smoothness and accuracy. Clearness of statement comes from clearness of thought. The mind must be habituated to close and severe reasoning, to linking thought with thought in logical sequence, and to making clearly defined deductions from stated premises. This does not imply that a man is to give his whole mind to the study of abstract questions and philosophical problems. The student of public speaking will concern himself more particularly with palpable every-day questions of interest to men generally, and upon which they seek enlightenment.

The object of the real orator is not to be a graceful and faultless declaimer, but a man of power and authority, speaking out of a full mind and from a soul kindled by enthusiasm and human affection. When truth is properly conveyed by a speaker, it carries conviction along with it, and the listener believes in the man because the man believes in himself. Hence it is that he only is a great artist who has so cultivated and controlled his powers that he can use them without undue effort and in just such degree as will most effectively convey the truth and force • of his message to others. It will readily be seen, therefore, why long and severe mental discipline is necessary to success in this difficult art. All great speakers have been profound and diligent students, and he who seeks a royal road to oratorical fame is doomed to disappointment.

A

An examination of the speeches of Demosthenes does not disclose an unusual gift of language, but what most impresses the reader is the strength and supremacy of the orator's thought. It is not the man we think of, but of what he is saying, and it is chiefly this characteristic which constitutes greatness in oratory. The real source of power in speaking is not in the voice, the imagination, or the

emotions, but in the intrinsic thought of the speaker. There is something unmistakably assuring in a man who is master of the facts. If he speaks deliberately, as a deep thinker is almost sure to do, the listener follows the working of his mind at the moment of utterance, and this transparency of method acts as an element of power in fascinating and influencing the auditor.

What the student of public speaking primarily needs is a frank, truthful, earnest habit of examining ideas and facts as they are presented to his mind in everyday life. He should look at questions from every viewpoint, as Lincoln is said to have done, and determine to get the truth at any cost. It is this fearless pursuit of truth that leads to fearless expression, and only after the thinker has made the ground good under his own feet can he hope to succeed as a guide and leader of other men.

Another important element of power is earnestness. This is not to be confounded with assumed and artificial feeling adapted consciously to certain ends, neither is it sudden impulse which may or may not do the right thing. Earnestness comes mainly from concentration of the speaker's energies upon his subject. It is a form of intensity by which all his best powers are enlisted in behalf of some cause, and stimulated into action by a profound sense of duty, patriotism, or the desire for useful service. True earnestness is born of sincerity and unselfishness. It is too great to intimidate, too serious to amuse, and too genuine to fall into bombast or empty declamation. There is nothing that imparts sympathetic power and a winning personality to a speaker like innate goodness of heart and life. When a man shows that he both understands and feels what he says, he is in a large way toward influencing other men,

and of persuading them to act as he desires. It is the power arising from loftiness of soul and sublime purpose which touches the lips of the orator, as if by magic, and bids them vibrate with the heart of humanity. Intelligence points the way, earnestness gives wings for flight, and consecrated unselfishness carries conviction and persuasion to men.

It goes without saying that one source of power in public speaking comes from self-confidence. A becoming modesty and even timidity often recommends itself at the beginning of an address, but the speaker, in order to get possession of his audience, must first get possession of himself. While there is a "flutter of spirits," or undue anxiety to please, there will be little chance of success. Self-confidence, like earnestness, is developed from within, by dwelling intently upon the importance of one's subject, and by placing a high estimate upon one's self. A man who has trained himself in his every-day conversation to think and speak in poise, is likely to enjoy the advantages of deliberate and self-possest speaking while addressing an audience. This poise, moreover, will manifest itself in his ability to think fluently on his feet, to phrase new sentences without confusion, and to punctuate his thoughts with frequent and judicious pauses. These are all elements of power in a speaker, and are worthy of the highest cultivation.

There is a peculiar power in skilful repetition, which serves to emphasize special thoughts and to impress them upon the listening mind. A striking example is that of the Master, in St. Matthew, 7:24-27:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house

upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

A fine example of iteration, not overdone, is Lord Brougham's closing argument for Queen Caroline, which he is said to have composed ten times:

Such, my lords, is the case now before you! Such is the evidence in support of this measure-evidence inadequate to prove a debt; impotent to deprive of a civil right; ridiculous to convict of the lowest offense; scandalous if brought forward to support a charge of the highest nature which the law knows; monstrous to ruin the honor, to blast the name of an English Queen! What shall I say, then, if this is the proof by which an act of judicial legislation, a parliamentary sentence, an ex post facto law, is sought to be passed against this defenseless woman? My lords, I pray you to pause. I do earnestly beseech you to take heed! You are standing on the brink of a precipice-then beware! It will go forth as your judgment, if sentence shall go against the Queen. But it will be the only judgment you ever pronounced, which, instead of reaching its object, will return and bound back upon those who give it. Save the country, my lords, from the horrors of this catastrophe; save yourselves from this peril; rescue that country of which you are the ornaments, but in which you can flourish no longer, when severed from the people, than the blossom when cut off from the roots and the stem of the tree. Save that country that you may continue to adorn it; save the crown, which is in jeopardy; the aristocracy which is shaken; save the altar, which must stagger with the blow that rends its kindred throne! You have said, my lords, you have willed-the Church and the King have willed -that the Queen should be deprived of its solemn service! She

has, instead of that solemnity, the heartfelt prayers of the people. She wants no prayers of mine. But I do here pour forth my humble supplications at the throne of mercy, that that mercy may be poured down upon the people, in a larger measure than the merits of its rulers may deserve, and that your hearts may be turned to justice!

The great orators of all time have been essentially of serious mind and manner. It has been observed that in none of the immortal speeches is there to be found either wit or humor. It is true that humor has its legitimate place, but it should never be used to deface a serious speech. The student of public speaking can not too early realize that his habitual attitude of mind toward the subjects he is studying should be essentially serious, and that his ultimate purpose is to present them to his audience with all the dignity and power at his command. Let him ever remember that personal character and disposition constitute one of the highest elements of power in speaking. Blair says:

In order to be a truly eloquent or persuasive speaker, nothing is more necessary than to be a virtuous man. Nothing contributes more to persuasion than the opinion which we entertain of the probity, disinterestedness, candor, and other good moral qualities of the person who endeavors to persuade us. These give weight and force to everything which he utters, nay, they add beauty to it, they dispose us to listen with attention and pleasure, and create a secret partiality in favor of that side which he espouses. Whereas if we entertain a suspicion of craft and disingenuity, of a corrupt or a base mind in the speaker, his eloquence loses all its real effect. It may entertain and amuse, but it is viewed as artifice, as trick, as the play only of speech, and viewed in this light, whom can it persuade? We even read a book with more pleasure when we think favorably of its author, but when we have the living speaker before our eyes, addressing us personally on some subject of importance,