West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-08-17
Anccdotes-Their Slight influence
Upon Audiences.

pun AuulcnCeS.
! Gen. Thomas l.. Chngman delivered
! the annual address before the student,
and alumni of the University Normal
/ school, at Chapel Hill, y. C.. upou
Natural and Moral Philosophy. In
concluding, he devoted some minutes Ia
a consideration of the best modes of con.
veying information and i'm incidentally
referring to n certain class of speakers
said
Seeing that i'm many instances the
ichCitOus illustration or anecdote has
produced a fine effect, they imagine that
good speaking consists i'm amusing an
audience by relating what are usually
called anecdotes. These may be legiti.
mately used for two purposes. In the
hrst place tired audience may be re-
leved 10y a laugh ut a good story prop.
erly told. Secondly, these anecdotes, If
Judlciously applied To illustrate "A prop-
osltion, or a hit on an adversary, give
great effect To speech Flowers and
music are appropriate adiuncts To n
feast, but they of themselves do not
satisfy hungry guests. In like manner
IA so-called speech which is mainly made
ol Jokes produces mo- impression ON the
audience that might not he more strik-
lngly caused by the antics and ludicrous
tall of the clown Fox, in 'Humptv
Dumpty.' Though the audience has
been pleasantly entertained and will
attcrward feel rather grateful to the
speaker for the entertainment. vet no
political impression has been made ON il
! recall a striking instance of this.
In 1914 | attended Whig barbecue at
| Knoxville, Tenn. Themorning spccch
had been made by Hon. John Bell and
myself, and the large audience had
partaken of the barbecue. On our re-
turn to the stand gentleman of high
! position spoke for nearly three hours in
such an excellent manner as To keep us
IN excellent humOr, and created almost
! lncessant laughter, and we broke up i'm
the best spirits. On the next morning
Senator Spencer Jcrnagan spoke for two
hours toa very attentive audience, with
out, however, causing smile i'm the vast
assembly. After he concluded a promi.
nent Tennessee politician said to me.
referring to Jcrnagan, He is the man
that we owe the revolution i'm East Ten
! nessee to- ] asked, inquiring if the gen
! tleman who had spoken the evening he
! fore did not help also. lie replied, No
he is fine man for a rally, but he never
makes us vote
" In 1860 ! was present at barbecue
at which n young gentleman occupied
most of the day. He possessed good
memory, had learned almost all of the
anecdotes that were retailed during the
campaign, and rehearsed them amusingly.
| After he finished i'm the evening an in
! telligent gentleman remarked TO me
This day has been completely lost to us
He was right in his view. Had good
band played pleasant airs the assembly
would have been as highly entertained
and jUstas decided apOlitical impression
would have been made on il.
" In 1872 had an amusing illustration
of the downward tendency produced 10y
! the fashion now so much i'm vogue. 4
young man whose opportunities To ac.
! quire an education had been limited
! but who had commenced the study of
! the law. said TO me- General, | wish
to learn how you great Senators used
! TO do in the Senate. ! wish particularly
to hear about Mr.. Webster was he not
Il mighty man on an anecdoteY The
! question struck me as so ludicrous that
] found it difficult TO avoid laughing.
a moments reflection, however, enabled
me to understand how he came 20 pos
sess such an idea. A speech aboundng
in anecdotes had few week previously
been made in that region and some Of
the papers stated that this was the great
est speech that had been made since the
times OF Clay and Webster. Genuine
wit is a highly intellectual and impor.
tant faculty. it has been well said that
no one ever laughed loud at thing
really witty. The great English de
batter, Charles James Fox, was pro
nOunced the wittiest man of his day.
! His wit was most strikingly shown
| when in the course of his powerful ar
| gument he 80 exposed the positions Of
his sadversaries as 10 make them appear
suprcmcly ridiculous. Mr. Webster, in
q less degree, sometimes exhibited this
! quality. Wholly unlike it, and most
demoralizing 10 the public taste, is that
counterfeit, a species Of bufoonery, which
consists in the retailing Of stale anec-
dotes, after the fashion Of Christy'4
| Minstrels or the circus clown, who de-
livers his jokes around at his successive
performance"