Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 1.djvu/60

26 cannot be doubtful, for the material superiority of the North is immense.

Our victory in this State was gratifyingly brilliant. Wisconsin went for Frémont with fifteen thousand majority. Much persevering and devoted work was done and I honestly did my share. During my short activity I gained a relatively great influence and I shall soon have a voice in the affairs of Wisconsin. During the last four months I have been obliged to speak a great deal in public and I have made great progress. My voice and my limbs have become more supple, and I begin to understand the secret of the use of pathos. I have quite often succeeded in rousing my audience to the fire of enthusiasm, and I am no longer diffident when I wish to appeal to their sentiment. In short, I have gained courage as an orator, and I hope, should I enter the legislature next year, to be able to accomplish something. The foreign tongue no longer troubles me, and I even find that in many things English is more convenient and effective than German.

I am giving as much time as possible to the study of the law this winter, for I expect to begin my legal practice in March. The governor has appointed me a notary public, and I am also president of an insurance company. These things, together with the real-estate business and the matters that turn up accidentally, keep me sufficiently occupied. I also occasionally write political letters and articles; and if there is a vacancy in the city council and I become a member of it, I shall have only as much time for study as is absolutely necessary.

Our town is developing remarkably. We are going to have enormous railroad connections, which are already under construction, and in a few years the value of real estate will rise so much that we need no longer be anxious as to our financial situation.