DEPARTMENT OF DRAMATIC ART CHAPTER II PREPARATION ALTHOUGH Topsy said that she just "growed," the same statement could be made of few things. Each product is the result of the working of a combination of forces or acts, some unseen, but none the less important as factors. This is especially true of the arts. Take, for example, the making of a fine piece of china. The maker must have, in the first place, an aim, so that he will know whether he is to produce a pitcher or a tea-cup, or an ornament of delicate design. Then he must have suitable material, of the right kind and in sufficient quantity. He must decide just what form the finished piece is to have, so that he will know how to shape it harmoniously. The place in which he works must be adapted to his needs, as to light and space. He needs a board and a few tools, but most of all he should know how to use what nature has given him. His hands have been trained for their work, so that a swift, sure movement as the lathe turns works wonders. Above all, his mind must control and direct his movements. The greatest care is to be taken, not only in the forming, but in the finishing. So it is with the art of speaking. The success and the value of the effort are wholly dependent on the conditions attending the individual product. The greatest and best do not scorn preparation, but count it as the major part. Those of us who are just learning how to speak well may, then, profit greatly by it. We need to know, at the outset, what we are aiming to accomplish. Are we called upon to amuse for a few moments, to give information about some subject that is not clear to the rest of the class or the family, to explain in detail a difficult process, to express our opinions for the guidance of others, or to convince others that we are right in wishing to follow a certain line of action? The circumstances of the talk may have much to do with the purpose of it. You may be asked to introduce a speaker at some meeting in school. Of course you will not have the burden of presenting the main subject of the evening, nor will you plan to take up most of the time. The mayor of a city was recently called on to welcome an assembly of men who had come to his city to discuss the social uplift through religion. He took forty minutes to advocate socialism as a political force, and to attack the principles for which his hearers stood. The nature of the audience may be such that you must consider it as well as the occasion in deciding what your aim shall be. Must you soothe, or arouse and inspire? Must you amuse or teach? CHOICE OF SUBJECT A very important step in the preparation is the determining of the subject. On the selection of a suitable one may depend everything. It must be considered in relation to the occasion, the audience, and the speaker himself. There are some times when, from the very nature of the case, the subject is the result of the previous talk, among a few congenial people, or at a business meeting. But on some occasions a man or woman may be asked to speak without any specific limitation. One of these is the commemoration. Often the anniversary of the birth or death of some noted person is celebrated. A pupil may be called on to give a short talk in a school society, or in exercises held on a national anniversary, or the centenary of some writer or scientist. Most large organizations observe such memorial days. Anyone in the town who can talk is likely to be called on to speak. Events, too, are commemorated. The anniversary of the discovery of a land, a process, or a substance, or the winning of a battle, or the beginning of statehood, may be observed by assemblages large and small. Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address on such an occasion. Webster is remembered as an orator from such addresses as that at Bunker Hill. The founding of a college or the dedication of a church is of sufficient importance to call for a celebration. There is no educated person, whatever his occupation, but is likely to be called on for a talk on some such occasion. The choice of a subject for a commemoration is especially difficult, because there seems to be no new material. However, some have solved the difficulty by showing some little-known or understood relation between the man or event and the times. Others have drawn parallels or contrasts. Many have applied to present conditions some principle advocated by the man or involved in the event. Thus the anniversary observance has been made a means of inspiration. One of the most important purposes for which people come together is concerned, not with the past, but with the present. Various organizations carry on their work partly through meetings and conventions. Part of the program is of a business nature. Officers must be chosen, reports received, policies outlined. Perhaps some of the reports |