First, I must have a subject, or theme.

I search in the Quotation Section under the heading "Economics," which is a general topic that suits me, and I find immediately a quotation of interest.

Profits are just as truly earnings, as any of the fruits of hand labor.-Bushnell.

Here, then, is my theme: A merchant and those assisting him, add to the comforts of life and earn their living just as truly as those who are engaged in manual labor.

Second, the itemizing of my immediate thoughts.

Now that I have my subject I must make a list of all the things which I can think of immediately upon this subject. I take a clean sheet of paper and begin.

1. Where did the things which we had for dinner come from?

2. Take, for example, the salt.

(a) The salt wells at Syracuse, N. Y.

(b) Men engaged in pumping it from the earth, and preparing it for the market.

(c) The railroads needed for its distribution. Men engaged in all departments, and their interdependence.

(d) The merchant in our town that sells it. The clerks in his employ.

3. These facts are true of any article upon the dinner table.

4. I now begin to see how closely we are all interrelated, one with another, through mer

chandise; and the need that each do his part.

5. The vital need of a coöperating world.

Third, the reading of material for suggestion.

In order to enlarge my thoughts upon the subject, I look into Section IV, Quotations, and under the heading "Economics." Here I find an article beginning, "Put one hundred men on an island." This is pertinent to my subject, and I decide to make use of it. When I speak I will either read this article or I will tell it in my own words. I also will make mention of the name of the newspaper which printed it.

(See this article in Section IV.)

Fourth, the climactic arrangement of the Outline.

In looking over the items which I have put down, I notice that the arrangement of them is satisfactory. It has just happened so for me in this case. If it had not been satisfactory, I would have rearranged the items of my outline; placing what I considered the best argument or thought at the last and the next best argument first.

All that I really need to do now is to have a suitable Introduction and Conclusion and my Outline for a speech on this subject is ready.

Fifth, the selection of Anecdotes and Quotations.

I now turn to Section IV, in this book, to Anecdotes-Humor, and in my search I find one about Tommy and the tough meat.

Tommy had been invited to dinner at the house of some particular people, and his mother, who was not to accompany him, was anxious about his table behavior. She gave him elaborate instructions before leaving home, and on his return made special inquiries.

"Oh, I got on all right," Tommy assured her, "at least I-I only did one thing wrong, and I couldn't help it, and I got out of that fine."

"What did you do, Tommy?"

"Oh, I was cutting my meat and it slipped off the plate on to the floor."

"Oh, my dear boy!" cried his mother in distress. "What on earth did you do then?"

"Oh, I just said, sort o' careless, 'That's always the way with tought meat,' and went on with my dinner."

This will afford me an Introduction in keeping with the Theme, and will secure the immediate attention of the audience.

I turn again to the same Section IV to see if there is anything there that will help me in making my conclusion, and I find an apt quotation, "For none of us liveth to himself," which epitomizes the theme.

While I am in my room and alone I now assume, in imagination, that I am addressing a group of persons upon the Labor Question.

I stand up, and compel myself to be at attention. I do not begin hastily. I now slowly proceed to speak extemporaneously as best I am able using the outline which I have prepared. I have it lying near at hand, so that I may glance at it if necessity requires me to do so.

I make the best possible speech, though no doubt broken and faltering.

The point is that it is my speech. It has the stamp of my individuality.

Another important thing is, I have made a beginning.

Thus I must train myself over and over again to choose subjects, to itemize my own immediate thoughts upon the subject, to read related material, to arrange my outline climactically, to search for fitting anecdotes; and also, to express my thoughts on my feet, before an imaginary audience.

(In order to improve one's style, it is a fine practice to write out an extemporaneous speech. It will eliminate repetitions of thoughts and language, and help one to improve both precision of style and vocabulary.)