speaker that he should not select a theme with which he is unacquainted, or which is beyond his abilities; that he should discard a subject too heavy or too trivial to be handled satisfactorily in the time assigned, either for preparation or for delivery; and that, in fine, he should consider carefully the three phases of obligation set forth in this section before selecting or accepting a subject.1

1 The two methods which may be employed in selecting a subject are discussed in section 1 of Chapter IX.

There is a distinction to be made between the subject of a discourse and its title. The former is the substance, the latter the name.

I. An Attractive Title

Several important ends may be gained by the choice of an attractive title: it is likely to create a desire to hear the address, and so bring hearers to the assembly; it frequently assures interested attention at the beginning of the address-it rests with the speaker to maintain and augment that interest; it often reacts upon the speaker himself, imparting a keen desire to speak upon the theme as stated, and this zest for the occasion is half the victory.

Though it may be doubted whether the search for an attractive title should lead a speaker far from his real subject, here, as always, the "golden middle-way" (to use a German idiom) is likely to prove the wise course. Good taste, upon the one hand, will reject sensational and high-sounding titles; a keen mind, upon the other, will be quick to discard a dull and uninteresting form of

statement and adopt a graceful phrase, a subtle allusion, a suggestive epithet, or a striking figure, instead.

It is easy to choose between such titles as: "Evils in Modern Charity Administration" and "Modern Charity — Wise and Otherwise"; or between "Heredity the Subject of Choice" and "Choosing an Ancestor."

2. A Truthful Title

It is of no small importance that a title should not arouse anticipations which the discourse is likely to disappoint. It is fatal to a speaker's success to have the auditors find that they were cajoled by an attractive title into expecting a feast when only a fast was prepared. It is quite as disappointing to select a minor and obscure phase of the subject and announce it as though it were the dominant, working idea.

3. A Descriptive Title

This is insisted upon by some authorities, but in reality the choice in this respect depends upon the nature of the discourse. Titles of addresses designed to lead earnest minds along highways of thought upon which they have already entered, should doubtless be sufficiently descriptive to permit the prospective hearer to forecast the theme and determine as to its probable interest to him. The neglect of this simple act of justice naturally exasperates disappointed auditors. A wellknown speaker tells of an orator who announced a

lecture upon "The Wine of the Scriptures." When the people assembled they found that in one respect only was the lecturer full of his subject.

A title which reveals its aptness only after the discourse has been heard, is certainly permissible, and even greatly to be commended, when indifferent auditors need to be allured and a zest of pleasant anticipation supplied to such as are already interested in either the speaker or the occasion. Let it be repeated, the object in view must decide.

From the announcement of such titles as "America, the Apostle of Peace," "Paternalism," "The Martyr in History," "Inspired Men," the prospective hearer could forecast the general tone of the discourse. But who could guess that "The Light That Failed" was not to be a discussion of Kipling's story, but of the failure of Reason as a guide during the French Revolution? No more would "An Unofficial Governor" indicate a treatment of the Citizens' Committee, nor "An Eye for an Eye" presage a discussion of capital punishment. Yet, as observed above, both classes of titles have their places, and the display of ingenuity and aptness is often desirable.

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CHAPTER IX

THE MATERIALS

General principles must be had from books, which, however, must be brought to the test of real life. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

We have seen the importance of choosing the subject for a discourse, and the conditions which should influence that selection have been pointed out. We must again touch upon this subject in considering the materials for the discourse.

1. The Relation the Materials bear to the Subject

Subject and materials influence each the other. This arises from the fact that there are two distinct ways in which a subject may be chosen, — by arbitrary choice, or by development from thought and reading.

(a) Arbitrary choice means the selection of a subject from reasons of its fitness. It involves a more or less painstaking examination of a number of available themes with a view to the wisest choice. Many speakers do not hesitate to say that this is the most difficult part of the labor of preparation. Choice is rarely as simple a matter as it seems, and is often most perplexing.