The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-10-30
THE STANDARD.
Thursday, Oct. 80, 1879.
From the N. y. Observer.I
Hold Up Your Head: Speak Loud and
Plain.

| Hlalns
During the travels Of the last few
weeks and months, it has been duty
or privilege, and sometimes both, to
attend diverse conventions of able,
learned; earnest or good men, in the
interests of religion or science or poll
tics.
The first was the Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly, where five hundred
ministers and elders met and spent
fortnight in the business of the
Church. The second was the Scien-
tific Association. The other was a po-
litical State Convention to nominate
Governor and other officers for the
November election.
The ministers and elders often failed
to make themselves heard when ad-
dressing the house. This failure did
not spring from a want Of lung pow
er, or from any defect in vocal organs.
1t may he safely assumed that no SELL
sible man who has a weakness or want
of the faculty of speech, will under
take to make a dumb-show in the
presence of a congregation whose time
and patience are limited. But it is no
less true that nine out of ten failed to
be heard distinctly and usefully over
the whole house. The fault was en-
tirely with the speakers. They did
diately around them might be con-
scious of their wisdom, but to the less
favored, who sat in the more benight-
ed regions, they were merely beating
the air.
This same fault is common in the
pulpit. Ministers often let their
voices fall toward the end of each SEN
tence, and the last few words are quite
inaudible to those in the distance l
once heard pastor say: Il desire par
ticular attention to the following no
tlces"-then he gave the notices, and
the people sitting around me could
not hear even the subject matter of
the notices, much less the times and
places named.
In every theological seminary there
should be school for training the
voice: teaching and requiring young
men to hold up their heads, to speak
loud and plain. If the greatest o1
Grecian orators confronted the wave;
Of the sea to enable himself to master
the roar of great assembly, surely
Christian preachers ought to qualify
themselves to speak so as to be heard
In the Assembly, and in all minis
ters' meetings, there are few men VIII
speak out so loud and plain that the,
command attention, and reach the un
derstanding of their hearers by SCUM
words with sound enough to be heard
DIR. Musgrave is one Of the men VIII
are always heard. Because he speak
plainly, the house always listen;
- There are compensations in Prov.
. dence, and as he has not as perfeo
- eyesight as many of his brethren, Go
q has given him better voice than an
8 of them. DR.. Darling, of Alban!
: speaks distinctly and forcibly, an
( never fails to be heard with attention
( The elders are rarely willing to spea
s up so as to reach the remote parts {
: the house Mr.. w. E. Dodge an
: Judge Drake were not heard for the
s much speaking, but when they d
Z speak they were easily heard. Re
Z DIR. Crosby is model speaker in d
s bate or in the pulpit. Would that a
3 the Lords prophets would open the
8 mouths wide when they prophesy..
: But if the religious people we.
s afraid to speak out so as to be hear
3 what shall we say Of the scientists
s Men of learning and renown, who hi
s consumed midnight hours and oil
s preparing papers for public readin
< appeared to the weary hearer to
s pouring a confidential communicate
s into the ear of the patient Presiden
8 Not sentence of a half-hour or {
s hour-long treatise was audible twent
8 feet from the platform ON which Il
s modest master Of art and science whi
8 pered his discoveries and calculation
: Exhausted in vain attempts to gath
: wisdom from lips that the bees
{ Hymettus had kissed, sometimes fe
& asleep, and, after refreshing dream
Sc awoke to find the flow of silence goil
e on with the same delicious calm th
re lulled me into repose again.
Re Now these papers will be read Wi
d$ interest and profit in print, and Il
e Association deserves the gratitude
e the public for important contrib
j, s tions But there is very little adva
]. s tage in getting an audience witho
3 giving it something to hear. 1t is II
Is eloquence, oratory, the graces al
& charm of public speaking, for which
'0 am pleading. Few, very few, ha
. the gift. Few have been trained
Wis the perfection of this highest of /;
arts. The greatest orator is the lead
- of men, 1t is not every man who
91 called to be a great speaker. But if
man cannot or will not speak so as
be heard, he is not called of God
speak in public. Whether a man
religion, letters, or science, if he ca
not hold up his head, speak loud al
plain, it were we'll that he had t.
grace of silence.
mr. But the politicians! They met
liz the Town Hall. 1t was packed, pile
iammed. 1t was turbulent, restle
impatient, disorderly. But when
man was on his legs he spoke so as
be heard, or the multitude put hi
down. When they found that he h
not the gift Of voice or sense, tn
gave him rounds of applause tn
cheered his heart at first, but it we
on and on until he found there was
&c. chance for him, and sinking into t
abyss, ''the subsequent proceedings i
of terested him no more
Zen Then sprang to his feet-no-l
had no feet, for both were shot off