The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-09-27
Long Speeches.

Have you read Senator s great
speeeb in the senate, said We to an invet-
crate politician, whom We knew 10 keep him
self posted on every thing Of political ma
ture.
..No. have not, be replied u have
received a pamphlet copy from Washing
ton. and looked at it a little. but ] have not
read it"
''But you intend to read it, doubtless
"why no. DO not expect TO. Ho"
can T. have no time. ] take a large
daily. which I must read though 10 keep
ND with the times; and my wife aud to-
getber take about half dozen weeklies, 70
say nothing about magazine Then, YOU
know, have my regular Office hours 10
fill every day"
..yery true. But IL such men a. you DO
not read great speeches, extending some
times through two days, what is the use Of
q Senator laying himself ont so prodisious-
". do You know OF a single person who
has read this speech through
al do not. ] think il will not be read at
all. except by the personal friends OF the
speaker, and few editorial drudses Ike
yourself who read such things a. a profess
ional duty"
"But then, said We 1.-The speech is
very able one, going over the whole ground
on most important subject.
VERY likely, but then it would cover
eighteen or twenty columns Of the Hep"'f'-
can. and that o. more ground than can
afford 10 travel over a. a roodor. and more
than you can afford 10 give as "a publisher
"But do not you suppose 10 will lee read
by the farmers, so far as il may be circula-
ted among them q"
81 do not believe one farmer in ten tC
whom il may be given will attempt To rad'
through it systematically; and if ne should
commence, he would get asleep before De
finished It; or if read on successive
evenings, he would entirely forget the ar
gument Of the first part while reading the
last. \ few men Of comprehensive, vel
trained minds, will read il with benefit
but its great length will render it yalueles,
to the rest Of the community.
This conversation with our friend presen
ted the futility of making long speeches In
a clearer light than We had ever before
before seen it. We had before shared the
general opinion that such long, lahoreo
documents, however they might be skipped
over by the general reader. were attentive
ly read and pondered 10y the farmers, and
subsequent inquiry and reflection have sat
isfied US that a speech, designed 10 Dee en-
orally read. should never exceed four OF
five columns in length, at the utmost and
if shortened and condensed one half, might
be still more etlectual
The best speakers Of the last generation
were probably more proliX than those OF
the present day. Some Of the speeches OF
Gen. Cass in the Senate filed eighteen or
twenty solid columns OF the Washington
papers, and Silas Wright would talk any
required length of time. But the military
men, of the last few years, have set us a
better example Our Generals have been
usually very brief speakers, and those
among them, like Banks and Butler who
are lawyers, have rarely spoken at much
length. The speeches of Gen. Butler. in
particular are modedls of terse, condensed
thought, pointedly and forcibly expressed,
and they have given the people generally
q favorable impression Of his intellectual
endOwments.
.IpffprGnn / IL RI of far
profession to talk 10y the hour; and the
lawyers, by their practise, confirm the
truth Of his remark. 4 lawyer, ike
woman, is always expected to be able to
talk, as a matter Of course, to any needed
extent We are told. however, that when
twelve jurymeu are to be convinced and
persuaded 10 agree unanimously ON GER
tain verdict. great deal Of talking Is often
necessary TO clear up the doubts. crochcts,
and surmises which arise i'm the minds Of
those twelve men; and the more ignorant
prejudiced and unreasoning q mryman is.
the more pains must he taken lest his bir-
oted foOlishneSs should Ovcrset all the pro-
ceedings. There may be some force in
this statement; for a man of cultivated |
vigorous mind will seize every question
brought before him by its strong points. /
and will come at his conclusions sooner. I
and adhere to them more firmly. than a /
weak-minded, ignorant nam. who does not /
even know how to come nj a conclusion. |
and depends on Others to tell him what to 1
believe. But for this very reason. il
would be desirable for a LAWYER i'm q plea
before single judge, to be brief. applying
himself only to the main hinges OF the ques-
ton at issue.
The clergy Of this generation are also i'm
proving greatly on their Puritan ancestors.
Noy we never hear Of the .sixteentblv~
and ''sevententhly' in the divisions Of a
sermon, and diScourses in the pulpit are re-
duced 10 as short dimensions As i desira-
bic Thirty years ago. a preacher who ;
could not hold on for an hour laid himself
open to the suspicion that he had ..run
out oil matter; and hence it was an object
TOT one who was really deficient 10 exc ont his :
discourse with Scripture instances from I
Genesis TO Revelations, and to cite lone
passages, quoted verbatim without missins, ,
q word. This process had 4 favorahle ,
effect on the ministers reputation. and the \
more ignorant part Of the hearers could be
heard repeating 10 each other-..What a a.,
mari minister we have got. He can re- ,
'eat the Scripture all by heart" But the q
lmes are altered for the better: and the 7
sermons that We now hear. from =
sunday to Sunday, will not average more n
nan thlrty five minutes and seldom ex-
'eeu iorty i've. This relieves the attention
u tue hearers before they become weary. II
eneVes the preacher from large amount a
! physical labor in writing and speaking. Ia
'uu enables him to condense, polish. and h
erect that which he does present to the G,
speaker at political mass MEETING "
no oil