The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-06-20
TRICKS OF ORATORY
DEVICES USED BY NOTED SPEAKERS
TO GAIN A POINT.


Trap Into which the Eloquent Cur
ran Drew witness.
One wonders Of Demosthenes Wheth
er le ever in after years resumed Of +
set purpose that habit Of stammering
which Ike had taken such heroic means
to eradicate. 4 Stammer is a most eff I
fectiye trick sometimes, and we know .
that Alcibiades found his lisp by no
means the least useful Of his many
winning ways The trick in oratory +
combines both the conventional mean 4
inss Of the word 1t is sometimes a f
habit, sometimes q will, sometimes /
both
Addison tells a capital story Of
tries in forensic oratory. At Westmin- |
ster han there was counselor who |
never pleaded without piece of pack |
thread III Ills hand which he used to |
twist about a thumb or finger all the |
while be was speaking The wags of
those days called it the thread of his
discourse for he was not able TO utter
a word without it," as foolish client
proved once to his own cost, for he
stole the thread and his advocate
came to utter grief.
Another clever sort Of trick, the tax
ing dodge" to borrow Il phrase from
the veru8cular, is the more generally
interesting The classic instance which
naturally occurs to every one is
Burkes famous dagger scene in the
house of commons when he empha
sized his peroration regarding the
reign Of terror III France by dramatic
ally throwing a dagger on the floor Of
the house as an example Of the meth
DDS Of the apostles of liberty, equality
and fraternity
One of the tricks credited TO Sheri-
dan was very much on the lines of a
famous "score" OF classic times. A
member whose admiration for the bril-
liant statesman was not tempered with
discretion greatly annoyed Sheridan
by continually calculating, Hear,
hearl' without rhyme or reason. Sher-
idan determined to give him lesson.
At the close of one of his speeches, de
mandatory Of some individual. he used
the words, Where shall we find a
more foolish knave or a more knavish
fool than he?"
Hear, hear" came as usual from
the troublesome enthusiast Sheridan
boyad. thanked him for so obligingly
supplying the required information
and resumed his seat.
And long centuries before Demos
themes, inyeighing against an opponent
who was suspected of receiving subsi-
dies from the court Of Persia, passion
ately asked the crowded audience, rs
he not Misthotos-a hireling?" But as
though inadvertently he mispronounced
the words so obviously that the audi
ence shouted out corrections from all
points isthotos. Misthotosp' the eff
feet of which was to make the citizens
themselves apply the opprobrious cpl
thet.
Not very dissimilar in character is
one of the many tricks attributed to
Curran He was engaged on a case
wherein the principal witness on the
other side was a gentleman of position
whose evidence, if accepted, would be
conclusive In his opening speech Cur
ran inyeighed with all the bitterness
and eloquence in his power against
tie chief witness for the other side,
but without actually mentioning his
name. When the time came for the
witness-a Mr.. Leger-to be sworn Cur
ran interposed in the blandest way
that this was surely a needless formal
ity. Mr. Leger's character was such
that he felt sure the jury would accept
his simple assertion. The unfortunate
man fell into the trap. Il am glad
Mr.. Curran. you have a better opinion
of me now than when you first spoke -
'Xon admit then, sir, that, though
named no names. you recognized my
description Is applying to yourselfY
Another Of Currans oratorical tricks
is not unlike one Sheridan perpetrated
on the house. la this case the last
speaker, it viii be remembered, had
wound Up his speech with a classical
quotation, which, to judge from the
plagdits it received, made a most eff
fecuve point Sheridan in his reply re
GREETED the honorable member had moi
completed the quotation He would dc
SO himself, and the house would then
see how fatal to the contention Of the
honorable member was the authority
he had cited. whereupon Sheridan with
magnificent dramatic effect recited q
sonorous piece Of gibberish! And the
house anplauded vigorously.
CuTan's trick was at the expense Of
q preternaturally stupid jury. Tht
judge happened to be a consummats
classical scholar and, knowing CurraI
TO be the same. was naturally astound
ca OH hearing him quote piece Of Lat
IN a. coming from the Phantasmagoris
Of the historian Hesiod. You NEAR
Latin poet, Mr. Curran. Hesiod was ;
Greek. poet and not a historian. ant
| doubt whether he ever wrote a worl
called the Phantasmagoria The line
are Juvenals.' 'Hesiod. my lord, as
sure you. and Greek. not Latin" ''Yol
must Re out Of your senses, Mr.. Cur
ran. or think | am out of mine. Tn
lines are Latin" Wen. my lord, l cal