Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-17

apology to Plunkett, to which, almost OF course.
Piunkett In shaking hands with half the
| soldiers OF the state, did not hear.
Clipsham is bright man, and one would
| have said that he would have caught the thread
not hear one word in five that any one said AS
for the uniforms, all the world knows that five
sixths OF the college men OF the west served in
the war BESIDES, they had introduced Clip
sham to Prof Smidgruber, who had just ar
rived, as the agent from the government of
Hesse-Cassel TO study western education.
Clipsham was interested in the savant, and
they talked vefy earnestly, the savant speak
ing directly into Clipsham's ear.
So 1t was, that when Clipsham got q card at
the dinner table from Plnnkett, who was pre-
siding, which said, "You next" he knew that
known much OF what had been said before
him.
And very good speech it was. Not one
WORD about the war, or the bird OF freedom, or
the American soldier, or Molly Stark, as there
would have been had Clipsham understood the
truth, that he was speaking to a Grand Army
FosI instead of this he spoke, with serious
ieeIing. on the work which educated men can
render In any community. What he had been
There Is the secret of good speech. He spoke
to the men before him as Ii they were all
scnoiars, All men OF conscience, and all leaders
In the villages or towns where they lived.
he told some good Stories he made some good
JOKES, but his speech was not in the least COM
monplace, and 1t ended with q very serious
pledge as to the duty they would all do for the
country.
1t was received rapturously-yes, wildly.
indeed, as the reader will understand, 1t was
better received than IL would have been by the
graduates, whom Clipsham thought he was adj
dressing. Every one of these good fellows was
pleased, that one OF the most accomplished
men of letters in Tamworth spoke to him as an
equal with equals. They had only too much of
soldier-talk, and were glad to hear something
sung or said to another tune. Clipsham had
gone deeper down than the average and COM
monplace, as he was apt to do.
Now you would say that before he left the
hotel he would have found his mistake, or that,
at all events, he would have understood it from
ia fGa Srr1fv. DrffH 0~r
you are quite wrong. In the first place, he only
stayed ito listen to two more speeches." as he
the moment he had himself spoken In fact, he
did not hear one word of either of them. AS for
the newspapers, Clipsham generally looked at
them, though not always. He never looked,
however, at what the reporters called their
Sketches Of his speeches. why should 1
make myself miserable?" said Clipsham. "No-
body else reads the things, and why should I?'
If he had stayed long at his office the next
morning, or had looked in at the club, he might
but instead of this he took DIR. Smidgruber to
examine the High School, so he remained quite
sure that he had spoken TO the college men the
To The carriage builders. In fact, as the reader
knows, he would meet the college men, and the
carriage builders night would not come till to-
morrow
And all happened Just as before. as it says in
the Arabian Nights and in Grimm's fairy tales.
Only this time Clipsham sat at the cross table,
because he was to respond for Harvard, and was
among the more distinguished guests. But little
Olu the poor 1ellOW know what ne was 10 re-
spond for. He did know that the Carriage
Builders Association of the country brings to-
gether remarkable body OF men. He had dined
with them year or two before. Their business
requires an interest in design, knowledge OF
the physical structure of the world, an acquain-
lance with all sorts and conditions of men, all
combined with great tact and prOmptnesS. OBJ
serve, that carriage builders, like railroad men,
are always trying to annihilate time, or to give
us more of it, which is the same thing. I'VE
shall become Ike gods, tranScendent Iate."
so Clpsham knew he was to speak to q bright
set. In point OF fact, he did speak to the tri-
ennial gathering of the graduates Of the West
ern Reserve College, one of the oldest and largest
OF the Western universities. And he told them
things which it was very good for them to hear,
but which people did not often tell them at
these meetings. He told them that man is man,
because he can control matter by spirit-that
them that the child of God works with God
and that here is the difference between work
and labor, that Work elevates man while Labor
fatigues man. He charged them TO see that the
men whom they employed should not be
mere laborers, but should become feuow.work-
men with God: He He said they might
work would always follow them. And he said
very seriously that this was no matter of book
or Aristotle. but that they would find it in pro-
portion as they were men of honor and of truth,
as they forgot themselves and cOnsecrated their
workshops into temples.
Then he sat down, and just as 1t was the
night before, the speech was received with
cheers. The truth is, that at any such college
gathering in America, the men are only play
ing at being men of letters. Every man Of us
is workman, or ought to be ashamed If he
is not. As for poor CIipsham, the nervous ex-
element OF his speaking brought on q fit OF
coughing and he had to excuse himself and go
home.
He soaked his feet In hot water with mus
tard, put a porous plaster on his chest and
went to bed with u lump of sugar by his side
on which he had dropped Ayers Cherry Pee
toral. But he slept all night and did not need
the sugar.
Four days went on in this way with four dif-
ferent dinners. Nobody told Clipsham he was
all wrong, because nobody knew. On the other
hand every body thought he was all right, and
said he had never made such good speeches in
his life. The next night he really went to the
carriage builders dinner. But he thought he
was at the annual meeting of the ChautauQuan
Literary Circle. That is to say, he thought he
was speaking to a large company Of people,
who, in the midst OF every sort of daily Occupa-
ton, read regularly in u systematic course. So,
in fact, he was. And the carriage builders liked
his speech all the better, that he made no pre-
tence, as they said any other lawyer would
have done, to q knowledge of their business
He said nothing about varnish, or the strength
OF ASH OF which he knew nothing, and he did
not once allude to the hub OF the universe, the
wheel OF time, the chariot OF the sun, or Dr.
Holmes "One-horse Shay" which had been
worked to death at their celebrations.
Concluded neat week.)