Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-04-13
TO BE AN ORATOR.
Hints Drawn from the Methods OF Great
Speakers.

|
awhile, since the chief of that depart
ment was busy with man with whom
ne had previous engagement. Mr..
Conkling began to chat with one of the
clerks. He was q young fellow scarce
ly out of his teens, and Mr.. Conkling.
who was very fond of young people if
they were intelligent, seemed to take
an interest in the young man. He
asked the clerk whether he expected to
remain long in the government office
and advised him to quit such em-
ployment as soon as possible, saying
that there was no more dismal career
than that of government clerk.
The young man asked Mr.. Conkling
if he would tell him how he became a
great orator.
The Senator was pleased with the
question, but said that he had time to
make only one suggestion. Said he:
practice speaking aloud. The most
important thing for young man to
think about who wants to become an
orator is at first how to enunciate with
distinctness. OF course it is more inn
portant than that for an orator to have
something to say, but am now speak
ing of the manner in which he is to
say what is in his mind.
Practice speaking words with long
vowels in them. If you take care of
these vowels the consonants will take
care of themselves, and the secret of
distinctness i'll public speaking is clear
ntterance of the vowel sounds.n
Then Mr.. Conkling repeated rhyme
to the young man in his rich voice, and
although he seemed to be speaking in
his conversational tone, yet the clerk
at the far end of the room said he could
hear Mr.. Conkling with distinctness.
At the Chicago Convention in 1880,
in which General Garfield was nomi-
mated for the Presidency, Mr.. Conkling
made speech that is now historic.
He stood upon reporters table.
The great house was packed. 1t was
thought that not less than $4,000 peo-
pie were in it-such an audience as an
orator seldom has
Many who heard that address said
af .erward that it seemed impossible
that any one could ever gain a higher
oratorical triumph than Mr.. Conkling
then gained.
After the convention adjourned a
gentleman met Mr.. Conkling and said to
him: Senator want to ask you sim
gle question. / Isat in the remote gal
lery. Perhaps no man in the building
was farther away from you than I.
l could think of nothing but the ocean
rs looked over the vast throng be-
tween you and me. was so far away
that l could scarcely see the outlines
of your face, although your form was
perfectly visible. Yet l heard every
word that you uttered, and those that
were near me said that they could.
l should like to ask you how you were
able TO carry your voice with distinct
ness to the remote parts of that great
building?"
"By pronouncing the vowels distinct
ly," replied Mr.. Conkling. THAT is
the secret of distinct utterance; and the
reason SO many men fail to make them
selves heard is because they slur the
vowels."
Wendell Phillips was not known at
all as an orator one day, while on the
next he had gained such distinction as
only Webster, Choate, Otis and Fisher
Ames had secured in the same city of
Boston.
Mr.. Phillips was attending a public
meeting called in Faneuil Hall. 1t
was in the exciting anti-slavery time.
Mr.. Phillips sat in the gallery with
friend.
He was then man under 80 years
of age, and when he entered that hall
he had no idea of any other career than
that of lawyer. Speeches were made
which filled Phillips with indignation,
and he said to his friend, "Some one
ought to answer those speeches.
"Why not do it yourself?" replied
his friend.
With that suggestion Mr.. Phillips
made his way to, the platform, and
without preparation delivered a speech
worthy to take rank with the highest
achievements in oratory in Faneuil
Hall. And the men asked, "Who is
this young man who speaks in tones of
music and compels us to listen to
things we do not care to heary''
Mr.. Philips had two qualities which
make the orator when he made this
first famous speech of his. One was
voice compa rable in its sweetness, pow
er and fascination only to the voice of
Gladstone, and some have thought to
that of Gerrit Smith, another famous
abolitionist
Then Mr.. Phillips had cultivated, as
Mr.. Conkling did, the art of speaking
with distinctness and without appa-
rent effort. Therefore he did not tire
his listeners, as he seemed to be ad-
dressing them in no more urgent man
ner than one would use in private COR
versation. He was very careful of his
vowel sounds, although his care was
not made evident to his audience. tr
Conkling seemed never to strain to
carry his voice, and he spoke for four
hours in the Academy of Music in New
York without any more apparent eff
fort than would have been required to
chat with friends. Therefore he did
not weary his great audience with a
suggestion that he was himself weary.
To young men who asked Mr.. Conk-
ling what practice they should take to
become effective speakers he always
made this answer: "Train your voices
as singers do, so that you can get
musical tone, but not a sing song one,
and get it without apparent effort, Just
as the greatest singers execute their
most difficult passages. There is no
young man who can not by practice
secure a voice which will be pleasing.
Of course some are blessed with natu-
raj gifts, but it is gift that can be ac-
quired."
Gerrit Smith had the superbest voice
ever given to an American, but even
he, when he was fighting his battles
for the anti-slavery cause, practiced
reading aloud. Then practice distinct
ness. Thus armed, if you have some
thing to say you will become an orator,
and 10 vaf hava ro tiapra ;pfaIIioapoo m