Evening star., 1897-07-31
THEIR MAIDEN SPEECHES
Three Famous Orators and How They Scored
Success.
Depe.v, Reed and Ingersoll Have
Been Victims of Stage
Fright.
Copyright, 1897, by Bachelor Syndicate)

Copyright, 1897, by Bachelor Syndicate)
Written for The Evening Star.
Perhaps it would be invidious to call DR.
CEauncey NJ Depew the foremost orator OF
the day in America, but he is certainly as
well known for his addresses, post-rrandial
and of every other sort. as any man who
ever lived on this side of the Atlantic. He
began to think and talk on his feet at a
very carly age, and many of his most felc-
touS speeches are eXtemporaneous, but by
far the most important ones are carefully
wrought cut in advance, and some of them
are written and memorized, though not
laboriously perhaps, for the gifted doctor
has his mental tablets always in condition.
His very first public speech of any conse-
quence to him was delivered when he was
sophomore. 1t was called an "oration,"
Was delivered for a prize, which he won,
and was learned by heart. His commence
ment Grafton was also memoriZed His
first impromptu public address was deliv-
cred in 1876 when Fremont was running
for the presidency. Depew was out of col
lege at that time but was still youngster.
He believed in Fremont, and in this he
at Odds with his father. with whom he h al
held many political arguments. A republ-
can mass meeting was to be held, at which
the chief speaker was to be George Will
lam Curtis. Depew decided to attend the
meeting. When he arrived the audience.
waiting some time for the arrival of Mr..
Curtis. After a further wait those in
charge of the meeting asked Depew to
speak. He protested, saying that he was
young, inexperienced and unprepared. bli
they succeeded in persuading him. When
he went upon the platform he was at first
greatly embarrassed.
But" he said to the writer one day, II
made up my mind to talk to the crowd ex-
actly as l had been talking to my father,
and I have no doubt 1 did so, though
cannot now remember what l said. When
I had finished l looked at my watch, sup
posing I had been speaking some ten or
fifteen minutes but in reality 1 had talked
about an hour and half"
The frs: address to which Speaker Read
ever gave serious attention was delivered
while he was student at BoWdoln Col
lcge. He had fallen behind in his classes,
but was very deSirous of entering COM
pettive contest for class honors. Although
the prizes were delivered solely because Of
gCcd oratory, no one could compete whose
class standing was low, and in oTder to
enter the lists he had to do an enormous
amount of back work" He once tcld the
writer that he worked harder during the
| time he was preparing to enter the con-
test than he ever did before or ever has
Stree. The subject of his adir was
Death" and he won The prize. Mr- Reed
j.; still frequently affected grievously ty
stage fright. Perhaps his worst suffering
of that sort was on an occasion when he
had to deliver important political speech
but the audience seemed SO cold that before
he had been on his feet a full minute ne
determined to take another tack. This
meant to prepare his speech and deliver it
at the same time. For the first five min
utcs he spared for time. He has since
said to his friends that his voice seemed
husky and far away to him. But after a
bit he struck the right key, his tones be
came clear and ringing and the resultan
address was one of the most brilliant lie
eNe er delivered.
Col Robert G. Ingersol never delivered
a college Grafton, for he had not the adVan-
tapc of the higher training. His first
speech was made as country lawyer in
a little Illinois town, where he had been
studying for the bar with his brother. His
first fame as political speaker was won at
Peoria, and on that occasion he. like tie
others mentioned here, was in blue iunN
when he began to speak. But the speech
of speeches on Bob Ingersolrs list, the one
in which James G. Blaine received 'he
honorary title of THE Plumed knight.
was delivered without any preliminary
fright whatever.