The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-20
SOME TRICKS ~ ORATORY
Rcsorted to by Famous Speakers 70 Gain
Their Point.

One wonders Of DemoHthenes whether ne
ever in after years resumed Of set purpose
that habit Of stammering which he had
taken such heroic means To eradicate. A
sta mi is a most effective trick some
times. and we know thnt Alcibiades found
his lisp by no means the least useful OF his
many winning ways. The trick In oTatory
combines both the conventional meanings
of the word: it is sometimes q habit, some
times a will. sometimes both.
Addison tells a capital story Of . trick
In forensic oratory. At Westminster HAL
there was a counsellor who never pleaded
without a piece Of packthread in his n
which he used to twist about a thumb or
finger all the while he was speaking; the
ways Of those days called 1t the thread OF
his DISCOURSE for he was not able to utter
a word without it"-as a foolish client
proved once to his own cost, for he stole
| the thread and his advocate came to utter
grief.
1t is the second description Of trick,
the taking dodge" to borrow a phrase
from the ~vernaoular, which Is the more
generally interesting. The classic instance
which naturally occurs to every one Is
Burke's famous dagger scene" in the
HOUSE OF IOIlilDuS, "HO hO VAiiph@'a"SN
! his peroration regarding the Reign OF
Terror in France by dramatically throwing
a dagger on the floor OF the House az an
example Of the methods Of the apostles OF
liberty equality and fraternity.
In a way this recalls an incident OF the
recent election. says the London Globe.
though the oratorioal trick In this case
was unprecedented. A oandidate-there
Ia no need to mention names-was adj
vooating tariff reform when a jealous
| free trader threw an UNIV holesome looking
tomato at him, an argument" which greatly
delighted the Jealous ones faction. Rotten,
of course" remarked the candidate; 80
much for cheap imports"
One OF the tricks credited TO Sheridan
was very much on the lines Of a famous
4soore," Of classic times. A member whose
! admiration for the brilliant statesman was
not tempered with discretion greatly an
moved Sheridan by continually calculating,
aHear, hear!" without rhyme or reason.
Sheridan determined to give him a lesson.
At the close Of one Of his speeches, de-
I words, where shall we find a more foolish
kraye' or a more kravish fool than hel'
sUear, hear!" came as usual from the trouble
some enthusiast. Sheridan bowed, thanked
him for 40 obligingly, supplying the re-
ouired information, and resumed his seat.
And long centuries before, Demosthenes
inveighing against an opponent who was
suspected Of receiving subsidies from the
Court OF Persia, Passionately asked the
crowded audience, SIS he not Miisthotos-
he mispronounced the words 20 obviously
that the audience shouted out corrections
from all points-"Misthotos! Misthotosl'
the effect OF which was to make the citizens
themselves apply the opprobrious epithet.
Not very dissimilar in character is one OF
the many tricks attributed to Curran.
He was engaged on a case wherein the
princi pal witness on the other side was a
gentleman OF position, whose evidence
II accepted, would be conclusive. In his
opening speech, Curran invelghed with all
the bitterness and eloquence in his power
against the chief witness for the other side
but without actually mentioning his name.
When the time came for the witness
a Mr.. L%eger-to be sworn, C,urran inter-
posed in the blandest WAY th a. this was
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 opin-
: ion Of me now than when you first spoke. :
you admit, then, sir, that, though ! named
no names, you recognized my description
as applying to yourselfP' =,
Another " Curran's oratorical tricks Is
not unlike one Sheridan .perpetrated on
the House. In this case, the last speaker,
1t will DO remembered, had wound ur his
speech with a classical quotation, which,
to Judge from the plaudits II received,
made a most effective point. Sheridan In
his reply regretted the honorable. membel
had not completed tho quotation; he would
do so himself, and the House would Their
see how fatal TO the contention Of the hon.
orable member was the authority he had
cited. Whereupon Sheridan with mag
nifcont dramatic effect recited a snnorollt
piece Of gibberishl And the House ap'
plauded vigorously.
Curran's trick was at the expense Of q
preternaturally stupid jury. The Judge
happened to I've a cons,inmate classical
scholar, and, knowing Curran to he the
same, was naturally sstounded OF hearing
him ,iuote a piece q Latin AS coming from
the Phantasmngoria IL the historian Hesiyd
"You mean Latin poet, Mr., Turrail,. Hesiot
was a Greek, a poet, and not nm historian
and ! doubt whether he ever wrote n worl
called the Phantasmagoria. The lines ar
J~uvenal's." "Hesiod, my lord, ] assure
YOU, and Greek. not Latin" You must
he out of your senses, Mr.. Curran, or thinl
am out OF mine. The lines are Latin.
well, my lord ! can only suggest that w
leave II a. an issue for the jury, and III
be bound they will End it-Greek.r The
ltriok was perfectly ofectual. ~