,,how ,,to ,,become ,a ,,public ,,speaker ,illustration ,,showing ,,the ,,best ,,manner ,,of ,,arranging ,,thought ,,so ,,as ,,to ,,gain ,,conciseness1 ,,ease1 ,,and ,,fluency ,,in ,,speech ,,by ,,william ,,pittenger ,,philadelphia ,,the ,,penn ,,publishing ,,company #aijc ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,entered according to ,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahhf1 by ,,the ,,national ,,school ,,of ,,elocution ,,and ,,oratory1 in the office of the ,librarian of ,congress1 at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,contents4 ,i4 ,can the ,art of ,speech be ,learned8 #e ,,ii4 ,the ,four ,methods of ,public ,speech1 #aa ,,iii4 ,an ,embryo ,speech1 with ,models1 #bd ,,iv4 ,initial ,fear and ,how to ,overcome it1 #dj ,v4 ,utility of ,debating ,societies1 #de ,,vi4 ,thought and ,emotion1 #ea ,,vii4 ,language1 #fe ,,viii4 ,imagination1 #gc ,,ix4 ,voice and ,gesture1 #gh ,x4 ,confidence1 #hi ,,xi4 ,the ,pen and the ,tongue1 #ii ,,xii4 ,subject and ,object1 #ajb ,,xiii4 ,thought-,gathering1 #aac ,,xiv4 ,constructing a ,plan1 #abj ,,xv4 ,how shall the ,written ,plan be ,used8 #abd ,,xvi4 ,the ,first ,moment of ,speech1 #acd ,,xvii4 ,the ,introduction1 #adc ,,xviii4 ,progress of the ,speech1 #aed ,,xix4 ,after the ,speech1 #afd ,,chapter ,i4 ,,can ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,speech ,,be ,,learned8 ,there is a widespread opinion that all study of the mode of oratory is unmanly1 and leads to the substitution of artifice and adornment for simplicity and power4 8,let a man have something important to say10 it is argued1 8and he need not waste his time in trying to find how to say it40 ,so general is this sentiment1 that a ministerial acquaintance of the writer's was recently very careful to conceal from his congregation the fact that he was taking a series of lessons in elocution1 lest his influence should be diminished4 ,we may admit that the popular prejudice against the study of eloquence is not without a mixture of reason4 ,it is possible to foster a spurious kind of oratory1 which shall be far inferior to the rudest genuine speech4 ,but1 on the other hand1 it is safe to maintain that every rational power man possesses can be strengthened by judicious cultivation1 without in the least impairing its quality4 ,there is no trick in true oratory--no secret magic by which a weak-minded man can become the leader of others stronger and wiser than himself4 ,the great prizes of eloquence cannot be placed in the hands of the ignorant or slothful4 ,but so surely as a raw apprentice can be transformed into a skillful workman1 any person possessed of ordinary faculties1 who will pay the price in labor1 can be made master of the art of ready and forcible public utterance4 ,the methods of oratorical cultivation presented in this volume are not based upon mere theory4 ,they have been tested in hundreds of instances1 and their results are beyond question4 ,a carpenter will assert with perfect assurance1 8,i guarantee to take an ordinary young man1 who will place himself in my hands for a reasonable time1 and turn him out a thorough mechanic1 master of every part of his trade40 ,the effects of training are as marvelous and as certain in the fields of eloquence4 ,but this training must necessarily combine practice with theory4 ,to study about great orators and observe their works is not sufficient4 ,here again1 we may take a lesson from the mode in which an apprentice is trained4 ,the master architect does not take his young men to gaze upon finished buildings1 and expect them1 from mere admiration and architectural fervor1 to construct similar works4 ,he would soon find that not one in a hundred had the 8mechanical genius0 for such an easy triumph4 ,but he takes them into the shop1 where work is in progress1 places before them some simple task1 and from that leads them on1 step by step1 to more difficult achievements4 ,they learn how to make the separate parts of a house1 and afterward how to fit those parts into a complete work4 ,under this rational mode of instruction the great majority master the whole business placed before them1 and the failures are rare exceptions4 ,if similar success does not attend oratorical students1 the explanation must be sought1 not in the nature of oratory1 but in wrong methods of training4 ,merely reading ,cicero and ,demosthenes1 even in their original tongues1 declaiming choice selections1 or listening to great orators1 will not make any one eloquent1 unless indeed he possesses that rare natural genius which rises above all rules and sweeps away every obstacle4 ,but it must be remembered that there are many degrees of eloquence4 ,the popular conception is somewhat unjust in refusing recognition to those who possess this power in only a fair degree4 ,it is not possible by any mode of training to produce many orators of the very highest type4 ,such will ever be rare for the same reason that there are but few great poets1 generals1 or statesmen4 ,but proper education in the art of speech should enable a man to give full1 free1 and adequate expression to whatever thoughts and feelings he may possess4 ,it may go further1 and make him more fruitful in thought1 and more intense in feeling1 than he could have been in the absence of such education1 and he may thus become fairly entitled to the rewards of eloquence without1 however1 reaching the level of the few great world-orators4 ,the distinction between a good degree of practical1 working eloquence1 which may be successfully taught to the mass of students1 and the very highest development of the same faculty1 should always be kept in mind4 ,even the mightiest genius may be regulated1 strengthened1 and directed by culture2 while moderate talents may1 by similar culture1 reach a very serviceable degree of efficiency and power4 ,while these considerations appear almost self-evident1 they are not unnecessary4 ,on listening to a true orator--one who1 without hesitation1 pours forth a stream of well-chosen words1 and develops a difficult subject in a clear and masterly manner--we are apt to receive an impression like that made by the operation of a law of nature1 or an unerring animal instinct4 ,does the orator acquire eloquence as the bee learns to construct honey-cells8 ,there is1 no doubt1 a foundation for eloquence in natural ability1 but the analogy is far more close with the human builder1 who sees mentally the image of the house he wishes to construct1 fits the various timbers and other materials into their places1 and works intelligently until his conception is realized4 ,to ,jack ,cade and his fellows the mysteries of reading and writing 8came by nature20 but experience has shown that this much of nature can be developed in the great majority of ,american children4 ,in the moderate and reasonable meaning of the term1 eloquence can be made almost as general as the elements of a common-school education4 ,the child that masters the art of reading1 really makes a greater conquest over difficulties1 than the average well-educated youth needs to add to the stores he already possesses1 in order to attain a good degree of oratorical power4 ,there are1 indeed1 a few indispensable requisites which will be understood by every person2 but the want of these debars a small minority only1 and their absence is easily recognized4 ,for all others the path of success lies open4 ,patient practice in the use of the pen as a servant but not as a master1 the study of good models1 and the laborious mastery in detail of the separate elements of oratory1 will not fail of abundant fruit4 ,there are two classes of works with which this treatise should not be confounded4 ,it aims to occupy an almost vacant place between manuals of elocution on the one hand1 and works of technical instruction in the various oratorical professions1 on the other4 ,both of these classes of books are very useful1 and teach indirectly many of the elements of true eloquence4 ,elocution deals with voice and gesture1 which are prime elements in oratory2 and although it is popularly supposed to be applicable only to reading and recitation1 it is equally serviceable in off-hand speech4 ,works of the second class give rules for preaching1 debating1 pleading at the bar1 teaching1 and all other professions which involve public speech4 ,they show how various kinds of discourses may be constructed1 but have few practical directions about the mode of delivery1 or that grand and noble work--the development of the oratorical power itself4 ,this book is written from the standpoint of the student who wishes to wield the golden sceptre of eloquence and is willing to put forth all reasonable efforts to that end4 ,it will aim to guide him into the right path2 show him what helps are available1 and what discipline is necessary2 encourage him in overcoming difficulties1 and stimulate him to seek the very highest excellence within the compass of his faculties4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,four ,,methods ,,of ,,public ,,speech--,,their ,,advantages ,,and ,,disadvantages4 8,what shall ,i do80 exclaims the young student who expects soon to face public audiences4 8,shall ,i write out what ,i have to say1 polish it as highly as possible1 and then utter this finished product8 ,or must ,i take the risk of being able to say nothing at all1 in hope of gaining the ease and naturalness of spontaneous speech80 ,it must be admitted that the first course indicated above has many advantages1 and seems in harmony with the marked tendency of civilization toward division of labor4 ,it is hard to perform several different operations at the same moment4 ,look how heavily the extempore speaker is burdened4 ,he must think of his subject2 arrange his ideas1 sentences1 and words2 remember quotations2 originate proper tones and gestures2 and keep his attention closely fixed upon his audience4 ,all this he must do with the utmost promptness and regularity1 or incur a fearful penalty--that of embarrassment and failure4 ,few men have the courage to stand long before an audience1 waiting for a missing word or idea4 ,to avoid this danger the mind of an extempore speaker must be accustomed to work with the rapidity and precision of a printing-press2 otherwise1 the appalling danger of failure and ridicule will constantly stare him in the face4 ,it is not wonderful that such perils have made many speakers perpetual slaves of the pen4 ,but it may be noted that the public reader has an equal number of things to do at the same moment4 ,he must look on the manuscript and recognize the words--a complicated process1 which practice has made easy1 but which does greatly distract attention4 ,the whole discourse must be brought into mind as really as if extemporized with the difference that now1 instead of arising from within1 it is brought back from without--a much more difficult achievement4 ,tones and gestures are also increasingly difficult4 ,the reader will usually wish to give some attention to the audience1 which1 with manuscript before him1 will be far from easy4 ,after he has done his best his hearers will think1 8,this man is reading1 not speaking--giving us what he thought yesterday or last week1 not what he is thinking now40 ,possibly this will not diminish their pleasure1 but the sentiment needs to be recognized4 ,the resource of memorizing the discourse after it has been prepared relieves the eye and lessens the physical distraction1 but it throws an additional and very heavy burden upon the mind1 and introduces new embarrassments peculiar to itself4 ,the advice enforced in these pages will be3 8,extemporize2 take the risk2 fail1 if necessary0 though precautions will be given making failure well nigh impossible2 8but in all cases when you speak to the people with the object of convincing or persuading1 let it be seen that you speak directly the thoughts and feelings of that very moment40 ,the two extremes of verbal communication between men are letters1 books1 or essays1 on the one side1 and desultory talk on the other4 ,in the one1 the pen is everything2 in the other1 it is not employed at all4 ,neither mode of address constitutes oratory1 but the whole field of this art lies between them4 ,there are four principal methods of discourse distinguished in reference to the mode of delivery1 which we may name as follows3 #a4 ,reading4 #b4 ,recitation4 #c4 ,extemporizing4 #d4 ,the composite method4 ,of these1 the first two have the great advantage of allowing the speaker as much time as may be necessary for the arrangement of the speech down to the minutest detail4 ,words may be selected with the nicest care1 and if the first effort is not satisfactory the speech may be written again and again1 until the writer's full power has been utilized4 ,after delivery1 the manuscript is at once available for publication or preservation4 ,the first method gives the orator something to lean upon4 ,should he become embarrassed1 he can fix his attention closely upon his writing until he recovers4 ,should his attention be distracted1 and the thread of discourse be broken1 it can be taken up again at any point4 ,in recitation more declamatory fervor is possible than in reading4 ,gesticulation is less restrained4 ,the speaker need not be confined within the narrow limits of a circle1 the centre of which is his manuscript1 and the radius the distance at which he can read it4 ,as an offset1 there is the effort1 in some cases very considerable1 of memorizing2 the variable power of memory in different states of health2 and the possibility of altogether forgetting the prepared words4 ,it must also be admitted that few men can declaim well4 ,some have mastered the difficult art1 and have won laurels in this way2 but their number1 especially in the modern world1 is comparatively small4 ,extemporizing does not exclude the most exhaustive study of a subject4 ,it is easier1 indeed1 to write upon a subject only partially understood1 than to address an audience directly upon the same topic4 ,neither does this method exclude the most careful pre-arrangement of the thoughts enunciated4 ,the trained speaker will find it comparatively easy to make a plan at a moment's notice which will serve as a basis for discourse2 but he will usually be provided with a plan long before he begins to speak4 ,he will aim to understand his subject1 make the best arrangement of it in his power1 select what is most fitting for his purpose1 and then1 face to face with his audience1 will give them1 in a manly way1 the outflowing of his mind and heart4 ,it is in this sense alone that the word 8extempore0 will be used in this volume4 ,we maintain that1 so far from being the refuge of ignorance and sloth1 extempore speech is often the vehicle of the widest culture and the most extensive knowledge4 ,the increased attention paid to extempore speech within a few years indicates a hopeful improvement of taste among professional men4 ,the majority of the people have always preferred it4 ,they do not greatly desire of pulpit1 platform1 or bar1 the verbal elaboration favored by written speech2 but fervent manner1 earnest conviction1 and directness are highly prized4 ,readers and reciters imitate1 as far as they can1 the manner of spontaneous speech4 ,it is well to remember that this tribute of imitation is never paid by the superior to the inferior4 ,one argument in favor of extempore delivery has never received due consideration3 it is far more healthful than other forms of address4 ,in the case of men who speak only at long intervals1 this consideration may not be weighty2 but to others1 it involves years of added usefulness1 or even life itself4 ,this superior healthfulness has often been observed1 but what is its source8 ,the answer will go far to show why true extempore speech is more persuasive and emotional than any other variety4 ,in chemistry1 a law of affinity has long been recognized1 according to which substances just set free from combination have greater energy1 and are more ready to form new combinations1 than ever afterward4 ,in the same way1 voice and gesture readily respond to nascent emotion2 that is1 to emotion aroused for the first time4 ,every speaker who utters the thought of the moment1 if not fettered by bad habits1 or paralyzed by fear1 will exhibit a perpetual change of position1 a variety of muscular movement1 and a play of expression which he can never afterward reproduce4 ,the pitch1 rate1 and force of the voice are controlled in the same effective and almost automatic manner4 ,an ordinary extemporizer1 when thoroughly aroused1 will employ as great a variety of tones and gestures as a highly trained elocutionist in his most elaborate recitations4 ,nothing is asserted as to the skill of the combinations1 the melody of the voice1 or the grace of the action2 though even in these the advantage is not always on the side of the elocutionist4 ,but in distributing the effort among all the organs1 and in giving that alternate rest and action upon which health and strength depend1 the elocutionist may strive in vain to equal the model set him by a good extempore speech4 ,in ,western and seaside camp-meetings1 speakers who have never spent an hour in vocal drill will often address thousands of people in the open air with an energy of voice and manner that would1 if employed over a manuscript by any other than the most accomplished elocutionist1 speedily bring all efforts and the speaker himself to an end4 ,but he easily endures the strain because there is that continual change which is the equivalent of rest4 ,notice some thoroughly excited speaker1 trained only in the school of experience--possibly a mere demagogue or popular agitator--at his work4 ,a word shot forth almost as piercing as a steam whistle is followed by a sentence far down the scale1 and when emotion demands the same high key again1 the organs in that position are fresh for a new ear-piercing effort4 ,there is equal variation in the rate of speech4 ,the whole body joins in the expression of emotion1 without the slightest conscious effort1 impelled only by the aroused nervous energy which seeks that mode of discharge4 ,when the effort ends1 the man is weary1 indeed2 but with a weariness distributed over the whole body1 and without a trace of that exhaustion of brain1 throat1 or the upper part of the lungs1 which has sent many manuscript speakers--clergymen1 especially--to untimely graves4 ,what a difference there is between the preacher who languidly reads his manuscript for twenty-five minutes to a hundred people1 and closes the mighty effort with aching head1 quivering nerves1 and exhausted throat1 and the typical camp-meeting orator6 ,the latter works hard1 addressing thousands of people for an hour and a half or two hours2 but as the stamping foot1 the tense arm1 the nodding head1 the fully expanded lungs1 and the swaying body have all taken part1 the blood and nervous energy have been sent in due proportion to every organ1 and there is no want of balance4 ,the man can repeat the same performances the next day1 and continue it1 as many itinerants have done1 for months together4 ,similar examples of endurance have often been given in heated political canvasses by orators of the very highest eminence1 as well as by others unknown to fame4 ,difference of cultivation or of earnestness will not suffice to explain the contrast between the two classes of speakers4 ,the chemical analogy is instructive1 and goes far to account for the observed differences4 ,when thought passes out of the mist and shadow of general conceptions into the definite form of words1 it has immeasurably greater power to arouse and agitate the mind in which this transformation is made1 than it can have when the same words are merely recalled in memory or read from a sheet of paper4 ,when the whole process of expression takes place at once3--the mental glance over the subject2 the coinage of thoughts into words and sentences2 the utterance of the words as they rise to the lips2 the selection of key1 inflection1 emphasis1 gesture3--the man must have a very cold nature1 or his theme be very dull1 if1 with a sympathizing audience before him1 the tides of emotion do not begin to swell4 ,but notice how other modes of delivery squander this wealth of emotion4 ,the writer carefully elaborates his language4 ,he is perfectly calm1 or if there is any excitement1 it is purely intellectual1 and the quickened flow of blood is directed only to the brain4 ,when the ardor of composition subsides1 and he reviews his pages1 the fire seems to have died out of them4 ,while memorizing1 or making himself familiar enough with what he has written to read it with effect1 he may recall some of the first ardor1 but only to have it again subside4 ,when at last he stands up to speak1 his production is a thrice-told tale4 ,in but few cases will he feel the full inspiration of his message4 ,if he recites1 the effort of memory distracts his attention1 and he is probably reading from a page of manuscript presented by his mental vision4 ,if he reads directly1 he must take a position to see his paper1 and at least part of the time keep his eye fixed upon it4 ,the address is felt to come1 notwithstanding all the artifice he can employ1 at least as much from the paper as from the man4 ,the most profound culture in reading and declamation only suffices to bring back part of the emotion with which the genuine extemporizer starts4 ,as bearing upon the subject of the healthfulness of extempore speech1 a reference to the writer's own experience may not be improper4 ,severe and exceptional hardship in the civil war led to a complete break-down in health4 ,the hope of any kind of active work1 or even of many months of life1 seemed very slight4 ,the question was not so much how to speak best1 as how to speak at all4 ,fortunately1 a long series of daily lectures1 involving no great intellectual effort1 proved that mere talking was not necessarily hurtful4 ,some elocutionary hints at the right time were also of great value4 ,when the pulpit was entered1 greater difficulty arose4 ,a few trials of memorized preaching produced alarming nervous exhaustion4 ,reading was equally deleterious to throat and voice4 ,one path alone seemed open2 and entering upon that with confidence1 which eighteen years of experience has only deepened1 the writer found that extempore speech was1 for him1 probably the most healthful of all forms of exercise4 ,it is not likely that one-third of this term of work would have been secured by any other kind of address4 ,another important advantage is the saving of time afforded by this mode of speech4 ,the hours otherwise wasted in word-elaboration may be more usefully employed in general studies4 ,the field for an orator's improvement is boundless2 but if obliged to fully write a large number of discourses1 he must either work very rapidly or very perseveringly to enter far into that field4 ,but if less preparation is given to individual speeches1 more time will be available for the improvement of the speaker4 ,or if he uses the same length of preparation for each discourse in the extempore mode1 he can collect and classify a far greater amount of material1 and the mental element will thus gain far more than the merely verbal loses4 ,only the fourth or composite method of discourse remains for our consideration4 ,at first glance1 it seems to combine the advantages of all other methods1 and for many minds it possesses great attraction4 ,in it the less important parts of the speech are given off-hand1 while passages of especial brilliancy or power are written fully1 and either read or recited4 ,added variety may be given by reading some of these1 and declaiming others from memory4 ,a very brilliant and showy discourse may thus be constructed4 ,but the difficulties are also very great4 ,full success requires a rare combination of desirable qualities4 ,a good verbal memory1 the power of composing effective fragments1 and of declaiming or reading them well1 are not often joined to all the qualities that make a ready and impressive extemporizer4 ,for this reason it usually follows that in composite discourses one of the elements so greatly predominates as to dwarf the others4 ,a manuscript discourse in which an extempore remark or two is interpolated must be classed with written discourses4 ,neither does extemporizing lose its special character1 though some scattered quotations be read or repeated from memory4 ,to pick up a book1 in the midst of a speech1 and read a theme or argument1 or the statement of another's position1 does not make the discourse composite in character1 unless such reading be the principal part of it4 ,an eloquent speaker on one occasion occupied more than half his time1 and produced far more than half his effect1 by reciting poems of the author who was the nominal subject of his lecture4 ,the performance would have been more appropriately styled1 8,recitations from the poems of ----40 ,the few running comments introduced did not entitle it to be classed as an original production1 because they were obviously not its governing motive4 ,how shall the advantages of extemporizing be secured1 while avoiding its dangers8 ,no commendation can be given to those who simply talk to an audience1 giving forth only what may happen to be in mind at the moment of delivery4 ,the most pedantic writing and lifeless reading would1 as a habit1 be preferable to such recklessness4 ,unwritten speech does not preclude the fullest preparation4 ,the plans advocated in this volume will enable a speaker to gather materials as widely1 arrange them as systematically1 and hold them as firmly in hand1 as if every word was written2 while at the same time he may have all the freedom and play of thought1 the rush of passion1 and the energy of delivery that comes in the happiest moment of out-gushing words4 ,but those who are unwilling to labor may as well lay down the book4 ,we do not profess to teach a process of labor-saving1 though much labor will be changed from mechanical to intellectual1 and after long experience the total saving may be great4 ,but in the first stages those who have been accustomed to write in full will find that the change involves an increase1 rather than a diminution1 of work4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,an ,,embryo ,,speech1 ,,with ,,models ,,of ,,very ,,simple ,,plans4 ,the first extemporaneous speeches attempted should be of the simplest character4 ,too high an ideal formed at the outset may be very harmful by causing needless discouragement4 ,to speak freely in any manner1 however rude1 until confidence and the power of making every faculty available are acquired1 should be the first great object4 ,many persons are slaves of bad habits through life because they began wrong4 ,nothing harms an orator more than cultivating his critical taste far beyond his power of ready utterance4 ,there is no necessary relation between the development of the two things4 ,to become a fine word-critic and master of an excellent written style does not imply the power to strike off finely finished sentences at the speed of the tongue2 but it does tend to render the speaker dissatisfied with anything below the level of his written performances1 and thus checks his fluency4 ,to master the difficult art of written composition first1 and strive afterward to gain a similar proficiency in spoken words1 is a complete reversal of the natural method1 and in all but a few gifted minds puts a premium on failure4 ,an unlettered rustic may speak with perfect ease1 because he is not conscious of the numberless verbal blunders he falls into2 but if it were possible1 by some process of spiritual infusion1 to put him in possession of a fine1 critical taste1 he would be instantly smitten dumb4 ,the true method is to cultivate the faculty of extemporization side by side with critical judgment4 ,in case that is done1 ease and confidence will not be for a moment disturbed4 ,it thus appears that while an extempore speaker can never know too much1 it is quite possible for his knowledge and cultivation to advance in the wrong order4 ,the pen will be of perpetual use to the speaker2 but his command of it must not increase so rapidly in proportion as to make him ashamed of his tongue4 ,from this reasoning it follows that the best time to lay the foundation of excellence in speech is very early in life4 ,speeches made then are necessarily flimsy and rudimentary1 but they are not the less valuable on that account4 ,they are to be estimated not for their own worth1 but for their results upon the mind producing them4 ,the schoolboy's first 8composition0 has always been a mark for cheap witticism2 but the boy himself regards it with justifiable pride1 as the first step in the noble work of putting thought on paper4 ,the same pains and patience applied to the art of public talking as to written composition will produce equal fruit4 ,a few directions intended to aid in overcoming some of the initial difficulties of speech1 which may serve as suggestions to teachers as well as helps to solitary students1 are here appended4 ,they are purposely made of almost ludicrous crudeness1 but will not1 it is trusted1 be less serviceable on that account2 for it is not so important to aid the mature speaker in giving the last fine strokes of genius to a masterly