To the editor:
What man has been more moving and famous in our country’s history than Martin Luther King Jr.?
My father was famous nationally for his oratory and his promotions to New England college students for his many books on grammar, public speaking and writing. But because he died in 1950, he never knew Dr. King.
Somehow, this appreciation for oration seeped into my life very deeply and very early.
I think of Lincoln. I think of Churchill. I think of old Elijah Kellogg of Harpswell.
Teachers at Bowdoin College emphasized to me that one might always consider style versus content. A nice balance is effective.
On that incredible day when Martin Luther King Jr. stood up in Washington for his pinnacle “I had a dream” speech, his voice and words were to me so powerful that I trembled.
In the consideration of artistry with veins of gold, that day’s words were sunlight in a cynical world.
King asked for justice. He promoted mankind. He was such a superb and talented human being.
Paul Wade
Brunswick
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