Evening star., 1933-01-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

after he held his tongue, no matter how
good his story.
He felt, and rightly, that 1t was NO
use. he couldn't do it the way 1t ought
to be done, and therefore he wouldn't
even try.
| No one admired the real story teller
more than he; in fact, he envied his
genius 80 much that he left the entire
field to him.
At times the failure in this very hu-
man endeavor tried to figure cut what
1t was which made the other q success
at it, and how he managed to hold his
audience
Confidence, he believed, was as near
as one could get to a complete ex-
PLANTATION in one word.
The good story teller has confidence,
and plenty of it, not only that his tale
Is ''pippin," but that he. himself, can
put 1t over.
He is. above all, at his ease
Evidently there is no doubt in his own
mind that he can tell the story the
way it ought to be told.
| This puts his audience at ease, too.
There are as many styles Of narra-
| tion as there are good narrators, but
every last one of them evidently uses
the same method
Whether the success at this business
speaks slowly or fast, or loud or soft,
| he somehow manages to keep the entire
attention Of his audience, which may
consist of cne or more persons, usually
\ two or three.
There are no side glances, no evident
wish on the part Of his listeners that
Ae had not begun, or that he hurry up
AID finish.
This fact alone gives his slight mar
ratve solildity which inspires him to
dohis best with it.
Iae man who cannot tell q story
proprly often wonders what would hap
pen 20 the expert If he were greeted
with he same show of indifference and
restiesness which he so often faces.
No ioubt it must be wonderfully en-
coura1ng to find all eyes fixed upon
one, nany minds eagerly waiting for
you to go on" The man who has
given u trying to tell 'em evidently is
IN the Asition Of the soap box orator,
VINO mkt interrupt his discourse,
every now and then, to cry out, Don t
go, frlenda there is more yet"
This mut is probably true, that the
born story teller has better command
over his maerial. The amateur often
finds hlmselIn difficulty over the exact
order OF ms ,arrative; he has to think
OF what coles next" as he is talk
ing. and almot always is so afraid that
he Will forget he point" that he does,
indeed, WaVer the very time when he
should be fulll in possession of his
story
The great faul of the poor teller of
tales lies exactly here, that he seldom
knows his story Cite well enough. He
is usually well aWre, even before he
begins, that he mS make a mistake
at the very place he,hould not, that is.
at the crucial momen, in driving home
the point"
If there is any possible wav of get
ting this wrong, or trjsting it back
ward, or getting it ups1e down. or so
mixed up that it is no hint at all. he
will do it.
His audience, sensing his. is ha-
rassed with the feeling tha,he is going
to fall down before he ges through.
The English people, while haing a very
thorough sense of humor, ao possess
remarkable faculty for twting the
point of an anecdote until ! is not
sharp at all.
How differently the born stor. teller
handles all this! Sure of his step con-
fident of himself and of his auoence
he launches forth as If he were re-
). counting the most important tale irall
: history and time. He is the real teer
of anecdotes, and nobody else shold
be allowed to tell 'em at all.