james otis the pre-revolutionist-第4部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


The　result　of　Mr。　Otis's　marriage　was　a　family　of　one　son　and　two　daughters。　　The　son；　who　was　given　his　father's　name；　showed　his　father's　characteristics　from　childhood；　and　certainly　a　measure　of　his　genius。　　The　lad；　however；　entered　the　navy　at　the　outbreak　of　the　Revolution；　became　a　midshipman；　and　died　in　his　eighteenth　year。　　The　oldest　daughter；　Elizabeth；　went　wholly　against　her　father's　grain　and　purpose。　　Just　before　the　beginning　of　the　Revolution；　but　after　the　case　had　been　clearly　made　up；　she　was　married　to　a　certain　Captain　Brown；　at　that　time　a　British　officer　in　Boston；　cordially　disliked；　if　not　hated；　by　James　Otis。　　Personally；　Brown　was　respectable；　but　his　cause　was　odious。　　He　was　seriously　wounded　in　the　Battle　of　Bunker　Hill。　　Afterwards　he　was　promoted　and　was　given　a　command　in　England。　　Thither　his　wife　went　with　him；　and　Mr。　Otis　discarded　them　both；　if　not　with　anathema　at　least　with　contempt。

It　would　appear　that　his　natural　affection　was　blotted　out。　　At　least　his　resentment　was　life…long；　and　when　he　came　to　make　his　will　he　described　the　circumstances　and　disinherited　Elizabeth　with　a　shilling。　　The　fact　that　Mrs。　Otis　favored　the　unfortunate　marriage；　and　perhaps　brought　it　aboutavailing　herself　as　it　is　said；　of　one　of　Mr。　Otis's　spells　of　mental　aberration　to　carry　out　her　purposesaggravated　the　difficulty　and　made　her　husband's　exasperation　everlasting。

The　younger　daughter　of　the　family　shared　her　father's　patriotism。　　She　was　married　to　Benjamin　Lincoln；　Jr。；　a　young　lawyer　of　Boston；　whose　father　was　General　Benjamin　Lincoln　of　revolutionary　fame。　　The　marriage　was　a　happy　one；　but　ultimately　clouded　with　honorable　grief。　　Two　promising　sons　were　born；　but　each　died　before　reaching　his　majority。　　The　father　also　died　when　he　was　twenty…eight　years　old。　　The　wife　and　mother　resided　in　Cambridge；　and　died　there　in　1806。

The　second　period　in　James　Otis's　life　may　be　regarded　as　extending　from　1755　to　1760；　that　is；　from　his　thirtieth　to　his　thirty…fifth　year。　　It　was　in　this　period　that　he　rose　to　eminence。　　Already　distinguished　as　a　lawyer；　he　now　became　more　distinguished　as　a　civilian　and　a　man　of　public　affairs。

He　caught　the　rising　interest　as　at　the　springing　of　the　tide；　and　rose　with　it　until　it　broke　in　lines　of　foam　along　the　shores　of　New　England。　　He　gained　the　confidence　of　the　patriot　party；　of　which　he　was　the　natural　leader。　　His　influence　became　predominant。　　He　was　the　peer　of　the　two　Adamses；　and　touched　hands　right　and　left　with　the　foremost　men　of　all　the　colonies。

It　surprises　us　to　note　that　at　this　time　James　Otis　devoted　a　considerable　section　of　his　time　to　scholastic　and　literary　pursuits。　　He　was　a　student　not　only　of　men　and　affairs　but　of　books。　　Now　it　was　that　the　influence　of　his　Harvard　education　was　seen　in　both　his　studies　and　his　works。　　We　are　surprised　to　find　him　engaged　in　the　composition　of　a　text…book　which　is　still　extant；　and；　however　obsolete；　by　no　means　devoid　of　merits。　　The　work　was　clearly　a　result　left　on　his　mind　from　his　student　days。

He　composed　and；　in　the　year　1760；　published；　by　the　house　of　B。　Mecom　in　Boston；　a　72　page　brochure　entitled　〃The　Rudiments　of　Latin　Prosody　with　a　Dissertation　on　Letters　and　the　Principles　of　Harmony　in　Poetic　and　Prosaic　Composition；　collected　from　some　of　the　best　Writers。〃

The　work　is　primarily　a　text　in　Latin　Prosody　in　which　the　author　thought　himself　to　improve　on　the　existing　treatises　on　that　subject。　　The　afterpart　of　the　pamphlet　is　devoted　to　a　curious　examination　of　the　qualities　of　the　letters　of　the　Greek　and　Roman　alphabets。

In　this　he　attempts　to　teach　the　distinction　between　quantity　and　accent　in　the　Greek　language；　but　more　particularly　to　describe　the　position　and　physiological　action　of　the　organs　of　speech　in　producing　the　elementary　sounds　in　the　languages　referred　to。　　The　author　declares　his　conviction　that　the　growth　of　science　had　been　seriously　impeded　by　the　inattention　of　people　to　the　correct　utterance　of　elementary　sounds。　　He　also　points　out　the　great　abuses　in　the　prevailing　methods　and　declares　that　these　abuses　have　so　impeded　the　work　of　education　〃that　many　have　remained　children　all　their　days。〃

Having　written　and　published　his　work　on　Latin　prosody；　Mr。　Otis　next　produced　a　similar　work　on　the　prosody　of　Greek。　　This；　however；　he　did　not　publish；　and　he　is　said　to　have　destroyed　the　manuscript　at　the　time　of　burning　his　correspondence　near　the　end　of　his　life。

