November 10th. — I have just returned from church.
Dr. Channing preached a very able, extemporaneous, philosophical, abolition
sermon to a crowded house — such a sermon as no one would have dared to preach
in Iowa twelve months ago, and yet it was received here to-day with profound
attention and approval. Dr. Channing, in personal appearance, voice, and manner
of enunciation and delivery, reminded me very much of Jeff. Davis. His voice is
not strong, he has Davis's manner of sinking the last two or three words of
each sentence to a low key, his forehead is high, broad, and overhanging, and
his face thin and expressive of severe mental labor mingled with physical pain.
It is several years since I have heard any sermon that compared with it in
length and depth of thought, and in literary finish. There is nothing ornate
about his style, no figures or tropes, no husks, all solid meat.
The society is greatly enlarged, and I shall increase it by
one, for I have rented part of a pew. Rev. John Pierpont, who is over eighty
years of age, but who looks for all the world like a man of sixty, was present.
He is now a clerk in one of the departments.
We hear to-day that Colonel Sumner has been badly wounded.
Nobody can imagine why that battle was fought. It seems to have been one of
those resultless sacrifices of life of which we have had so many this year.
There will be no battle on the Potomac this year; I think that is settled.
SOURCE: William Salter, The Life of James W. Grimes,
p. 153-4
No comments:
Post a Comment