The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-13
WHEN COCHRAN SPEAKS.
THE ORATOR TELLS HOW II
FEELS TO MOVE MEN.
Must See Them ms Mass-Like n
Great Beast to BE Tamed-Rarely
Knows when Effect Is Produced

Bourke Cochran, whom 10 less d Judge
than ChaUnCvy RI Depew has called the
only great orator IN New York. is not, ia
ordinary conversation, the Bourke Coch-
ran Of the rossran. There IS the same
splendid physique, the same massive head,
out the voice, the supreme characteristic
Of the orator, as 10 longer that musical
thunder, born of storm Of passion. which
is heard from the public platform. In ey
ery-day conversation th@t voice becomes =
wa.Sper. deep and soft. like the tQnes OF
grea. organ pipe In these quiet tones Mr..
Cochran t0l0 Il few days ago how II feels
10 be an orator.
The writer found Mr.. Cochran in his Of
tice AT the top OF a great tower down town.
Mr.. Cochran WAS correcting fer Eublica-
ton in pamphlet form the proofs Of she
speech he had delivered in Carnegie han "a
few days before. IN defense "f the indie
pendence OF the judiciary. Thres or four
newspaper reports OF the speech, as well
as the official report. lay on his desk; No
;wo OF these reports Were alike. and Mr..
Cochran. by referring 10 each of them.
was trying ~ reproduce an effect that he
had made In The meeting
"A bad report of Il speech, he said, is
worse than no report 1t all. But | am
hardly ever aolc. IN correcting a speech. 10
get much heip from the best reports in
the most telling passages. For it Is curl
Gus thing l nave noticed IN me reports or
my speeches. those parts which are OF 10
particular Importance and which lid not
produce any special effect upon the audi
eice IN the telling are almost always fully
and correctly reported, while The really tel
ling parts. those which brought The audi
ence TO It's feet, are either impeTfsc: and
absurd, or omitted altogethe 4 poor STEM
ographer you see, VIII write out anything
from his notes, whether Il makes sense or
not, whereas 4 good stenosrapher will
simply scratch cut everything that does
not read smoothly. l account for Il in this
way: The parts or the speech which DO not
rise 10 any great climax and do not excite
the audience the stenographers have little
trouble in taking down literally. but those
parts which excite the audience most eX-
cite the stenographeTs, too. They become
interested and forget 10 take notes.
When | delivered my speech against
the income tax, for example. this very
thing happened. ! was going on 30 show
that the stability Of all government rests
ability to protect property. l had been
showing how all revolutions IN the history
OF the world had been due. not To tyranny
or usurpation. but TO the loss Of confidence
on the part of the people in the govern
ments ability TO protect property, ana |
spoke OF France as the final illustration
OF this point. | Was not aware that | was
making any effect, bur I noticed that the
people around NE were standing up, and
| wondered why. That was the most tell
ing part Of the speech yet the next day
when looked at the reports l found them
worthless in that part They were not only
incomplete, but absolutely incoherent. /
iElcU To Hi out tAdt part from own
recollection. but. though / worked and
worked / was unable TO do IT, That part
Was gone and l could not reproduce it,
Lost forever"
Yes. if 1t was ever worth preserving"
replied Mr.. Cochran. You see / never
know when am making an effect 1t is
only wien nave reached a climax and
suddenly find the people prancing and
shouting that ] realize that l have made
good point. When 1 made my speech in
the Chicago convention i didn't know that
| "A Inc ~ all
fact thought 1 had made a failure until II
was all over and | saw everybody stand
ing ana shouting and rushing over to me.
Il can never reproduce exactly an effect
Ike that. It depends so much upon the
circumstances Of the moment, how / feel
and how the audience feels, and these
thingS one can't bring back. y speaker
must knew his audience. he must play
upon ii as one plays upon an instrument
he must know Just how his audience feels
at each moment. How a speaker knows this
| can't tell. 1t is simply feeling that
comes-somehow. a speaker must master
his audience, just as a lon-tamer masters
his beast. The tanner Knows that the lion
could rise up and tear him to pieces and
he knows just how long he is master.
There comes signal in the beasts eyes,
long before ne begins 10 growl
1T Is the same way with the speaker and
the audience. The speaker can feel when
the audience IL no longer interested long
before there are any particular signs OF t.
long before the moving and noise begin.
There Is some sign. some indescribab,e
feeling, that warns him.
The audience must merge into a great
mass before you can produce any effect
IT | can distinguish any one face IN the
audience am lost. Unless I lose all con-
seriousness Of the individuals. unless the
audience becomes one thing as it were,
which see III a ha2y way and with which
| can talk as / would face to face with ,
friend, can do nothing
DO you ever write your speeches before
hand, Mr.. Cochran?''
NO. ! prepare every speech very care
don't have time. But whenever / can
think Il all out very thoroughly and de-
pend upon the Inspiration Of the noomen,
fer expression. That Is the only way 10
produce an effect upon the audience Let
man know what he wants 10 saw let
him plan II out carefully beforehand and
so before his audience with a plenty Of
words at his command. and the inspiration
! OF The moment Will show what IS the prom
er and telling form OF expression I am
always unconscious Of everything bu. NV
subject. when produce good effects Ev-
- L.