　at　that　time　he　had　a　very　small　following。　Nevertheless；　his　speeches；　especially　because　of　the　riots　and　controversies　they　caused；　set　people　thinking；　and　largely　increased　the　hostility　to　slavery；　especially　to　its　extension。

I　met　Mr。　Phillips　one　evening；　after　a　lecture；　at　the　house　of　Professor　Goodrich。　　He　was　most　courtly　and　considerate　to　students　and　invited　questions。　　While　I　was　charmed；　even　captivated；　by　his　eloquence；　I　had　at　that　time　very　little　sympathy　with　his　views。　　I　said　to　him：　　〃Mr。　Phillips；　your　attack　to…night　upon　Caleb　Cushing；　one　of　the　most　eminent　and　able　public　men　in　the　country；　was　very　vitriolic　and　most　destructive　of　character　and　reputation。　　It　seems　so　foreign　to　all　I　know　of　you　that；　if　you　will　pardon　me；　I　would　like　to　know　why　you　did　it。〃　　He　answered：　　〃I　have　found　that　people；　as　a　rule；　are　not　interested　in　principles　or　their　discussions。　　They　are　so　absorbed　in　their　personal　affairs　that　they　do　very　little　thinking　upon　matters　outside　their　business　or　vocation。　　They　embody　a　principle　in　some　public　man　in　whom　they　have　faith；　and　so　that　man　stands　for　a　great　body　of　truth　or　falsehood；　and　may　be　exceedingly　dangerous　because　a　large　following　connects　the　measure　with　the　man；　and；　therefore；　if　I　can　destroy　the　man　who　represents　a　vicious　principle　I　have　destroyed　the　principle。〃　　It　did　not　strike　me　favorably　at　the　time；　nor　does　it　now。　　Nevertheless；　in　politics　and　in　the　battles　of　politics　it　represents　a　dynamic　truth。

The　perfect　preparation　of　a　speech　was；　in　Wendell　Phillip's　view；　that　one　in　which　the　mental　operations　were　assisted　in　no　way　by　outside　aid。　　Only　two　or　three　times　in　his　life　did　he　prepare　with　pen　and　paper　an　address；　and　he　felt　that　these　speeches　were　the　poorest　of　his　efforts。　　He　was　constantly　studying　the　art　of　oratory。　　In　his　daily　walks　or　in　his　library　metaphors　and　similes　were　suggested；　which　he　tucked　away　in　his　memory；　and　he　even　studied　action　as　he　watched　the　muscular　movements　of　men　whom　he　saw　in　public　places。　　He　believed　that　a　perfect　speech　could　be　prepared　only　after　intense　mental　concentration。　　Of　course　the　mind　must　first　be　fortified　by　such　reading　as　provided　facts。　　Having　thus　saturated　his　mind　with　information；　he　would　frequently　lie　extended　for　hours　upon　his　sofa；　with　eyes　closed；　making　mental　arrangements　for　the　address。　In　fact；　he　used　to　write　his　speeches　mentally；　as　Victor　Hugo　is　said　to　have　written　some　of　his　poems。　　A　speech　thus　prepared；　Phillips　thought；　was　always　at　the　command　of　the　speaker。　　It　might　vary　upon　every　delivery；　and　could　be　altered　to　meet　emergencies　with　the　audience；　but　would　always　be　practically　the　same。

This　method　of　preparation　explains　what　has　been　a　mystery　to　many　persons。　　The　several　reports　of　Phillips's　lecture　on　〃The　Lost　Arts〃　differ　in　phraseology　and　even　in　arrangement。　Mr。　Phillips　did　not　read　his　speeches　in　print；　and；　therefore；　never　revised　one。　　He　was　firmly　of　the　belief　that　the　printed　thought　and　the　spoken　thought　should　be　expressed　in　different　form；　and　that　the　master　of　one　form　could　not　be　the　master　of　the　other。

I　met　many　young　men　like　myself　in　the　canvass　of　1856；　and　also　made　many　acquaintances　of　great　value　in　after…life。　　It　was　difficult　for　the　older　stump　speakers　to　change　the　addresses　they　had　been　delivering　for　years；　so　that　the　young　orators；　with　their　fresh　enthusiasm；　their　intense　earnestness　and　undoubting　faith；　were　more　popular　with　the　audiences；　who　were　keenly　alive　to　the　issues　raised　then　by　the　new　Republican　party。

The　Republican　party　was　composed　of　Whigs　and　anti…slavery　Democrats。　　In　this　first　campaign　the　old…timers　among　the　Whigs　and　the　Democrats　could　not　get　over　their　long　antagonism　and　distrusted　each　other。　　The　young　men；　whether　their　ancestry　was　Democratic　or　Whig；　were　the　amalgam　which　rapidly　fused　all　elements；　so　that　the　party　presented　a　united　front　in　the　campaign　four　years　afterwards　when　Mr。　Lincoln　was　elected。

In　the　course　of　that　campaign　I　had　as　fellow　speakers　many　times　on　the　platform　statesmen　of　national　reputation。　　These　gentlemen；　with　few　exceptions；　made　heavy；　ponderous；　and　platitudinous　speeches。　　If　they　ever　had　possessed　humor　they　were　afraid　of　it。　The　crowd