The Washington herald., 1914-12-19
HISTORY BUILDERS.
The Wonderful Memories of Some
Famous Men.
Written Expressly for The Herald
By DIR. Z. J. EDWARDS.


BY DIR. Z. J. EDWARDS.
'T think the reason which explains the
deterioration In publiS speaking which has
been so remarkable a characteristic OF
the United States in the past fifteen or
twenty years is to be found in the use Of
manuscripts" said Chauncey n. Depew
to me at a time when he was speaking
reminlscently OF some OF the great ora
tors OF the United States whom he had
heard and many OF whom he knew per-
sonally.
II have heard it said that the best ad-
dress which Ralph Waldo Emerson ever
made was an eNtempOraneous eulogy
which was delivered at banquet held
in commemoration OF Robert Burns. En-
erson really had his manuscript or notes
before him. but they were concealed and
he took furtIvc glances at them so skill
fully that almost all OF those who heard
him thought he was speaking eXtempo-
raneously.
NO man should undertake to make
an extemporaneous address unless he
has carefully prepared 1t beforehand.
Some men can in such preparation fix
the general outline OF the address thor
oughly in mind so that II is not necessary
to hold up manuscript between the speak
ers lips and the hearers eyes. While
have a good memory for events, l have
not a good verbal memory. l always
prepare nv addresses and read them over
carefully before delivering them, but
do not pretend to follow my prepared
manuscript exactly as 1t was written.
There is no mental endcavor like ora
tory TO illustrate the various phases OF
memory AS I said. my verbal memory
Is not good. but my memory OF facts and
events and for incidents with which
have been associated is always fresh and
at my immediate command.
Now take. on the other hand. some OF
the great speakers whose verbal memory
was wonderful. have heard William II.
Seward speak without a line OF manu-
script before him and have known that
he had written his speech. and so facile
was his memory that he was able to i'm
print It upon his mind after a single
reading ] have been told that Grover
Cleveland had the same faculty. and that
explains why he was able to deliver his
first inaugural without any reference to
the manuscript which was in his coat
pocket.
Roscoe ConkIing always wrote out
sometimes with infinite care-his ad-
presses Al Tile INOCHtSltT COLlNtINlOu VI
1877. he delivered. apparently eNtempo-
raneously, a speech which has become
traditional. He had the perfect art Of an
actor at his command that he simulated
the manner and the hesitation which are
characteristic Of an eXtemporancous
speaker. Yet, the evening before ne had
recited that speech to a few friends in
his room at the Rochester Hotel. Conk
ling. however. did not possess Stewards
facility of committing to memory at one
reading. He sometimes spent many days
in committing his prepared address to
memory.
There is another phase of memory
which. I have been told, MaCaulay pos
sessed in an extraordinary degree. He
could read a book through and then re-
peat what he had read word for word.
Furthermore. he read with extraordinary
swiftness. His eyes seemed to rest only
for a moment on a page, but in that in
stant he took in everything that was
there.
II have been told that Charles A. Dana
possessed this gift and that he could
read a long editorial with a single sweep
of the eye. Theodore Roosevelt also has
this gift. and that explains how 1t has
happened that Roosevelt has been able
to read so many books even in the busi-
est days OF his life, and to retain in his
memory everything that he has read"
(Copyright, 1914. by E. ]. Edwards All rights re-
Served.)