St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-04-04
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continued from First Page.
would come where they were seated
When he came to them, however, they
would sit close and expose him, as he
stood, out Of countcnance to the whole au-
d!ence. When he went toward the Lace
demonians, who had noticed this atfront
to him, they rose up all to man to re-
ceive him. The Athenians being sudden
]y touched with sense of the Spartan viz
tue and their own degeneracy, gave a
thunder Of applause, and the old man
cried out, t'The Athenians understand
what is good, but the Lacedemonians
practice it." And so, in these days, men
arc more ready to applaud good acts than
to perform them.
do most earnestly beseech every one
to cultivate taste for reading. Some
have natural fondncss for reading while
to many it seems at first like a tax on their
attention. If it is now q task, the habit
if practiced while, will become delic-
ious luxury. 1t drives eating care from
our bosoms: it is company in solitude
What poor and pitiable shadow is the
vacant mind after the strength fails and
the sight grows dim. Like the sterile
sands of the desert it has put forth no YER
dure and it is blessed with no refreshing
dews. But the mind in mellow age,
which has been replenished with inspiring
thought and radiant images has the whole
globe for its habitation.
1T leaps from mount to mount, from vale to
vale
1t wanders, plucking honeyed fruits and
flowers;
1t visits home, to hear the freside tale,
Or in sweet converse pass the joyous hours.
lis up before the Sun roaming affair;
And in its watches wearies every STAR
Reading is also duty, for without the
knowledge which it brings, our Judgment is
like shi p without rudder, beaten about
by every gale Of prejudice, making no
progress in the voyage Of life, and finally
drifting us On the bleak and desolate
rocks.
I avoid speaking of the cultivation of
the fine arts; such as painting and sculp-
ture for two reasons. First, because I
am not competent to speak of them; and
secondly, because I wish to ask your COOP
GRAFTON for those things only which seem
essential and are within our reach. l
might, however, strongly recommend the
study Of perspective drawing. I have,
myself, frequently lamcnted my ignorance
Of this art, as have traversed our beauti-
f"l country west Of the Mississi ppi, and
dure,clad fluctuations adorned with smi-
ling lakes and stately groves. Nor do I
at all overstate, nor can language describe
the tranquil beauty of the scenery between
the Mississippi and the Red River of the
North.
Ind while I shall not aspire to speak of
eloquence, will, nevertheless, urge the
cultivation Of the art of public speaking
Under our institutions the most important
subjects of public interest are considered
and determined in popular assemblies Of
the people, occasions will occur in the life
Of every citizen when it will either be in
cumbent on him or he will feel desire to
express his wish or opinions in public. If
he is able to do this with efpossession
it will be of great advantage. In town
meeting or other public assembly where
there are such men the influence of the
verbose and brazen-faced demagougue will
speedily come to naught. 70 this end,
debating societies though much ridiculcd,
and on some accounts justly ridicnled, are
a useful institution. Let no one hesitate
to make the effort to speak in public
through fear of failure. The painter, the
poet and the soul ptor can withhold their
first attempts from public view; but in
learning to speak our first rude efforts must
from the nature Of the art be in public
Hence, there is greater amount of in
diligence to be shown to a speakers first
attempts. We all know that the greatest
Of Athenian orators, perhaps the greatest
who ever fourished, was ridiculed and
Kissed when he made his first effort And
Djsraeli, one of the most eminent of living
statesmen and orators, when he attempted
his first speech in the House of Commons
was hooted down. II will take my seat
now," said he, shut the time will come
when you will listen to me- One of the
main requisites certainly is to have some
thing to say; and if man has an idea
clearly impressed on his own mind he can
hardly fail, if he is determined to impress
that idea upon his hearers. Cicero tells
us that he never liked an orator who did
not appear in some little confusion at the
beginning Of his speech; and confcsses
that he himself never entered upon an or
alton without trembling and concern
And upon this Addison remarks that cit
is indeed kind of Difference which is due
to great assembly, and seldom fails to
raise benevolence in the audience towards
the person who speaks"
I come now to ask how these things I
have mentioned are to he accomplished =?
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