The Washington times., 1919-08-01

DemOsthsnss was great Greek orator whose skill at
speaking made him famous Born with impediment in
his speech he the difficulty by ceasees study and
practice.
First he mastered the impedient and learned to speak
clearly He did this by holding pebble in his mouth and
setting his mind and will to the task of speaking against
the natural impediment with the pebble added to it.
Next he improved himself in learning that he would
have something to say with his good voice and his clear
enunciaton
One day he addressed the Greek assembly, which
responds to Congress- deep subject too deep for
most Of his auditors They left by he continued
with increased earnestness and eoquence Finally there
only auditor left in the FORUM but Demosthenes
continued to the end Of his discourse
His secretary asked DemoShenes why he had made the
effort for small audience The great orator replied
"That Pericles, and would rather speak
to him than all Greece!''
PericIes was a good listener Demosthenes knew that
what he said would be wasted when Pecles listened
He knew that his arguments would receive the full measure
of attention and consideration they merited.
Pericles great man. perhaps the greatest in
Athens.
One Of the reasons for this greatness that he spent
more hours in listening than in talking,
The listening man has the advantage There plenty
Of people to do the talking Speech is silver; silence is
golden, says the German proverb.
Ask almost any man, "Who has contributed most to
English hterature? and he probably will answer, "Shake
speare."
Shakespeare achieved largely through listening
women Of his time Had he been adult caste limitations
would have permitted him to frequent the places where
ne was admitted boy Adults rarely seek secluson
from children when they converse
Shakespeare was Of those children who take advan
tage Of their freedom Of admission and freedom from
restraint to listen
We know from history and memoirs that the boy
Shakespeare free to play practically where he chose
about Kenworh Castle that great house of the Earl of
Leicester Queen EZabeths favorite couer Kenilworh
political headquarters in England There Shakespeare
saw the greatest people of England and of other countries
Unnoced by his elders he overheard the conversations
Of princes dukes ear great travellers adventurers He
also learned know the habits and the hearts of the lesser
people thoroughly.
he listened and made plays out of what he heard.
Samuel johnson says that to know the history of the period
in England with which Shakespeare familiar need
only read Shakespeare's plays.
Perhaps while listening to these prominent folks
that he cultivated his preference for great people in his
plays The last of his series of English dramas has four
kings characters Most playwrghts find or most
two kings enough for play.
With all his skill shakespeare's plays would have
lacked much of their tremendous value human documents
had the boy been listener Having listened when the
time came for him to write he had something say
Good listeners may be good takers tOo but they talk
only at the right time Usually you will find the person
who talks much has little to talk about
1.-THE loud laugh that spoke the empty mind" is the
way Goldsmith expressed it.
The person who listens well finds something more than
other people to listen to. Joan of Arc would have
heard the voces in the quiet pastures of Domremy if
she had been chattering.
nmerabe great works have been written in the quiet
Of prisons Francois Von the Greater Testament
while imprisoned at the bottom Of hundredfoot well at
Loches Prisoners have opportunity to listen to their
sciences to their geniuses, to their hearts
No ever lost anything by being good listener.