The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-09-24
After Dinner Speaking.

- - -4A4--A ~ iOsthAAtSs
George Augustus Sala, reputed 10
be the best after dinner speaker in
England, IN S speech at the thirty
sixth snnusl festival IN aid OF the
Royal Garden Theatrical Fund, said:
l have somewhere read that al il
lustElous statesmsu. who was like
vice a nlCst dleDt rhetorican, once
remarked that he considered al alter
dinner speech &c &c ore OF the most
ard0ous and dihcnlt.fjghts Of oratory
imaginable, inasmach &c it was, as
8 general Iule2 about nothing IT all.
Bowling vita due reference TO this
dIotum, ! may 81 the same tins be
permitted 20 express my humble
opinion thst the art Of spesch-mek
ing, uadsr All and any circumstances,
ie most painful and di@cull one
70 all those, at least, who have not
been born orators, as Gruius, and az
the majority of I1sbmen are
| Laughter. Speaking i0T myself, !
CAP, ia all seriousness and sincerity,
say that, whether the speech Wbloa
haze had 20 deliver has bcen peIpe
rated after dinner or before dluner,
Or, as has frequently happened 10
the earlier stsges OF ones career,
witb0u! any pEoapeet within measur-
able distance CT dinner 81 al.
| Laughter l have never begun my
exordium without experiencing
sensati0n OF nervous terror; I have
never concluded my pegoration-ah!
biiesiul word, il should be soothing TO
the speaker and his bearers ss 'that
blessed word Mesopotamia" laugh
ter i have never brought my OBJ
seTvations 20 a close without 8 feeling
OF positive exultation. There are
good many ways OF preparing your
self for the uttersnCe OF a speech in
public. You may learn it by heart,
and repeat it over and over again in
the solitude of your own study
the servants 10 the lower regions
thinking that you are quarrsling with
your wife. or that you have gone mad
laughter |; or yOn may recite it in
the middle of Hampstead Heath, to
the admiration OF the distant donkey.
boys and the somewhat suspicious
psrplexity of The park keepers, who
are not quite certain as 10 whether
they ought TO take you into custody
for or, a b ng IN the open air laugh.
ter or sou may run down by 81
early train to Brighton, and ''spout"
your speech 10 the SAD sea waves IN
I'll it is time to Iuo back tn town to
assume the sable livery Of the &C.
called evening dress. and TO surren
der yourself to the adamantine chains
and penal fires of nublic dinner.
TGres' l"'-.''o~ You are letter
perfect in yeur speech snouj, he time
When 90. ~ served You
are not quite so certain about being
letter perfect at the period when the
iced pudding makes It's appearance;
and when, ultimately. the fatal voice
OF the toastmsster bids you to rise,
and trembling and perspiring. you
begin your speech, you find chat you
have forgotten iii about It. Laugh
ter Or "anothef way" as Mr..
Gasse would say. You may write
cut your spe Oh on a number OF little
.Quares Of paper holding them neatly
arranged in the hollow of your hand,
ard gancing az the slips in q crafty
manner as you spesk, and slgly turn
ing lhem over. This Is not by any
means a bad system to adopt, unless
indeed as it will happen with mel
ancholy frequency, you fad slip i've
followed by fifteen, and thst by slip
nine-when the result is collapse.
TGreat laughter Finally, there is
the roueh-and-Teady BOmario
wsy-ot piunging at once liz mediGs
res. shfasiing your hands IN g0Lr
pockets. fixing your eyes Oh aud
leve!ibg your voice az 81 imaginary
ole lady with q crimson tur0sn and a
bird Of paradise feather 10 It 81 the
opposite extremity Of the hall. and
simply saying Whab comes into your
head,