People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-12
PEOPLES PARTYPAPER ATLANTA GEORGIA.

style may be fairly called oratorical,
showing certain energy in con.
struction =?
Whether these speeches were
spoken almost extempore, and then
carefully written out for publication,
as in the case of some of Webster's
best speeches whether the orations
were carefully written and memo
rized, as in the case of some of
Everett's best productions; whether
the speeches were carefully written
and then read from the manuscript,
as in the case of Lincoln's famous
Gettysburg address, or whether they
were spoken entirely extemporane-
ously, and published unrevised from
the stenographer's notes, as in the
case of some of Beecher's best efforts,
they are still marked in the style by
that indefnable something which we
call 'oratorical"
But more than that; history bears
uniform testimony that in the dellv-
cry of their speeches the great ora
tors exhibited certain indefnable
quality of utterance which we call
"oratorical," certain energy which
is not necessarily force, or vivacity,
or vigor, which is indeed indefnable,
but which we describe by the word
EForatorical."
Therefore it seems to me that the
young man who would be an orator
must endeavor to acquire the art of
arranging his thoughts in that ora
torical style, and then Of voicing his
thoughts IN that oratorical manner.
But can that be taught? Is it not
a gift rather than an requirement
To the first question | would say
that much of that art may be learned,
yet may be taught.
To the second | would say, as
have said, that the gift may be de-
veloped. | will add: [ believe that
it may in a great measure be &C
CURED.
have used the words "arranging
his thoughts" and ''voicing his
thoughts"
Therefore it is plain that ''thought"
is the foundation. It seems too OBJ
vious to require statement and yet
considerable experience forces me to
conclude that not few young men
would-be orators-seem to forget
that to speak we'll a man must have
something to say. Asked to define
oratory, they will glbly answer,
F'The Art of Persuasion" having
learned that definition from their
rhetoric; but seemingly forget that
in order to persuade, man must
have something of which he would
persuade. That he must (for in
stance) have we'll defined thoughts
concerning certain line of conduct
before he can persuade men that
that line of conduct is the one which
they ought to follow.
Without dwelling upon this point
further, I would make the very
natural suggestion that first of all
the would be orator should lay solid
foundation of knowledge.
That means more than a high
school or college or university "edu-
cation"
1t means very much more.
1t means wide, and patient and
continuous reading of the best that
literature offers in all directions, but
particularly in those in which are
recorded the motives and actions of
men and the results of both.
You cannot hope to succeed as a
public speaker without painstaking
study; without large reading. Do
you say that this fact is SO self evil
dent that it needs no reiteration :?
Why, it is but short time ago that
a teacher in one of the great univer-
sites of this country told me that,
having occasion to ask student
something about very familiar pas
sage from Shakespeare, the student
answered with an ill-concealed sneer,
81 don't know. [ never read poetry"
Wrote Theodore Parker to a person
who asked him how he could acquire
an impressive delivery:
"That will depend on the qualities
that lie much deeper than the sur
face. 1t seems to me to depend on
vigorous feeling and vigorous think
ing in the first place; on clearness of
statement in the next place; and,
finally, on vigorous and natural
mode of speech. Vigorous feeling
and thinking depend on the original
talent man is born with, and on the
education he acquires, or on his daily
habits. No man can ever be perma-
nently an impressive speaker without
being first man of superior senti-
ments or superior ideas. Sometimes
mere emotion (feeling) impresses,
but it soon wearies. Superiority OF
ideas always commands attention and
respect"
Need I apologize for suggesting, in
this article, which I hope may meet
the eyes of many who are denied col
lege and university advantages, that