Thought once awakened does not again slumber. — CARLYLE, Heroes and Hero Worship. If, then, a comprehensive definition of an orator were to be given, I would say that the speaker who justly claims this respectable name is he who, upon all subjects, shall be able to deliver his sentiments with accuracy, clearness, grace, and fluency, accompanied with a certain dignity of action. By an orator I meant one who treated every subject which he wished to discuss, with a force and splendor of language that commanded admiration; one whose faculties comprehended all the treasures of knowledge which can enrich or inspire eloquence. Though this seems impracticable to us, .. yet still it must be allowed to be within the compass of actual attainment.—CICERO, De Oratore. Thoughts that breathe and words that burn. -GRAY, Progress of Poesy. Men speak to communicate ideas. All speech seeks to convey to the hearer a mental picture of that which is in the mind of the speaker-thought is alike its foundation and its completed result. Thus it is evident that public speech, whether intended to arouse, pacify, please, amuse, convince, or instruct, is always I. A Thought Instrument As such it must always be viewed in the light of the laws of thought. It is of primary importance, then, for us to examine the thought of every public discourse, since that is its chief characteristic. A full discussion of this part of our subject would involve the science and art of reasoning, called Logic; while to Rhetoric belongs the thorough treatment of the literary forms in which discourse is cast.1 A second element of public speech is 2. Emotion Thought is colored by emotion, yet we must not confuse the one with the other. For example, a speaker purposes to denounce a public malefactor. The material which makes up the charges, and the facts adduced to support them, constitute the thought of the address; but the indignation, the passionate invective or appeal, of the speaker, communicated by him to his audience, indicate the emotion. How serious, then, is the importance of harmonizing your feeling with your thought when speaking before an audience, and this as much for the purpose of restraining undue excitement as in order to prevent a dull and monotonous presentation of the thought. A third, though less apparent, element of public speech is 3. The Will Various other names have been given to this element, but the last analysis shows all these to mean the same thing. The will it is that gives personality and convincing power to the address. Without it "thoughts" will not "breathe," and "words" will not "burn." 1 See pp. 100-108. Unless the will coöperate with both thought and feeling, the audience will master the speaker instead of the speaker his audience. The former is failure; the latter, success. In a large sense, speech is the man. Given a message, personality makes the speaker,1-not one, not two, but all of these phases of his three-fold individuality must come into play before the speaker can transform spectators into auditors. The mastery of self in thought, in feeling, and in will is essential to mastering an audience; and your business before an audience, after having first made your subjectmatter a vital part of yourself, is to throw all the weight of your thought, feeling, and will upon your hearers, so as to reproduce in them your own state of mind. And this is true whether your theme be comic or tragic, persuasive or argumentative, descriptive or didactic. Never for one moment accept any other standard than that public speech rises in public respect and is truly successful in direct proportion as it reproduces in his hearers the spirit of the speaker. Think this deeply into your consciousness. 1 See p. 93. |