The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-14

those cases know what they nave {"
expect and sttune themselves accord
ingly. The highest flights Of oratory ana
the full Identification OF the speaker with
his subject and with his hearers are sell
dom or never attained In that way You
may forecast your topic, and Of course
you must have adequate familiarity WIN
II and know what special phase OF II
you are to present. but any further pre-
paration than this is Of little ayail. for
you can never tell beforehand IN what
humor your audience will be. nor Wna'
circumstances may arise TO mouiiy NV
situation To succeed. the first heen -
10 be at once with your hearers, you must
be able 10 put into words the thoughts
that they are thinking at the nonfh'
or at least to make clear TO them anu
nut in logical order the confused contents
~ their minds. Mr. Ingersoll has said.
believe" added Mr.. Cochran, "that
there is no such thing as eXteinpore
Speaking but / can't agree with that
A true speech is the creation OF thD
moment hut Il Is so created, not, az one
might suppose by the orator put ny
his audience. | have found TINS 10 NC 80
I'm my own experience.
suggested that perhaps the famous
sneech at the Convention last year might
be an instance in point.
cit was certainly not prepared, repileu
Mr. Cochran. There is not and never
was any record Of IL except the reports
in the daily newspapers. Almost up TO
the moment that | rose TO speak / had
meant TO remain silent indeed, / had
left the hall some hours before intending
TO 20 home But | was hungry ana
got some dinner. and then L no longer
felt sleepy and went back TO the nan.
The Convention was very turbulent anu
noisy; an hour and ten minutes were
used I'D In giving cheers for CleNelahu
and Hill. Speakers on neither size couiu
get a hearing. Although the convention
was almost entirely pledged TO CleNeiahu
his supporters were used as uncerv,ho-
njously as those OF the other side. w nsh
tho chairman asked me to address the
,,oa.,ng said. What is the use? The
80 has heen settled Never mind, said
he .eo ahead: if something Is NOT zone
ura sbau he made ridiculous Ihen l
cot m and spoke. My audience was III
s.Io,an+ from the first. They became
siIaot as soon as / began and remalheu
attentive TO the end. They had aiIeau9
n,ada I'm their minds how they were -
ing TO vote and only three OF Ioul
we're changed i'm consequence OF VIC.
said. but | had their sympathy
time being, nevertheless. .hts roint
,bat az the end of my talk with Mr.
Cochran I said that I would try TO siHT
,ha enirit of his remarks, Dut thdl
sbo,,ld not attempt anything IKE yer
hallv accurate reproduction OF tnyn''
rbis however. gives only paruai IN
tiuaticn of the inability when uio
cover in myself. In telling MS story VI
this most remarkable OF modern speeoue,
Mr. Cockron spoke in low tones anu
elf gh
~ tho arms and hands and an occasloiai
smile or lifting of the brows. But now
can give ar impression or the iaS-
cination OF the narrative, or or no" 'he
scene In that tumultuous hall rose peioIe
my eyes until ! seemed almost ~
nresent on the platform and 10 near the
snlendid torrent OF the orators eloquenTe
and 10 behold the vague lnnuheid"i'
faces Of the listeners2 These Things cdii
not be conveyed by print. Ihey callo'
ba conveyed at all except by the mar
rotor himself. II was, no doubt, the
easiest most unconscious effort OF ms
genius. but II was an indication OF the
Kind Of mower that we would all give 50
much 10 have and which, as l SAID just
now. is not to be obtained by studlous
DAYS and assiduous practice. IL Is the
gift Of the chosen few.
Mr. Cochran gave another ILLUSTRATION
from speech
1884 on that occasion, also, he had made
nm his mind not to speak but he was
again persuaded and rose to face the roar
and confusion OF the great gathering
at first" he said. II felt that l was
making no Roadway. I felt like swim
mer i'm a heavy sea. who makes the mo-
lions OF swimming but knows they are
I'm vain. I saw before me what looked
like "A dark semicircle OF cloud. OUT or
which emerged q myriad OF white Spots
which were the faces OF the audience
While | was struggling along In TINS way,
feeling that It was failure, heinpeI
rose and moved the point that l was GU,
of order From that moment / regalned
entire command of myself; / was as COM
posed and my mind as clear as at this
moment was conscious OF that per-
ception that | and my audience were
one. which always IS the sign with me
that / am doing well"
81 have been told" I said. that when
Henry Clay was sresking he lost his
physical sensitiveness, so that II a pm
were run into him he would not feel H.
DO you fall into such a state as that
ct can understand that IL may be so.
Oratory is sort OF spiritual state. You
are raised as Il were out Of the body
and are conscious only OF the ideas that
are finding utterance through you.
mystical tie is established between the
speaking and the hearing elements; they
are Identified. so that although the hearer
may think that II is the speaker VINO Is
eloquent, the speaker knows that he has
only summoned forth from the hearer the
high thought or passionate aspiration
that must already have been there other
wise no words would have ayailed.'
He leaned back in his chair and added,
"Tn oratorv and probably I'm other forms
Of art. the best results are obtained when
the personality OF the artist is least OBJ
truded. You must forget yourself IN order
10 do high things. As I'm religion, you
come nearest the ideal when you are
furthest from what belongs TO the con-
scious self"
AS contemplated my host and reflected
how young he was and how much he had
achieved, / was moved TO ask him at
what age he had begun to turn his
thoughts in the direction Of oratory.
He laughed and answered that he had
always faced ththerward.
when l was a boy" said he, ~ used
to go out 10 walk alone and make speech
es 10 myself. II has been my bent from
the first. But there is really less oppOr-
tunity now than there used 10 be for ora
tory" he concluded. as | made ready 10
depart THE newspapers are doing most
OF our work nOw-they cut the ground
from under our feet"
The rest Of our. conversation was not
germane 10 the point now at issue In
saying farewell / could not help feeling
that I had been given al least as much
enlightenment as had had skill TO ask for,
and yet, as said befofe / remained in
expert. Mr.. BOurke Cochran can do Won
derful things, but he cannot teach me
how 10 be an orator The best things In