Evening star., 1924-06-09

The most vociferous silence that
ever deafened humanity was that
which hushed the world war at IL
O'Clock on Armistice day. Roaring
batteries suddenly became dumb.
Something resembling that silence,
as the mist resembles rain comes
upon Washington today, with the
almost simultaneous hush of Con-
gress and the completion of the fan
fare of the national oratorical con-
test. of seven champion orators of
high schools representing all sections
of the country.
In the many months of Congress
there were millions of words, but in
the eighty-four minutes of the seven
speeches of the young champions
there was more eloquence; for. as
Ren Johnson wisely said, Talking
and eloquence are not the same; to
speak, and to speak well. are two
things" Is it not fitting, therefore.
that the winner of the first prize in
the contest of eloquence, is paid
more for his twelve minutes of real
orat ory, than a United States senator
is paid for whole session of just
talking?
''Puzzlin' work-talkin' is" ex-
claimed a man of quiet habits. but
moving power lies in eloquence.
:: :; = x
Occasionally there are flashes of
eloquence in our modern Congress,
but it has become trite to say that
old ia shioned oratory is out of
style" Men point to the orators Of
two or three generations ago-web-
ster or Calhoun or Clay-or farther
back to Patrick Henry-and remark
sagely that their fine frenzy" was
all very well for their day, but that
it would be ineffective, if not ridicu-
lous today, for an orator to tear the
heavens to tatters or send up so
In ancient Greece, the orator held
the same place in public influence as
do the free press and pulpit of today.
But the reward of the ancient speak
er who moved men with his elo-
quence, was counterbalanced by the
penalty of exile in case of failure.
denounced his conduct as that of a
nes. who had delivered his powerful
philippics to arouse Athens to pre-
paredness against the invading Mace
doniani
Demosthenes so overwhelmed his
enemy with his reply that Aeschines
Rhodes, where he started a school of
rhetoric, and there he had the vanity
to read to his pupils his speech
against Demosthenes and the latter's
reply. The pupils, listened respect
fully to Aeschines' speech. but ap-
plauded most that of Demosthenes.
whereupon the chagrined teacher ex-
claimed: What, then, would you have
thought if you had heard the lion
HIMSELF"
orical, but not convincing; Demosthe-
mes was masterful in his sincerity
and conviction of the truth. Lord
Brougham says OF this reply: THE
greatest oration Of the greatest ora
tor" = 49,
The secret of oratory is its powerful
of its truth, and the
most forceful expression of that
truth Why do we hear so little De-
mosthenic oratory today? Can it be
due to less depth of conviction of the
''eternaI yerities?" Due to more gem
eral sophistication, with consequent
readiness to qualify truth with con-
venient opportunism?
Conceive, if one can, the mental res
ervations possible to Patrick Henry
as, with utter abandon, he exclaimed:
Il know not what course others may
take. but as for me, give me liberty
or give me DEATH!
That was not rhetoric. but it was
eloquence, and it may be said that
only in the degree of self-abandon-
ment to truth and moving conviction
of that truth, in such degree lies ora
torical merit.
X !: x *
Search, ye that would know the
find truth to be the strength OF the
great classic speaker said Henry
Ward Reecher. the most eloquent