A　conversation　of　James　Otis　is　narrated　by　Francis　Bowen；　in　Jared　Sparks's　〃American　Biography〃　in　which　the　orator　is　represented；　in　speaking　of　the　bad　literary　taste　prevalent　among　the　boys　of　the　time；　as　saying；　〃These　lads　are　very　fond　of　talking　about　poetry　and　repeating　passages　of　it。　　The　poets　they　quote　I　know　nothing　of；　but　do　you　take　care；　James；　＇Otis　was　addressing　James　Perkins；　Esq。；　of　Boston＇　that　you　don't　give　in　to　this　folly。　　If　you　want　to　read　poetry；　read　Shakespeare；　Milton；　Dryden　and　Pope　and　throw　all　the　rest　into　the　fire；　these　are　all　that　are　worth　reading。〃　　In　this　brief　comment　the　severity　of　Otis's　literary　taste　is　indicated　and　also　something　of　the　rather　abrupt　and　dogmatic　character　of　his　mind。　　His　criticism；　though　true；　can　hardly　be　said　to　be　judicious。

In　order　to　understand　the　part　which　James　Otis　played　in　the　great　work　of　revolution　and　independence　it　is　now　necessary　to　note　with　care　the　conditions　into　which　he　was　cast　and　with　which　he　was　environed　at　that　period　of　his　life　when　the　man…fire　flames　highest　and　the　audacity　of　the　soul　bounds　furthest　into　the　arena　of　danger。

Every　man　is　the　joint　product　of　himself　and　his　environment。　　His　life　is　the　resultant　of　the　two　forces　by　which　he　is　held　and　balanced。　　At　the　time　when　James　Otis　reached　his　thirty…fifth　year　a　condition　had　supervened　in　the　American　colonies　which　reacted　upon　his　passionate　and　Patriotic　nature　so　powerfully　as　to　bring　into　full　play　all　of　his　faculties　and　to　direct　the　whole　force　of　his　nature　against　the　tyrannical　method　of　the　mother　country。

Let　us　look　for　a　moment　at　the　course　of　events　which　had　preceded　and　which　succeeded　the　crisis　in　James　Otis's　life；　and　made　him　the　born　leader　of　his　countrymen　in　their　first　conflict　for　independence。　

Great　Britain　had　aforetime　permitted　the　American　colonists　to　plant　themselves　where；　when；　and　as　they　would。　　Almost　every　colonial　settlement　had　been　an　adventure。　　The　emigrants　from　the　other　side　of　the　Atlantic　had　been　squeezed　out　by　the　hard　discipline　of　church　and　state。　　In　America　they　settled　as　they　might。

〃And　England　didn't　look　to　know　or　care。〃

In　the　language　of　one　of　the　bards　of　this　age；　

〃That　is　England's　awful　way　of　doing　business。〃

She　permitted　her　persecuted　children　to　brave　the　intolerable　ocean　in　leaking　ships；　to　reach　the　new　world　if　they　could；　and　survive　if　they　might。

Notwithstanding　this　hard　strain　on　the　sentiment　of　the　Pilgrims；　the　Cavaliers；　and　the　Hugenots；　they　remained　loyal　to　the　mother　country。　　They　built　their　little　states　in　the　wilderness　and　were　proud　to　christen　their　towns　and　villages　with　the　cherished　names　of　the　home　places　in　England。　　They　defended　themselves　as　well　as　they　could　against　the　inhospitality　of　nature；　the　neglect　of　the　mother　country；　and　the　cruelty　of　savage　races。

It　was　only　when　they　grew　and　multiplied　and　flourished　that　our　little　seashore　republics　attracted　the　attention　of　the　mother　land　and　suggested　to　the　ministers　of　the　crown　the　possibility　of　plucking　something　from　the　new　states　which　had　now　demonstrated　their　ability　to　exist　and　to　yield　an　increase。

Meanwhile；　for　six　generations；　the　colonists　had　developed　their　own　social　affairs　and　managed　their　own　civil　affairs　according　to　the　exegencies　of　the　case　and　the　principles　of　democracy。　　Their　methods　of　government　were　necessarily　republican。

The　military　necessities　which　were　ever　at　the　door　had　taught　our　fathers　the　availability　of　arms　as　the　final　argument　in　the　debate　with　wrong。　　The　conflicts　with　the　Indians　and　the　experiences　of　the　French　and　Indian　war　had　shown　that　the　Americans　were　able　to　hold　their　own　in　battle。　

Under　these　conditions　there　was　a　natural　growth　of　public　opinion　in　the　colonies　tending　to　independence　of　action；　and　to　indignant　protest　against　foreign　dictation。　　In　the　sixth　decade　of　the　eighteenth　century　many　of　the　leading　young　men　of　America　talked　and　wrote　of　independence　as　a　thing　desirable　and　possible。

In　1755；　when　James　Otis　was　thirty　years　of　age；　his　young　friend；　John　Adams；　sitting　one　day　in　his　school　house　in　Connecticut；　wrote　this　in　his　diary：　　〃In　another　century　all　Europe　will　not　be　able　to　subdue　us。　　The　only　way　to　keep　us　from　setting　up　for　ourselves　is　to　disunite　us。〃

We　thus　note　natural　conditions　as　tending　to　produce　a　rebellion　of　the　American　colonies；　also　the　inherited　disposition　of　the　colonists　under　the　discipline　of　their　times；　also　the　growth　of　public　opinion　among　the　leading　spiritsto　which　we　must　add　the　character　of　the　reigning　king　and　of　the　ministers　to　who