Whether by dint of study he gained the requisite discipline of mind, and
acquired that elegance of diction for which he was distinguished; whether
by repeated trial and failure, accompanied by a proud ambition, and an
unyielding purpose, he reached, like Demosthenes, the summit of his
aspirations; or, assisted more by nature than by art, emerged, like
Patrick Henry at once, into the grand arena of mind, and by a single
effort attained distinction and fame, is to be gathered more from
circumstances than from facts.
It is generally conceded, however, that the powers of his intellect were
of the highest order. Captain Horatio Jones, the well known interpreter
and agent among the Indians, and than whom no one was more intimately
acquainted with this orator of the Seneca nation, was accustomed to speak
of him as the greatest man that ever lived. "For," said he, "the great men
of our own and of other times, have become so by education; but RED JACKET
WAS AS NATURE MADE HIM. Had he enjoyed their advantages, he would have
surpassed them, since it can hardly be supposed that they, without these,
would have equalled him." [Footnote: Conversation of the author with Col.
Wm. Jones, of Geneseo, Livingston Co., N. Y., son of Capt. Horatio Jones.]
Some allowance should be made for this statement, perhaps, on the ground
that Mr. Jones was a warm admirer of the orator's genius; yet his
admiration sprang from an intimate knowledge of him, seen under
circumstances, that afforded the best opportunity of forming a just
opinion of his talents; and these, he maintained, "_were among the noblest
that nature ever conferred upon man_.
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