oration1 as it is to stimulate and guide beginners in their first stammering utterances4 ,the simplest oration or formal address that can be constructed has three distinct parts4 ,with these we will begin the great work of division and arrangement4 ,they may be named as follows3 #a4 ,,the ,,introduction4 #b4 ,,the ,,discussion4 #c4 ,,the ,,conclusion4 ,on this framework a speech-plan can be constructed simple enough for any child4 ,and it is at the same time true that even a child1 with such a plan1 might speak appropriately who would otherwise not be able to begin at all4 ,we will consider these three parts in their order4 ,the introduction is at once important and embarrassing4 ,first words are nearly always heard attentively1 and they do much to determine the degree of attention that will be bestowed on the remainder of the speech4 ,the young speaker should select something as an introduction upon which his mind can fasten1 instead of dwelling upon the frightful generality of the naked theme4 ,neither is it hard to construct a good introduction if a few plain directions are heeded1 which will be more fully given in a succeeding chapter4 ,all persons feel the need of some kind of a formal opening1 and therefore often begin with an apology--the very worst form of an introduction1 because it is not interesting in itself and does not lead up to the subject4 ,in rudimentary speech1 which we are now considering1 the introduction should be simple1 and1 above everything else1 easy for the speaker to comprehend and remember4 ,if there is anything in the whole world which he is sure he can talk about for a few moments1 and which can be made to have a moderate degree of connection with his subject1 let that be chosen for an opening4 ,if it is also vivid and striking in itself1 and familiar to the audience1 so much the better2 but this quality should not be insisted upon in these first attempts4 ,when the introductory topic is selected it should be turned over in the mind until the speaker knows just what he is going to say about it4 ,this process will have a wonderfully quieting effect upon his nerves4 ,he has fairly mastered something1 and knows that at all events he can begin his speech4 ,it is well to make a note of this introduction in a few simple words which will strongly fasten themselves in the memory4 ,no effort toward elaboration should be made1 for that would naturally lead to a memorized introduction1 and either require the whole speech to be written1 or produce a painful and difficult transition4 ,the discussion deals directly with the subject or central idea of the discourse4 ,here a clear statement of at least one thought which the speaker can fully grasp should be made4 ,the pen 7or pencil7 may be used in preparation without impropriety4 ,if but one idea is thought of1 let that be written in the fewest and strongest words at the student's command4 ,while doing this it is likely that another and related thought will spring into mind which can be treated in the same manner4 ,with diligent students there may even be a danger of getting down too many seed-thoughts4 ,but that contingency is provided for in the chapters on the fully developed plan1 and needs no further notice at this time4 ,when this central division is completely wrought out1 two other points claim attention4 ,how shall the transition be made from the introduction to the discussion8 ,a little reflection will show how to glide from one to the other1 and that process should be conned over1 without writing1 until it is well understood4 ,it is wonderful how many outlines of ideas the memory will retain without feeling burdened2 and this power of retention grows enormously through exercise4 ,after this1 the mode of gliding from the discussion to the conclusion may be treated in the same manner1 and with equal profit4 ,the conclusion itself is scarcely less material than the introduction2 but there is much less range of choice in the manner of closing than in that of beginning4 ,the subject is before the audience1 and any wide departure from it seems like the beginning of a new speech--something not usually well received4 ,there is this distinction between the relative value of introduction and conclusion3 a good introduction adds most to a speaker's ease1 confidence1 and power during the moment of speech2 but a good conclusion leaves the deepest permanent impression upon the audience4 ,it is usually remembered longer than any other part of the address4 ,when a discourse has been prepared in this simple manner it has virtually five parts--three written and two held in memory4 ,from such an outline it is far more easy to make an address than from the bare announcement of a theme4 ,it is true that all these parts may be formed and held in mind without ever making a pen-stroke4 ,a practiced orator will do this1 in a moment1 when unexpectedly called upon2 or he may only forecast the introduction and trust to finding the plan as fast as it is needed4 ,but in this he is no model for imitation by beginners4 ,even powerful orators sometimes spoil the whole effect of a good address by an unfortunate mode of closing4 ,they may forget to close in time--a grievous fault6--or may finish with some weak thought or extravagant proposition1 by which the whole speech is mainly judged and all its good points neutralized4 ,the construction of even as simple a plan as here indicated would have more than double the effect of many speeches made by great men4 ,a few simple and rude plans are annexed4 ,no merit is sought for in any one of them beyond making plain the method recommended4 ,,plans ,,of ,,speeches4 ,,example ,,first4 ,,subject4--,,chinese ,,emigration ,,to ,,america4 ,,introduction4--,the number of emigrants to our country and the nations they represent4 ,a totally different and more effective introduction might be the description of a group of ,chinese as seen by the speaker4 ,,discussion4--,the nature1 amount1 and present effect of ,chinese emigration4 ,it is possible for the speaker in his introduction to foreshadow the position he expects to maintain in his speech2 or he may make a colorless introduction and reserve his opinion for the discussion4 ,the material under this head is unlimited4 ,it is only necessary from the oratorical standpoint that the speaker should determine what course to take1 and then carefully think out in advance or read--for history and statistics cannot be improvised--all about that which he intends to use4 ,when he can tell it all over easily to himself he may reasonably feel assured of his ability to tell it to others4 ,the various arguments should be weighed and the best selected4 ,that which most naturally connects with the introduction should be firmly fixed in the mind as the first1 that it may form the bridge from the one part to the other4 ,,conclusion4--,results of policy advocated1 either predicted1 described1 or shown to be probable4 ,mode of remedying evils that might be apprehended from that policy4 ,in the conclusion the speaker may take upon himself the character of a prophet1 poet1 or logician4 ,he may predict results and let the statement make its own impression4 ,he may put all emphasis upon a vivid painting of the future colored by the views he advocates2 or he may sum up his reasons1 deduce consequences1 and weigh alternatives4 ,the choice between these different modes may be made instinctively1 or it may require considerable mental effort1 but when made1 the best mode of transition will be very easily found4 ,in all this process1 which in the case of undisciplined speakers may extend over many days of hard work1 the pen may be used freely1 making copious notes of facts and arguments4 ,after enough has been accumulated and put in such shape that the speaker can easily look over the entire field1 he is ready for another process--that of simplifying his plan4 ,rough and copious notes brought with him to the platform would only be a source of embarrassment4 ,but the germ of his ideas1 which are now familiar1 can be put into very small compass4 ,perhaps the following would recall everything in the preceding outline3 ,,the ,,chinese ,,question4 #a4 ,,experience4 #b4 ,,arguments4 #c4 ,,results4 ,but it is clear that a skeleton containing only three words need not be kept in view4 ,the whole outline of the speech will therefore be in the mind4 ,if numerous figures or citations from authorities are employed1 they may be classified and read from books or notes1 as needed4 ,such reading in no way detracts from the extemporaneous character of the address1 though if too numerous they tend to damp oratorical fire and break the unity of discourse4 ,one who has had no personal experience1 or who has not carefully observed the methods of other speakers1 can scarcely imagine how much a simple outline1 such as here suggested1 accomplishes in removing the confusion1 fear1 and hesitation which characterize beginners4 ,another specimen1 not of controversial character1 is subjoined4 ,,example ,,second4 ,,subject4--,,the ,,ocean4 ,,introduction4--,the vastness of the ocean4 ,no one person has seen more than a small part of it4 ,power evidenced by storm and shipwrecks4 ,,discussion4--,five great divisions of the ocean4 ,use in nature1 watering and tempering the land2 in commerce1 as a highway2 in history1 by dividing and uniting nations2 its mystery1 etc4 ,,conclusion4--,proof of the ,creator's power and wisdom found in the ocean4 ,the ,same ,plan ,condensed4 ,,subject4--,,the ,,ocean4 #a4 ,,vastness ,,and ,,power4 #b4 ,,parts1 ,,use1 ,,and ,,mystery4 #c4 ,,evidence4 ,,dean ,,swift',s ,,sermon4 ,this eccentric clergyman once preached a sermon shorter than its own text1 yet having all the three parts of which we have spoken4 ,the text was ,prov4 xix1 #bj3 8,he that pitieth the poor lendeth to the ,lord2 and that which he hath given will ,he pay him again40 ,the sermon was3 8,brethren1 you hear the condition2 if you like the security1 down with the dust40 ,the collection is said to have been munificent4 ,in this short sermon the text with the word 8,brethren0 constitutes the introduction2 the phrase1 8you hear the condition10 is a good transition to the discussion contained in the next member1 8if you like the security10 which assumes the truth of the text1 makes its general declarations present and personal1 and prepares the way for the forcible and practical1 if not very elegant1 conclusion1 8down with the dust40 ,among the many speeches found in ,shakespeare1 the existence of these three essential parts may easily be noted4 ,the funeral speeches over the dead body of ,julius ,csar afford an excellent example4 ,the merit of the orations of ,brutus and ,antony are very unequal1 but both are instructive4 ,we will analyze them in turn4 ,brutus speaks first4 ,he shows his want of appreciation of the true nature of persuasive eloquence by declaring that this will be an advantage4 ,his introduction is also too long and elaborate for the work he has in hand4 ,the central thought with which he opens is in substance1 8,i am worthy of your closest attention40 ,this cannot be considered a fortunate beginning1 and it would have been fatal for any one less highly esteemed by the people than 8the well-beloved ,brutus40 ,he says3 ,,brutus' ,,speech4 8,romans1 countrymen1 and lovers6 hear me for my cause1 and be silent that you may hear2 believe me for mine honor1 and have respect to mine honor that you may believe2 censure me in your wisdom and awake your senses that you may the better judge40 99 99 99 99 99 ,this introduction is a master-piece of ,shakespeare's art1 because it pictures so well the character of ,brutus in his dignity and blind self-confidence2 but for ,brutus it is unfortunate1 because it puts him on the defensive and makes the people his judges4 ,he must now plead well1 or they will condemn him4 ,in the discussion the thought simply is1 8,i was ,csar's friend1 and therefore you may well believe that ,i would not have killed him if he had not deserved death because of his ambition40 ,this is the whole argument1 and it is weak because it does not prove the ambition of ,csar1 or show that ambition on ,csar's part was a crime which ,brutus had a right to punish with death4 ,the antithetic sentences lack both logic and passion4 ,as they touch neither head nor heart1 they can have but slight and momentary effect4 ,notice the discussion as an example of fine words which do not serve their purpose4 99 99 99 99 99 8,if there be any in this assembly1 any dear friend of ,csar's1 to him ,i say that ,brutus' love to ,csar was no less than his4 ,if1 then1 that friend demand why ,brutus rose against ,csar1 this is my answer3 ,not that ,i loved ,csar less1 but that ,i loved ,rome more4 ,had you rather ,csar were living1 and die all slaves1 than that ,csar were dead1 to live all freemen8 ,as ,csar loved me1 ,i weep for him2 as he was fortunate1 ,i rejoice at it2 as he was valiant1 ,i honor him2 but as he was ambitious1 ,i slew him4 ,there are tears for his love1 joy for his fortune1 honor for his valor1 and death for his ambition4 ,who is here so base that would be a bondman8 ,if any1 speak2 for him have ,i offended4 ,who is here so rude1 that would not be a ,roman8 ,if any1 speak2 for him have ,i offended4 ,who is here so vile that will not love his country8 ,if any1 speak2 for him have ,i offended4 ,i pause for a reply40 99 99 99 99 99 ,as several citizens cry out1 8,none1 ,brutus1 none10 he passes to the conclusion1 which is as weak as the discussion4 99 99 99 99 99 8,then none have ,i offended4 ,i have done no more to ,csar1 than you shall do to ,brutus4 ,as ,i slew my best lover for the good of ,rome1 ,i have the same dagger for myself1 when it shall please my country to need my death40 99 99 99 99 99 ,he has gained nothing by the whole speech1 save the knowledge that none of the citizens present care at that time to impeach him for his crime2 but their minds were open to other influences4 ,shakespeare thus shows how an able man might use all his powers in the perfection of oratorical and rhetorical forms1 without producing a great or effective speech4 ,antony now comes forward4 ,behold the contrast6 ,,antony',s ,,speech4 ,the introduction is like and unlike that of ,brutus4 ,the same three titles are used2 the same call for attention4 ,but there is no repetition1 no egotism1 no elaboration4 ,the introduction is short1 calling attention to his ostensible purpose1 and prepares for a beautiful transition to the discussion4 ,,introduction4 8,friends1 ,romans1 countrymen1 lend me your ears4 ,i come to bury ,csar1 not to praise him40 ,there is not a superfluous word4 ,but how can ,antony glide into those praises of ,csar1 which he has disclaimed1 but which are necessary to his purpose8 ,the next sentence solves the question3 8,the evil that men do lives after them2 ,the good is oft interred with their bones2 ,so let it be with ,csar40 ,this leads most naturally to the thought of the discussion1 which is1 8,no event of ,csar's life shows guilty ambition2 but many do reveal love to the people and care for the general welfare4 ,he should1 therefore1 be mourned1 and--the next word is not supplied by the orator1 but forced from the hearts of the people--avenged60 ,we quote a few only of the well-known words3 ,,the ,,discussion4 8,the noble ,brutus ,hath told you ,csar was ambitious2 ,if it were so1 it were a grievous fault1 ,and grievously hath ,csar answered it4 ,here1 under leave of ,brutus and the rest1 7,for ,brutus is an honorable man1 ,so are they all1 all honorable men17 ,come ,i to speak in ,csar's funeral4 ,he was my friend1 faithful and just to me2 ,but ,brutus says he was ambitious1 ,and ,brutus is an honorable man4 ,he hath brought many captives home to ,rome1 ,whose ransom did the general coffers fill4 ,did this in ,csar seem ambitious8 ,when that the poor hath cried ,csar hath wept4 ,ambition should be made of sterner stuff4 ,yet ,brutus says he was ambitious1 ,and ,brutus is an honorable man4 ,you all did see1 that1 on the ,lupercal1 ,i thrice presented him a kingly crown1 ,which he did thrice refuse4 ,was this ambition80 ,the strongest argument against belief in guilty ambition on the part of ,csar and in favor of punishing his murderers is reserved by the subtle ,antony for the last1 and then he manages to have the people demand it of him4 ,he proceeds very naturally and effectively from the rent robe and the bleeding body to the will of ,csar4 ,this instrument gave the ,romans each a large donation in money1 and bestowed upon them collectively 8his walks1 his private arbors1 and new-planted orchards0 as a public park4 ,the argument was irresistible1 and needed no elaboration4 ,if his death was avenged as a murder1 the will would be valid2 otherwise1 it would be set aside1 and his estate confiscated by the conspirators4 ,the people1 thus fired by the strongest motives of gratitude and interest themselves supply the conclusion1 and ,brutus had to fly for his life4 ,the whole speech is worth study as an exhibition of almost perfect eloquence4 ,shakespeare meant to draw in ,brutus the picture of a scholar coming before the people with fine words1 and producing little more than a literary effect4 ,in ,antony he pictures the true orator in the plentitude of his power1 to whom words are but servants in accomplishing his purpose of persuading and inflaming the people4 ,the one speech reads as if it might have been written out in the closet and memorized2 the other gushes from the heart of the speaker as he watches the sea of upturned faces1 adapting his words with exquisite skill to suit and swell the passions written there4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,initial ,,fear ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,overcome ,,it4 ,however numerous and varied may be the classes of those who contemplate extempore speech1 they are all confronted by one common difficulty4 ,whether a boy makes his maiden effort1 or a man of wide thought and ripe culture attempts for the first time to dispense with the manuscript in which he has trusted through years of successful public speech1 the fear of failing looms up before each of them in a manner equally formidable4 ,the writer well remembers his first boyish venture into this arena of peril4 ,a debate in a village shoemaker's shop furnished the occasion4 ,two or three 8speakers0 were ranged on a side1 and the question was that time-honored controversy of country lyceums--the comparative magnitude of the wrongs suffered by the ,indians and the ,negroes at the hands of the ,american ,government4 ,which side the writer was on1 or what arguments were used1 has long since been forgotten1 but the palpitating heart1 the terrible suspense1 as one after another of the preceding speakers made his remarks and brought the terrible moment of facing the audience nearer1 can never cease to be remembered4 ,when at last called out by the voice of the presiding officer1 ,i found my way to the end of a rude bench or counter that ran partly across the room1 leaned upon it1 shut my eyes1 and began to talk4 ,how hoarse and hollow the sound that followed6 ,all that was uttered was instantly forgotten by the speaker1 for one terrible thought dominated every other--a speech was being made6 ,my head whirled1 every nerve tingled1 and a confused1 roaring sound filled my ears1 while ,i most heartily repented of allowing myself to be persuaded into such a frightful position4 ,a great dread stared at me from the end of each sentence--that of finding nothing more to say and being obliged to sit down amid the ridicule of neighbors and school-fellows4 ,when at length the agony was over1 and opening my eyes1 ,i dropped into a seat1 a striking revulsion of feeling occurred4 ,this rose to the height of joy and triumph when ,i learned that 8the speech0 had actually been ten minutes long4 ,it was a grand achievement6 ,in all sober earnest1 ,i estimate that this first effort was probably the most profitable of my life1 because it was a beginning in the right direction4 ,weeks of preparation preceded the momentous effort1 and in some kind of a way the result had been poured upon the audience4 ,from that time the writer was numbered among the village debaters and shared in the advantages of the village ,lyceum--a capital means of improvement4 ,had the first extemporaneous effort been made later in life1 the shrinking and terror1 would probably have been even greater4 ,while no way has been discovered of altogether preventing the initial fear that attends extemporaneous speech by the unpracticed orator1 yet it may be greatly lessened and more rapid and perfect control of it obtained by heeding a few simple suggestions4 ,some serviceable expedients have already been pointed out1 and will here only be referred to4 ,as simple a plan as that described in the last chapter1 with lengthened meditation on each part1 will give the mind of the speaker something to do aside from dwelling upon his own danger4 ,he should also prepare far more matter than can possibly be used--so much that in the simplest and baldest statement it will fill a respectable period of time4 ,he need not be careful as to how he speaks1 or in how many forms he repeats the same idea4 ,originality1 also1 may safely be neglected4 ,the object is not to talk especially well1 or to utter that which has never been uttered before1 but only to keep on talking until self-possession and the mastery of every faculty have been fully restored4 ,this preparation of great quantities of material with no care as to the graces of delivery may expose the speaker in time to another peril--that of being tedious and wearisome2 but this is not the source of the initial fear with which we are now dealing1 and when it becomes a real evil there are effectual means of guarding against it4 ,a further direction is that the mode of introduction be very firmly fixed in the mind4 ,this wonderfully calms the speaker4 ,he knows that he can begin even if he never gets any further2 and by the time the introduction is passed1 if the man possesses any natural aptitude for speech1 his mind will in all ordinary cases have recovered its equilibrium1 and be ready to devise and direct everything that follows4 ,the plan and the full notes which have been made should also be kept within easy reach1 or even in the hand--not with the intention of using them1 for that is the very thing to be avoided1 but that the speaker1 by knowing that they can be referred to in an emergency1 may be guarded against 8stage fright40 ,he may also exercise self-control by not looking at them unless absolutely driven to it4 ,the object of first efforts--even for the orator who is great in other modes of delivery--is not to make a great or admired speech1 but only to get through the ordeal without disgrace or failure4 ,quality must be sought later4 ,to get any reasonable quantity of speech at first1 to satisfy yourself that you can both think and talk when on your feet1 is achievement enough4 ,one caution may be offered to the man possessing a good written style which the boy will not need4 ,do not make your preparation so minutely or verbally that the very words linger in your memory4 ,if you do1 one of two things will probably happen3 either you will recite a memorized speech1 which1 however fine in itself1 will contribute nothing to the object of learning to speak extemporaneously1 or the fine fragments of remembered diction that flood in your mind will be so out of harmony with the words spontaneously evolved as to produce a continual series of jars and discords noticeable to every one1 and to none more painfully than to yourself4 ,the writer once listened to a speech of this mixed character1 in which the orator would soar for a time on the wings of most excellent words1 and then drop down to his ordinary and very meagre vocabulary4 ,so frequent and unexpected were these transitions that the orator's progress suggested nothing so much as traveling over one of those western corduroy roads1 where the wheels of the carriage first rise with a great effort on top of a log1 and then plunge into fathomless depths of mud6 ,rather than such jolting1 it is better that the experimental speeches should never rise above the level of mere talk1 and thus maintain a uniform progress4 ,in due time all qualified persons can lift their extemporaneous words as high as the utmost reach of the pen4 ,but first must be gained the power of standing unprotected by a paper wall1 face to face with an audience and employing every faculty as calmly and efficiently as in the study4 ,practice in talking to the people will make this possible and easy1 but nothing else will4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,utility ,,of ,,debating ,,societies4 ,comparatively little attention is paid to the direct cultivation of extemporaneous oratory in schools and colleges4 ,indirectly1 much help is given by teaching many things which go to furnish the orator with ideas and words1 but the combination of these into that noble effort of human genius--a speech--is left to individual research or to accident4 ,a few schools of oratory have been founded which give a large and probably disproportionate share of attention to elocution in the form of stage or dramatic reading2 but even the best of these are as yet but entering upon their real work of cultivating thoroughly the power of persuasive public speech4 ,when each college shall have a chair of extempore speech1 and each academy shall give as much attention to unpremeditated utterances in conversation and public address as is now bestowed upon ,greek or ,latin1 the oratory of pulpit1 bar1 platform1 and legislature will be of a vastly higher type4 ,some newspaper critics have deprecated teaching the art of speech on the ground that there is already too much public talking4 ,this view1 if seriously entertained1 is very narrow and misleading4 ,not more1 but better speech--an increase of quality1 rather than quantity--would result from cultivation1 and improved methods4 ,and it may also be argued that if a great part of the work of life is found in convincing1 instructing1 and persuading our fellows1 an abundance of speech is absolutely required4 ,as freedom and mental activity increase1 the only practicable modes of leading and governing men1 which rest upon persuasive speech1 will be more urgently demanded4 ,in a state where the will of one man is law1 political speech has little place2 and in a ,church where independent thought is heresy and the mass of the people accept unquestioningly the precise form of faith in which they were born1 preaching will have a very narrow field4 ,but in our own country it is our boast that we determine every subject by free discussion2 and it is clear that a man who can take no part in the oral battles that are continually waged about him is placed at a great disadvantage4 ,but the literary societies generally connected with schools do afford very valuable help in acquiring the art of oratory4 ,not only their formal exercises1 but their discussion of points of order and procedure1 and the management of the business and government of such societies1 call out talking talent4 ,debating societies or lyceums give the same kind of facilities to speakers outside of educational halls4 ,a spirited debate on some topic not above the comprehension of the debaters affords one of the best possible means of acquiring the prime faculties of assurance and fluency4 ,in such debates the question is chosen1 the sides assigned1 and ample time given for that kind of preparation which can only be effectually made in the general study of the subject4 ,there is no great temptation to write a speech for a coming debate1 as its formal sentences would fit poorly into the line of argument1 the course of which cannot be foreseen1 even if their substance should not be anticipated by a speaker on the same side4 ,but the more general knowledge of the subject in its entire range that can be acquired the better1 so long as it does not overwhelm the speaker4 ,the opening speech may indeed be planned in advance with some definiteness1 but all others will be colored and modified by the situation into which the debate has been drawn4 ,each participant is under a strong stimulus to do his best1 sure1 if successful1 of warm approval by his colleagues and sweet triumph over his opponents4 ,after the opening speech each contestant will have the time his predecessor is speaking for arranging arguments and preparing an answer4 ,the stimulus of contradiction rouses every faculty to the highest energy4 ,each argument is scrutinized for the purpose of discovering its weak point1 and nothing will pass on trust4 ,it may as well be acknowledged that the gladiatorial spirit1 though in a modified form1 is still rife in the civilized world4 ,the 8joy of conflict0 may be tasted as well in the sharp encounters of an earnest debate upon some topic of absorbing interest as on the battle-field4 ,a society which furnishes its members continual opportunity for speech1 under such conditions cannot fail to be a powerful educator in the direction of extemporaneous speech4 ,in such encounters1 the freedom that belongs to this kind of address is most highly appreciated1 and the mistaken considerations of dignity and propriety which so often take all life