University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-03-14
Oratory.
Has the type of popular oratory un.

century and earlier? Does the man
who moves the hearts or stirs. the
blood or brain of the audience of to-
day follow the method or manner of
Burke, or Webster, or Clay?
DR.. F. M. Tisdel, of the English de-
partment of the University of Mis-
souri,, who conducts classes Of stu
dents with aspirations as public
speakers. believe the type of the pop
ular orator has changed, and that it
is not today what it was when Ed.
mund Burke champiOned in Parlia-
ment the rights of the American col
Onists.
THE oratory which carries conyic-
tion today is conversational in style" /"
said Doctor Tisdel, 'the kind of ora
tory in which the speaker gets such
an individual grip on his hearers that
each person feels that the man Oh
the platform is pleading with him as
man to man.
''The first great exponent of this
method of oratory was Wendell Phil
lips. He had this power of gripping
the hearts of his hearers in a personal
way which few orators have. Phillips
had not the largeness of periods, the
sweep. the rhythm of Burke or Web
ster, but he obtained a tighter grin
than they on the minds, the hearts.
the sympathies of those to whom he
talked. And the most successful
speakers of the days since Phillips
have patterned after the style he in
troduced.
I'm Lyman Abbott we have a good
example of the conversational orator
of a speaker who Disseminated be-
tween noise and earnestness. A
speaker must be earnest and sincere,
but these qualities are not to be ex-
pressed by noise. Lincoln was man
of this type-far removed in style
from Burke or Webster. Bryan is
one of these conversational orators
always earnest. simple, sincere, direct,
specific. Roosevelt is anOther-a pro-
nounced type. With him it is talk,
direct talk to the listener-not ora
tory in the old sense.
Booker T. Washington owes the
success which came to
him as public speaker to his direct,
conversational style.
simplicity and earnestness are the
great tests. We have come to feel
that it isn't the fine rhetoric, the big
voice, that captivates or convinces;
it is the strengh of personally that
comes out in the orators direct. earn
est appeal.
"The same direct simplicity char
acterizes our best academic oratory.
President Eliot and Professor Palmer
of Harvard for instance represent the
dignified, academic type. Both have
a mastery of beautiful, simple English |
and President Eliot especially i'm
presses his audience as having unlim-
tied reserve power.
'The trouble we have had with col |
lege oratory is its lack of simplicity |
and directness. College men have
tried to be orators, have strained their |
1iction, talked loud and cultivated
spread-eagle' style, but this sort of |
,ratOry was artificial. 1t didn't work
IN with practical life, and so in time
became discredited. We are coming
% learn that our speaking must be
simple, direct-elevated conversation.
rhe type of Webster and Burke has
disappeared. The effective,
PRACTICAL American talk is the quality
hat meets the needs of this age.
Another difficulty with our college
,ratory has been it's lack of specific
Iuality. College men used to take
ubjects which were too large and
reat them in a general fashion, omit
ing facts and specific illustrations.
n reality, most people think from the
oncrete to the abstract, from the
pecific to the general. and the public
peaker is largely a success when he
ppeals through what is graphic"
Is it possible to transform raw ma
erial into the finished ordtor, or must
ne be born to the art, as the poet,
he SCULPTOR the painter? Doctor
'isdel holds out hope to all.
I'm this practical age most any man
an make himself an effective speak I
r. 1t is not so much a question of
enius. as is painting or music, but 1t
; question of clear thinking and
imple, sincere speech. The speaker
hould beware of superficial prepara-
ion. Unpremeditated speech is sure
, be effective. The speaker need not
rite and commit his address but be-
,re he begins he must have a very c
efinite idea Of where he is going and c