ditional wig of England. I have heard since I came here friends of
mine gravely lament this as something prophetic of the decay which was
sure to follow so serious an innovation. I answered with a little story
which I remember having heard from my father. He remembered the last
clergyman in New England who still continued to wear the wig. At first
it became a singularity and at last a monstrosity; and the good doctor
concluded to leave it off. But there was one poor woman among his
parishioners who lamented this sadly, and waylaying the clergyman as he
came out of church she said, "Oh, dear doctor, I have always listened to
your sermon with the greatest edification and comfort, but now that the
wig is gone all is gone." I have thought I have seen some signs of
encouragement in the faces of my English friends after I have consoled
them with this little story.

But I must not allow myself to indulge in any further remarks. There is
one virtue, I am sure, in after-dinner oratory, and that is brevity; and
as to that I am reminded of a story. The Lord Chief Justice has told you
what are the ingredients of after-dinner oratory. They are the joke, the
quotation, and the platitude; and the successful platitude, in my
judgment, requires a very high order of genius. I believe that I have
not given you a quotation, but I am reminded of something which I heard
when very young--the story of a Methodist clergyman in America. He was
preaching at a camp meeting, and he was preaching upon the miracle of
Joshua, and he began his sermon with this sentence: "My hearers, there
are three motions of the sun. The first is the straightforward or direct
motion of the sun; the second is the retrograde or backward motion of
the sun; and the third is the motion mentioned in our text--'the sun
stood still.'"

Now, gentlemen, I don't know whether you see the application of the
story--I hope you do. The after-dinner orator at first begins and goes
straight forward--that is the straightforward motion of the sun. Next he
goes back and begins to repeat himself--that is the backward motion of
the sun. At last he has the good sense to bring himself to the end, and
that is the motion mentioned in our text, as the sun stood still.

ENGLAND, MOTHER OF NATIONS

BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:--It is pleasant to me to meet this great and
brilliant company, and doubly pleasant to see the faces of so many
distinguished persons on