and heart from speech can have little weight4 ,debates have indeed been occasionally carried on by means of essays in place of speeches1 but such encounters have been tame and listless affairs1 and have soon given place to the real article4 ,among the ,american statesmen who have taken their first lessons in the art which paved their way to greatness in country debating societies may be reckoned ,henry ,clay1 ,abraham ,lincoln1 ,james ,a4 ,garfield1 and many others only less eminent4 ,enough inducements1 we trust1 have been set forth to lead every student of speech to find or make an opportunity for availing himself of this capital means of cultivation4 ,let him enter upon the work of debating1 earnestly resolving 7after the first few efforts7 to do the very best in his power4 ,let him arrange his material carefully1 select a striking mode of opening each address1 and strive to close in such a manner as to leave the best effect on the minds of his hearers4 ,as he debates for improvement rather than for immediate victory1 he will1 of course1 despise all tricks and seek to win fairly1 or--what is just as important a lesson--he will learn to accept defeat gracefully4 ,the skeletons of two speeches on opposite sides of the same question are here presented for the purpose of showing how a simple plan will hold to the proper place all the thoughts and arguments that may be accumulated4 ,the same form of outline is used as in the preceding chapter4 ,,question4 ,would the annexation of ,cuba to the ,united ,states be beneficial8 ,,affirmative ,,argument4 ,,introduction4--,how small and hemmed in by powerful countries the ,united ,states would have been if no annexations had ever been made4 ,to annex ,cuba would be no new policy4 ,,discussion4 ,argument ,first4--,favorable location of ,cuba and commercial value to the ,united ,states4 ,argument ,second4--,the great riches and beauty of the ,island1 which make it very desirable4 ,argument ,third4--,advantages to the people of ,cuba themselves1 in belonging to a great and free nation4 ,,conclusion4--,all previous annexations had to encounter strong opposition when first proposed1 but are now acknowledged to have been good policy4 ,so1 if ,cuba is brought under our flag1 opposition will die out and all parties be glad of the result4 ,,negative ,,argument4 ,,introduction4--,plausible but inconclusive nature of the argument advanced on the other side4 ,previous annexations may not have been good1 though opposition ceased when it could avail nothing4 ,even if all former annexations were beneficial this might not be1 as all attending circumstances are so widely different4 ,,discussion4 ,argument ,first4--,the nation has already as much territory as can be well governed4 ,an increase would lead to grave dangers4 ,argument ,second4--,the people of ,cuba are different in language1 race1 and religion from the majority of the people of the ,united ,states2 have different customs1 and are unacquainted with the working of our institutions4 ,they could not therefore be transformed easily into good citizens4 ,,conclusion4--,dreadful wars and calamities have arisen in all ages and all parts of the world from greediness in absorbing territory--8earth hunger10 as the ,germans call it4 ,to annex ,cuba would involve present and future danger4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,thought ,,and ,,emotion4 ,two kinds of preparation contribute to the production of eloquence4 ,one is the preparation of the speaker1 the other of the speech4 ,the first is fully as important as the second4 ,in ordinary cases both are indispensable4 ,some 8born orators0 speak well without appearing to pay any attention to the improvement of their faculties4 ,others are occasionally eloquent on a topic without special preparation4 ,yet these cases when closely examined will be found apparent rather than real exceptions to the rule above stated4 ,the man who seems never to have cultivated the power of speech1 and is yet able to blaze into fervid eloquence at will1 has usually concealed his preparation or carried it on in such uncommon methods that they have not been recognized as preparations4 ,on the other hand1 a man who speaks well without a moment's warning can do so only when the subject is thoroughly familiar to him4 ,a ready and self-possessed speaker may grasp thoughts which have been long maturing in his mind1 and give them forth to an audience in obedience to an unexpected summons1 but if he is called upon when he knows nothing whatever of his subject1 failure is inevitable1 though he may possibly veil it more or less in a stream of platitudes4 ,ask a man at a moment's warning to give an astronomical lecture4 ,if he is perfectly familiar with the subject in general1 and is also a practical orator1 he may succeed well without preparing a special speech4 ,but if he is ignorant of ,astronomy1 what kind of an address can he make8 ,if he is the most eloquent man in the nation that faculty will avail him nothing1 for he cannot extemporize the names of the planets1 the laws which govern their motions1 or any of the facts out of which his lecture must be woven4 ,precisely the same necessity of adequate information exists in every other field of intelligence4 ,the ignorant man cannot possibly tell that which he does not know1 although he may make a great show of knowledge out of small material2 but even to do that with certainty requires careful premeditation and arrangement4 ,in this and following chapters we wish to treat of the kind of cultivation which makes a man ready to speak4 ,the field is here very wide and some general considerations must be introduced1 but we hope also to give valuable practical directions1 especially to those who are yet at the beginning of their career4 ,in considering man as a speaker1 we may classify his faculties into two broad divisions2 those which furnish the materials of communication with his fellows2 and those which furnish the means of such communication4 ,the first class gives rise to thoughts and emotions in man's own breast2 the second enables him to arouse similar thoughts and emotions in the breasts of others4 ,our course1 therefore1 will be to consider1 first1 thought and emotion1 and afterward those powers of body and mind by which we express1 that is1 press out from ourselves toward the receptive faculties of our fellow beings4 ,thought1 in the broad sense here given1 embraces the knowledge of all facts1 and all the reasoning that may be based upon those facts4 ,emotion is the mental feeling or response to knowledge1 and comprises love1 hate1 joy1 fear1 sorrow1 and hope4 ,these two elements are the broad basis of all eloquence4 ,keen1 profound1 far-reaching thought--in other words1 thought raised to its highest terms--and quick1 sensitive1 powerful emotion1 are necessary to the highest eloquence4 ,compared with them1 mere verbal fluency is less than dust in the balance4 ,but such a combination--the highest degree of both thought and emotion--is rare1 and many degrees less than the highest of either is available for genuine eloquence4 ,to increase either or both1 if it can be done without any corresponding sacrifice1 is to increase eloquence in precisely the same proportion4 ,education in the popular sense is the cultivation of thought with the added faculty of language4 ,but we prefer to consider the latter power separately as one among the means of communicating thought4 ,how1 then1 shall thought-power be increased8 ,there is no royal road4 ,every one of the faculties by which knowledge is accumulated and arranged or digested into new forms grows stronger by being employed upon its own appropriate objects4 ,exercise is then the means by which the material of knowledge is gathered1 and all faculties strengthened for future gathering4 ,each fact gained adds to the treasury of thought4 ,a broad and liberal education is of exceeding advantage4 ,this may or may not be of the schools4 ,indeed1 they too often substitute a knowledge of words for a knowledge of things4 ,that fault is very serious to the orator1 for the only way by which even language can be effectively taught1 is by giving terms to objects1 the nature of which has been previously learned4 ,but many persons need to speak who cannot obtain an education in the usual sense of the words--that is1 college or seminary training4 ,must they keep their lips forever closed on that account8 ,by no means4 ,a thousand examples1 some of them the most eminent speakers the world has produced1 encourage them to hope4 ,let such persons learn all they can4 ,wide1 well-selected1 and systematic reading will do wonders in supplying the necessary thought-material4 ,every book of history1 biography1 travels1 popular science1 which is carefully read1 and its contents fixed in the mind1 will be available for the purposes of oratory4 ,here a word of advice may be offered1 which1 if heeded1 will be worth many months of technical education at the best colleges in the land2 it is this3 have always at hand some work that in its own sphere possesses real and permanent merit1 and read it daily until completed4 ,if notes are made of its contents1 and the book itself kept on hand for reference1 so much the better4 ,if some friend can be found who will hear you relate in your own words what you have read1 this also will be of great value4 ,many persons1 especially in our own country1 spend time enough in reading the minute details of the daily papers to make them thoroughly acquainted in ten years with forty volumes of the most useful books in the world4 ,think of it6 ,this number may include nearly all the literary masterpieces4 ,which mode of spending the time will produce the best results8 ,one newspaper read daily would amount to more than three hundred in a year1 and allowing each paper to be equal to ten ordinary book pages1 the result would be three thousand pages annually1 or six volumes of five hundred pages each4 ,in ten years this would reach sixty volumes6 ,this number1 comprising the world's best books in history1 poetry1 science1 and general literature1 might be read slowly1 with meditation and diligent note-taking1 by the most busy man who was willing to employ his leisure in that way4 ,libraries and books are now brought within the reach of all1 and the mass of what man knows can be learned in outline by any student who thirsts for knowledge4 ,while thus engaged the student is on the direct road toward oratorical efficiency1 though such knowledge will not in itself constitute eloquence4 ,it is but one of its elements4 ,neither will the speaker have to wait until any definite quantity of reading has been accomplished before it becomes serviceable to him4 ,all that he learns will be immediately available1 and1 with proper effort1 the facility of speech and the material for speaking will keep pace with each other4 ,but personal observation of life and nature are just as necessary as reading4 ,the world of books is very extensive1 but it yields its treasures only to persons who bring to its study some independent knowledge of their own4 ,we cannot hope to add much to the world's stock of knowledge by what we see with our own eyes1 but what we do see and hear will interpret for us what we learn from the far wider world of books4 ,gibbon tells us that his militia service1 though of no great advantage in itself1 was afterward very useful to the historian of the ,roman ,empire4 ,what we behold of the landscape around us lays the foundation for understanding what poets and travelers tell us of other landscapes we may never see4 ,book knowledge will become real and vivid just in proportion as it is brought into comparison with the observation of our own senses4 ,to the orator1 this is far more important than to the ordinary student1 for it adds greatly to the royal faculty of imagination4 ,a description from the lips of a speaker who beholds at the moment a mental picture1 accurate as a photograph1 and bright with color1 will be very different from another description built up only of words1 however well chosen and melodious the latter may be4 ,a little dabbling in natural science1 a few experiments tried1 an occasional peep through telescope or microscope at the worlds they open1 and all other means of bringing knowledge under the scrutiny of our own senses1 will greatly contribute to the power of the orator4 ,the reasoning faculties must also be trained by exercise upon their own objects4 ,the knowledge which has been gathered from personal observation or from the testimony of others in books will furnish material1 but will not enable us to reason4 ,logic and mathematics have considerable utility as guides1 but they cannot supply the want of continuous application of the processes of argument and deduction4 ,no man becomes a reasoner from merely learning the mode in which the reason operates4 ,of two persons1 one of whom understands every mood of the syllogism and the source of every fallacy1 while the other has no technical knowledge of logic1 but has been engaged in careful reasoning1 discussion1 and argument1 all his life1 it may easily happen that the latter will be the better reasoner of the two--just as a man might learn from the books all the rules of the game of croquet1 and yet be beaten by another who continually handled the mallet1 but had never read a single rule4 ,practice makes perfect4 ,essay writing1 constructing arguments1 tracing effects back to their causes1 making careful comparison of all things that can be compared1 in short1 bringing our judgment to bear upon all facts1 forming our own opinions of every event1 and being always ready to give a reason to those who ask1--these modes of exercise will make the faculty of reason grow continually stronger4 ,it is not pretended that these or any other modes of cultivation can make all minds equal1 but they will improve any one--the lowest as surely as the most active--though the interval after both have been thus exercised will remain as great as before4 ,extempore speech itself1 when practiced upon carefully arranged plans or models as recommended hereafter1 is one of the most powerful modes of cultivating the logical faculty4 ,to construct plans1 so that all thoughts accumulated upon a given subject may be unfolded in a natural and orderly manner1 cannot fail to exercise the reasoning faculties1 and impart corresponding strength to them4 ,but how shall emotion be cultivated8 ,the wisest speech1 if deep feeling neither throbs in the words nor is manifested in delivery1 cannot be eloquent4 ,the orator can only speak forth from an aroused and excited nature4 ,there is a kind of intellectual excitation kindled by the presentation of truth which is sufficiently effective when instruction is the only object4 ,but to persuade and move men--the usual aim of the orator--requires passion4 ,no pretense will avail the extempore speaker4 ,he will infallibly be detected if counterfeiting1 and to succeed in exhibiting feeling he must really feel4 ,there are but two things which can arouse feeling--care for a cause or for persons4 ,many a man is eloquent when 8riding his hobby10 though at no other time4 ,he has thought so much upon that special subject1 and has so thoroughly identified himself with it1 that everything relating to it becomes invested with personal interest4 ,any cause which can thus be made personal will be apt to arouse feeling4 ,it would be wise1 therefore1 for an orator to identify himself as closely as possible with all manner of good causes which come within his reach4 ,then such well-springs of emotion will gush out easily and frequently4 ,this mode of excitation is largely intellectual in its character4 ,the next to be described has more to do with the affections4 ,the clergyman wants to secure the welfare of his congregation1 and the better he is acquainted with them individually the stronger will be this wish4 ,the lawyer is but a poor attorney if he does not so identify himself with his client as to feel more than a professional interest in the latter's success4 ,the politician needs no exhortation to rouse his enthusiasm for his party and his chief4 ,all these are instances of that care for persons which adds so greatly to the powers of effective speech4 ,the plain inference1 therefore1 is that the speaker will gain largely by identifying himself as closely as possible with the interests of men1 and by cultivating love for them4 ,a cynical or indifferent spirit makes a fearful discount from the possibilities of eloquence4 ,only the greatest qualities in other directions can prevent it from proving fatal4 ,the power and sensitiveness of emotions founded upon intimate knowledge and partnership of interest go far to explain the wonderful eloquence of the old ,greeks4 ,their country was the native land of eloquence4 ,this arose not so much from the character of that gifted race as from the fact that each speaker personally knew his audience and had an intimate1 material interest in the affairs he discussed4 ,they regarded their opponents as terribly bad men4 ,their own lives and the lives of many of their friends were not unfrequently involved in the questions they discussed4 ,the ,states were so small1 and the personal element so important1 that strongly aroused feeling became inevitable4 ,the discussion of war or peace before an audience who knew that if they voted war their town might be besieged by the enemy within a fortnight1 was sure to be eagerly listened to4 ,no platitudes would be tolerated4 ,the orators spoke before their neighbors1 some of them friendly1 others bitter enemies who were seeking in each word they uttered an occasion for their ruin4 ,much of the wonderful power of ,demosthenes arose from the deep solicitude felt by himself and excited in his hearers as they watched the swiftly coming ruin of their common country4 ,it is also a law of human nature that we feel deeply for that which has cost us great labor4 ,the collector of old china or of entomological specimens learns to greatly value the ugly dishes and bugs he gathers1 though others may despise them4 ,the more of real work we do in the world1 the deeper the hold our hearts take upon it4 ,this is one of the secrets of the power of goodness as an element of oratory4 ,it was long ago declared that a good man1 other things being equal1 will be a better speaker than a bad man4 ,his affections are called forth by a greater variety of objects4 ,yet hate can make a man eloquent as well as love1 and some of the most eloquent orations ever uttered partook largely of this baleful inspiration4 ,but the occasions on which noble feelings may rise into eloquence are far more numerous and important4 ,why should not a man train himself to take a deep interest in all that is brought familiarly to his notice8 ,this wide range of sympathy is one of the marks which distinguishes a great from a small mind4 ,it has been said that 8lunar politics0 can have no possible interests for the inhabitants of this globe4 ,but who can be sure of this1 if there be such a thing as 8lunar politics08 ,the wider our knowledge the more we recognize the possibility of interests which we had not before dreamed of4 ,if there are inhabitants on the moon1 and if we have an immortal existence1 it is far from impossible that we might some time be brought into the closest connection with them4 ,no man can tell the bearing of a new fact upon human welfare1 more than he can write the history of a new-born babe4 ,at any rate1 every fact is a part of the great system of truth which lies all about us1 and which is adapted to the needs of our intellect4 ,let it also be remembered that all men are kindred1 and that we should make common cause with them4 ,when this comes to be the habitual attitude of the mind1 not as a mere sentiment1 but as a strong and steady impulse1 impassioned speech on any great theme affecting the interests of nations or individual men will be easy4 ,emotion cannot be feigned1 neither can it be directly roused by an effort of the will4 ,we cannot say1 8,now ,i will be in a furious passion10 or1 8,now ,i will be inflamed with wrath against this great wrong10 for the mere sake of speaking better upon the subject in hand4 ,but we can gaze upon a great wrong1 and meditate upon the evil it involves1 until the tides of indignant emotion arise in our breast4 ,many a well-prepared speech has failed of effect1 because the orator was so anxious about the form of his address and his own popularity as to lose interest in the subject itself4 ,sometimes speeches read or recited fail from an opposite cause4 ,the interest has once been aroused1 and having burned during the protracted period of composition1 it cools and cannot be recalled4 ,no energy1 declamation1 or elegance of diction can redeem this capital defect4 ,to tell a man in general terms how he may widen his sympathies and enter into the closest bonds with his fellows is difficult4 ,it is much easier to tell him what not to do4 ,the hermits of the desert took exactly the wrong course4 ,they lost the power of eloquence except upon some theme which could be wedded to their solitary musings4 ,peter the ,hermit was roused to fury by the tales of wrongs to pilgrims in the ,holy ,city--almost the only thing that could have made him eloquent4 ,but on that one topic he spoke like a man inspired and was able to call all ,europe to arms4 ,whatever separates from the common interests of humanity must diminish the power or at least the range of genuine emotion4 ,to know a great many men1 to understand their business affairs1 to enter into their joy and fear1 to watch the feelings that rise and fall in their hearts1 is sure to deepen our own feelings by unconscious imitation and sympathy4 ,each new friend is an added power of noblest emotion--a new point at which the world takes hold of our hearts4 ,how many persons are eloquent for a cause only6 ,on the other hand1 some men care nothing for general principles1 but will throw their whole soul into a conflict for friends4 ,that man is well furnished for eloquence who knows a great deal1 who can mentally combine1 arrange1 and reason correctly upon what he knows1 who feels a personal interest in every fact with which his memory is stored1 and every principle which can be deduced from those facts1 and who has so great an interest in his fellows that all deeds which affect them awaken the same response in his heart as if done to himself4 ,he will then possess all the necessary treasures of thought1 and will himself be warmed by the fires of emotion4 ,the only remaining problem will be to find the manner of communicating his thought and emotion in undiminished force to others through the medium of speech4 ,the mode of cultivating the powers necessary to this end will next engage our attention4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,language4 ,the preceding chapter dealt with those faculties which provide the materials of speech1 and in one sense was scarcely appropriate to a treatise designed to show the best modes of communicating knowledge4 ,yet it was difficult to approach the subject intelligibly in any other way4 ,so much has been said about the natural power of oratory that it was necessary to define its character and to show how it might be supplemented by cultivation4 ,but it is more directly our task to point out the mode of improving the communicative faculties4 ,first in importance among these stands language4 ,without its assistance thought could not be consecutively imparted4 ,some vague and intangible conceptions might arise within our own minds1 but even these could not be given to other minds without the medium of words4 ,the power of language is distinct from general intellectual ability4 ,it by no means follows that a man who possesses important thoughts and deep emotions will be able to communicate them well2 but a very moderate endowment of the word-faculty may be so cultivated as to fulfill every requirement4 ,diligent practice in the methods advised below will enable the great majority of men to express their thoughts with fullness and accuracy4 ,there are certain laws in every language made binding by custom1 which cannot be transgressed without exposing the offender to the severe penalty of ridicule and contempt4 ,these laws form the basis of grammar1 and must be thoroughly learned4 ,if a man has been under the influence of good models from childhood1 correctness will be a matter almost of instinct2 but the reverse of this is frequently the case4 ,even then there is but little difficulty experienced by any one who will take the necessary pains1 in learning to write in accordance with the rules of speech1 and when this power has been attained there is a standard formed by which to judge our spoken words4 ,but it is not enough for the extempore speaker to be able to reduce his sentences to correctness by recasting1 pruning1 or adding to them4 ,they should be required to present themselves at first in correct form and in rounded completeness4 ,he has no time to think of right or wrong constructions1 and the only safe way1 therefore1 is to make the right so habitual that the wrong will not once be thought of4 ,in other words1 we must not only be able to express ourselves correctly by tongue and pen1 but the very current of unspoken words that flows in our brains must be shaped in full conformity to the laws of language4 ,when we exercise the power of continuous grammatical thinking1 there will be no difficulty in avoiding the ridiculous blunders which are supposed to be inseparable from extempore speech4 ,correctness in pronunciation is also of importance4 ,usage has given each word its authorized sound1 which no person can frequently mistake without rendering himself liable to the easiest and most damaging of all criticisms4 ,bad pronunciation produces another and extremely hurtful effect upon extempore speech4 ,the mental effort necessary to discriminate between two modes of pronouncing a word1 neither of which is known to be right1 diverts the mind from the subject and produces embarrassment and hesitation4 ,accuracy in the use of words1 which is a charm in spoken no less than written language1 may also be impaired from the same cause2 for if two terms that may be used for the same idea are thought of1 only one of which can be pronounced with certainty1 that one will be preferred1 even if the other be the more suitable4 ,the extemporizer ought to be so familiar with the sound of all common words that none but the right pronunciation and accent will ever enter his mind4 ,fluency and accuracy in the use of words are two qualities that have often been confounded1 though perfectly distinct4 ,to the speaker they are of equal importance1 while the writer has far more need of the latter4 ,all words have their own peculiar shades of meaning4 ,they have been builded up into their present shape through long ages4 ,by strange turns and with many a curious history have they glided into the significations they now bear2 and each one is imbedded in the minds of the people as the representative of certain definite ideas4 ,words are delicate paints that1 to the untutored eye1 may seem of one color1 but each has its own place in the picture painted by the hand of genius1 and can be supplanted by no other4 ,many methods have been suggested for learning these fine shades of meaning4 ,the study of ,greek and ,latin has been urged as the best and almost the only way3 such study may be very useful for discipline1 and will give much elementary knowledge of the laws of language3 but the man who knows no other tongue than his own need not consider himself debarred from the very highest place as a master of words4 ,the careful study of a good etymological dictionary will1 in time1 give him about all the valuable information bearing upon this subject that he could obtain from the study of many languages4 ,in general reading1 let him mark every word he does not perfectly understand1 and from the dictionary find its origin1 the meaning of its roots1 and its varied significations at the present day4 ,this will make the word as familiar as an old acquaintance1 and when he meets it again he will notice if the author uses it correctly4 ,the student may not be able to examine every word in the language1 but by this mode he will be led to think of the meaning of each one he sees2 and from this silent practice he will learn the beauty and power of ,english as fully as if he sought it through the literatures of ,greece and ,rome4 ,if this habit is long continued it will cause words to be used correctly in thinking as well as in speaking4 ,to read a dictionary consecutively and carefully 7ignoring the old story about its frequent change of subject7 will also be found very profitable4 ,translating from any language1 ancient or modern1 will have just the same tendency to teach accurate expression as careful original composition4 ,in either case the improvement comes from the search for words that exactly convey certain ideas1 and it matters not what the source of the ideas may be4 ,the use of a good thesaurus1 or storehouse of words1 may also be serviceable by showing in one view all the words that relate to any subject4 ,but none of these methods will greatly increase fluency4 ,there is a practical difference between merely knowing a term and that easy use