Evening journal., 1913-03-15
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Robert G. TnGerSOlI'S De-
SCriptiOn Of a Born Orator
By Holland.

was chatting one afternoon in the
spring of 1881 with Colonel Robert G.
lngersoll about some of the great ora
tors he had known and listened TO.
asked him IL he had kept account Of
the number of speeches which he
made in the Garfield campaign. He
replied that he never kept any track
OF his campaign addresses and only
remembered a campaigning tour in
case there was some special incident
which served TO impress some par.
ticular feature on his mind
81 remember very wildly" said he,
"and always shall remember a cam
paign speech which | made in the
Academy of Music in Brooklyn This
speech is permanently imprinted in
my mind because Henry Ward Beech
er was chairman OF the meeting.
After the meeting was over | had a
little chat with Mr.. Beecher. I studied
his face. and ! said to myself, I
would know that this man was a nat
ural-born orator if | didn't know who
he was He has the peculiar express
sion around the mouth and the pecu-
liar formation OF the lips which
have found are infallible tests of a
mans gift for oratory.''
Colonel Ingersoll was touching
upon something to which I had never
heard him refer, although | had had
several talks with him about orators.
Can you describe" ] said, "the
particular expression or the peculiar
formation of the lips which indicates
TO you that a man has a special gift
Of oratory?"
"Weil, ! first ought to say" said
the Colonel, that there are two kinds
OF orators. There is the forensic ora
tor or the orator who addresses sue
cessfully one of a higher courts. It
is not to that kind Of orator that
now refer AS a general thing, men
who are great masters of forensic or
legal speaking are thin Tipped, cola
eyed William M. Evarts was a per-
feet example of that type of orator.
refer to the orator who moves great
masses. of men. The finest exemplifi-
cation Of that kind of oratory was the
magnificent triumph OF Henry Ward
Beecher in addressing hostll aud
fences in Great Britain and in con
quering them by sheer oratorical
power during our Civil War.
81 have never yet met with a man
who was gifted with great power OF
oratory who did not have a heavy
lower lip and also a peculiar but in-
descriDable expression around the
mouth.
"I have sometimes heard It said
that the power of oratory is revealed
by a mans eye. The eye sometimes
tells a story of great vocabulary and
fow OF language. but.in my experiences
the eye never contains any hint OF the
peculiar oratory that sways great
masses.
"Beecher had the orators lips and
the expression that played around
them So had General Garfield
George William Curtis, who had very
great gifts for popular oratory. pos
sossed exactly this kind OF mouth.
have always felt that Curtis through
a sort OF over-cultivation or refine
ment. failed to attain the highest
rank OF the popular orator. Wendell
Phillips had the orators lips and ex
preston; so did that wonderful ac-
tor Tom Corwin.
III you want to get a good idea OF
what I mean | suggest that you take
one Of the pictures Of Abraham Lin
coin. He was the master of us all as
popular orator, and he also combined
with that gift the unusual one ol
mastery power for concise, close rea-
soned legal argument. Take Lincoln'i
| picture. Look at the full. almost
overhanging lip. Study the express
sion around his mouth. You dom
need TO look at his eyes, for II yor
do YOU will get nothing but sense
! Of pathos His lips and his express
sion which always encircled then
were perfect revelation 10 me o.
The wonderful almost miraculous git
that this man possessed for appeal
ing to the heart. to the emotions, al
well as to the intellect of men"
AS Colonel lngersoll was thus ex
/ pounding, IL occurred 10 me 10 lool
at his lips. ] saw that they we're pre-
cisely OF the character which he hat
been setting forth TO me.
! Copyright. 1913. by b. j. Edwards
/ All rights rpeorved