veloped within himself, is what most counts in the final effort to impress and persuade men.

It should be the aim of every public speaker so to train his emotions that they will be responsive to his varied requirements. Feeling is an intrinsic and essential part of oratory, and without this power at his ready command, no man need aspire to great oratorical achievement. Many of the speaker's effects are necessarily premeditated, but they should be none the less natural and sincere. Artificial outbursts of passion, empty declamation, and violent cleaving of the air may be the weapons of the barnstormingactor, but they have no legitimate place in dignified public speaking. The dictum of the ancients, that a man must himself be moved with the sentiments he is expressing before he can hope to move others, is as true to-day as it was then.

It is of paramount importance that a speaker determine definitely in advance how he intends to begin and end his speech, as well as the length of time he will occupy. One of the most dangerous mistakes, common to fluent speakers, is that of talking on at great length, simply because they find themselves being well received by the audience. Such men, tempted into digressions from their original plan, often find themselves at a loss to reach a graceful conclusion, and at last having wearied and disappointed the audience, are obliged to end "like a half-extinguished candle going out in smoke." It is well known that many of the world's great orators, tho exponents of the extempore style of speaking, gave special attention to the preparation and memorizing of the introduction and conclusion of their speeches.

There are several ways in which a speech may be prepared

and delivered. The speaker may write out his speech and read it from the paper. This is the least effective of any, because of the popular prejudice against the use of manuscript. Except in scientific addresses, or those requiring unusually cautious statements, it is advisable not to adopt this method. If, however, a speaker must use a manuscript, let him learn to read it well. He is laboring under a disadvantage, and he must aim to offset this as much as it lies in his power. He may at least try to read it as he would speak it, avoiding the monotony and rightonwardness so common in the reading of speeches. He will accomplish the best results by assuming that he is really delivering every word and sentence of his speech, and not merely reading it. He will endeavor to put into his voice all the expression, energy, and determination of extempore speech, and altho largely deprived of the advantage of eye-to-eye communication and of bodily movement, he may, nevertheless, keep his audience so vividly before his mind that he will seem to be addressing them directly.

The speaker may write out his speech and commit it to memory in full. This is not only a laborious method, but is attended with one great danger. If the speaker loses the drift of his premeditated language, he may be so completely thrown off the track that he must either start again at the beginning, or extemporize as best he may. This is not likely to prove successful, since he has trained his mind to depend upon certain precise words, and failing these, the greater probability is that he will be covered with confusion.

Another way is to write out the speech in full, and commit to memory the introduction, conclusion, and other important parts. This has many advantages, as it secures

the speaker against uneasiness at the vital points of his address, while he is left free to express many of his carefully thought-out ideas in the language of the moment. One caution is necessary here, however, and that is that the speaker must ordinarily have such a command of language that his impromptu passages will not be noticeably inferior to those he has committed to memory. This is one of the severest criticisms passed upon Sheridan, who went to the extreme in rewriting, polishing and memorizing certain parts of his speeches.

Still another method, and that which is recommended as the best of all, is to write out simply the main divisions of the speech, with headings and subheadings, to think out thoroughly the thought under each, and leave the actual phraseology to the inspiration of the occasion. This places a speaker on his mettle, and all that is best within him— in voice, thought, feeling, and personality—is challenged to do its utmost. This "thinking on one's feet," to be preeminently successful, requires that a man be thoroughly well read, that he command a large and varied vocabulary from which to choose on the instant, and that through practise and experience, he have possession of his speaking powers. One of the best preparations for this form of address is to write out a speech several times, varying the language as much as possible each time. Then at the time of delivery, it will be found that the mind, having several sets of words from which to choose, will not be so likely to fail as it would if dependent upon only one set of phraseology.

What has here been said about writing out only the main headings of a speech implies, of course, that the speaker has already had much practise in composition. The im

portance of frequent practise with the pen, as a means to ready expression, can not be too strongly emphasized. Every student of public speaking should take to heart the words of Dr. Blair:

Without steady, hard work it is impossible to excel in anything. We must not imagine that it is by a sort of mushroom growth that one can rise to be a distinguished pleader, or preacher, or speaker, in any assembly. It is not by starts of application, or by a few years' preparation and study, afterward discontinued, that eminence can be obtained. No; it can be attained only by means of regular industry, grown up into a habit, and ready to be exerted on every occasion that calls for industry.

A speaker should feel that he is addressing himself directly to his audience, much the same as he would speak in conversation to one person. His subject and the occasion may demand large effects of emphasis and intensity, but all must be done with ease and naturalness. The slightest suggestion of declamation seriously militates against a speaker, who is expected above all else to be unostentatious.

Truth, to be presented attractively, must be easily apprehended. It is a good plan for a speaker to talk over his subject in advance with a friend, and to invite his criticisms and suggestions. This rehearsing of a speech serves to clarify the speaker's mind, familiarizes him with many useful words and phrases, and increases his feeling of selfconfidence.

It is well not to be so anxious about words as about ideas. Think intently enough about ideas, and the words will come of themselves. Obvious attempts at word-painting are rarely effective, and the student will be well-advised if he avoids, in his early efforts, all such embellishments.

What an audience really wants from the speaker is common sense, the power of clear statement, and logical development of ideas. The highest endowments of voice and manner will not make up for lack of these essential elements.

The extempore speaker finds it necessary to have a large stock of words from which to choose on the instant. These are among his most important tools, since without them he can not exercise the powers of his mind freely. However large and varied his vocabulary may be, he must always regard it as secondary to the thought of which it is merely the symbol. Words are useful and necessary to the speaker only in so far as they convey truth, beauty, and pleasure to the hearer.

It has been said that the orator himself must not weep, since he must at all times be superior to the occasion. Here, as in all forms of passion, a speaker must be careful to guard against the slightest suspicion of insincerity, ranting, or exaggeration. Feeling should never be superfluous. If it is not a natural emanation from the heart, the speaker will do well to keep to simple colloquy. When the orator becomes an actor, intelligent people refuse longer to follow his leadership. Without, however, falling into insincerity or mannerism, the speaker should know how to make his face interesting and expressive. The eyes and mouth particularly, may be made to convey most wonderful effects of power, conviction, earnestness, and determination.

Parenthetical statements should be used sparingly. If employed frequently they weaken the force and directness of the main argument. When it is absolutely necessary to introduce a parenthetical remark, the rules to be observed are: To pause before and after it, to slightly lower the pitch of the voice, and to quicken the rate of