of it which only habit can give4 ,elihu ,burritt1 with his knowledge of fifty languages1 has often been surpassed in fluency1 force1 and variety of expression by an unlettered farmer1 because the few words the latter knew were always ready4 ,there is no way to increase this easy and fluent use of language without much practice in utterance4 ,where and how can such practice be obtained8 ,conversation affords an excellent means for this kind of improvement4 ,we do not mean the running fire of question and answer1 glancing so rapidly back and forth as to allow no time for premeditating or explaining anything1 but real and rational talk--an exchange of thoughts and ideas clearly and intelligibly expressed4 ,the man who engages much in this kind of conversation can scarcely fail to become an adept in the art of expressing his thoughts in appropriate language4 ,talk much2 express your ideas in the best manner possible2 if difficult at first1 persevere1 and it will become easier4 ,thus you will learn eloquence in the best and most pleasing school4 ,the common conversational style--that in which man deals directly with his fellow man--is the germ of true oratory4 ,it may be amplified and systematized2 but talking bears to eloquence the same relation that the soil does to the tree that springs out of its bosom4 ,but the best thoughts of men and the noblest expressions are seldom found floating on the sea of common talk4 ,to drink the deepest inspiration1 our minds must often come in loving communion with the wise and mighty of all ages4 ,in the masterpieces of literature we will find 8thought knit close to thought10 and1 what is still more to our present purpose1 words so applied as to breathe and live4 ,these passages should be read until their spirit sinks into our hearts and their melody rings like a blissful song in our ears4 ,to memorize many such passages will be a profitable employment4 ,the words of which such masterpieces are composed1 with the meanings they bear in their several places1 will thus be fixed in our minds ready to drop on our tongues when needed4 ,this conning of beautiful passages is not now recommended for the purpose of quotation1 although they may often be used in that manner to good advantage1 but simply to print the individual words with their signification more deeply in memory4 ,this may be effected1 also1 by memorizing selections from our own best writings4 ,what is thus used should be highly polished1 and yet preserve1 as far as possible1 the natural form of expression4 ,carried to a moderate extent1 this exercise tends to elevate the character of our extemporaneous efforts by erecting a standard that is our own1 and therefore suited to our tastes and capacities2 but if made habitual1 it will induce a reliance upon the memory rather than on the power of spontaneous production1 and thus destroy the faculty it was designed to cultivate4 ,but no means of cultivating fluency in language can rival extempore speech itself4 ,the only difficulty is to find a sufficient number of occasions to speak4 ,long intervals of preparation have great advantages as far as the gathering of material for discourse is concerned2 but they have disadvantages1 also1 which can only be overcome by more diligent effort in other directions4 ,clear and definite ideas greatly increase the power of language4 ,when a thought is fully understood it falls into words as naturally as a summer cloud1 riven by the lightning1 dissolves into rain4 ,so easy is it to express a series of ideas1 completely mastered1 that a successful speaker once said1 8,it is a man's own fault if he ever fails4 ,let him prepare as he ought1 and there is no danger40 ,the assertion was too strong1 for failure may come from other causes than a want of preparation4 ,yet the continuance of careful drill1 in connection with frequent speaking and close preparation1 will give very great ease and certainty of expression4 ,the 8blind but eloquent0 preacher1 ,milburn1 says that he gave four years of his life--the time spent as chaplain at ,washington--to acquire the power of speaking correctly and easily without the previous use of the pen1 and he declares that he considers the time well spent4 ,his style is diffuse1 sparkling1 rhetorical1 the most difficult to acquire1 though not by any means the most valuable4 ,an earnest1 nervous1 and yet elegant style may be formed by those who have the necessary qualifications in much shorter time4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,imagination4 ,nothing adds more to the brilliancy and effectiveness of oratory than the royal faculty of imagination4 ,this weird and glorious power deals with truth as well as fiction and gives to its fortunate possessor the creative1 life-breathing spirit of poetry4 ,listen to the description of natural scenery by a person of imagination1 and afterward by another destitute of that faculty6 ,each may be perfectly accurate and refer to the same objects1 even enumerating the same particulars in the same order2 but the one gives a catalogue1 the other a picture4 ,in relating a story or enforcing an argument1 the same difference in the vividness of impression is apparent4 ,it is said of ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 who possesses a strong imagination1 that the people would listen with delighted attention if he only described the mode in which a potato grew6 ,he would see a thousand beauties in its budding and blossoming1 and paint the picture so vividly as to command universal attention4 ,the ,bible1 which is the most popular of all books1 is pre-eminently a book of imagination4 ,nowhere is loftier or more beautiful imagery employed1 or wrought into more exquisite forms4 ,a few short and simple words paint pictures that the world looks upon with astonishment from age to age4 ,paradise ,lost1 the most sublime imaginative poem in the language of man1 drew much of its inspiration from a few passages in ,genesis4 ,job and ,isaiah are without rivals in the power of picturing by means of words1 sublime objects beyond the grasp of mortal vision4 ,while illustrations and comparisons flow principally from the reasoning faculties1 their beauty and sparkle come from imagination4 ,without its influence these may explain and simplify1 but they have no power to interest the hearer or elevate the tenor of discourse4 ,how may imagination be cultivated8 ,it is said that 8,poets are born1 not made10 but the foundation of every other faculty also is in nature1 while all are useless1 unless improved1 and applied4 ,imagination will increase in vigor and activity by proper use4 ,its function is to form complete mental images from the detached materials furnished by the senses4 ,it gathers from all sources and mixes and mingles until a picture is produced4 ,the proper way to cultivate it lies in forming abundance of just such pictures and in finishing them with all possible care4 ,let the orator1 on the canvas of the mind1 paint in full size and perfect coloring1 every part of his speech which relates to material or visible things4 ,illustrations also can usually be represented in picturesque form4 ,we do not now speak of outward representation1 but of viewing all objects in clear distinctness1 through the eye of the mind4 ,it is not enough for the speaker1 if he would reach the highest success1 to gather all the facts he wishes to use1 to arrange them in the best order1 or even to premeditate the very form of words4 ,instead of the latter process1 he may more profitably strive to embrace all that can be pictured in one mental view4 ,if he can summon before him in the moment of description the very scenes and events about which he is discoursing1 and behold them vividly as in a waking dream1 it is probable that his auditors will see them in the same manner4 ,a large part of all discourses may thus be made pictorial4 ,in ,ivanhoe1 one of the characters looks out through a castle window and describes to a wounded knight within the events of the assault which was being made upon the castle4 ,any person could describe the most stirring scene vividly and well in the moment of witnessing it4 ,a strong imagination enables a speaker or poet to see those things he speaks of almost as accurately and impressively as if passing before his bodily eyes1 and often with far more brightness of color4 ,to make the effort to see what we write or read will have a powerful effect in improving the imaginative faculty4 ,reading and carefully pondering the works of those who have imagination in high degree will also be helpful4 ,the time devoted to the enjoyment of great poems is not lost to the orator4 ,they give richness and tone to his mind1 introduce him into scenes of ideal beauty1 and furnish him with many a striking thought and glowing image4 ,most of the sciences give as full scope to imagination in its best workings as poetry itself4 ,astronomy and geology are pre-eminent in this particular4 ,everything about them is grand4 ,they deal with immense periods of time1 vast magnitudes1 and sublime histories4 ,each science requires the formation of mental images and thus gives the advantages we have already pointed out4 ,it is possible for a scientific man to deal exclusively with the shell rather than the substance of science1 with its technical names and definitions rather than its grand truths2 but in this case the fault is with himself rather than with his subject4 ,the dryness of scientific and even mathematical studies relates only to the preliminary departments4 ,a philosopher once said that success in science and in poetry depended upon the same faculties4 ,he was very nearly right4 ,the poet is a creator who forms new worlds of his own4 ,the greatest of their number thus describes the process by which imagination performs its magic4 8,the poet's eye1 in a fine frenzy rolling1 ,doth glance from heaven to earth1 from earth to heaven2 ,and1 as imagination bodies forth ,the forms of things unknown1 the poet's pen ,turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing ,a local habitation and a name4 ,such tricks hath strong imagination40 ,almost the same result must be reached in many departments of science1 with the aid of only a few scattered facts for a basis4 ,the geologist has some broken bones1 withered leaves1 and fragments of rock1 from which to reconstruct the primitive world4 ,from the half-dozen facts observed through his telescope1 the astronomer pictures the physical condition of distant planets4 ,in every science the same need exists for imagination in its highest1 most truthful function1 and the same opportunity is1 therefore1 afforded for its cultivation4 ,an eminent elocutionist frequently urged his classes to employ all pauses in mentally picturing the idea contained in the coming sentence4 ,he declared that by this means the expression of the voice was rendered more rich and true4 ,in uttering our own words this process is at once more easy and more fruitful in varied advantages4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,voice ,,and ,,gesture4 ,voice and gesture form the immediate link between the speaker and his audience4 ,the value of good quality in both is sometimes over-estimated1 though it is always considerable4 ,a good voice1 well managed1 gives powerful and vivid expression to thought1 but cannot supply the absence of it4 ,neither is such a voice indispensable4 ,many instances of high success against vocal disadvantages might be mentioned2 but these only prove that other excellencies may atone for a single defect4 ,we can never be indifferent to the charms of a good voice1 that modulates with every emotion and responds to the finest shades of feeling4 ,it has much of the pleasing quality of music4 ,but this harmony cannot be evoked by merely mechanical training4 ,to teach the pupil just what note on the musical scale he must strike to express a particular emotion1 how much of an inflection must be used to express joy or sorrow1 and how many notes down the scale mark a complete suspension of sense1 is absurd3 speech can never be set to music4 ,but let it not be inferred from this that voice cultivation is useless4 ,the more perfect the instrument for the expression of thought can be made1 the better it will be fitted for its high office4 ,an orator may profitably spend a little time daily for years in training the voice1 for it is a faculty he must continually employ1 and none is more susceptible of improvement4 ,the passion evoked in animated speech will demand for its adequate expression almost every note and key within the compass of the voice2 and unless it has previously been trained into strength on each of these1 it will fail or grow weary4 ,the proper kind of preparation operates by exploring the range of the voice1 testing its capabilities1 and improving each tone4 ,this work is not imitative or slavish4 ,it is only like putting an instrument in tune before beginning a musical performance4 ,to give full elocutionary instruction here would be aside from our purpose2 but a few useful modes of practice may be pointed out4 ,good articulation is of prime importance4 ,nothing will contribute more to secure this valuable quality than the separation of words into their elements of sound and continued practice on each element as thus isolated4 ,phonetic shorthand affords a good means for making such analysis1 or the same purpose may be accomplished by means of the marks of pronunciation found in any dictionary4 ,as we practice these elements of sound we will discover the exact nature of any defect of articulation we may suffer from1 and can drill upon the sounds that are difficult until they become easy4 ,when we have thus learned to pronounce these few elements--not much above forty in number--and can follow them into all their combinations1 we have mastered the alphabet of utterance4 ,it will also contribute greatly to strengthen the voice and make it pliable1 if we continue the same practice on these elements at different degrees of elevation on the musical scale until we can utter each one in full1 round distinctness1 at any pitch from the deepest bass to the shrillest note ever used in speech4 ,this will bring all varieties of modulation within easy reach4 ,practice on these elements is also a very effective mode of strengthening weak voices4 ,by pronouncing them one by one1 with gradually increasing force1 the degree of loudness we can attain at any pitch1 will be greatly extended4 ,the amount of improvement that may be made would be incredible if it were not so often exemplified4 ,every teacher of elocution can testify of students1 the power of whose voices has thus been multiplied many fold2 and almost equal advantages may be reaped in persevering private practice4 ,following on the same line1 we may learn to enunciate the elements1 and especially the short vowels1 in a quick1 sharp tone1 more rapidly than the ticking of a watch1 and with the clearness of a bell4 ,this will enable the speaker to avoid drawling1 and be very fast when desirable1 without falling into indistinctness4 ,then1 by an opposite process1 other sounds1 especially the long vowels1 may be prolonged with every degree of force from the faintest to the fullest4 ,perseverance in these two exercises will so improve the voice that no hall will be too large for its compass4 ,the differing extension of sounds1 as well as their pitch and variations in force1 constitute the perspective of speech and give it an agreeable variety1 like the mingling of light and shade in a well-executed picture4 ,the opposite of this1 a dull1 dead uniformity1 with each word uttered in the same key1 with the same force1 and at the same degree of speed1 becomes well-nigh unbearable2 while perpetual modulation1 reflecting in each rise and fall1 each storm and calm of sound1 the living thought within1 is the perfection of nature1 which the best art can only copy4 ,all vocal exercises are of an essentially preparatory character4 ,in the moment of speech details may safely be left to the impulse of nature4 ,supply the capability by previous discipline1 and then allow passion to clothe itself in the most natural forms4 ,there is such a vital connection between emotion and the tones of voice1 that emphasis and inflection will be as spontaneous1 on the part of the disciplined speaker1 as breathing4 ,rules remembered in the act of speaking tend to destroy all life and freshness of utterance4 ,when bad habits have been corrected1 the voice made supple and strong1 confidence attained1 and deep feeling evoked in the speaker's breast1 there will be little need to care for the minuti of elocution4 ,the child that is burnt needs no instruction in the mode of crying out4 ,let nature have her way1 untrammeled by art1 and all feelings will dominate the voice and cause every hearer to recognize their nature and participate in them4 ,in this way we may not attain the brilliancy of theatric clap-trap1 but we will be able to give 8the touch of nature that makes the whole world kin40 ,if carefully guarded1 the faculty of imitation may be of great service in the management of the voice4 ,the sounds that express sympathy and passion are heard everywhere1 forming a medium of communication more subtle and widespread than any language of earth4 ,from the example of great orators we may learn what true excellence is1 and become able to reproduce some1 at least1 of their effects4 ,it would be hurtful to confine our attention too long to one model1 for true excellence is many-sided1 and if we continually view only one of its phases we are apt to fall into slavish imitation--one of the greatest of all vices4 ,by having many examples to look upon1 and using them only to elevate our own ideal1 we will escape this danger4 ,the models before us will urge us to greater exertions and the whole level of our attainments be raised4 ,there are abundant faults to mar the freedom and naturalness of delivery1 and the speaker who would be truly natural must watch diligently for them and exterminate them without mercy4 ,the sing-song tone1 the scream1 the lisp1 the guttural and tremulous tones1 the rhythmical emphasis which falls like a trip-hammer at measured intervals1 are specimens of common1 bad habits that should be weeded out as fast as they push through the soil2 and if the speaker's egotism is too great to see them1 or his taste not pure enough1 some friend should point them out4 ,even the advice of an enemy conveyed in the unpleasant form of sarcasm and ridicule may be profitably used for the purpose of reform and improvement4 ,should a conversational tone be employed in speaking8 ,this question has often been asked1 and much difference of opinion evoked1 but it may be satisfactorily answered4 ,the language of conversation is the language of nature in its most unfettered form1 and it should1 therefore1 be the basis of all speech4 ,the same variety and character of intonations used in it should be employed in every variety of oratory4 ,but conversation itself varies widely with varying circumstances4 ,the man talking with a friend across a river will speak less rapidly but more loudly than if he held that friend by the hand4 ,in speaking to a number at once1 the orator must1 in order to be heard1 speak more forcibly and distinctly than in addressing one only4 ,with this explanation1 it may be laid down as a safe rule that a speech should begin in a conversational manner4 ,but should it continue in the same way8 ,a deep1 full tone--the orotund of the elocutionist--will make a stronger impression than a shrill1 feeble utterance4 ,and as conversation becomes earnest even between two persons1 there is the tendency to stronger and more impressive tones4 ,this same tendency will be a sufficient guide in speech4 ,a trained man giving utterance to a well-prepared speech1 upon a theme which appeals to his own emotions1 will adopt those oratorical tones which form a proper medium for eloquence1 without a single thought given to that subject during the moment of delivery4 ,begin as a man who is talking to a number of his friends upon an interesting subject2 then1 as the interest deepens1 let go all restraint4 ,as passion rises like an inflowing tide1 the voice will be so fully possessed by it and so filled out and strengthened as to produce all the effect of which its compass is capable4 ,it will deepen into the thunder roll when that is needed1 and at the right time will grow soft and pathetic4 ,but above almost every other error that the speaker can commit1 beware of thinking that you must be loud in order to be impressive4 ,nothing is more disgusting than that interminable roar1 beginning with a shout1 and continuing to split the speaker's throat and the hearer's ears all through the discourse4 ,this fault is not uncommon in the pulpit1 especially among those who desire a reputation for extraordinary fervor and earnestness4 ,but it is the worst kind of monotony4 ,the loudness of tone1 that applied at the right place would be overpowering1 loses all power except to disgust and weary an audience4 ,it expresses no more thought or sentiment than the lashing of ocean waves conveys to the storm-tossed mariner4 ,have something to say2 keep the fires of passion burning in your own soul2 learn the real strength there is in the reserve of power2 and the cultivated voice will not fail in its only legitimate office--that of making the clear and adequate impression of your thoughts and emotions upon the souls of others4 ,elocutionary manuals properly devote much space to the consideration of gesture1 for the eye should be addressed and pleased as well as the ear4 ,but we doubt whether the marking out of special gestures to be imitated can do much good4 ,a few broad principles like those formulated by the celebrated ,french teacher1 ,delsarte1 may be profitably studied and made familiar by practice upon a few simple selections4 ,after that the principal use of training is to give confidence so that the speaker may be in the full possession and instinctive use of all his powers4 ,fear often freezes the speaker into ice-like rigidity2 and hearers are apt to feel the same deadly chill when listening to some one whose dominating sentiment is the fear that he may do something ridiculous1 or fail to win their favor4 ,the secondary use of training in gesture is to discard awkward and repulsive movements4 ,timidity and fear may be overcome by a firm resolution1 and the object is well worth the effort4 ,bad or ungraceful actions are far better in the case of a beginner than no action at all4 ,the saying of ,demosthenes1 that the first1 the second1 and the third need of an orator is 8,,action10 does not fully apply to the modern speaker4 ,he needs many things more urgently than action1 even when that word is taken in its widest sense4 ,but action is important1 and when graceful and expressive1 it does powerfully tend to arrest attention1 and even to help the processes of thought on the part of the speaker himself4 ,we have heard several eloquent men who scarcely moved during the delivery of an address1 but never without feeling that good gesticulation would have been a great addition to their power4 ,it is unnatural to speak for any considerable period of time without moving4 ,none but a lazy1 sick1 or bashful man will do it4 ,let the laziness be shaken off1 the sickness cured1 and the bashfulness reserved for a more fitting occasion6 ,a man who is too bashful and diffident to move hand1 head1 or foot in the presence of an audience should in consistency refuse to monopolize their time at all6 ,practice will usually overcome this fault4 ,when a man has stood a great many times before an audience without receiving any serious injury1 and has a good purpose in thus claiming their attention1 and something which he thinks they ought to hear1 he will forget his fears and allow his mind to be engrossed1 as that of a true speaker should be1 with the subject he has in hand4 ,then all his gestures will have at least the grace of unconscious and spontaneous origination4 ,but when fear has been overcome so that the speaker is not afraid to use his hands1 he needs to enter upon a determined and comprehensive campaign against bad habits4 ,if anything is truly natural--that is1 true to the higher or universal nature--it will be beautiful2 but early examples are so often wrong and corrupting that it is hard to say what nature is3 ,nature may be a bad nature--the reflection of all that is low and sordid as well as that which is high and ennobling4 ,that nature which is in harmony with the sum of all things1 which is the image of the ,creator's perfectness1 must be right and good2 but we must not too hastily conclude that any habits of our own have this high and unquestionable source4 ,hardly a speaker lives who does not at some time fall into unsightly or ridiculous habits4 ,the difference between men in this respect is that some steadily accumulate all the faults they ever have contracted1 until the result is most repulsive2 while others1 from the warnings of friends or their own observation1 discover their errors and cast them off4 ,a mode by which the solitary student may become acquainted with his faults1 and from which he should not be driven by foolish ridicule1 is by declaiming in as natural and forcible a manner as possible before a large mirror4 ,thus we may 8see ourselves as others see us40 ,repeated practice in this manner will enable you to keep the necessary watch upon your motions1 without so much distracting attention as to make the exercise before the glass no trustworthy specimen of ordinary habits4 ,in speaking1 you hear your own voice and thus become sensible of audible errors1 but the glass is required to show improper movements that may have been unconsciously contracted4 ,it is not advised that each speech1 before delivery1 should be practiced in front of the mirror4 ,it is doubtful if such practice would not cherish a self-consciousness worse than all the errors it corrected4 ,but the same objection would not apply to occasional declamations made for the very purpose of self-criticism4 ,by these two processes--pressing out into action as freely as possible under the impulse of deep feeling1 and by lopping off everything that is not graceful and effective--we may soon attain a good style of gesture4 ,when the habit of suiting the action to the word is once fully formed1 all anxiety on that subject may be dismissed4 ,the best gesticulation is entirely unconscious4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,confidence4 ,how may that boldness and confidence which is indispensable to an orator best be acquired8 ,on your success in this direction1 hinges all other kinds of improvement4 ,so long as a nervous dread hangs about you1 it will make the practice of extemporaneous speech painful and repulsive1 paralyzing all your faculties in the moment of utterance4 ,you must acquire confidence in your own powers and be willing to trust to their guidance4 ,but it is not necessary that you should exhibit or even feel this confidence at the beginning of a speech1 for it may then appear like boastfulness or egotism4 ,it is enough if you then have confidence in your subject1 and in the fullness of your preparation4 ,you may then without injury wish that some one1 that you imagine more worthy1 stood in your place4 ,but if this feeling continues all through the address1 failure is inevitable4 ,many a man begins while trembling in every limb1 especially if the occasion be of unusual character1 but soon becomes inspired with his theme and forgets all anxiety4 ,if your fear be greater and more persistent1 keeping you in perpetual terror1 it will destroy all liberty and eloquence4 ,when laboring under such an influence1 you lose self-possession1 become confused1 all interest evaporates from your most carefully prepared thoughts1 and you sit down at length1 convinced that you have failed4 ,it is but little consolation to believe that you had all the time in your brain the necessary power and material to achieve splendid success1 if you had but possessed the courage to use it aright4 ,there is no remedy for fear more effectual than to do all our work under the immediate inspiration of duty4 ,this feeling is not the privilege of the minister alone1 but of each one who is conscious that he occupies the place where he stands because it is his right to be there1 because he has some information to give1 some cause to advocate1 or some important task to do4 ,with such consciousness we can speak our best1 and finish with the satisfaction of having done our work as truly as if we had performed duty placed upon us in any other department of labor4 ,but if we aim simply at making an exhibition of self and of showing our own skill and eloquence1 then the smiles and frowns of the audience becomes a matter of overwhelming importance1 and if we fail we are deeply mortified and bewail our foolishness in exposing ourselves to such needless risk4 ,the lack of proper confidence is the great reason for using manuscript in the moment of speech4 ,the speaker makes one effort to extemporize and fails4 ,this is not wonderful1 for the path to success usually lies through failure from the time that we master the wonderful art of walking through many failures2 but instead of copying the schoolboy motto1 8try1 try again10 and reaping