ten o'clock
It is impossible for one-tenth of those present to hear the speakers ; they come not to hear so much as to breathe the surcharged air of the political storm which it is known will be fostered . The thin blood of the modern civilian is acted upon by less boisterous and gory scenes than those which sufficed to stir the audiences of the Roman circus ; yet the human susceptibilities are the same in all ages , and differ only in expression . In the battle of voices , the audience will shout its approval or hiss its disapproval ; at the pleasure of the throng a speaker can be silenced , his victory snatched from his very grasp . Six thousand people are in their places by ten o'clock . The police have been compelled to shut the doors to exclude the crowds who would be satisfied merely to get inside of the building . A murmur fills the place , although no one is speaking above the normal tone ; the combined sound resembles the distant boom of a cataract . Here and there in the galleries a splash of color indicates the presence of a woman .