Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-05-07
Making
An Orator.

10 By STEPHEN CRANE. " {
10 Avth " Of The Red Badss Of csss. {
IL aSs." Etc,
~ Copyright, 400. by Wtltdm Hope Crane. \
NONOeOO-O-O-O-O-O-c
YIN the school at Whilomville 1t was
the habit, when children had pro
gressed to a certain class, to have
i them devote Friday afternoon to
what was called elocution. This was
In the piteously ignorant belief that
orators were thus made. By process
of school law unfortunate boys and
girls were dragged up to address their
fellow scholars in the literature Of the
midcentury. Probably the children who
were most capable Of expressing them
selves, the children who were most
sensitive to the power Of speech, suf.
fered the most wrong. Little block.
heads who could learn eight lines OF
conventional poetry and could get up
and spin 1t rapidly at their classmates
did not undergo single pang. The
plan operated mainly to agonize many
children permanently against arising
to speak their thought to fellow crea-
lures.
Jimmie Trescott had an idea that
by exhibition Of undue ignorance he
could escape from being promoted into
the first class room which exacted
such penalty from its inmates. He
preferred to dwell In less classic
shade rather than venture into do
main where he was obliged to perform
a certain duty which struck him as be-
ing worse than death. However, willy
nilly, he was somehow sent ahead into
the place Of torture.
Every Friday mt least ten Of the little
children had to mount the stage beside
the teachers desk and babble some
thing which none Of them understood.
| This was to make them orators. II II
had been ordered that they should
croak like frogs, 1t would have advanc-
ed most OF them just as far toward
oratory.
Alphabetically Jimmie Trescott was
near the end Of the list Of victims. but
his time was none the less inevitable.
Tanner, Timmens, Trass, TrescOtt"-
He saw his downfall approaching.
He was passive to the teacher while
she drove into his mind the incOmpre-
hensible lines of "The Charge Of the
Light Brigade"
| Half league. half league.
Half a league onward
He had no conception Of Il league.
| II In the ordinary course Of life some
| body told him that he was half n
league from home, he might have been
| frightened that half league was fifty
miles, but he struggled manfuly with
the valley Of death and a mystic 600.
who were performing something there
which was very fine, he had been told.
He learned all the verses.
But as his own Friday afternoon mp.
preached he was moved to make
known to his family that dreadful
disease was upon him and was likely
ut any time to prevent him from going
| to his beloved school.
On the great Friday when the chill
| dren of his initials were to speak their
pieces DIR. Trescott was away from
home. and the mother Of the hoy was
alarmed beyond measure ut Jimmie's
curious illness, which caused him to lie
on the rug in front of the fire and
groan cavernously.
She bathed his feet In hot mustard
water until they were lobster red. She
also placed mustard plaster on his
| chest.
He announced that these remedies
did him no good Mt all-no good at all
With an air Of martyrdom he endured
perfect downpour Of motherly atten-
tion all that day. Thus the first Fri
day was passed in safety.
With singular patience he sat be-
fore the fire in the dining room and
looked ut picture books, only complain.
ing Of pain when he suspected his
mother of thinking that he was getting
better.
The next day being Saturday and a
holiday, he was miraculously deliv-
cred from the arms of disease and
went forth to play, blatantly healthy
boy.
He had no further attack until Thurs
day night Of the next week, when he
announced that he felt very. very poor.
ly. The mother was already chronical-
ly alarmed over the condition OF her
son, but DR.. Trescott asked him Ques-
tons which denoted some incredul!ty.
On the third Friday Jimmie was drop
ped at the door Of the school from the
doctors buggy. The other children.
notably those who had already passed
over the mountain Of distress, looked
at him with glee, seeing In him another
lamb brought to butchery. Seated at
| his desk In the schoolroOm. Jimmie
sometimes remembered with dreadful
dIstinctness every line Of THE Charge
of the Light Brigade" and ut other
times his mind was utterly empty OF it.
Geography, arithmetic and spelling
usually great tasks-quite rolled off
him. His mind was dwelling with ter.
ror upon the time when his name
should be called and he was obliged to
go up to the platform, turn, bow and
recite his message to his fellow men.
Desperate expedlents for delay came
to him. II he could have engaged the
services Of real pain he would have
been glad But steadily, inexOrably.
the minutes marched on toward his
great crisis. and all his plans for es'
cape blended into mere panic fear
The naples outside were defeating
the weakening rays Of the afternoon
sun, and in the shadowed schoolroom
| had come stiffness in which neverthe-
less one could feel the complacence Of
the little pupils who had already pass
ed through the flames. They were
calmly prepared to recognize as spec.
tacle the torture Of others.
Little Johnnie Tanner opened the
ceremony. He stamped heavily up to
the platform and bowed In such man.
ner that be almost fell down. He
blurted out that 1t would I'll beft him
to sit silent while the name of his fair
Ireland was being reproached. and ne
Appended to the gallant soldier before
L., loRa fnf