wisdom and experience from past efforts1 he loses all hope--concludes that he is disqualified for that kind of work1 and thus sinks to mediocrity and tameness1 when he might have been brilliant in the fields of true oratory4 ,the exhibition of confidence and resolution by the speaker is a draft drawn on the respect of an audience which is nearly always honored1 while the opposite qualities hide the possession of real talent4 ,hearers readily pardon timidity at the beginning of an address1 for then attention is fixed upon the speaker himself1 and his shrinking seems a graceful exhibition of modesty4 ,but when he has fully placed his subject before them they associate him with it4 ,if he is dignified and assured1 they listen in pleased attention and acknowledge the weight of his words4 ,these qualities are very different from bluster and bravado1 which injure the cause advocated and excite disgust toward the speaker4 ,the first appears to arise from a sense of the dignity of the subject2 the second1 from an assumption of personal superiority--an opinion no speaker has a right to entertain1 for in the very act of addressing an audience he constitutes them his judges4 ,an orator needs confidence in his own powers in order to avail himself fully of the suggestions of the moment4 ,some of the best thoughts he will ever think flash upon him while speaking1 and are out of the line of his preparation4 ,there is no time to carefully weigh them4 ,he must reject them immediately or begin to follow1 not knowing whither they lead1 and this in audible words1 with the risk that he may be landed in some absurdity4 ,he cannot pause for a moment1 as the least hesitation breaks the spell he has woven around his hearers1 while if he rejects the offered idea he may lose a genuine inspiration4 ,one searching glance that will not allow time for his own feelings or those of his auditors to cool1 and then--decision to reject1 or to follow the new track with the same assurance as if the end were clearly in view--this is all that is possible4 ,it requires some boldness to pursue the latter course1 and yet every speaker knows that his highest efforts--efforts that have seemed beyond his normal power1 and which have done more in a minute to gain the object for which he spoke than all the remainder of the discourse--have been of this character4 ,it also requires a good degree of confidence to firmly begin a sentence1 even when the general idea is plain1 without knowing just how it will end4 ,this difficulty is experienced sometimes even by the most fluent4 ,a man may learn to cast sentences very rapidly1 but it will take a little time to pass them through his mind1 and when one is finished1 the next may not yet have fully condensed itself into words4 ,to begin to utter a partially constructed sentence1 uncertain how it will end1 and press on without letting the people see any hesitation1 demands no small confidence in one's power of commanding words and framing sentences4 ,yet a bold and confident speaker need feel no uneasiness4 ,he may prolong a pause while he is thinking of a needed word1 or throw in something extraneous to fill up the time till the right term and construction are found4 ,yet the perfect remedy for these dangers is to learn the difficult art of standing before an audience with nothing to say and making the pause as effective as any phase of speech4 ,this can be done1 dangerous as it seems4 ,it does require far more of courage to face an audience when the mouth is empty than when we are talking2 the mettle of troops is never so severely tried as when their cartridge-boxes are empty2 but all the resources of eloquence are not at command until this test can be calmly and successfully endured4 ,an eminent speaker once said to a friend after a very successful effort1 8,what part of the address you have been praising most impressed you80 8,it was not anything you said10 was the reply1 8but the thrilling pause you made of nearly half a minute after a bold assertion1 as if you were challenging any one to rise and deny what you had asserted40 8,oh6 ,i remember10 returned the other2 8,i could not get the next sentence fixed quite right1 and was fully determined not to say it at all unless it came into the proper shape40 ,this necessary confidence can be cultivated by striving to exercise it1 and by assuming its appearance where the reality is not4 ,the raw recruit is transformed into a veteran soldier by meeting and overcoming danger4 ,all the drill in the world will not supply the want of actual experience on the battle-field4 ,so the extempore speaker must make up his mind to accept all the risk1 and patiently endure all the failures and perils that result4 ,if he fully decides that the reward is worthy of the effort he will be greatly aided in the attempt1 as he will thus avoid the wavering and shrinking and questioning that would otherwise distress him and paralyze his powers4 ,a failure will but lead to stronger and more persistent effort1 made with added experience4 ,success will be an argument for future confidence1 and thus any result will forward him on his course4 ,in regard to the difficulty of framing sentences in the moment of utterance1 the experienced speaker will become so expert1 having found his way through so many difficulties of that kind1 that the greatest danger experienced will be that of carelessly allowing his words to flow on without unity or polish4 ,it does require a determined effort1 not merely to express meaning1 but to pack and compress the greatest possible amount into striking and crystalline words4 ,experience also gives him such a knowledge of the working of his own thoughts that he will be able to decide at the first suggestion what unbidden ideas should be accepted and what ones should be rejected4 ,if these new thoughts1 however far outside of his preparation1 seem worthy1 he will give them instant expression2 if not1 he will dismiss them and continue unchecked along his intended route4 ,it is hoped that the reading of this treatise will increase the confidence of extempore speakers in two ways2 first1 by producing in the mind of each one perfect conviction that for him the better way is to adopt unwritten speech without reserve2 and second1 by pointing out a mode of preparation which will give as good ground for confidence as a fully written manuscript could possibly supply4 ,to gain confidence which is not warranted by the event would only provoke a hurtful reaction2 but confidence which is justified by experience grows ever stronger4 ,we have thus glanced at a few of the qualities which need to be cultivated and strengthened for the purposes of public speech4 ,the survey does not cover the whole field of desirable qualities1 for this would be to give a treatise on general education4 ,perfect speech requires every faculty of the mind to be brought to the highest state of efficiency4 ,there is no mental power which will not contribute to success4 ,the whole limits of possible education are comprised in the two branches already mentioned as concerning the orator--those relating to the reception of knowledge and those to its communication4 ,the harmonious combination and perfect development of these two is the ideal of excellence--an ideal so high that it can only be approached4 ,all knowledge is of use to the orator4 ,he may not have occasion to employ it in a particular speech1 but it contributes to give certainty1 breadth1 and scope to his views1 and assures him that what he does put into his speeches is the best that can be selected4 ,if he is ignorant1 he is obliged to use for a discourse on any subject not that material which is the best in itself1 but simply the best that may happen to be known to him1 and he cannot be sure that something far more suitable is not overlooked4 ,the communicating faculties are1 if possible1 still more important4 ,a great part of the value even of a diamond depends upon its polish and setting1 and the richest and wisest thoughts fail to reach the heart or captivate the intellect unless they are cast into the proper form1 and given external beauty4 ,let the speaker1 then1 have no fear of knowing too much4 ,neither need he despair if he does not now know a great deal4 ,he cannot be perfect at once1 but must build for future years4 ,if he wishes a sudden and local celebrity that will never widen1 but will probably molder away even in his own lifetime1 he may possibly gain it in another way4 ,let him learn a few of the externals of elocution1 and then1 with great care1 or by the free use of the materials of others1 prepare a few finely worded discourses1 and recite or declaim them over and over again as often as he can find a new audience4 ,he may not gain as much applause as he desires by this method1 but it will be sufficiently evanescent4 ,he will not grow up to the measure of real greatness1 but become daily more dwarfed and stereotyped in intellect4 ,the following quotation contains a good example of the seductive but misleading methods sometimes held up before the young orator3 8,they talk10 said ,tom ,marshall to an intimate friend1 8of my astonishing bursts of eloquence1 and doubtless imagine it is my genius bubbling over4 ,it is nothing of the sort4 ,i'll tell you how ,i do it3 ,i select a subject and study it from the ground up4 ,when ,i have mastered it fully1 ,i write a speech on it4 ,then ,i take a walk and come back1 and revise and correct4 ,in a few days ,i subject it to another pruning1 and then recopy it4 ,next ,i add the finishing touches1 round it off with graceful periods1 and commit it to memory4 ,then ,i speak it in the fields1 in my father's lawn1 and before my mirror1 until gesture and delivery are perfect4 ,it sometimes takes me six weeks or two months to get up a speech4 ,when ,i am prepared ,i come to town4 ,i generally select a court day1 when there is sure to be a crowd4 ,i am called on for a speech1 and am permitted to select my own subject4 ,i speak my piece4 ,it astonishes the people1 as ,i intended it should1 and they go away marveling at my power of oratory4 ,they call it genius1 but it is the hardest kind of work40 ,no objection is made to the quantity of work thus described1 but might not the same amount be expended in more profitable directions8 ,a speech thus prepared was a mere trick intended to astonish the people4 ,sometimes the great ,daniel ,webster took equal pains in the verbal expression of some worthy thought1 which was afterward held in the grasp of a powerful memory until a fitting place was found for it in some masterly speech4 ,the difference between the two processes is greater than seems at first glance4 ,marshall's plan was like a beautiful garment thrown over a clothes dummy in a shop window2 ,webster's1 like the same garment1 worn for comfort and ornament by a living man4 ,it is better that the speaker should 8intermeddle with all knowledge10 and make the means of communicating his thoughts as perfect as possible4 ,then out of the fullness of his treasure1 let him talk to the people with an adequate purpose in view1 and if no sudden acclaim greets him1 he will be weighty and influential from the first1 and each passing year will add to his power4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,pen ,,and ,,the ,,tongue4 ,it does not follow from anything we have said that the pen should be discarded by the extempore speaker4 ,because he is not obliged to write each word1 he should not feel excused from writing altogether4 ,few greater misfortunes could happen to a speaker than being deprived of the power of recording and preserving notes for the purposes of oratory4 ,the most tenacious memory is burdened by the weight of a large number of intended discourses1 especially if they are long and complex4 ,no person can feel sure that he will remember all parts of the speech he intended to utter even in outline1 unless it has been reduced to regular form so that one part will suggest another4 ,in going to a store to purchase a few articles the pen is very useful in making a memorandum2 if the errand boy neglects that precaution some of the most essential things may be forgotten4 ,among illiterate people a great many mnemonic signs have been employed1 such as associating things to be remembered with the fingers1 etc42 but among intelligent persons all of these have been superseded by the use of writing1 and it would be very absurd to advocate a return to the old modes on the plea that the memory might be so strengthened that all items could be safely remembered4 ,the reply would be ready3 8,yes1 it is possible2 but we have a far better and less burdensome way of accomplishing the same object and have no motive in returning to the more difficult mode40 ,thus while it may be possible to arrange in the mind all the outlines of a long discourse1 it is not easy to do it1 and there is no gain in the extra labor involved4 ,everything bearing upon a discourse may be written in brief outline1 and then a selection made of what is best1 throwing out all other portions4 ,the remainder can then be far better arranged when in such a position that the eye as well as the mind can glance at it4 ,the preparation for the intended speech thus assumes the shape of a miniature or outline1 and may be filled out at any point which needs strengthening4 ,but even if it were possible to construct the plan and speak well without any previous use of the pen1 this would1 in the majority of cases1 be insufficient4 ,the orator needs to preserve the materials1 if not the form of his oration1 either for use in future speeches or for comparison with later efforts4 ,it is very wasteful to throw away valuable material once accumulated1 and then search the same ground over again when required to treat the same topic4 ,this would be acting in the spirit of the savage who eats enough to satisfy his appetite and throws away all that remains1 as he feels no further need for it1 and only begins to gather again when hunger spurs him to exertion4 ,the pen is the instrument of accumulation and preservation1 and should be diligently employed4 ,no speaker can rise to permanent greatness without it4 ,the instances given to the contrary are mere delusions or evasions4 ,if the service of other pens can be employed1 as in the case of shorthand reporters and amanuenses1 this is but doing the same thing under another form4 ,the principal purpose of the chapters that follow is to show how the pen may be used in such a manner as to preserve and arrange all the material we may gather1 elaborate1 or originate on any subject1 so as to bring to the moment of unfettered extempore speech all the certainty of result and accumulated power of which our faculties are capable4 ,bacon says3 8,reading makes a full man1 writing an exact man1 and conference a ready man40 ,all these means should be used and all these qualities attained by the eloquent speaker4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,subject ,,and ,,object4 ,we now enter upon the most practical part of our subject4 ,we have seen what natural qualities are indispensable1 and how these1 when possessed1 can be improved by training4 ,the importance of a wide scope of knowledge bearing upon oratory1 and of understanding and having some command of the powers of language has been pointed out4 ,when a man has all of these1 and is still a diligent student growing daily in knowledge1 he is ready to consider the methods by which all his gifts and acquirements may be concentrated upon a single speech4 ,some of the directions in this and the immediately succeeding chapters are of universal application1 while others are thrown out as mere suggestions to be modified and changed according to individual taste or particular circumstances4 ,a plan is necessary for every kind of speech4 ,a rude mass of brick1 lumber1 mortar1 and iron1 thrown together as the materials chance to be furnished1 does not constitute a house until each item is built into its own place according to some intelligent design4 ,a speech has the same need of organization4 ,a few minutes of desultory talk1 whether uttered in a low or high voice1 to one person or to many1 does not make a speech4 ,the talk may be good1 or useful1 or striking3 it may be replete with sparkling imagery1 and full of valuable ideas that command attention1 and yet be no real discourse4 ,the question1 8,what was all this about8 what end did the speaker have in view80 is a fatal condemnation4 ,the subject and object of every discourse should be perfectly obvious--if not at the opening1 surely at the close of the address4 ,the only safe method is to have a well-defined plan marked out from beginning to end1 and then to bring every part of the work into subordination to one leading idea4 ,the plan itself should be constructed with some clear object in view4 ,it is better that this construction of the plan should be completed before delivery begins4 ,if you are suddenly called to speak on some topic you have often thought over1 the whole outline of the address1 with a plan perfect in every part1 may flash upon you in a moment1 and you may speak as well as if you had been allowed months for preparation4 ,but such cases are rare exceptions4 ,the man who attempts1 on the spur of the moment1 to arrange his facts1 draw his inferences1 and enforce his opinions1 will usually find the task very difficult1 even if the topic is within his mental grasp1 and his memory promptly furnishes him with all necessary materials4 ,we will now consider the subject and object which every true discourse1 whatever its character1 must possess4 ,first1 as to the object3 why is it that at a particular time an audience assembles and sits in silence1 while one man standing up1 talks to them8 ,what is his motive in thus claiming their attention8 ,many of them may have come from mere impulse1 of which they could give no rational explanation1 but the speaker at least should have a definite purpose4 ,a clear aim tends powerfully to give unity and consistency to the whole discourse1 and to prevent him from wandering into endless digressions4 ,it binds all detached parts together and infuses a common life through his address4 ,such a ruling aim cannot be too definitely recognized and carefully kept in view1 for it is the foundation of the whole discourse4 ,this object should not be too general in character4 ,it is not enough that we wish to please or to do good3 it may be safely assumed that speakers generally wish to do both4 ,but how shall these ends be reached8 8,what special good do ,i hope to accomplish by this address80 ,when you have made the object definite1 you are better prepared to adapt all available means to its accomplishment4 ,it should also be stated that the more objects are subdivided the more precision will be augmented1 though there is a limit beyond which such division would be at the expense of other qualities4 ,your object will usually have reference to the opinion or the action of those addressed1 and the firmer your own conviction of the truth of that opinion1 or the desirableness of that action1 the greater1 other things being equal1 your persuasive power will be4 ,if you do not know exactly what you wish1 there is little probability that your audience will care to interpret your thought2 they will take it for granted that you really mean nothing1 and even if you do incidentally present some truth supported by good arguments1 they will consider it a matter not calling for any immediate consideration or definite decision on their part4 ,the speaker's objects are comparatively few and are often determined by his very position and employment4 ,if you are engaged in a political canvass you are seeking to confirm and retain the votes of your own party1 while persuading over to your side the opposition4 ,votes constitute the object you seek1 and to win them is your purpose4 ,but there are many ways by which that desirable end may be accomplished--some wise and noble1 others ignoble4 ,but a political orator will gain in power by keeping clearly in view his purpose and rejecting from his speeches all things that merely arouse and embitter opponents1 without1 at the same time1 contributing to strengthen the hold of the speaker's own party upon its members4 ,if you are a lawyer you wish to win your case4 ,the judge's charge1 the jury's verdict1 are your objective points1 and all mere display which does not contribute directly or indirectly to these ends is worse than wasted1 as it may even interfere with your real purpose4 ,much of your success will depend upon keeping the right object before you at the right time4 ,if you aim at that which is unattainable1 the effort is not only lost1 but the object which you could have reached may in the meantime have passed out of your reach4 ,everybody has heard ministers arguing against some forms of unbelief which their hearers know nothing about4 ,this is worse than useless2 it may suggest the very errors intended to be refuted2 and if this does not result1 to think that the refutation will be stored up until the time when the errors themselves may be encountered1 is to take a most flattering view of the length of time during which sermons as well as other discourses are remembered4 ,you may avoid these errors by selecting some object which is practicable at the moment of utterance3 the first right step makes all after success possible4 ,there is a difference between the object of a speech and its subject2 the former is the motive that impels us to speak1 while the latter is what we speak about4 ,it is not uncommon for talkers to have a subject without any definite object1 unless it be the very general one of complying with a form or fulfilling an engagement4 ,when the period for the talk comes--it would not be right to call it a speech--they take the easiest subject they can find1 express all the ideas they happen to have about it1 and leave the matter4 ,until such persons become in earnest1 and get a living object1 true eloquence is utterly impossible4 ,the object of a discourse is the soul1 while the subject is but the body2 or1 as we may say1 the one is the end1 while the other is the means by which it is accomplished4 ,after the object is clearly realized by the speaker1 he can choose the subject to much better advantage4 ,it may happen that one object is so much more important than all other practicable ones that it forces itself irresistibly on his attention and thus saves the labor of choice2 at other times he may have several different objects with no particular reason for preferring one of them in the order of time to another4 ,in this case if a subject fills his mind it will be well to discuss it with an aim toward the object which may be best enforced by its means4 ,after all1 it makes but little difference which of these two is chosen first4 ,it is enough that when you undertake to speak you have a subject you fully understand1 and an object that warms your heart and enlists all your powers4 ,you can then speak1 not as one who deals with abstractions1 but as having a living mission to perform4 ,it is important that each subject should be complete in itself1 and rounded off from everything else4 ,its boundaries should be run with such precision as to include all that belongs to it1 but nothing more4 ,it is a common but grievous fault to have the same cast of ideas flowing around every subject4 ,there are few things in the universe which have not some relation to everything else4 ,if we do not1 therefore1 very strictly bound our subject1 we will find ourselves bringing the same matter into each discourse and perpetually repeating our thoughts4 ,if ingenious in that matter1 we may find a good excuse for getting our favorite anecdotes and brilliant ideas into connection with the most opposite kinds of subjects4 ,an old minister once gave me an amusing account of the manner in which he made outlines of the sermons of a local celebrity4 ,the first one was a very able discourse1 with three principal divisions--man's fallen estate1 the glorious means provided for his recovery1 and the fearful consequences of neglecting those means4 ,liking the sermon very well1 my informant went to hear the same man again4 ,the text was new1 but the first proposition1 was man's fallen estate2 the second1 the glorious means provided for his recovery2 and the last1 the fearful consequences of neglecting those means4 ,thinking that the repetition was an accident1 another trial was made4 ,the text was at as great a remove as possible from the other two4 ,the first proposition was1 man's fallen estate2 and the others followed in due order4 ,this was an extreme instance of a common fault1 which is by no means confined to the ministry4 ,when an eloquent ,congressman was once delivering a great address1 a member on the opposite benches rubbed his hands in apparently ecstatic delight1 and remarked in a stage whisper1 8,oh6 how ,i have always loved to hear that speech60 ,in a book of widely circulated sermon sketches1 nearly every one begins by asserting that man has fallen and needs the helps or is liable to the evils mentioned afterward4 ,no doubt this primary statement is important1 but it might sometimes be taken for granted4 ,the fault which we have here pointed out is not uncommon in preaching4 ,occasionally ministers acquire such a stereotyped form of expression that what they say in one sermon is sure to recur1 perhaps in a modified form1 in all others4 ,this is intolerable4 ,there is an end to the patience of man4 ,he tires of the same old ideas1 and wishes1 when a new text is taken1 that it may bring with it some novelty in the sermon4 ,the remedy against the evil under consideration is found in the careful selection and definition of subjects4 ,give to each its own territory and guard rigidly against all trespassers4 ,a speaker should not only see that what he says has some kind of connection with the subject in hand1 but that it has a closer connection with that subject than any other he may be called upon to discuss at or near the same time4 ,a very great lecturer advertises a number of lectures upon topics that seem to be totally independent4 ,yet all the lectures are but one1 except a few paragraphs in the introduction of each4 ,this is really a less fault in the case of an itinerating lecturer than in most other fields of oratory1 as the same people hear the lecture but once4 ,yet even then the false assumption of intellectual riches implied in the numerous titles cannot be justified4 ,the subject should be so well defined that we always know just what we are speaking about4 ,it may be of a general nature1 but our knowledge of it should be clear and adequate4 ,this is more necessary in an extempore than in a written speech1 though the want of it will be severely felt in the latter also4 ,a strong1 vividly defined subject will give unity to the whole discourse1 and probably leave a permanent impression on the mind of the hearer4 ,to aid in securing this it will be well to reduce every subject to its simplest form1 and then1 by writing it as a compact phrase or sentence1 stamp it on the mind1 and let it ring in every utterance2 that is1 let each word aid in carrying out the central idea1 or in leading up to it4 ,those interminable discourses that begin anywhere and lead nowhere1 may be called speeches or sermons1 by courtesy1 but they are not such4 ,to always preserve this unity of theme and treatment is not easy1 and calls1 often1 for the exercise of heroic self-denial4 ,to see in the mind's eye what we know would please and delight listeners1 pander to their prejudices1 or gain uproarious applause1 and then turn away with the words unspoken1 merely because it is foreign to our subject--this is as sore a trial as for a miser on a sinking ship to abandon his gold4 ,but it is equally necessary1 if we would not fall into grave rhetorical errors4 ,any speech which is constructed on the plan of putting into it all the wise or witty or pleasing things the speaker can think of will be a mere mass of more or less foolish talk4 ,shakespeare is often reproached with having neglected the dramatic unities of place and time2 but he never overlooked the higher unities of subject and object4 ,these remarks do not imply that illustration should be discarded or even used sparingly4 ,the whole realm of nature may be ransacked for these gems1 and if they do illustrate1 they are often better than statement or argument4 ,if the thing to be illustrated belongs to the subject1 then every apt illustration of it also belongs there4 ,it is possible that men of genius may neglect the unity of subject and object1 and still succeed by sheer intellectual force1 as they might do under any other circumstances4 ,but ordinary men cannot with safety follow the example of ,sidney ,smith4 ,his hearers complained that he did not 8stick to his text10 and1 that he might reform the more easily1 they suggested that he should divide his sermons as other ministers did4 ,he promised to gratify them1 and the next ,sabbath1 after reading his text1 he began3 8,we will divide our discourse this morning into three parts3 in the first place1 we will go up to our text2 in the second place1 we will go through it2 and in the third place1 we will go from it40 ,there was general agreement that he succeeded best on the last head1 but preachers who