the American Civil War England sympathized with the southern
states, mainly because the effective blockade maintained by the North
prevented raw cotton from reaching the British mills. Henry Ward
Beecher attempted to present the union cause to the English in a
series of addresses throughout the country. When he appeared upon the
platform in Liverpool the audience broke out into a riot of noise
which effectively drowned all his words for minutes. The speaker
waited until he could get in a phrase. Finally he was allowed to
deliver a few sentences. By his patience, his appeal to their English
sense of fair play, and to a large degree by his tolerant sense of
humor, he won their attention. His material, his power as a speaker
did all the rest.

It is a matter of very little consequence to me, personally,
whether I speak here tonight or not. [_Laughter and cheers._]
But one thing is very certain, if you do permit me to speak
here tonight, you will hear very plain talking. [_Applause
and hisses_.] You will not find me to be a man that dared to
speak about Great Britain three thousand miles off, and then
is afraid to speak to Great Britain when he stands on her
shores. [_Immense applause and hisses_.] And if I do not
mistake the tone and temper of Englishmen they had rather
have a man who opposes them in a manly way [_applause from
all parts of the hall_] than a sneak that agrees with them in
an unmanly way. [_Applause and "Bravo!"_] Now, if I can carry
you with me by sound convictions, I shall be immensely glad
[_applause_]; but if I cannot carry you with me by facts and
sound arguments, I do not wish you to go with me at all; and
all that I ask is simply fair play. [_Applause, and a voice:
"You shall have it too."_.]

Those of you who are kind enough to wish to favor my
speaking--and you will observe that my voice is slightly
husky, from having spoken almost every night in succession
for some time past--those who wish to hear me will do me the
kindness simply to sit still and to keep still; and I and my
friends the Secessionists will make the noise. [_Laughter._]

HENRY WARD BEECHER, in speech at Liverpool, 1863

The beginning of one of Daniel Webster's famous speeches was a triumph
of the deliverer's recognition of the mood of an audience. In the
Senate in 1830 feeling had been running high over a resolution
concerning publ