" [Footnote:
Annals of Tryon County.]
And Mr. Jefferson regarded the appeal of LOGAN to the white men, after the
extirpation of his family, as without a parallel in the history of
eloquence.
These were men who have been revered by the civilized world, as worthy of
a place with the distinguished and great among mankind.
"Oratory was not alone a natural gift, but an art among the Iroquois. It
enjoined painful study, unremitting practice, and sedulous observation of
the style, and methods of the best masters. Red Jacket did not rely upon
his native powers alone, but cultivated the art with the same assiduity
that characterized the great Athenian orator. The Iroquois, as their
earliest English historian observed, cultivated an Attic or classic
elegance of speech, which entranced every ear, among their red auditory."
[Footnote: Mr. Bryant's speech.]
Those public games, entertainments, religious ceremonies and dances,
common among the Indian tribes, added interest to their council
gatherings, and made them a scene of attraction for the entire nation.
Thither the young and old of both sexes were accustomed to resort, and,
assembled at their national forum, listened with profound attention and
silence to each word spoken by their orators. "The unvarying courtesy,
sobriety and dignity of their convocations led one of their learned Jesuit
historians to liken them to the Roman Senate." [Footnote: W. C. Bryant's
speech before the Buffalo Historical Society on the occasion of the re-
interment of Red Jacket's remains.
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