are not confident of possessing his genius had better confine themselves to the former two4 ,a true discourse is the orderly development of some one thought or idea with so much clearness and power that it may ever after live as a point of light in the memory4 ,other ideas may cluster around the central one1 but it must reign supreme4 ,if the discourse fails in this particular nothing else can redeem it4 ,brilliancy of thought and illustration will be as completely wasted as a sculptor's art on a block of clay4 ,a man of profound genius once arose to preach before a great assemblage1 and every breath was hushed4 ,he spoke with power1 and many of his passages were of thrilling eloquence4 ,he poured forth beautiful images and solemn thoughts with the utmost profusion2 yet when at the end of an hour he took his seat1 the prevailing sentiment was one of disappointment4 ,the address was confused--utterly destitute of any point of union to which the memory could cling4 ,many of his statements were clear and impressive1 but he did not make evident what he was talking about4 ,it was an impressive warning against erecting a building before laying a foundation4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,thought-,,gathering4 ,after the subject upon which we are to speak has been determined the logical order of preparation is1 first1 gathering material2 second1 selecting what is most fitting and arranging the whole into perfect order2 third1 fixing this in the mind so that it may be available for the moment of use4 ,these processes are not always separated in practice1 but they may be best considered in the order indicated4 ,when a subject is chosen and the mind fastened upon it1 that subject becomes a center of attraction and naturally draws all kindred ideas toward it4 ,old memories that had become dim from the lapse of time are slowly hunted out and grouped around the parent thought4 ,each hour of contemplation that elapses1 even if there is not direct study1 adds to the richness and variety of our available mental stores4 ,the relations between different and widely separated truths become visible1 just as new stars are seen when we gaze intently toward the evening sky4 ,all that lies within our knowledge is subjected to a rigid scrutiny and all that appears to have any connection with the subject is brought into view4 ,usually a considerable period of time is needed for this process1 and the longer it is continued the better1 if interest in the subject is not suffered to decline in the meanwhile4 ,but it is somewhat difficult to continue at this work long enough without weariness4 ,the capacity for great and continuous reaches of thought constitutes a principal element in the superiority of one mind over another4 ,even the mightiest genius cannot1 at a single impulse1 exhaust the ocean of truth that opens around every object of man's contemplation4 ,it is only by viewing a subject in every aspect that superficial and one-sided impressions can be guarded against4 ,but the continuous exertion and toil this implies are nearly always distasteful1 and the majority of men can only accomplish it by a stern resolve4 ,whether acquired or natural1 the ability to completely 8think out0 a subject is of prime necessity2 the young student at the outset should learn to finish every investigation he begins and continue the habit during life4 ,doing this or not doing it will generally be decisive of his success or failure from an intellectual point of view4 ,thought is a mighty architect1 and if you keep him fully employed1 he will build up with slow and measured strokes a gorgeous edifice upon any territory at all within your mental range4 ,you may weary of his labor and think that the wall rises so slowly that it will never be completed2 but wait4 ,in due time1 if you are patient1 all will be finished and will then stand as no ephemeral structure1 to be swept away by the first storm that blows1 but will be established and unshaken on the basis of eternal truth4 ,m4 ,bautain compares the accumulation of thought around a subject upon which the mind thus dwells with the development of organic life by continuous growth from an almost imperceptible germ4 ,striking as is the analogy1 there is one point of marked dissimilarity4 ,this growth of thought is voluntary and may easily be arrested at any stage4 ,the introduction of a new subject or cessation of effort on the old is fatal4 ,to prevent this and keep the mind employed until its work is done requires with most persons a regular and formal system4 ,profound thinkers1 who take up a subject and cannot leave it until it is traced into all its intricate relations and comprehended in every part1 and who have at the same time the power of easily recalling long trains of thought that have once passed through their mind1 have less need of an artificial method4 ,but their case is not that of the majority of thinkers or speakers4 ,we will give a method found useful for securing abundant speech materials1 and allow others to adopt it as far as it may prove advantageous to them4 ,the things we actually know are not always kept equally in view4 ,sometimes we may see an idea with great clearness and after a time lose it again1 while another1 at first invisible1 comes into sight4 ,each idea should be secured when it occurs4 ,let each thought that arises on the subject you intend to discuss be noted4 ,a word or a brief sentence sufficient to recall the conception to your own mind will be enough1 and no labor need be expended on composition or expression4 ,after this first gathering1 let the paper be laid aside and the subject be recommitted to the mind for further reflection4 ,as other ideas arise let them be noted down in the same manner and the process be thus continued for days together4 ,sometimes new images and conceptions will continue to float into the mind for weeks4 ,most persons who have not tried this process of accumulation will be surprised to find how many thoughts they have on the simplest topic4 ,if some of this gathered matter remains vague and shadowy1 it will only be necessary to give it more time and more earnest thought and all obscurity will vanish4 ,at last there comes the consciousness that the mind's power on that particular theme is exhausted4 ,if we also feel that we have all the material needed1 one step further only remains in this part of the work2 the comparison of our treasures with what others have accomplished in the same field4 ,it may be that this comparison will show the worthlessness of much of our own material1 but it is better to submit to the humiliation involved and be sure that we have the best that can be furnished by other minds as well as our own4 ,if we prefer1 we may speak when we have gathered only the materials that are already within our own grasp and thus have a greater consciousness of originality1 but such consciousness is a delusion unless based upon exhaustive research4 ,nearly all that we thus gather will be the result of previous reading1 and almost the only thing in its favor over the fresh accumulations that we make by reading directly in the line of our subject1 is the probability that the former knowledge will be better digested4 ,but more frequently1 after the young orator has recollected and briefly noted all that bears upon his subject with which his own mind furnishes him1 there remains a sense of incompleteness1 and he is driven to seek a further supply4 ,he is now hungry for new information1 and on this state there is an intellectual blessing corresponding to the moral blessing pronounced upon those who hunger and thirst after righteousness4 ,he reads the works of those who have treated the same or related topics1 converses with well-informed persons1 observes the world closely1 still putting down every new idea that seems to bear upon his theme4 ,whenever an idea is found which supplies a felt want1 it is received with great joy4 ,it often happens that instead of finding the very thing sought for he strikes upon the first link of some chain of thoughts in his own mind that leads up to what he desires1 but has hitherto overlooked4 ,the new idea is only the more valued when it has thus been traced out4 ,now1 we have on paper1 and often after much toil1 a number of confused1 unarranged notes4 ,they are destitute of polish1 and no more constitute a speech than the piles of brick and lumber a builder accumulates constitute a house4 ,indeed1 this comparison is too favorable1 for the builder has carefully calculated just what he needs for his house1 and has ordered those very things4 ,but usually we have in our notes much that can be of no use1 and at whatever sacrifice of feeling it must be thrown out4 ,this is a matter of great importance4 ,it has been said that the principal difference between the conversation of a wise man and of a fool is that the one speaks all that is in his mind1 while the other gives utterance only to carefully selected thoughts4 ,nearly all men have at times ideas that would please and profit any audience2 and if these are carefully weeded out from the puerilities by which they may be surrounded1 the remainder will be far more valuable than the whole mass4 ,everything not in harmony with the controlling object or purpose must be thrown away at whatever sacrifice of feeling4 ,read carefully your scattered notes after the fervor of pursuit has subsided and erase every phrase that is unfitting4 ,if but little remains you can continue the search as at first1 and erase and search again1 until you have all that you need of matter truly relevant to the subject4 ,yet it is not well to be over-fastidious4 ,this would prevent speech altogether1 or make the work of preparation so slow and wearisome that when the hour of effort arrived1 all freshness and vigor would be gone4 ,a knight in ,spenser's 8,faery ,queen0 entered an enchanted castle and as he passed through eleven rooms in succession he saw written on the walls of each the words1 8,be bold20 but on the twelfth the inscription changed to the advice of equal wisdom1 8,be not too bold40 ,the same injunctions are appropriate to the orator4 ,he should be careful in the selection of his material1 but not too careful4 ,many things which a finical taste might reject are allowable and very effective4 ,no definite rule1 however1 can be given on the subject1 as it is a matter of taste rather than of calculation4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,constructing ,a ,,plan4 ,the thoughts which have been gathered in the modes pointed out in the last chapter are now to be arranged in the most effective order4 ,it will not usually do to begin a speech with those things we happen to first think of1 and proceed to others that are less obvious4 ,this would lead to an anti-climax fatal to eloquence4 ,a speaker who adopted this mode once complained that his speeches often seemed to taper to a very fine point1 and that he lost all interest in them before finishing4 ,the explanation was simple2 he uttered first those thoughts which were familiar to himself and came afterward to those which had been sought out by more or less painful effort1 and which seemed less certain and valuable4 ,the remedy for this fault is found in careful arrangement4 ,the most familiar thoughts will naturally be jotted down first1 but it does not follow that they should occupy the same place in the finished plan of the speech4 ,the true mode of improving your plans is to bestow a great deal of time and thought upon them1 and to make no disposition of any part for which you cannot give a satisfactory reason4 ,this direction relates only to the beginner4 ,in time the formation of plans will become so natural that any variation from the most effective arrangement will be felt as keenly as a discord in music is felt by a master in that art4 ,from such carefully constructed plans1 firm1 coherent1 and logical discourses will result4 ,there are certain general characteristics that each plan should possess4 ,it must fully indicate the nature of the proposed discourse and mark out each of its successive steps with accuracy4 ,any want of definiteness in the outline is a fatal defect4 ,you must feel that you can rely absolutely on it for guidance to the end of your discourse or be always in danger of embarrassment and confusion4 ,each clause should express a distinct idea1 and but one4 ,this should be repeated in no other part of the discourse2 otherwise1 we fall into wearisome repetitions1 the great vice1 as it is often claimed1 of extempore speakers4 ,a brief plan is better1 other things being equal1 than a long one4 ,often a single word will recall an idea as perfectly as many sentences1 and it will burden the memory less4 ,we do not expect the draft of a house to equal the house in size1 but only to preserve a proportionate relation to it throughout4 ,the plan cannot supply the thought1 but1 indicating what is in the mind1 it shows how to bring it forth in regular succession4 ,it is a pathway leading to a definite end1 and1 like all pathways1 its crowning merits are directness and smoothness4 ,without these qualities it will perplex and hinder rather than aid4 ,each word in the plan should suggest an idea1 and be so firmly bound to that idea that the two cannot become separated in any exigency of speech4 ,you will find it sorely perplexing if1 in the heat of discourse1 some important note should lose the thought for which it previously stood and become an empty word4 ,but with clear conceptions condensed into fitting words this cannot easily happen4 ,a familiar idea can be expressed very briefly1 while a strange or new conception may require more expansion4 ,but all thoughts advanced by the speaker ought to be familiar to himself as the result of long meditation and thorough mastery1 no matter how strange or startling they are to his hearers4 ,most skeletons may be brought within the compass of a hundred words1 and every part be clearly indicated to the mind that conceived it1 though perhaps not to any other4 ,there may be occasions when a speaker is justified in announcing his divisions and subdivisions1 but such cases are exceptions4 ,hearers do not care how a discourse is constructed1 so it comes to them warm and pulsating with life4 ,to give the plan of a speech before the speech itself is contrary to the order of nature4 ,we are not required first to look upon a grisly skeleton before we can see a graceful1 living body4 ,there is a skeleton inside each body1 but during life it is well hidden1 and there is no reason that the speaker should anticipate the work of the tomb4 ,it is hardly less objectionable to name the parts of the discourse during the progress of the discussion1 for--continuing the former illustration--bones that project through the skin are very unlovely4 ,the only case1 ,i presume to think1 where it is justifiable to name the parts of a discourse1 either before or during its delivery1 is where the separate parts have an importance of their own1 in addition to their office of contributing to the general object4 ,much of the proverbial 8dryness0 of sermons arises from the preacher telling what he is about to remark1 firstly1 before he actually makes the remark thus numbered4 ,whenever we hear a minister read his text1 announce his theme1 state the parts into which he means to divide it1 and then warn us that the first head will be subdivided into a certain number of parts1 each of which is also specified in advance1 we prepare our endurance for a severe test4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,how ,,shall ,,the ,,written ,,plan ,,be ,,used8 ,now that the plan is completed and fully written out1 the next question arises as to what shall be done with it4 ,it may either be used or abused4 ,to read it to the audience or exhibit it to them would be an obvious abuse4 ,possibly if the speaker possessed a large blackboard1 the latter course might1 in special cases1 have some advantages4 ,but even then it is better that the students should1 in most instances1 exercise their own ingenuity in gathering out of the body of the speech the central thoughts which they wish to preserve in their notebooks1 than that the work should be done for them in advance by having the whole plan of the lecture placed in their sight4 ,the writer has experimented on this subject by repeating the same lecture to different classes with the outline in some cases exposed to view1 and in the others concealed3 the interest has always seemed to be greater1 and the understanding more complete in the latter case4 ,if this is true where instruction is the only aim1 it is still more necessary where persuasion is the object of the speaker4 ,the exposing in advance of the means by which he intends to work1 will put on their guard the very persons whose hearts he wishes to capture1 and thus lose him all that advantage of surprise which is often as momentous in oratorical as in military affairs4 ,there are two other ways of using the plan to be considered4 ,one is to keep it in the speaker's sight1 so that he may step along from one item to another1 thus keeping a foundation of written words in the midst of the uncertainty of his extemporaneous efforts1 like that afforded by stepping-stones to a man crossing a running stream4 ,there are some advantages in such use4 ,the speaker will feel freer in making those pauses which are sometimes necessary for the sake of emphasis4 ,he is better able to collect his scattered ideas in case any untoward circumstance should break the thread of his discourse4 ,if he is confused for a moment1 he may look down to his paper and recover himself1 while if thoughts and words flow easily he can ignore the plan which lies before him4 ,but all the reasons for thus using the plan are the most emphatic condemnation of the practice4 ,they are all make-shifts4 ,they are based upon the thought that the great object is to secure the speaker from danger and confusion2 in other words1 they put him on the defensive1 instead of the aggressive4 ,were the question to be stated1 8,how can a man best preserve the form of extemporaneous speech while shielding himself from the most dangerous incidents of that mode of address80 it might plausibly be replied1 8,by making a very full plan and concealing it at some point within the reach of his eyes1 and using it whenever that course becomes easiest40 ,but we have not sought to point out the mode of speech which will best protect the speaker from risks incident to his work4 ,for real effectiveness1 compromises are usually hurtful1 and this expedient forms no exception4 ,to have a plan in sight tends powerfully to break up the speech into fragments and destroy its unity4 ,a series of short addresses on related points1 affords no substitute for a concentrated discourse4 ,the speaker who publicly uses his sketch1 speaks on until he reaches a point at which he does not know what is to come next1 and on the brink of that gulf1 looks down at his notes1 and1 perhaps after a search1 finds what he wants4 ,had the thought existed in his mind1 it would have blended the close of the preceding sentences into harmony with it4 ,direct address to the people1 which they so much value in a speaker1 is interfered with in the same way1 for his eye must rest for a portion of the time upon his notes4 ,he will also be apt to mention the divisions of his speech as they occur1 because the eye is resting upon them at the same time the tongue is engaged1 and it is hard to keep the two members from working in harmony4 ,if notes must be used the same advice applies that we have already offered to those who read in full4 ,be honest about it2 do not try to hide the notes4 ,any attempt to prove to an audience that we are doing what we are not doing1 has in it an element of deception1 and is morally objectionable4 ,the use of notes is not wrong1 but to use them while pretending not to use them is wrong4 ,some speakers carry their notes in their pockets for the sake of being able to take them out in case they find their memory failing1 and thus they guard against the misfortune which once befell the eloquent ,abbe ,bautain1 who1 on ascending the pulpit to preach before the ,french ,king and ,court1 found that he had forgotten subject1 plan1 and text4 ,this method is honest and unobjectionable1 for the notes of the plan are either not used by the speaker at all1 or if he takes them from his pocket1 the people will understand the action4 ,the only remaining method1 and that which we would urge upon every extempore speaker1 is to commit the plan1 as sketched1 to memory4 ,it is put in the best possible shape for the expression of the subject by the labor which has been previously bestowed upon it1 and now such review as will give the mind a perfect recollection of the whole subject in its orderly unfolding is just what is needed for final mastery4 ,previously much of the work of preparation was given to detached fragments4 ,now the subject as a whole is spread out4 ,the time given to a thorough memorizing of the plan need not be great2 it will indeed be but small if the plan itself is so well arranged that every preceding part suggests what follows2 but it will be the most fruitful of all the time spent in preparation4 ,it puts you in the best condition for speaking4 ,the object is then fixed in the heart and will fire it to earnestness and zeal1 while the subject is spread1 like a map1 before the mental vision4 ,all the power you possess can then be brought to bear directly upon the people4 ,do not fear that in the hurry of discourse you will forget some part of what is clear when you begin4 ,if you are in good mental and physical condition1 the act of speech will be exhilarating and stimulating1 so that every fine line of preparation will come into clearness just at the right time1 and many a relation unperceived before1 many a forgotten fact1 will spring up in complete and vivid perception4 ,there is a wonderful luxury of feeling in such speech4 ,sailing with a swift wind1 riding a race-horse1 even the joy of victorious battle--indeed1 all enjoyments that arise from the highest powers called forth into successful exercise--are inferior to the thrill and intoxication of the highest form of successful extemporaneous speech4 ,to think of using notes then would seem like a contemptible impertinence6 ,imagine ,xavier or ,luther with their notes spread out before them1 looking up the different items from which to address the multitudes spell-bound before them6 ,the ,presbyterian ,deacon who once prayed in the presence of his note-using ,pastor1 8,o ,lord6 teach ,thy servants to speak from the heart to the heart1 and not from a little piece of paper1 as the manner of some is10 was not so very far wrong6 ,it is advisable to commit the plan to memory a considerable time before speaking4 ,it then takes more complete possession of the mind and there is less liability of forgetting some portion4 ,this is less important when the subject is perfectly familiar1 for then 8out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh10 but those subjects which have been recently studied for the first time are in a different position2 and some meditation upon that which has just been arranged in its best form will be very serviceable4 ,even if the salient points are firmly grasped1 some of the minor parts may require further close consideration4 ,no study is ever so profitable as that which is bestowed after the plan is complete1 for up to that time there is danger that some of the thoughts to which our attention is given may be ultimately rejected and others radically modified4 ,but when the plan is finished each idea has settled into its place4 ,if obscurity rests anywhere1 it may be detected at once1 and the strength of the mind be brought to bear for its banishment4 ,impressions derived from meditation are then easily retained until the hour of speech1 because associated with their proper place in the prepared outline4 ,such deep meditation on each division of the discourse can scarcely fail to make it original in the true sense of the term1 and weave all its parts together with strong and massive thoughts4 ,after the plan has been memorized we can meditate upon it not only at the desk1 but anywhere4 ,as we walk about or lie in bed1 or at any other time find our minds free from distractions1 we can ponder the ideas that cluster around our subject until they grow perfectly familiar4 ,even when we are reading or thinking on other topics1 brilliant thoughts will not unfrequently spring up1 or those we possessed before take stronger and more definite outlines4 ,all such gains can be held in memory without the use of the pen1 because the plan furnishes a suitable place for them4 ,the course here described we would urge strongly upon the consideration of the young speaker4 ,if carefully followed1 its results will be invaluable4 ,arrange the plan from which you are to speak as clearly as may be in the form of a brief sketch2 turn it over and over again2 ponder each idea and the manner of bringing it out2 study the connection between all the parts until the whole from beginning to end appears perfectly plain and simple4 ,so frequently has this mode of preparation been tested that its effectiveness is no longer a matter of experiment4 ,it is advantageous to grasp the whole subject1 as early as possible1 in a single idea--in the same manner in which the future tree is compressed within the germ from which it is to spring4 ,then this one thought will suggest the entire discourse to the speaker1 and at its conclusion will be left clear and positive in the hearer's mind4 ,for some acute auditors this may be less necessary4 ,they are able to outrun a loose speaker1 arrange his scattered fragments1 supply his omissions1 and arrive at the idea which has not yet formed itself clearly in his own mind4 ,such persons often honestly commend orators who are incomprehensible to the majority of their hearers4 ,but the opinions of such auditors are an unsafe guide1 for they form a very small minority of any assembly4 ,there is one further step which may sometimes precede the moment of speech with profit--the placing upon paper of a brief but connected sketch or statement of the whole discourse4 ,if this is made in the ordinary writing there is danger that its slowness will make it more of a word-study than what it is intended to be--a test of ideas4 ,a thorough mastery of shorthand1 or the service of some one who has such mastery1 will supply this defect4 ,if the plan is well arranged there will be no pause in the most rapid composition1 and if the whole discourse can at one effort be thrown into a dress of words there may be full assurance that the same thing can be accomplished still more easily and effectively when the additional stimulus of an audience is supplied4 ,there should be no attempt1 in the moment of speaking1 to recall the very words used in writing1 but the command of language will undoubtedly be greatly improved by having so recently used many of the terms that will be again required4 ,frequently there will be fine passages in the speech which you have thus struck off at white heat that you may be unwilling to forget1 but it is better to make no effort to remember them1 for you are almost sure to rise still higher in the moment of public delivery4 ,when this rapid writing is not available1 a partial substitute for it may be found in writing in the ordinary hand a brief sketch or compact model of the whole discourse4 ,you will be surprised to notice how short a compass will suffice for a discourse requiring an hour or more in delivery1 without the omission of a single material thought4 ,such a sketch differs from the plan in clearly expressing all the ideas that underlie the coming speech1 while the latter would be nearly unintelligible to any but its author4 ,the one is only a few marks thrown out in the field of thought by which an intended pathway is indicated2 the other is a very brief view of the thoughts themselves1 without adornment or verbiage4 ,some speakers who might feel insecure in trusting the notes and hints of the plan would feel perfectly safe in enlarging upon a statement of their thoughts so brief that the whole sketch of the speech would not require more than three or four minutes to read4 ,but this whole plan of writing1 either in full or in brief1 is only an expedient1 and need not be adopted by those who have full confidence in their trained and cultivated powers4 ,after you have prepared your plan it is well to preserve it for future use1 which may be done by copying it into a book kept for that purpose3 or1 what is more convenient in practice1 folding the slip of paper on which it is written into an envelope of suitable size with the subject written on the back4 ,these may be classified and preserved1 even in very large numbers1 so as to be easily consulted4 ,from time to time1 as your ability grows1 they may be improved upon so as to remain the complete expression of your ability on every theme treated4 ,on the back of the envelope may also be written references to any source of additional information on the same subject1 and printed or written scraps1 valuable as illustrations1 or for additional information1 may be slipped inside4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,first ,,moment ,,of ,,speech4 ,having completed all your preparations1 you now anxiously await the commencement of the intellectual battle4 ,this period is often a severe trial4 ,men who are physically brave sometimes tremble in anticipation of speedily standing before an audience4 ,the shame of failure then may appear worse than death itself4 ,as the soldier feels more of cold and shrinking terror when listening for the peal of the first gun1 than afterward1 when the conflict deepens into blood around him1 so the speaker usually suffers more in this moment of expectancy than in any that follows4 ,you behold the danger in its full magnitude1 without the inspiration that attends it4 ,yet whatever effort it may cost1 you must remain calm and collected1 for if not master of yourself1 you cannot expect to rule others4 ,your material must be kept well in hand1 ready to be used at the proper time1 though it is not well to be continually conning over your preparation4 ,that would destroy the freshness of your matter and bring you to the decisive test weary and jaded4 ,you only need such an occasional glance as will assure you that all your material remains within reach4 ,it is seldom possible by any means to banish all fear1 and it is to the speaker's advantage that he cannot4 ,his timidity arises from several causes1 which differ widely in the effects they produce4 ,a conscious want of preparation1 especially when this arises from any neglect or indolence1 is one of the most distressing sources of fear4 ,a species of remorse then mingles with the embarrassment natural to the moment4 ,if the speaker has no other motive than to win reputation--to minister to his own vanity--he will feel terrified1 as he realizes that shame instead of honor may be the result of his rashness4 ,that man is fortunate who can say1 8,i only speak because ,i feel it to be duty which ,i dare not refuse--a work that ,i must perform whether well or ill40 ,the lawyer who must defend his client1 the minister who feels that the hour of service has arrived1 the teacher in the presence of his class1 are examples of those who speak under the same kind of compulsion that calls a field laborer out into the burning heat of a ,july noon whether he feels like it or not4 ,but if you are about to speak because you have intruded into the work that properly belongs to another1 you need to be very sure of your preparation1 for in case of failure you will not have even your own sympathy4 ,but the most formidable and common foe of the speaker's1 in these preliminary moments1 is a general dread that can neither be analyzed nor accounted for4 ,persons who have never felt its power sometimes make light of it1 but experience will change their views4 ,the soldier who has never witnessed a battle1 or felt the air throb with the explosion of cannon1 or heard the awful cries of the wounded1 is often a great braggart2 while 8the scarred veteran of a hundred fights0 never speaks of the carnival of blood without shuddering1 and would be the last1 but for the call of duty1 to brave the danger he knows so well4 ,there may be a few speakers who do not feel such fear1 but it is because they do not know what true speaking is4 ,they have never known the full tide of inspiration which sometimes lifts the orator far above his conceptions1 but which first struggles in his own bosom like the pent fires of a volcano4 ,they only come forward to relieve themselves of the interminable stream of twaddle that wells spontaneously to their lips1 and can well be spared the pangs preceding the birth of a powerful and living discourse4 ,this kind of fear belongs to every kind of oratory1 but is most intense on those great occasions1 in presence of large audiences1 when men's passions run high4 ,in mere instructive address1 where the ground has been repeatedly gone over and where the effort is mainly of an intellectual character1 it is less noticeable4 ,it resembles the awe felt on the eve of all great enterprises1 and when excessive1 as it is in some highly gifted minds1 it constitutes an absolute bar to public speech4 ,but in most cases it is a source of inspiration rather than of repression4 ,there is a strange sensation often experienced in the presence of an audience4 ,it may proceed from the gaze of the many eyes that turn upon the speaker1 especially if he permits himself to steadily return that gaze4 ,most speakers have been conscious of this in a nameless thrill1 a real something1 pervading the atmosphere1 tangible1 evanescent1 indescribable4 ,all writers have borne testimony to the power of a speaker's eye in impressing an audience4 ,this influence which we are now considering is the reverse of that picture--the power their eyes may exert upon him1 especially before he begins to speak3 after the inward fires of oratory are fanned into flame the eyes of the audience lose all terror4 ,by dwelling on the object for which we speak and endeavoring to realize its full importance1 we will in a measure lose sight of our personal danger1 and be more likely to maintain a calm and tranquil frame of mind4 ,no change should be made in the plan at the last moment1 as that is very liable to produce confusion4 ,this error is often committed4 ,the mind has a natural tendency to go repeatedly over the same ground1 revising and testing every point1 and it may make changes the consequences of which cannot be in a moment foreseen4 ,but the necessary preparation has been made and we should now await the result calmly and hopefully4 ,over-study is quite possible1 and when accompanied by great solicitude wearies our mind in advance and strips the subject of all freshness4 ,if the eye is fixed too long upon one object with a steadfast gaze1 it loses the power to see at all4 ,so the mind1 if exerted steadily upon a single topic for a long period1 fails in vigor and elasticity at the moment when those qualities are indispensable4 ,that profound thinker and preacher1 ,frederick ,w4 ,robertson1 experienced this difficulty and was accustomed to find relief by reading some inspiring paragraphs upon some totally different theme from that he intended to speak about4 ,the energy and enthusiasm of our minds in the moment of speech must be raised to the highest pitch2 the delivery of a living discourse is not the dry enumeration of a list of particulars2 but we must actually feel an immediate and burning interest in the topics with which we deal4 ,this cannot be counterfeited4 ,to clearly arrange all thoughts that belong to the subject1 lay them aside when the work is done until the moment of speech1 and then enter confidently upon them with only such a momentary glance as will assure us that all is right--this is the method to make our strength fully available4 ,this confidence while in waiting seems to the beginner very difficult1 but experience rapidly renders it easy4 ,m4 ,bautain declares that he has been repeatedly so confident in his preparation as to fall asleep while waiting to be summoned to the pulpit6 ,those who misimprove the last moments by too much thought and solicitude are not the only class of offenders4 ,some persons1 through mere indolence1 suffer the fine lines of preparation which have been traced with so much care to fade into dimness4 ,this error is not unfrequently committed by those who speak a second or third time on the same subject4 ,because they have once succeeded they imagine that the same success is always at command4 ,no mistake could be greater4 ,it is not enough to have speech-material in a position from which it can be collected by a conscious and prolonged effort1 but it must be in the foreground of the mind4 ,there is no time at the moment of delivery for reviving half obliterated lines of memory4 ,the writer once saw a notable case of failure from this cause4 ,a preacher on a great occasion was much engrossed with other important duties until the hour appointed for his sermon had arrived4 ,with perfect confidence he selected a sketch from which he had preached a short time before and with the general course of which he was no doubt familiar4 ,but when he endeavored to produce his thoughts they were not ready4 ,he became embarrassed1 talked at random for a short time1 and then had the candor to tell the audience that he could not finish1 and to take his seat4 ,probably half an hour given to reviewing his plan would have made all his previous preparation fresh again1 and have spared him the mortification of failure4 ,in this last interval it is also well to care for the strength and vigor of the body1 as its condition greatly influences all mental operations4 ,it is said that the pearl-diver1 before venturing into the depths of the sea1 always spends a few moments in deep breathing and other bodily preparations4 ,in the excitement of speech1 the whirl and hurricane of emotion1 it is advisable to be well prepared for the high tension of nerve that is implied4 ,mental excitement exhausts and wears down the body faster than bodily labor4 ,we must carefully husband our strength that we may be able to meet all demands upon it4 ,holyoake makes the following pertinent observation in reference to this point3 8,perhaps the lowest quality of the art of oratory1 but one on many occasions of the first importance1 is a certain robust and radiant physical health2 great volumes of animal heat4 ,in the cold thinness of a morning audience mere energy and mellowness is inestimable2 wisdom and learning would be harsh and unwelcome compared with a substantial man1 who is quite a housewarming40 ,fatiguing and excessive exercise should be very carefully avoided4 ,holyoake illustrates this from his own experience4 ,he says3 8,one ,saturday ,i walked from ,sheffield to ,huddersfield to deliver on ,sunday two anniversary lectures4 ,it was my first appearance there1 and ,i was ambitious to acquit myself well4 ,but in the morning ,i was utterly unable to do more than talk half inaudibly and quite incoherently4 ,in the evening ,i was tolerable1 but my voice was weak4 ,my annoyance was excessive4 ,i was a paradox to myself4 ,my power seemed to come and go by some eccentric law of its own4 ,i did not find out until years after that the utter exhaustion of my strength had exhausted the powers of speech and thought1 and that entire repose1 instead of entire fatigue1 should have been the preparation for public speaking40 ,the last statement is somewhat too strong1 for absolute rest is not generally advisable4 ,it would leave the speaker1 when he began to speak1 with languid mind and slowly beating pulse--a state which it would require some minutes for him to overcome4 ,a short1 but brisk walk1 when the health is good1 will invigorate and refresh all his faculties1 and often prevent a listless introduction by giving him the vigor to grasp the subject at once and launch right into the heart of it4 ,should any person doubt the power of exercise to produce this effect1 let him1 when perplexed with difficult questions in his study1 start out over fields and hills1 and review the matter in the open air4 ,it is a good thing to carry the breath of the fields into the opening of our addresses4 ,but when the speaker cannot take this form of exercise in the moments just preceding speech1 he may easily find a substitute for it4 ,if alone1 he can pace back and forth and swing his arms until the circulation becomes brisk and pours a stream of arterial blood to the brain4 ,another simple exercise can be practiced anywhere1 and will be of great benefit4 ,many persons injure themselves by speaking too much from the throat4 ,this is caused by improper1 short1 and shallow breathing4 ,to breathe properly is beneficial at any time1 and does much to prevent or remedy throat and lung disease4 ,but in the beginning of a speech it is doubly important3 when once under way1 there will be no time to think of either voice or breath3 the only safe plan1 then1 is to have the right mode made habitual and instinctive4 ,this will be greatly promoted if just before beginning we breathe deeply for a few minutes1 inflating the lungs to their extremities and sending the warm blood to the very tips of the fingers4 ,having now done all we can in advance1 nothing remains but to rise and speak4 ,preparation and precaution are passed4 ,actual work--the most joyous1 thrilling1 and spiritual of all human tasks--is now to be entered upon4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,introduction4 ,the time for the speech having arrived1 we will now consider its separate parts4 ,no division is better for our purpose than that employed in a previous part of this work--a three-fold division into introduction1 discussion1 and conclusion4 ,a good introduction is exceedingly valuable1 and is to be sought for with great solicitude1 if it does not spontaneously present itself4 ,some kind of an introduction is inevitable1 for there will always be a first moment when silence is broken1 and our thoughts introduced4 ,the subsiding murmur of the audience tells the speaker that the time of his trial has come4 ,if he is very sensitive1 or if he has seldom1 if ever1 spoken before1 his pulse beats fast1 his face flushes1 and an indescribable feeling of faintness and fear thrills every nerve4 ,he may wish himself anywhere else1 but there is now no help for him4 ,he must arise1 and for the time stand as the mark for all eyes and the subject of all thoughts4 ,there is a vast difference between reciting and extemporizing in these opening moments1 and the advantage seems to be altogether on the side of recitation4 ,every word is in its proper place and the speaker may be perfectly calm and self-collected4 ,he is sure that his memory will not fail him in the opening1 and encouraged by that assurance1 will usually throw his whole power into his first sentences1 causing his voice to ring clear and loud over the house4 ,the extemporizer is in a far more difficult position4 ,he is sure of nothing4 ,the weight of the whole speech rests heavily upon his mind4 ,he is glancing ahead1 striving to forecast the coming sentences1 as well as carrying forward those gliding over the tongue1 and1 distracted by this double labor1 his first expressions may be feeble and ungraceful4 ,yet this modesty and timidity is no real loss3 it goes far to conciliate an audience and secure their good-will4 ,we can scarcely fail to distinguish memorized from extemporized discourses by the introduction alone4 ,to avoid the pain and hesitancy of an unelaborated beginning1 some speakers write and memorize the opening passage4 ,this may accomplish the immediate object1 but it is apt to be at the expense of all the remainder of the discourse4 ,the mind cannot pass easily from reciting to spontaneous origination2 and the voice1 being too freely used at first1 loses its power4 ,the hearers1 having listened to highly polished language1 are less disposed to relish the plain words that follow1 and the whole speech1 which1 like the ,alpine condor1 may have pitched from the loftiest summits1 falls fast and far1 until the lowest level is reached4 ,a written introduction may be modest and unpretending1 but unless it very closely imitates unstudied speech1 painful contrasts and disappointments are inevitable4 ,one mode of avoiding these difficulties is to make no formal introduction1 but to plunge at once into the heart of the subject4 ,sometimes1 when the minds of speaker and hearer are already absorbed by the same general topic1 as in the midst of a heated political canvass1 this mode is very good4 ,under such circumstances1 an interest may soon be aroused which removes all embarrassment4 ,but usually the speaker's mind is full of a subject which is unfamiliar and indifferent to his hearers4 ,it then behooves him to find some mode of gaining their attention and sympathy before he takes the risk of arousing a prejudice against his subject which he might afterward strive in vain to overcome4 ,if something is found which can be made to bear some relation to his subject1 without too violent straining1 and which already excites interest in their minds1 it will be far better to begin with that1 and lead them to the proper theme when their attention has been thoroughly aroused4 ,the introduction should not be left to the chance of the moment4 ,it may often1 with great propriety1 be prepared after all other parts of the speech are planned4 ,but with even more care than is given to any other portion should the introduction be prearranged4 ,when once the wings of eloquence are fully spread we may soar above all obstructions2 but in starting it is well to be assured that the ground is clear about us4 ,it is only the substance and not the words of the introduction that should be prepared4 ,a single sentence may be mentally forecast1 but much beyond would be harmful2 and even this sentence should be simple and easily understood4 ,anything that needs explanation is very much out of place4 ,neither should the introduction be so striking as to be the part of the discourse longest remembered4 ,rather than permit the attention to be distracted in that manner1 it would be better to have no introduction4 ,a speaker gains much if he can at the outset arrest the attention and win the sympathy of his hearers and then carry these over to his proper subject4 ,but it may be assumed as certain1 that no kind of an apology will accomplish this object--unless1 indeed1 the speaker is such a favorite that everything in regard to his health or position is an object of deep solicitude to his audience4 ,a popular speaker who happens to be late and apologizes for it by explaining that he had just escaped from a terrible railroad accident would make a good introduction4 ,a loved pastor1 in his first sermon after serious illness1 might properly begin by talking of his amendment and his joy at addressing ,ins flock again4 ,but these are rare exceptions4 ,the speaker about to make any kind of an apology or personal reference as an introduction1 may well heed ,punch's advice to persons about to be married3 8,don't40 ,in many instances it is not easy to get the mere attention of an audience4 ,they come together from many different employments with thoughts engaged upon various topics1 and it is difficult to remove distracting influences and fix all minds upon one subject4 ,sometimes a startling proposition1 in the nature of a challenge1 will secure the object4 ,earnestness in the speaker goes far toward it4 ,but above everything else1 sameness and monotony must be carefully avoided4 ,when the same audience is frequently addressed1 variety becomes essential4 ,the writer knew of a minister who made it a rule to consider the nature1 reason1 and manner of his subjects1 in answer to the supposed questions3 8,what is it8 ,why is it8 ,how is it80 ,the eloquence of ,paul could not often have redeemed the faults of such an arrangement4 ,some inattention may be expected and patiently borne with at first4 ,part of the opening words may be lost--an additional reason for not making them of capital importance to the address4 ,it is useless to try by loud tones and violent manner to dispel indifference4 ,if the speaker's words have real weight1 and if his manner indicates confidence1 one by one the audience will listen1 until that electric thrill of sympathy1 impossible to describe1 but which is as evident to the practiced orator as an accord in music1 tells him that every ear is open to his words1 and that his thoughts are occupying every mind4 ,then the orator's power is fully developed1 and if himself and his theme are equal to the occasion it is delightful to use that power4 ,this silent1 pulsating interest is more to be desired than vehement applause1 for it cannot be counterfeited1 and it indicates that the heart of the assembly has been reached and melted by the fire of eloquence1 and is now ready to be molded into any desired form4 ,there are two or three general subjects available for introduction which every speaker would do well to study carefully1 and which will do much to furnish him with the means of properly approaching his theme4 ,we will mention the most useful of these1 premising that no one mode should be depended upon to the exclusion of others4 ,a good mode of introduction consists in a compliment to an audience4 ,when a truthful and manly compliment can be given it is a most pleasant and agreeable step toward the good-will of those we address2 but if used on all occasions indiscriminately1 it is meaningless2 if transparently false1 it is repulsive and disgusting2 but when true1 there is no reason why it should not be employed4 ,there are several good introductions of the complimentary character in the #bdth and #bfth chapters of ,acts4 ,when the orator1 ,tertullus1 accused ,paul1 he began by skillful1 but1 from the standpoint of his clients1 very insincere flattery3 8,seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness1 and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence1 we accept it always1 and in all places1 most noble ,felix1 with all thankfulness40 ,no fault can be found with the form of this introduction1 but it was untrue1 for the men in whose names it was made were the very reverse of thankful to the ,roman ,governor4 ,paul was far too skillful to lose the advantage of beginning his address with a compliment1 and too honest to give a false one4 ,there was one fact over which he could rejoice4 ,felix had been long enough in office to know the ways of his enemies2 so ,paul uses that as an effective and truthful compliment1 while professing his own confidence in his cause4 8,forasmuch as ,i know that thou hast been for many years a ,judge unto this nation1 ,i do the more cheerfully answer for myself1 because that thou mayest understand40 ,in the same exquisite combination of truthfulness and compliment to a bad man1 ,paul begins his address when before ,king ,agrippa3 8,i think myself happy1 ,king ,agrippa1 because ,i shall answer for myself this day before thee1 touching all the things whereof ,i am accused of the ,jews2 especially because ,i know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the ,jews2 wherefore1 ,i beseech thee to hear me patiently40 ,it should always be remembered1 however1 that compliments1 even in the estimation of those complimented1 are only grateful in proportion to their judicious character4 ,their hollowness1 if insincere1 is easily detected and thoroughly despised4 ,effective introductions can also be constructed from those topics of the day which may be supposed to fill all minds4 ,a few words on such subjects1 falling in with the general current of thought1 may easily lead up to the orator's special topic4 ,the newspapers may thus furnish us1 especially while some striking event is yet recent1 with the means of arresting the attention of newspaper readers at our first words4 ,another good mode of introduction is that of locality4 ,the people of any town may be presumed familiar with the objects or events of interest for which their own place is celebrated4 ,a ludicrous instance of this is narrated of the eloquent ,daniel ,webster4 ,he had visited ,niagara ,falls and was to make an oration at ,buffalo the same day1 but1 unfortunately1 he sat too long over the wine after dinner4 ,when he arose to speak1 the oratorical instinct struggled with difficulties1 as he declared1 8,gentlemen1 ,i have been to look upon your mag--mag--magnificent cataract1 one hundred--and forty--seven--feet high6 ,gentlemen1 ,greece and ,rome in their palmiest days never had a cataract one hundred--and forty--seven--feet high60 ,another mode of introduction which may be very useful under proper restrictions is that of citing some relevant remark made by an author whose name carries great weight1 or so pointed in itself as to at once arrest attention4 ,a great picture1 some feature of a landscape1 a great historical event1 may be cited in the same way4 ,this method of citation is capable of very wide application4 ,if the sentiment or impression made by the citation is directly opposite to that which the speaker wishes to produce this will increase rather than diminish interest1 as the enjoyment of contrast and controversy is very keen2 but the speaker should feel confident of his ability to overcome the influence of the citation when thus hostile4 ,a favorite introduction to abolition lectures in a former generation was the quotation of some strong and shocking declaration of the rightfulness or beneficence of slavery4 ,the last mode of introduction we will notice is very similar in character and may be termed that of perception4 ,something has been seen1 heard1 or imagined by the speaker1 which1 because of its simple1 tangible character1 is easily grasped1 and yet leads by some subtle analogy to his topic4 ,he has seen a ragged1 desolate boy on the street2 he describes that poor fellow to his audience2 and then finds them far more ready to listen to a plea for orphan asylums1 for education1 for better city government1 for anything which can have any bearing upon the welfare of the boy4 ,here1 then1 are five principles upon which appropriate introductions may be constructed4 ,many others might be named1 but these cover a wide range and may be very useful4 ,they are3 #a4 ,compliments4 #b4 ,current ,events4 #c4 ,local ,allusion4 #d4 ,citations4 #e4 ,things seen1 heard1 or imagined4 ,a great calamity may come to a speaker from a bad introduction4 ,speakers who are great in everything else often fail at this point4 ,some make their introductions too complicated1 and thus defeat their own end1 as surely as the engineer who gives his railroad such steep grades that no train can pass over it4 ,others deliver a string of mere platitudes and weary their audience from the beginning4 ,when from these or other causes our address is misbegun1 the consequences may be serious4 ,the thought settles upon the speaker with icy weight that he is failing4 ,this conviction paralyzes all his faculties4 ,he talks on1 but grows more and more embarrassed4 ,incoherent sentences are stammered out which require painful explanation to prevent them from degenerating into perfect nonsense4 ,the outline of his plan dissolves into mist4 ,the points he intended to make which seemed strong and important now look trivial4 ,with little hope ahead he blunders on4 ,the room grows dark before him1 and in the excess of his misery he longs for the time when he can close without absolute disgrace4 ,but alas6 the end seems far off1 and he searches in vain for some avenue of escape4 ,there is none4 ,his throat becomes dry and parched1 and command of voice is lost4 ,the audience grow restive1 for they are tortured as well as the speaker1 and if he were malicious and had time to think about it1 he might find some alleviation in that4 ,no one can help him4 ,at length1 in sheer desperation1 he does what he ought to have done long before--simply stops and sits down--perhaps hurling some swelling morsel of commonplace1 as a parting volley1 at the audience--bathed in sweat1 and feeling that he is disgraced forever6 ,if he is very weak or foolish1 he resolves never to speak again without having every word written out before him2 if wiser1 he only resolves1 not only to understand his speech1 but how to begin it4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,speech4 ,the passage from the introduction to the discussion should be made smoothly and gradually4 ,to accomplish this1 and to strike the subject at just the right angle1 continuing all the interest previously excited1 is a most important achievement4 ,a definite object is a great assistance in this part of the work4 ,if the object is clearly in view1 we go right up to it with no wasted words1 and the people follow our guidance because they see that we are not proceeding at random4 ,but with no strong purpose we are apt to steer about our subject without ever being quite ready to enter upon it4 ,the more brilliant the introduction the more difficult this transition will be4 ,but all these difficulties may be overcome with the aid of a well-constructed plan1 and then all the triumphs of oratory are before us4 ,there is great pleasure in speaking well4 ,an assembly hanging on the words and thinking the thoughts of a single man1 gives to him the most subtle kind of flattery4 ,but he must not inhale its fragrance heedlessly1 or his fall will be speedy and disastrous4 ,the triumphs of oratory are very fascinating--the ability to sway our fellows at pleasure1 to bind them willing captives with the strong chain of our thought--produces a delirious and intoxicating sense of power4 ,but in the best of instances such achievements are very transient1 and unless taken advantage of at the moment to work our cherished purposes1 the opportunity is lost4 ,even during a single address it is hard to maintain the influence of a happy moment4 ,speakers sometimes utter a great and noble thought and the nameless thrill of eloquence is felt1 but some irrelevant phrase or commonplace sentiment dissolves the charm4 ,to avoid this1 the whole discourse must be animated with some controlling purpose1 and in its general character1 tend upward1 until its close4 ,the law of climax ought to be carefully considered by the speaker4 ,there may be more than one culmination of interest in an address1 separated by an interval less absorbing and powerful1 but this decline should only be allowed in order to