The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1884-08-31
SAVING THE COUNTRY.
THE sTuMpeR's POWER TO THAT END
Oratoricai Methods and How They Are
uuiised in Political Campaign
A High Order of Ability
Necessary.


| taeorxe C. Matthews, In the Current
/ This is the summer for saving the coun. !
try. 1t Is the Quadrennial period when I
great men are made small and small men /
great; when party records are hung out :
for airing; when the candidates great. |
grandparents get him into no end of |
trouble; when the grinding of axes is
heard in the land and the voice OF the ora
tor never il still. And, speaking Of orators,
calls to MUD the fact that the day OF the
orator has not passed. 1t is sometimes as.
serted that the writer and the newspaper |
have superseded tue public speaker. This
Is not trua The orator is in a. great de.
mand ~ he ever was, but his func ions
have changed. In times of great political
excitement the oratorical resources Of the
country are best developed, the ratio OF the
development depending entirely upon the
magnitude OF the issue. People nOw-a.
days sit at the feet Of the great orators for
en- Ell tainment rather than for instruction.
TIE newspaper anticipates the orator and
the people seek the printing press rather
than the stump for in iormation. The aver
age audience is, therefore, well informed
and the speaker has the advantage of in.
telligcnt ears. But it has grown, and nat.
urally enough. much harder for the stump
even those who come prepared to applaud
do not seek for confirmation II their con.
victons.
lnSensibly the people have grown to look
upon Orators rs they look upon actors. 1t
is, accordingly easy to see in what re.
rpects the function of the orator has
changed. He is now heard for his abil
TO give artistic expression 10 known ideas.
His Calnng is, in this regard. much like
that OF Ia" actor. In great political con
vcntions, where the most important party
interests are at stake. but few voters are
all, c,cd by the eloQuence of leaders, yet
the people of the galleries hang with
br, nthle,5 interest upon the words of some
man known for the music of his voice and
the v Or of his periods. In the campaign
that follows the convention the political
missionaries who 60 riding up and down
the highways, exhorting the people, are
sent cut more because OF their personal
popularity, magnetic qualities and ability
To encourage the friends OF the particular
cuuse through confident and apt assertion,
than because of their argunentative pow
ers. The political debate is, accordingly,
thiug of the past. The people prefer %
sit a. ea,y.going auditors, rather tuau II,
jurors.
Nevertheless, it requires very high or.
der OF ability to be an effective stump'r in
tuese days. The people have become more
critical of an orators manner, both in it's
pay steal and intellectual manifestations
and are impatient under the mos elaborate
effort of u speaker who gives to his discourse
no coinriug and who ignores the epig,am
, aud the sharp, strong metaphor as inspirit.
lug agencies. The aud is Interested
. III how he does II, rather than III what he
does. II Is ali age OF booms and booming
and, as booms are the product OF temporary
popular iancies, of sudden and exhilarating
inspirations, it is the mission of the stump.
Ell to develop them or to propcl them after
they have been developed While it IS on
the stump that the trend of popular oratory
is est ot served, 1t may also be perceived
IN the pulpit or on the ros'rum. Tue
didactic speaker is becoming rare. II must
not be imagined. from this condition OF
, things, that the people are NOT eager I,
learn and to know. They have become
enormous readers, owing to the cheapnes,
aud convenience OF tue new spal ers, aud It
has followed that they have learned t.
inaks up their minds without the uii OF
= demonstrators. The idle nature OF much
c OF the speaking of the tim. is seen in Con
, / gross, NueTt nIe lDl Dc4Oft
debates on questions of the grnvest mo,
ment begin. The partisan speaker -
handicapped by his par,isanIsm, and hi,
" utterances have come to be- generally take,
- with y grain of salt.
The vital work in campaigns is now
done In committee rooms und not IN Ia,
y open. The stumpers are employed in tn,
" same manner rs tireworks-to draw ,
" crowd snd to warm up the hearts u
party men. He ~ not Sent out u.
d missionary to convert the heather
VI the other side, but rather 10 en-
courage his own party comrades 1, cleav,
~ unto the faith. Stamping has, therefore
become very pretty and attractive busi
~ uess, aud speech making is not so ardu
Gus Il matter ~ l. was, since facts anc
figure. are not wanted by the audience
who are sufficiently advised as TO them, II
being left with the speaker to simply
IN take y position and maintain it to tn.
II satisfaction of those who were pre-de
le termined to approve ull he said. such II
III the duty OF the stumper. OF cours
IL there are higher demands on orator
AS than this-in the lecture room, the pul
he pit, aud on great occasions that nav
iii no relation to politics. But all orator
II. .,umper, who takes for granted that the Al
no dience is sufficiently informed rs to the fact
in Of the case and only desires pertinent All
IN happy deductions. with as much Of IN
Y. speakers personality included as will CIV
m to III. whole discourse All agreeable flavor
be Il does not follow that great speeches
m worthy OF regard as classic, may not b
~ made. ON the contrary, thl. very con
re dition seems productive oi great speeches
10 The college students who think there is n
or demand in these days for this oraturica
quality are much mistaken aud should b
set right. Everywhere is eloquence Gle
manded. The age il not growing a. duI
and practical and colurle,s a. som
ot imagine,
-. The stunper, with all his parisHushiI
80 his unfaITuess 20 the other SIDE, has don
"A much tor the country He, at Least, d'
"a clares him self III favor Of American Inst
hs tutions, and. in keeping alive IN" iie C.
an patrio ism, he accomplishos good " lr'
n. 1t is we'll for the country when, IN heaie
no campaign, all parties declare. tnroug
a. their speakers, Sleir detern. nation to say
h. II.
:. The Deadly spark.
RS Racine Wis ~ -cisIl
h. IN. other afternoon as Frank Shirl
OF aud Miss Emma Ksmp!, young coup
~ from kenOshs, we're riding on Villa stree
is this city, the dress Of the young lad
IN caught Ore from u cigar which Snirly wa
nd smoking. Upon discovering the fire, II
~ young lady jumped from the buggy. II
horse became frightened and before Shit
could rhsck him and alight from the bu