The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-16
4 FIELD ron sLocvrloA.
Clergyman Should Take Lessons for tho
Benefit of Their ConEreg atIons.


Benefit of Their Congregations
There Is branch OF the profession OF
the elocutionist that seems, thus far, to
have escaped the grasp Of the ubiquitous
reporters who are continually securing
the town in quest Of novelties. This may,
however be due to the fact that 1t Is OF so
delicate nature In itself that it sensi-
lively shrinks from publicity. l know
that in my own case | CHANGED upon it by
accident. found my first clew To IL in n
business prospectus, and one OF the first
persons 10 assure me that he knew moth
ing about 1t and had never heard OF such
a thing in his life was an eminent divine,
who was subsequently convinced, was
one of those who profited most largely by
IT, For nav part, to be sure, cannot see
why q clergyman should be ashamed to
admit that he is taking lessons In elocu-
ton. Certainly it is no crime against go
ciety or the church for preacher to i'm
prove his methods of oratorical delivery
Actors rehearse their parts and painters
make sketches and studies for their
pictures Why pulpit expounder should
not make some similar preparation for his
sermons and lectures is not clear to me,
and that some Of our best and most popu
lar pulpit speakers do so is, it seems to
me. simply a tribute to their common
sense Ii they all did il, it would be TO
the benefit Of their congregations, who
have nowadays to sit ont a vast deal Of
poor speaking to get at the meat OF the
sermon delivered for their good.
There are two ways in which our minis
tiers employ the elocutionist to improve
them as speakers. These might be called
the direct and indirect. The direct con
sists in regular lessons in clocutlon, often
involving rehearsal Of the sermon itself.
The indirect consists in employing the ex-
pert TO listen TO and criticise the orator, so
that by acquainting him with his faults
he is warned to avoid them. This sort OF
thing is called, believe, instruction in
clerical reading" The elocutionists make
a special feature, am told, Of prayers, for
the impressive reading Of which many
diyines carefully prepare themselves.
natural orator like Henry Ward Beecher
even did not disdain 10 occasionally en-
ploy an expert 20 listen TO him and fur
nish him with careful criticism of his
speaking With this point in view it can
be understood how advantageous the
cD'lilSeI anu dSslSllilCc VI tIIc tApSl III upt
be 70 hundreds of preachers, who, no mat
ter how large their learning and able their
powers Of analysis and composition may
be, do not possess the oratorical gift Of
the great Brooklyn pastor. The ability
to write a sermon by no means guarantees
the ability TO deliver 1t eloquently, as a
great many people who go TO church no
doubt know.
The sooner the elocutionist gets his fine
work in among our literary men the
better it will he for them. If there are
any worse readers or speakers eXtant
than the average person who writes
poetry and books | should not like 20
have to listen 10 them. At the recent
authors readings in this city ! heard
some of the worst specimens of oratory,
from some of the cleverest of our
wieders of the pen, that | expect &c
hear in my life. All over town / fall
in with men Of letters, who read all
sorts Of productions to me with a fasei-
natingly ridiculous absence of that grace
of delivery and expressiveness Of intona
ton that make reading worth hearing
Ii only for the sake Of the friends whom
they call upon TO pass judgment on their
compositions, these gentlemen should call
upon the elocutionist for some assistance
toward ameliorat;ng the terrors they in
carnate when the fine frenzy of speech Is
upon them-Alfred Trumble in New
York News.