The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-01
ORATORS AND ORATORY.
Colonel TngersoII Talks of Art of Which He Is a
Master.
Master.


-'.It l talk about orators and oratory at
ALL" said Colonel:Ingersoll. sit is with the
distinct understanding that shall not be
brought into the subject in any way =:
Approaching The situation. | gladly
agreed to. this. Like many others had
been charmed by Colonel ,Ingersoll's elo-
quenee, even when could not fallin with
his methods of reasoning, and knew ne:
man could have won such position as a.
public speaker who had not carefully
studied the lines of the men whom the.
world has long regarded as masters of the
art of persuasion. ...<:-
Leaning back in his: chair. with hiseyes
appraised to the ceiling and his feet crossed
on chair in front. Colonel Ingersoll went
on to give the generallyreceive definition
of ofatory, as the art of. public speaking"
.Oratory was not mere potent before the
days of: printing than now, for in proper
ton to the population there were not so
many public speakers, but. as it WAS the
only direct way of communicating with
the masses oratory appeared to have more
power.
When oratory was studied more in :the
great schools than at present il was divided
in TO two great branches. preparation and
delivery. The former had to do with style
aud rhetorical excellence and was mat
Ter for the study; the latter aimed at an
effective action and delivery. The art
eliminates in persuasive, oYeTpOWerlns
eloQuence. The ancient rhetoriclans dis
tinguished elOquence as either demon
strative, daliberatiYe or judicial. The
mOderns, looking. to The arenas for its en-
:ployment, divide it into that Ofthe senate,
the bar. the pulpit and the. platform;
we might add to this that species OF ora
tory peculiar To. the EngliS h-speaking
people. who settle so many great questions
after dinner, and which is known as post
prandial." 49,.
You asked me for definition of oratory,
. but it is impossible 10 give an exact deini-
ton 10 thing which itself is untrammeied
by rules, so | must rather describe 1t as L
think ii Isl" The colonel withdrew his ex-
tingulshed cigar from his lips, and with
all the rich charm that distinguishes his
voice on the platform continued: "Orat0ry
is the perfection of thought and express
sion-Of logic, OF personal presence, of
voice and:gesture. The greal orator IDEAL
iZes all the touches, anshgurrs the com.
mon, and changes the meaneSt metal into
: cere, poetic, winged with Imagination.
sympathetic, persuasive, convincing and
almost irresstl BILE.
a third person suggested here that man
might be all this through training, like an
actor, yet neither feel nor fully cOmpre-
bend the full import of what he was say
ing. This Colonel IngersOll denied, while
conceding that he influence of the actor
might be very profound for the moment,
but the effect of the orator If the orator
were, as he should be, the apostle of truth,
would be permanent, influencing the life
of the individual and 1t might be Of the
nation ITO convince men the orator must
h. ., SF,fn coll ain ar1n IN frDl
fearless in giving reason for the truth
that is IN him. Outside of other gifts.
moral courage and profound human SYM
pathies are the first great requisites of the
orator" -.
- IF we believe the legends connected
with the great orators of antiquity, De-
mosthenes for instance, and some modern
ones,'' l said. 1.-THE i'm preston is forced on
US that the gift, If gift it be. is due largely
to cultivation through patience and prac-
tiee, like May of the sister arts ?"
mo man has more respect for patience
and practice, that is, for hard, conscien-
tious work. than myself" replied Colonel
1Bgersoll. work, no matter the natural
aptitude, is absolutely essential TO e
greatest success. But when you ask me
if the gift of oratoTy can be acquired, / say
EN- hatically mol Capacity cannot be ac-
Quired. By long study and careful prae-
tee men can become good speakers-but
uUb OIdlOIS. by otuu1l JIG laws Vi COlu-
position and the rules OF syntaX and
proSody, men can acquire wonderful
skill in rhyming, but not all the acquired
laws and rules IN existence can ever make
them poets. man might learn all the
drills, and master all that has been writ
ten on the art of war. and have even a
sublime courage, and yet never succeed as
g soldier. The schools aud the training
can give nothing.
81 do not undervalue them, but all they
can do, at the most, is TO develop the
brains and aptitudes we have. Education
does not mean a giving of anything; its
chronological significance is TO draw out.
Poets, we are told, and it is true, are born.
not made, and so il is with the orator. If
he have not the brain of the master,
training can never teach him how to
reach and stir the hearts of men,"
The Hon. Dwight Townsend. who was
present, volunteered the opinion that some
men had a talent for public speaking. and
that often this talent bordered on genius.
With this Colonel IngersOll agreed, and
then with apt illustration he showed that
this applied not only TO oratOry, but to
poetry, painting, music and all the arts,
and to the sciences as well, for men like
Darwin, Huxley. Dana. spencer, Edison
and others had positive genius for the
sciences, abstract or applied. Many men.
never heard of, had quite as much acquired
knowledge of the sciences as the great
men named, yet they were spODges who
absorbed everything, and never gave any,
thing out.
Colonel Ingersoll continued:
1.-The great crater is genius. He is a
great artist and the most potent of all
while exerIing his influence. With words