The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-31

If YOU take care of the vowels the conso-
nants will take care of themselves.
For instance, take the senteno9, 'holl,
mighty ocean, roll on in all thy grandeur
and speak the words so that the
vowels are sounded with perfect dis
tinctness, and you will find that any
person within sound of your voice will have
no doubt about what you have said. If you
think OF becoming a public speaker, my
young friend, let me give you a word OF al
vice. First of all be sure that you have
something to say, that you have a message
Let it be your own thought and not the
thought OF anybody else. That is the cor
ner stone Of oratory. Without that, no
matter how pleasing a speaker you may be,
YOU are after all nothing more than a
mimic as the actor on the stage Is. Next,
be careful of our vowels. An Grafton 10
worthless unless it ia heard, and it will not
then the third rule Is be individual. Don't
initiate any one else, and that IL a habit
acquired only by discipline"
MI. Conkllng was always fond of words
containing the vowel "o' pronounced with
its long sound, and this fondness was very
%curiously illustrated after his death. lie
died after a brief illness. He was smitten
SO suddenly with mortal disease that he had
made no preparation whatever either for
the management Of his law cases or his
private affairs. His disease had made him
delirious, 30 that he could not communicate
to any Of his friends matters of which they
should have been advised in case of his
death. After the funeral his immediate
representatives searched for a will or for
some paper which might indicate his
wishes respecting the disposition of his
property. They could find nothing. His
library drawers, his desk, his private table
at his home in Utica, contained no scrap Of
~,xn. ,,lioh would orr-pu< 90 he f,a-l,
VIVA his wishes were. Yet there were rea-
sons for believing that he had
written & will. At last the daugh-
ter brought q small box upon
viii ch was a lock which could only be oper-
ated by q person who knew the combination.
Nobody knew whnt this combination was.
They did not dare break the box for fear
they might DESTROY something Of value.
They t!ied various words pet names and
favorlts expressions upon tho combination
without avail. At last the daughter SAID,
You know my father was very fond Of
promo uncing words which had 'O' in them.
| remember that he Was delighted with the
pronounce, dwelling fondly on the 'O'
sound in it. Let as try that WORD"
1t was tried upon the combination. was
found to be the key, for tho lock yielded,
und within the box MIR. Conkling's will was
found.
M!. C0nkllnF8 mOSs famous snort speech
was delivered in the republican convention
of 1880, and placed Con. Grant before that
convention as a candidate for nomination
tor the presidency. some $4,000 persons
wore in the building. The remote gallery
wss 30 far away from the speakers stand
that only lndistinct outlines of the forms
OF the men h sat there could be dis
cerned. Ii seemed impossible that the hu-
man volCe could convey lntelliglble utter
ance that distance. Some of the speakers
who preceded MIR. Conkling seemed to these
men in the galleries mere performers OF
pantolnine, for mot one word which the,
ed could be heard.
MIR. Conkling when he arose to speak did
not noun the platform but stood upon d
Reporters table. 1t was some moments
after his handsome and imposing figure wnl
seen before that great assemblage became
quiet enough for him to proceed. He di(
not seem to be straininR himself. Appar
emily he was speaking i'll n conversations
tone. There were no grimaces of the face
no straining of the chest such as are sonnc
times seen when orators are striving t.
make themselves heard. Conkling spok
for about fifteen minutes.
After the convention had adjourned tina
evening q gentleman who sat In the remot
gallery said to Conkling: "Senator,
heard every word OF your speech as dis
tinctly a. though | had sat directly in iron
of you Will you tell me the secret of thu
extraordinary distinctneBs of utterance?"
why, Sit. it was because | took care Q
my voweis.' Senator Conkling replied.
K. JAY EDWARD.