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Show 168 A LEAF FROM From :Mr. Douglass, in this, perhaps, ns mnch ns in any other respect, does i\Ir. Ward differ. Ideas form the basis of all Mr. l'f ard utters. Words arc only usee! to express those ideas. lf words and ideas arc not inseparable, then, as mortar is to the stones that compose the building, so are his words to his idc:-ts. In this, I j udge, lays Mr. \Yard's greatest strength. Concise without abruptness--without extraordinary stress, always clear and forcible; if sparing of ornament, never lnclegant. In all, there appears a consciousness of strength, developed by close study and deep reflection, and only put fo<th because the oc· casion dcmanclcd,-a power not only to examine but to enable you to sec the fai rness of that examination and the justness of its conclusions. You feel Douglass to be right, without always see· ing it; perhaps it is not too much to say, when Ward is r ight you see it. IIis appeals arc directed rather to the understand· ing than the imagination; but so forcibly do they take possession of it, that the heart ~nhesitatingly yields. If, as we have said, Mr. Douglass seems as one MY ScRAP Boox:. 169 whirling down some steep descent whose very impetuosity impels ;- ere you are aware of it, it is the quiet serenity of Mr. Ward, as he points up the rugged ascent, and invites you to follow, that inspires your confidence and ensures your safety. Step by sl~p do you with him climb the rugged steep; and, as you gain each succeeding eminence, he points you to new scenes and new delights;-now grand-sublime; now picturesque and beautiful ;-always real. Most speakers fail to draw a perfect figure. This point I think Mr. Ward has gained. His figures, when done, stand out with prominence, possessing both strength and elegance. Douglass' imagery is fine-vivid-'often gaudily painted. Ward's piciures--bold, strong, glowing. Douglass speaks right on; you acknowledge him to have been on the ground-nay, to have gone over the field ; tVarcl seeks for and finds the corners ; sticks the stakes, and leaves them standing ; we know where to find them. Mr. Douglass deals in generals; Mr. Ward reduces everything to a point. Douglass is the lecturer; Ward the debater. Doug· lass powerful in invective; Ward in argument. What 8 |
