sounded commonplace or obvious. Sarcasm he could use with effect, and a
telling point was often made by an epigrammatic phrase which delighted
his hearers. And, more than all else, his meaning was never in doubt. In
lucidity of statement he excelled many much greater orators, and was
surpassed by none; and these qualities, added to his unmistakable
sincerity and candour, made him one of the most persuasive of speakers
on the platform, as he was also, of course, in the Law Courts.

The moment he began to speak at Craigavon the immense multitude who had
come to welcome him felt instinctively the grip of his power. The
contrast to all the previous scene--the cheering, the enthusiasm, the
marching, the singing, the waving of handkerchiefs and flags--was deeply
impressive, when, after a hushed pause of some length, he called
attention without preface to the realities of the situation in a few
simple sentences of slow and almost solemn utterance:

"I know full well what the Resolution you have just passed means; I
know what all these Addresses mean; I know the responsibility you
are putting upon me to-day. In your presence I cheerfully accept
it, grave as it is, and I now enter into a compact with you, and
every one of you, and with the help of God you and I joined
together--giving you the best I can, and you giving me all your
strength behind me--we will yet defeat the most nefarious
conspiracy that has ever been hatched against a free people. But I
know full well that this Resolution has a still wider meaning. It
shows me that you realise the gravity of the situation that is
before us, and it shows me that you are here to express your
determination to see this fight out to a finish."

He went on to expose the hollowness of the allegation, then current in