The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1904-07-21
HOW 70 TAP YOUR ELoouEN cE
Let Would-Be Orators Take a Hint
From Mr.. Littleto:.


New York Sun.
Most of the noted public speakers
get the popular credit of being able to
deliver the oratorlcal goods without
having committed to memory more
than the skeleton OF their speeches.
This idea is discouraging to laymen,
who find, If called upon for an I'm
promptu speech, even in familiar
and friendly gathering, that they are
struck dumb-unable to unta 6 Q
their thoughts.
Such should attend to an account OF
the strange and ingenious methods OF
the Hon. Martin W. Littleton borough
president of Brooklyn, who made the
nominating speech for Judge Parker
at St. Louis.
Mr.. Litt!eton is numbered among
the telling speakers of the Democracy.
vet he cannot speak offhand. He
commits to memory every word of his
speeches, and does 1t 80 thoroughly
that there is never slip in his deliv-
cry.
When Mr.. Littleton learns that he is
to make speech he sallies forth to
his stationer's where he buys collect
ion OF pads Of colored paper such as
would serve In an examination for COL
or blindness He gets white pads, red
pads, blue pads, green pads yellow
pads, helictrope pads and pink pads.
then he goes to the pencil case and
picks out pencils OF every color OF lead
that the house affords. Then he goes
home, ready for work.
The rest is easy. Mr.. Littleton
writes the first page of his speech on
white paper with black pencil, the
second with a blue pencil, the third
with a red pencil, and so on until all
the pencils have been used on the
white pads. Then he grabs the red
pad and writes upon 1t with all the
pencils-except, perhaps, the red pen
cll-dropping pencil at the end of
each sheet and taking up another.
And then? Why, tits very simple,
at least for the Brooklyn orator. He
reads the speech to himself, over and
over, and each sheet of paper impresses
itself upon bis memory. He knows
that when he stands before his audi
ence he can gaze into space. and every
sheet will parade before him in the
written order. It will be just as easy
as though he had written his speech
on stereopticon slides and had it flash
ed at the back of the convention hall.
When he gets agoipg with a para
graph about the honor conferred upon
"the great Empire State" by the SAN
guine National Democratic convention
OF decade, he will have the white
page and the black pencil before bis
minds eye. The real paper and pen
Gil may be in the ash can by that
time. As he comes to the part about
"the honored judiciary of our great
State" he may be looking on yellow
writing on a green pad.
His peroration fraught with enthusi-
asm, may swim before him in purple
On pink, but his hearers will think 1t
is nothing but pure inspiration.
Senator Joe Bailey of Texas, who is
one of the steadlest takers in Congress,
has all his speeches pat before he takes
the floor. He memories them by
main strength. Senator Joe Bailey
once said it was shame the way the
House of Representatives restrained
tie speech Of its mem bers.
why" he declared Indignantly, "no
real orator can get into lis stride In
less than an hour" That was about
he time he spoke for two hours on
The difference between "a quorum" "a nd
the quorum"
Burke Cochran, who is a natural ora
or, does not memorize bis speeches.
He keeps the order of his argument IN
mind, but bis huency and vocabulary
ire great. The ideas be utters one
lay In ore set OF words be may repeat
he next day in far different verbal
orm, but with exactly the same