Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-19
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
|. G.. NJ.

ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.
Ruth Bryan Owen. ForeWord by
William Lyon Phelps. New YORK:
Horace Liveright
The legacy of Demosthenes and cicero
to the Daniel Websters and Patrlck
Henrys of later years has spent Itself.
Oratory as such, has gone BY
The nearest approach to it nowadays
comes by way of the American poltlcal
campaign. But here, old VISIONS ana
the high spirit of true eloquence are
Sullied, too often, by Vllllncatloh'
philippe, and plain abuse that turn
the great sonances to rough brayings
and empty bellowings, to the swapping
and snarling of angry dogs.
And yet, public speaking, in the cur
rent sense, is decidedly going concern.
The radio, its programs running the
clock around, is an active promoter I'D
this direction. There are, oesldeS
countless bands. camps, guilds, asso-
Citations and other Whatnot OF social
civil and political purpose, that call fol
deal of speechmaking by one and
another qualified to instruct, to guide, TO
inspire in the multifarious concerns OF
these collective bodies. TO give pause
and permanence to f1eetlng oral ala
books also are required.
Here is book that fronts upon the
theme of Public Speaking prac-
teal book. This is the exclusive stamp
of it. Less than 200 pages long, it
stays by the elements of the subject,
does not wander from the plain essen
tials of the matter in hand. 1t has
mind for the busy readers need Oh
time saving. 1t does not blunder across
the path of the speeding days demands
1t goes along with these current neceS-
sites of an existence fitted with wings
and on its way. Direct therefore. In
the main drawn from personal expert
ence in the business OF making q
speaker out of herself. Why speak IN
public at all? This the pertinent open
ing Of the subject. And the answers
come trooping from every direction IN
the common affairs of any days do
ings. The direct simplicity of this ap-
proach is interesting. Those reading
like to meet the familiar, the well
known, now and then. This they dc
here.
In concrete sum, this is the way OF it.
An audience. A speaker. The latter
has something of moment and interest
to deliver, or thinks he has. The task,
to get 1t across, to pass it out OF him.
self and over into the minds and hearts
Of those before him. The medium OF
such transmission is but himself
voice. attitude, gesture, dress, all of
those elements that sum in the idea
of personality. an animated and offer
ing personality, with something to give
and a great sincerity of belief in the
gift itself The power of transmitting
ideas and feelings by way of the
speakers single medium, himself. That
is the problem.
Putb nu-o, IF
Congress, goes straight to herself for
the lessons here set down for readers
She herself has made countless public
/ appearances in behalf of political and
social ends. She herself has risen to
place Of ner own making, where her
right. to give lessons and to define the
! purposes of the subject are unques-
toned. So here she speaks of voice
and personality, of mind contacts and
fusions according to the laws of a
working psychology, of making thought,
feeling and action unit as between
speaker and listeners, of extemporane-
GUS work in contrast to the carefully
prepared example of argument or per-
! suasion. Speaks of these elements and
| many another in this straightforward
survey and review of her own expert
ence in educating a public speaker to
wide reading is here Lavish references
bearing upon the general subject serve
to link both writer and reader with
eloquent and celebrated speakers in a
sort of class room exercise of personal
testimony about the ways of growth
in the high art under consideration
Reading in deep enjoyment, one all
the time feels down deep however,
that in respect to oratory and the
power of high eloquence. The Hon.
Ruth Bryan Owen chose her imme-
diate ancestor in more discriminating
mood than the rest of us were able
TO do So, in regard to this, she, as
her own object lesson, must expect
some little shortage of achievement
in the training of others by way of
Elements of Public Speaking"
X
THE THREE OWLS: Contemporary