prepare a second or third climax grander than all before4 ,to violate this rule and have a speech 8flatten out0 toward its close1 is a fearful error4 ,better reduce the length of the whole by one-half or three-fourths1 and maintain interest and attention to the end4 ,a few miscellaneous considerations in regard to the style and manner of the speech may be inserted here as well as anywhere4 ,diffuseness is often supposed to be a necessary quality of extemporaneous speech4 ,many speakers do fall into it1 but they need not4 ,they are diffuse because they are unwilling or unable to say exactly what they mean1 but come near it1 and continue their efforts until they are satisfied4 ,they furnish no clear view of any idea1 but only a kind of twilight illumination4 ,this serious fault may be overcome in spontaneous speech as readily as in writing4 ,he who thinks clearly and forcibly will talk in the same manner4 ,exquisite finish and elaborate verbal arrangement are not to be looked for in off-hand speech1 but each idea may be expressed with great force1 vigor1 and accuracy of shading4 ,this ability to say precisely what we mean in few words1 and at the first effort1 constitutes one of the great beauties of a spoken style4 ,the hearer is filled with grateful surprise when some new and living idea is suddenly placed before him clothed in a single word or sentence4 ,a diffuse speaker gives so many premonitions of his thought that the audience have guessed it1 and may even come to believe that they have always known it1 before he has made his formal presentment4 ,of course1 they are wearied1 and never give him credit for an original conception4 ,if troubled with this fault1 frequently forecast what to say2 drive it into the smallest number of vivid1 expressive words2 then1 without memorizing the language1 reproduce the same thought briefly in the hurry of speech4 ,if not successful in making it as brief as before1 repeat the effort4 ,this exercise will1 in time1 give the ability to condense4 ,but to exercise it the temptation to fine language must be overcome4 ,no sentence should be introduced for mere glitter or sparkle3 a single unnecessary word may require others to justify or explain it1 and thus may ruin a whole discourse4 ,the danger of showy language in speech is far greater than in writing1 for if the writer be drawn too far away from his subject he can strike out the offending sentences and begin again1 while the speaker has but one trial4 ,if beauty lies in his way1 well2 but if not1 he should never abandon his course to seek it4 ,we have seen many directions for 8expanding thought10 and have heard young speakers admire the ease and grace of such expansion4 ,but thoughts are not like medicines which require dilution to be more palatable4 ,it is better to give the essence of an idea and go on to something else4 ,there should be clear and ample expression2 condensation carried to the point of obscurity would be a fault2 but nothing more than clearness is needed4 ,if thoughts are few it is better to delve for others rather than to attenuate and stretch what we have4 ,a popular error exists as to the kind of language best adapted to the purposes of oratory4 ,high-sounding epithets and ,latinized words are considered the fitting medium of speech4 ,these may overawe ignorant hearers1 but can never strike the chords of living sympathy which bind all hearts together4 ,if we use terms hard to be understood the effort put forth by hearers to master their meaning is just so much subtracted from the force of the address4 ,the homely ,saxon words that dwell on the lips of the people will unload their wealth of meaning in the heart as soon as the sound strikes the ear4 ,uncommon words build a barrier around thought2 familiar ones are like a railroad over which it glides swiftly to its destination4 ,all debased and slang words should be rejected1 unless the speech is to partake of the nature of burlesque3 we do not advocate 8the familiarity that breeds contempt30 this is also a hurtful extreme4 ,the two great requisites in the use of words are that they should exactly express our ideas1 and that they should be familiar3 the charms of melody and association are not to be despised1 but they are secondary4 ,every speech should have its strong points1 upon which especial reliance is placed4 ,a skillful general has his choice battalions reserved to pierce the enemy's line at the decisive moment1 and win the battle4 ,in both the physical and the mental contest1 it is important to place these reserves aright that all their weight may be felt4 ,a crisis occurs in nearly all living addresses--a moment in which a strong argument or a fervid appeal will accomplish our purpose--just as a vigorous charge1 or the arrival of reinforcements1 will turn the doubtful scale of battle4 ,the speaker1 from the opening of his speech1 should have his object clearly in view and drive steadily toward it1 and when within reach1 put forth his whole power in a mighty effort1 achieving the result for which the whole speech was devised4 ,if the right opportunity is neglected it seldom returns1 and an hour's talk may fail to accomplish as much as one good burning sentence thrown in at the right time4 ,much talk after the real purpose of an address is accomplished also is useless and even perilous4 ,it has all along been taken for granted that the speaker has something worthy to say4 ,without this a serious address deserves no success1 although under some circumstances nothing but sound to tickle the ears is desired4 ,such speeches are well enough in their way1 but they rank with the performances on the piano by which a young lady entertains her uncritical visitors4 ,they cannot be called speeches in any real sense4 ,the fact that a speaker has a solid and worthy foundation of knowledge and an adequate purpose gives him confidence4 ,he knows that if his words are not instinct with music1 and if the pictures of his fancy are not painted in the brightest colors1 he has yet a just claim upon the attention of his hearers4 ,it is not necessary that the orator's thoughts should be exceedingly profound2 the most vital truths lie near the surface1 within reach of all4 ,but most men do not dwell long enough upon one subject to master its obvious features1 and when some one does fully gather up and fairly present what belongs to a worthy theme it is like a new revelation4 ,a good illustration of this is found in the sublimity ,dean ,stanley imparts to the story of the ,exodus of ,israel4 ,few new facts are presented1 but these are so arranged and vivified by a thoughtful mind that the subject glows into new meaning4 ,the extemporaneous speaker may have abundant time for such study of every topic within his range of addresses1 and if he uses it aright1 he can soon wield a charm far beyond any jingling combination of words4 ,when an orator stands before an audience1 shall he expect to overwhelm them by his eloquence8 ,such a result is possible but not probable2 and it can never be safely calculated upon4 ,if persons attempt to be greatly eloquent on all occasions1 they are apt to end by becoming ridiculous4 ,good sense and solid usefulness are better objects of endeavor4 ,any man who studies a subject until he knows more about it than his neighbors can interest them in a fireside explanation1 if they care for the subject at all3 he tells his facts in a plain style and is understood4 ,many persons will listen delighted to a man's conversation until midnight1 but will fall asleep in ten minutes if he tries to make a speech to them4 ,in the first case he talks1 and is simple and unaffected2 in the other he speaks and feels that he must use a style stiffened up for the occasion4 ,when ,henry ,clay was asked how he became so eloquent1 he said that he could tell nothing about it2 all he knew was that when he commenced an address he had only the desire to speak what he had prepared 7not memorized71 and adhered to this line of preparation until he was enwrapped in the subject1 and carried away1 he knew not how4 ,this was a good course1 for if the extraordinary inspiration did not come1 a good and sensible speech was secured at any rate4 ,some of these considerations may be of service if weighed in advance1 but when the speaker once ascends the platform he must rely on his own tact for the management of all details4 ,closely observing the condition of the audience1 and taking advantage of every favoring element1 he moves steadily toward his object4 ,with an unobstructed road before him1 which he has traveled in thought until it is familiar1 he will advance with ease and certainty4 ,as he looks upon interested faces1 new ideas arise1 and if fitting1 are woven into harmony with previous preparations1 often with thrilling effect4 ,each emotion enkindled by sympathy embodies itself in words that move the heart as prepared language could not do1 and each moment his own conviction sinks deeper into the hearts of his hearers4 ,there are three principal ways of concluding a speech4 ,one of the most graceful is to condense a clear view of the whole argument and tendency of the address into a few words1 and leave the summing up thus made to produce its own effect4 ,discourses aiming principally to produce conviction may very well be concluded in this manner4 ,to throw the whole sweep of an argument1 every point of which has been previously elaborated1 into a few telling sentences will contribute powerfully to make the impression permanent4 ,another and very common mode is to close with an application or with practical remarks4 ,when the address is a sermon1 this form of closing is frequently termed an exhortation1 and the whole speech is made to bear upon the duty of the moment4 ,the conclusion should be closely connected with the remainder of the address3 if it be so general in character as to fit any speech it will be of little service to any4 ,a conclusion should always be short and contain no new matter4 ,few things are more disastrous than the practice of drawing toward an end and then launching out into a new discussion4 ,all good things that have been said1 all previous favorable impressions1 are obliterated by this capital fault4 ,we should be careful to finish the discussion of our theme before we indicate that the conclusion has been reached4 ,and if1 at the moment of finishing1 we happen to think of anything1 however vital1 which has been omitted1 it had better be left to another time and place altogether4 ,a third method of closing is to simply break off when the last item is finished4 ,the full development of the discourse is thus made its ending1 care being taken that the last item discussed shall be of weight and dignity4 ,this is by no means the easiest form of conclusion1 but rightly managed it is one of the most effective4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,after ,,the ,,speech4 ,when a fervent and successful discourse has been concluded there comes a feeling of inexpressible relief4 ,the burden of an important speech rests with accumulating force upon the mind from the time the subject is chosen until it becomes well-nigh intolerable4 ,when speech actually begins every power is called into play and exerted to its utmost capacity4 ,the excitement of the conflict hurries the speaker on1 and although he may not at the time realize the gigantic exertions put forth1 yet when he pauses at length1 perhaps exhausted1 but with the victory won1 the sense of rest1 relief1 and security1 is exceedingly delightful4 ,after such an effort both mind and body do need rest4 ,there are speakers who profess to feel no fatigue after an hour's labor1 but these are seldom in the front rank of orators4 ,if the soul has been aroused and all the man's faculties bent to the accomplishment of a great purpose1 relaxation is often followed by a sense of utter prostration4 ,nothing better for the moment can be advised than to abandon one's self to the luxury of utter repose4 ,social intercourse and all distractions should as far as possible be avoided4 ,if circumstances permit1 a short sleep1 if but for a few minutes1 will afford great relief2 and in most cases sleep will come if wisely courted4 ,after resting1 it is well to ponder closely the lessons derived from each new experience in speaking4 ,to indulge in exultation over success or to lament over failure is not profitable4 ,the speaker is not a perfect judge of either4 ,he has probably done the best he could at the time1 and there the case should rest1 except so far as he sees the need or the means of future improvement4 ,but judgment of success or failure cannot easily be avoided4 ,if the speaker's standard is low1 he may pass beyond it without accomplishing anything worthy of high praise3 or if he is despondent in nature he may have expected little and may now feel correspondingly elated because he has exceeded his very moderate expectations4 ,but it is a curious fact that speakers are often least pleased with their best speeches4 ,in the mightiest efforts of the mind the standard is placed very high--perhaps beyond the possibility of attainment--and the speaker works with his eyes fixed upon that summit1 and probably1 after all his exertions1 sees it shining still far above him4 ,his ideas are but half expressed2 he is mortified that there should be such a difference between conception and realization4 ,but his hearers have been led over untrodden fields of thought1 and knowing nothing of the grander heights still above the orator's head1 they are naturally filled with enthusiasm1 and cannot enter into the feelings of the speaker if he is foolish enough to tell them of his disappointment4 ,this is the reason that we are least able to judge of the success of speeches that have been long meditated and thoroughly prepared4 ,the subject expands as we study1 its outlines becoming grander and vaster until they pass beyond our power of adequate representation4 ,each separate thought in the whole discussion that is fully mastered becomes familiar1 and is not1 therefore1 valued at its true worth4 ,sometimes1 when we begin to speak with little thought1 intending to give only easy and common views of the subject1 everything appears fresh before us1 and if some striking ideas arise1 their novelty gives them three-fold value1 and we imagine that we have made a great speech4 ,all this constitutes no argument against diligent preparation1 but it should stimulate us to bring up our powers of expression more nearly to the level of our conceptions4 ,there should never be extreme discouragement over an apparent failure4 ,some good end may be reached even by a very poor speech4 ,one evening the writer preached when weary and almost unprepared4 ,from first to last the effort was painful1 and to prevent absolute failure the intended plan had to be abandoned1 and detached thoughts from any source thrown in4 ,yet that discourse1 which was scarcely worthy of the name1 elicited warmer approval and did more apparent good than any one preached for several previous months4 ,one or two fortunate illustrations redeemed every defect1 so far as the audience 7but not the speaker7 was concerned4 ,whatever judgment we may entertain of our own performances1 it is not usually wise to tell our hearers1 or to ask their opinions4 ,criticisms spontaneously offered need not be repulsed1 but all seeking for commendation is childish or disgusting4 ,it is sweet to hear our efforts praised1 and most of men can bear an amount of flattery addressed to themselves which would be insufferable if offered to others2 but this disposition1 if much indulged1 becomes ungovernable and exposes us to well-deserved ridicule4 ,it is pitiable to see a man who has been uttering wise and eloquent words afterward stooping to beg crusts of indiscriminating flattery from his hearers4 ,whenever there is a probability that any discourse will be repeated1 it is well to review it soon after delivery1 while its impression is still fresh upon the mind1 and if any defect appears1 amend it in the plan1 and add to the same plan all the valuable ideas that have been suggested during the speech or afterward4 ,in this manner we keep each discourse up to the high watermark of our ability4 ,some orators are accustomed to write their speeches out in full after delivery4 ,when the theme is important and time permits1 this is a good exercise1 but in many--perhaps the majority of cases--the labor would outweigh the profit4 ,no such objection applies to reviewing and correcting a verbatim report of our speeches4 ,to many speakers such a review of the exact words they have uttered would be a striking and not altogether pleasing revelation4 ,pet phrases1 which might otherwise be unnoticed for years2 faults of expression1 and especially the profuseness of words1 in which extemporaneous speakers are tempted to indulge2--would all be forced upon our notice4 ,we would be surprised to learn that we could often write the discourse in one-fourth the words employed in delivery4 ,to form the habit of thus condensing our speeches after delivery would have a powerful tendency toward compacting thought in speech itself4 ,the only hindrance in applying this capital means of improvement consists in the difficulty of obtaining such shorthand reports4 ,where this cannot be overcome a part of the advantage may be gained by taking the plan and from it writing out the same kind of a compact presentation of the thoughts as uttered4 ,this differs from writing in full by making no effort to record exact words or forms of expression1 but only to recall from memory and from the sketch the exact thoughts that were expressed in the language of the moment4 ,even if the same kind of brief sketch has been made previous to the act of speech1 this does not take the place of what we now recommend2 for the former outline may have been greatly modified by the experience of delivery4 ,in whatever form the best result of the discourse is recorded1 great care should be taken in its preservation4 ,the plan1 sketch1 or fully written discourse may be slipped into an envelope 7which may also contain all illustrative scraps1 notes1 or references to books that bear upon the discourse7 and on the back may be written the title1 time1 and character of delivery1 with any other facts of importance4 ,if the young speaker will faithfully follow up such a method of recording the results of his oratorical experience1 he will find it one of the best forms of discipline1 and the record itself--carefully indexed1 frequently reviewed1 and kept within reasonable bulk--will in time possess a value greater than gold4 ,,finis4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,entertainment ,books ,,for ,,young ,,people ,tiny ,tot's ,speaker ,by ,lizzie ,j4 ,rook ,mrs4 ,e4 ,j4 ,h4 ,goodfellow ,for the ,wee ,ones ,the need of a book of short1 bright pieces for the little ones to speak is apparent to every one who has had anything to do with getting up entertainments4 ,this book contains over #aej pieces ranging from four lines to a page in length1 all fresh and specially suited to the youngest children4 ,the subjects are such as please the little folks1 and are wrought into easy prose and verse4 ,paper binding1 #ae cents2 boards1 #be cents4 ,child's ,own ,speaker ,by ,e4 ,c4 ,l4 ,j4 ,rook ,for ,children of ,six ,years ,this collection comprises over #ajj selections consisting of ,recitations1 ,motion ,songs1 ,concert ,pieces1 ,dialogues1 and ,tableaux4 ,most of them have been written specially for this book and are quite unique and novel in their arrangement4 ,the subjects are such as delight the infantile mind1 and the language1 while thoroughly childlike1 is not childish4 ,only such pieces have been used as contain some thought worthy of being remembered4 ,paper binding1 #ae cents2 boards1 #be cents4 ,little ,people's ,speaker ,by ,mrs4 ,j4 ,w4 ,shoemaker ,for ,children of ,nine ,years ,the book comprises #ajj pages of choice pieces in prose and verse adapted to childhood4 ,it contains a number of bright and attractive ,recitations1 ,motion ,songs1 ,concert ,recitations1 ,holiday ,exercises1 and stirring ,temperance and ,patriotic ,pieces4 ,all the selections are new1 a number of them being specially written for this work1 and others appearing for the first time in book form4 ,paper binding1 #ae cents2 boards1 #be cents4 ,young ,people's ,speaker ,by ,e4 ,c4 ,l4 ,j4 ,rook ,for ,children of ,twelve ,years ,almost every prominent author has written some good things for young people4 ,the choicest bits in prose and verse from ,longfellow1 ,holmes1 ,dickens1 ,t4 ,buchanan ,read1 ,susan ,coolidge1 ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox1 and other noted writers have been given a place in this volume4 ,it would be difficult to find another collection of #ajj pages so replete with short1 bright1 cheery recitations1 so appropriate to young persons1 and suited to all occasions4 ,paper binding1 #ae cents2 boards1 #be cents4 ,young ,folks' ,recitations ,by ,mrs4 ,j4 ,w4 ,shoemaker ,for ,young ,people of ,fifteen ,years ,the book is made up of short recitations in prose and poetry carefully selected from the productions of the best writers for young people4 ,while innocent humor and quaint philosophy occupy a prominent place1 the general tone of the book is such as to inspire the youthful mind with a love of country and of truth1 and to cultivate greater purity of heart and nobility of character4 ,the concluding pages contain a few short dialogues and tableaux4 ,paper binding1 #ae cents2 boards1 #be cents4 ,little ,people's ,dialogues ,by ,clara ,j4 ,denton ,for ,children of ,ten ,years ,the dialogues were prepared especially for this book and possess a freshness seldom found in publications of this class4 ,many of them are characterized by a novelty and originality that place them far above the average production of this kind4 ,the staging and costuming are of the simplest character and are so fully described as to make the task of preparation quite easy1 even for the novice4 ,provision has been made for all occasions commemorating special days and seasons4 ,paper binding1 #be cents2 boards1 #dj cents4 ,young ,folks' ,dialogues ,by ,charles ,c4 ,shoemaker ,for ,young ,people of ,fifteen ,years ,dialogues rendered by young people are always enjoyable1 being relished by the parents and friends as well as by the youthful performers themselves4 ,this book of dialogues1 wholesome in tone1 yet sparkling with wit and full of unexpected and novel situations1 supplies just the material needed4 ,liberal provision has been made for anniversary occasions1 and for church1 school1 and home entertainments4 ,all the matter has been written especially for this work4 ,paper binding1 #be cents2 boards1 #dj cents4 ,young ,folks' ,entertainments ,by ,e4 ,c4 ,l4 ,j4 ,rook ,for ,children from ,five to ,fifteen ,years ,the constant demand is for something new and original for ,school and ,home ,entertainments4 ,the authors1 from a large experience1 have prepared a book that exactly meets this want4 ,novelty and variety mark every page4 ,dialogues1 ,tableaux1 ,motion ,songs1 ,drills1 ,shadows1 ,charades in ,pantomime1 and ,motion ,recitations in ,concert represent some of the divisions of the book4 ,all are adapted to the common school stage and require but little costume and few properties4 ,everything is original and written especially for this work4 ,paper binding1 #be cents2 boards1 #dj cents4 ,easy ,entertainments for ,young ,people ,the book consists of bright1 new1 original plays sparkling with wit and overflowing with humor1 and introducing many striking and beautiful scenes4 ,the ,carnival of ,sports1 ,the ,court of the ,year1 ,courting of ,mother ,goose1 ,vice ,versa1 ,the ,sniggles ,family1 ,my ,country1 and ,dr4 ,cure-,all are the titles of the seven interesting entertainments of which this book is composed4 ,the stage settings are simple and but little in the way of scenery1 properties1 or costumes is required4 ,paper binding1 #be cents2 boards1 #dj cents4 ,drills and ,marches ,by ,e4 ,c4 ,l4 ,j4 ,rook ,no form of entertainment has intrenched itself more strongly in popular favor than ,drills and ,marches4 ,the authors1 with a long and successful experience in arranging public entertainments1 come with special fitness to their task of writing a book of new and attractive exercises4 ,the following titles of drills may prove suggestive3 ,the ,broom1 ,fan1 ,tambourine1 ,umbrella1 ,hoop1 ,waiter1 ,doll1 ,little ,patriots1 etc4 ,full explanations accompany each drill1 so that even in the hands of an inexperienced teacher the entertainment will prove a success4 ,paper binding1 #be cents2 boards1 #dj cents4 ,ideal ,drills ,by ,marguerite ,w4 ,morton ,this book contains a collection of entirely new and original drills1 into which are introduced many unique and effective features4 ,the fullest descriptions are given for the successful production of the drills1 and to this end nearly #ajj diagrams have been inserted showing the different movements4 ,everything is made so clear that anyone can use the drills without the slightest difficulty4 ,among the more popular and pleasing drills are3 ,the ,brownie1 ,taper1 ,maypole1 ,rainbow1 ,dumb-bell1 ,butterfly1 ,sword1 ,flower1 ,ring1 ,scarf1 ,flag1 and ,swing ,song and ,drill4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,illustration ,humorous ,speakers ,dialogues ,,books ,,for ,,holidays ,,and ,,sunday-,,schools4 ,,tableaux1 ,,monologues1 ,,etc4 ,good ,humor ,by ,henry ,firth ,wood ,for ,reading and ,recitation ,there is no better way of contributing to the amusement and enjoyment of a public audience or of the social circle than by telling a good anecdote or rendering some humorous recitation4 ,this volume will furnish an abundant supply of both4 ,the recitation1 8,casey at the ,bat10 made famous by the celebrated comedian1 ,de,wolf ,hopper1 is among the pieces4 ,this selection alone will be considered by many as worth the cost of the book4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,choice ,humor ,by ,charles ,c4 ,shoemaker ,for ,reading and ,recitation ,to prepare a book of humor that shall be free from anything that is coarse or vulgar on the one hand1 and avoid what is flat and insipid on the other1 is the difficult task which the compiler set for himself1 and which he has successfully accomplished4 ,the book has been prepared with the utmost care1 and it will be found as interesting and attractive for private reading as it is valuable for public entertainment4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,choice ,dialect ,by ,charles ,c4 ,shoemaker ,for ,reading and ,recitation ,this book will be found to contain a rare and valuable collection of ,irish1 ,german1 ,scotch1 ,french1 ,negro1 and other dialects1 and to represent every phase of sentiment from the keenest humor or the tenderest pathos to that which is strongly dramatic4 ,it affords to the amateur reader and the professional elocutionist the largest scope for his varied abilities1 and is entirely free from anything that would offend the most refined taste4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,choice ,dialogues ,by ,mrs4 ,j4 ,w4 ,shoemaker ,for ,school and ,social ,entertainment ,entirely new and original4 ,the topics have been arranged on a comprehensive plan1 with reference to securing the greatest possible variety1 and the matter has been specially prepared by a corps of able writers1 their aim being to secure loftiness of conception1 purity of tone1 and adaptability to the needs of amateurs4 ,it is an all-round dialogue book1 being suited to children and adults1 and to ,sunday-schools and day-schools4 ,it is conceded to be one of the best dialogue books in print4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,humorous ,dialogues and ,dramas ,by ,charles ,c4 ,shoemaker ,if there is anything more enjoyable than a humorous reading or recitation it is a keen1 pointed1 humorous dialogue4 ,the compiler1 with the largest resources and widest experience in literature for entertainment purposes1 has produced one of the rarest1 brightest1 jolliest books of mirth-provoking dialogues ever published4 ,much of the matter was prepared especially for this work4 ,the dialogues are adapted to old and young of both sexes1 and while often keenly witty1 are wholly free from coarseness and vulgarity4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,classic ,dialogues and ,dramas ,by ,mrs4 ,j4 ,w4 ,shoemaker ,this unique work will prove not only interesting and profitable for purposes of public and social entertainment1 but also instructive and valuable for private reading and study4 ,the book comprises popular scenes judiciously selected from the plays of ,shakespeare1 ,sheridan1 ,bulwer1 ,schiller1 and other dramatists1 and each dialogue is so arranged as to be complete in itself4 ,many of the exercises may be given as readings or recitals1 and will prove acceptable to audiences of the highest culture and refinement4 ,paper binding1 #cj cents2 cloth1 #ej cents4 ,,the ,,penn ,,publishing ,,company #ibc ,arch ,street1 ,philadelphia ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,changed #8long' to #8lung' on p4 #adb4 #b4 ,silently corrected typographical errors4 #c4 ,retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed4 #d4 ,enclosed italics font in underscores4