The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-29
sinsoa Ford Dilat.s on is Pains and


in some Of his many pleasures, such as
g0lhng, skating and summing himself in
the palm sprlnkled corridors of a hotel.
He admitted that interviews were not
among his so-called enjoyments, says
the New York Sun. Neither were after
dinner speeches. He remarked. in
eidentally. that making after dinner
speeches at 10 O'Clock in ths morning
came about as near his idea Of torture
as anything he knew.
He wes sitting at his desk in the
Grand Union hotel and pointed TO big
pile OF unanswered letters. The gesture
was prohibitery, emphatic and sweep
ms
In so small room as Mr. Ford's
Office Il was difficult TO avoid meeting
the gesture half way, but the inter
viewer lodged it manfully. Dodging
is among the pleasures of the inter-
viewer, as Ceiling and skating are
among those of the interviewed
'1ou don't like making speeches, Mr.
Ford 81 Ia the tone was a skillful mix
ture Of admiration, repr0ach and re-
speet.
Mr.. Ford was expected to read it so.
Perhaps he did; at any rate. his tone
was less forbidding as he said:
There's nothing IN e. Nothing but
hard work and getting your name in
the papers.
"Of course, when first commenced
it was a different thing. Then ] used
to go home. read the invitations 10 my
wife and walk around saying:
Look at me! Just look at me, I'm
the real thingr
Wen. after while nIS wife ceased
to be particularly impressed, and when
took into onsideration the midnight
oil I burned trying 10 get up these
fr
! the conclusion that it didn't pay
Don't you think that if a man has
talent he owes a certain duty to the
public?"
''Wel, I think he owes a certain duty
to himself. You see, making speeches
takes a good deal of strength out Of
you, to say nothing of the time and
nerve force.
Then if you make 2 success it's all
right: but If you don't people simply
think you've had your day and let you
know how they feel pretty quick"
DO you ever have stage fright?
-s'sNo. after the speech is written and I
have learned il carefully. I'm all right
I don't suffer from embarrassment.
But 7 viii say this: OF all the melan-
eholy. places a man gets into in the
course of his life, recommend me to
I the head table at a big dinner All the
J
! speeches are either frightened or mad
( because they've got to speak, and all
] the other men are mad because they
haven't the chance. Greenwood would
/ be like a vaudeville in comparison.
Then you don't lose your appetite at
4 the sordeal2"
mo. they can't stop my eating. I go
right through the bill Of fare every
! time"
The interviewer assumed W c. T.
/ L. tone for the next question.
DO you drink vine before making a
I speech ?"
/ Never. You see I depend on my
memory. Ny speeches are all learned
/ beforehand, and if 7 should lose the
Thread of my story ] couldn't go on, so
7 cannot afford to take any risks OF
that nature.
you see I am not what is called an
finspirational speaker, man VINO
thinks on his feet. Lots of after din
ner speakers are of that kind.
4 fsrhey get up and, talk little while
and finally their eyes rest on the
American flag draped over full length
portrait of Abraham Lincoln, or q mar
BILE bust Of Poe with a raven lowering
/ about. or one of those old familiar pic
/ lures of Washington at Valley Forge,
and the foods Of the eloquence are
simply oYerpowering.
They can go on and on and on, never
pause for a word or phrase. pertect
/ Niagara of after dinner orGtory- II !
could talk that way 1 don't suppose ]
would hate il SO
Take a man like Judge Rowland or
I Cen. Porter. They were both men who
Z thought on their feet. Pat Murphy Is
another man who sneaks well inn
prOmptu-
speaking of Pat Murphy, you know
4 Of course what a reputation he has as
an after dinner speaker
The interviewer nodded. An inter-
viewers nod, like charity, covers
multitude Of facts and lapses IN facts
II gave a dinner TO the hotel men
2 some time ago. Among the speakers
! was Pat MURPHY, who was invited tC
omen the campaign. As host I followed
'eThe papers the next morning spoke
OF It as a duel of wits. 1t was nothing
Of the kind.
Murphy got up and was just as
funny as he could be. He kept that
table in a roar for twenty minutes
People were holding their sides, split
ting with mirth.
I followed and they had TO listen tc
I
all. ] tried to be humorous; did my
best. but 1 was fiat failure, an abso-
Lutte. fiat failure"
Mr.. Ford By this time had wheeled
about in his chair and in the relation
/ Of personal experiences forgot his early
morning wrath.
Il am not exaggerating that expert
ence at all. There is no false modesty
concealed about it. The truth of The
matter lies in the well known fact thai
people viii only laugh certain amount
After they have reached the timbel
line Of mirth nothing you car say vii
rouse them. You might as well read s
chapter from the Scottish fiscal contro
-ssrsv
aTf L had preceded Murphy. instead
&C go1iowing him, 1, no doubt. wOuiC
/ have got the laugh. As it was. can't
too late.
when the. committee of a dinne-
. writes or sends a representative to me
, inuuiring if / have any suggestions Il
make as to what part of the programme
} T would prefer to be placed, I Away:
I send back word that / want to b
! placed Immediately after the bigges
bore. I'm sure then of meeting will
some applause.
IT would be well in the future 70
/, after dinner speakers who are not alb
solutely sure Of their standing in tn
ewes Of committees TO locate Mr.. Ford
( name This, OF course, is a mere sug
gestion.
? You know the reason he went on
Z H. -