Morris tribune., 1883-09-22
Nervousness in Speaking.

A youthful speaker, nervous at the pro-
iect of addressing a literary society on lis
anniversary, was advised by a clergy man TO
look upon the audience as lift were SO msny
cabbage.heads The suggestion was not
bad one, provided tie youth had thoroughly
prepared his speech or heads with brains.
The young man, though he did not know il,
held in that nervousness, at last, one claim
to a place among orators. For there Is
scarcely public SPEAKER whose words move
men, who does Eot ieel 8 similar trenor
every time be rises before great audience.
"My throat and lips" said the late Lord
Derby, surnamed the Rupert OF Debate"
from his dashing fearless style when am
going to speak, are as dry as those OF man
who is going to be hanged"
Mr.. Matthews, i'll his essay on THE Ora
tors Trials" has collected number OF
cases to illustrate tie fact that the very SEN
sibility which gives the orator his power
makes him nervousiy anxious before rising
10 address an audience.
Patrick Henry usually began with hesitat-
ing tinid.ty, which continued until the ex-
element of speaking threw it of. William
PinkHey, hauty, defiant, and vehement
orator, would turn pale when about to
speas, and his knees would tremble, as
though he were Belshazzar, gazing at the
mysterious hand writing on the wall.
Even years of practice failed to repress this
nervousness.
1t is fortunate for the orator that years
do not do this. For without the sensibility
which begets it, one OF the forces OF oratory
would be wanting.
Tristan Burgess, ''the bald-eagle of
Rhode Island" while speaking, on some
important question, in the hcuse of repre-
sen atives, suddenly pointed his fJre-fnger
towards his opponent and made long
pause. ~ E.L. r.. 4
'lhat pause was terrible" said a col
league to Mr.. Burgess, on leaving the house,
ito no one so tern ible as to me-" replied the
orator, "for I couldn't think of anything to
say"
great OCCASION" wrote Lord Macaulay while
he was looked upon as one OIL the orators of
the house of commons, "overcomes GER
tain reserve and mauvaise homie [bashtul-
ness which I have in speaking; not maui
vaise honte which in the least confuses me
or makes me hesitate for word, which
keeps me from putting any fervor into my
tone or my action"
DR.. Storrs, the most finished of pulpit Or
ators whose extemporaneous sermons are
marvels of rhetoric, thought and eleque1es,
it is said, made dead failure when be first
preached without notes. After floundering
for twenty five minutes, he came to full
sop. ". t'fA@ ~
81 sank back in the chair" he said, de-
scribing his modification, almost wishing
that had been with Pharaoh aud his b 2sts
when the Red sea went ever Them"
"My lords,' said the Earl of Rochester,
as he began a speech in the house OF lords.
GILL rise this time-my lords, Ill
divide my discourse into four branches.
My lords, if ever / rise again in this house..
I give you leave to cut me of, root and
branch, forever"
The lesson taught by these incidents is
this: The orator should master, but not
eradicate, his nervousness. Canning, ne
of highlands wittiest and most classical of
orators, used TO say he was sure of speak
ing the best, if he rose in a great fright
The more his heart beat the more certain
he was that the heart of the audience would
soon beat in responsive, sympathetic rhy-
thin. IN