The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1907-02-07
The Orator Survives.

alton, directness. not figures,
plainness not ornament, the main
travelled road not the flight
through the azure, characterize,
they lament, the latter day
speech. Let them take heart.
OraJory has not utterly vanish
ed. 1t fingers on the obscure
corners and now and then flashes
out and coruscates and dazzles.
We still have few orators and
the spoken word still has the
power to stir mems souls as of
old, in spite Of the statements to
the contrary. Those who decay
OF oratory say that we have be-
come a reading nation and that
the spoken word no longer in
terests us. Why then are such
large fees paid to even mediocre
speakers? Men who have no ma
tional reputation as orators to-
day receive larger fees for their
lecture than were ever known in
the days of Beecher and Summer.
One OF the best examples Of the
modern orator IS Father Waugh
an. the dramatic orator. Some
parts uf his lectures and sermons
have never been surpassed for
beauty or language, power or
thought, or vividness OF express
sion. even by the giants OF old.
In his sermon-lecture "The Pow
er OF Love" he leads his audience
successively to climax after
climax until the close. which is
the grandest climax OF all. His
description OF the first meeting
OF Jesus Christ and Mary OF Mag
dalen is one OF the finest exam
piles of great and beautiful word
painting in the English langu-
age. 1t has been declared to be
by many we'll known critics, the
finest piece OF dramatic word
painting of this decade. In his
lecture "Sermons and Shakes
peare" we have a combination1of
the orator and the actor. The
'Sermons" are five great word
paintings, given only as a great
orator and actor can give them.
The ':pa;ntings" are Illustrated
by the acting Of various scenes
from Shakespeare's plays that
illustrate the sermon he wishes
to enforce upon the mind at the
time. This lecture has often
been called the greatest lecture
now being delivered on the Ameri-
can platform. Oratory is not
dead as long as we have such
noted speakers as Father Waugh
an who is SO much in demand
every year that he must refuse
over one hundred engagements
each season, and this after he
has been booked for over two
hundred, a larger number than
almost any other speaker fills.
People flock to hear him wher-
ever he appears. On February
10th he will appear for his tenth
lecture in Chicago during the
last two years. In Chicago it is
no longer necessary to attempt
to sell tickets for a lecture by
Father Vaughan. Those who
engage him merely advertise
where the tickets can be secured
and the house is always full.
These lectures are held in the
Central Y. NJ. c. A. Auditorium
and, at the last two lectures he
gave, several hundred people had
to be turned away each time. :.
He lectured at Terre Haute,
Ind, last summer twice at the
Chautauqua Assembly and was
Immediately re-engaged to re-
turn in November for another.
President Roosevelt could not
have been given a greater ova-
tion upon his return. Over two
hundred people met him at the
train, he was banqueted by the
Commercial Club, and best OF all
every seat in the opera house
had been sold long In advance of
his coming. About four hun
dred people we're turned away
from the doors the evening of
the lecture. This experience has
been his in nearly every city
where he has spoken this season,
to q greater or less degree. In
the east he has met with wonder
ful success. Father Vaughan is
no tallow candle. He is an arc
light. In him oratory, rich lusc-
ions, soul-lifting, resides to as
sure us that it has not disap-
peared from the earth.
Opera House, Feb. 13.
JOS. Korgel, of the Gold Medal
farm has been very i'll Of the grip |
and just as he was recovering, he |
Il