Show w- w wIn In the first place we look upon public speaking as an art not art not as a gift that men are blessed with without putting thought or practice on the subject There ma may may be one among thousands perhaps who when under the tension of intense feeling can stir up his fellowmen fellowmen fellow- fellow men even though he has never ha had former former former for for- mer practice in presenting his thoughts to an an- audience such cases however are not in the natural order of things It would seem seem just as probable though that a m man an because he was deeply imbued imbued imbued im im- with a subject could write a forcible paper upon it or because he c Hll f P I n t f Had hada a deep deep artistic sense sense could paint the b beauties utie of the glorious gl sunset sunset as as th they y impressed themselves upon pon upon him But we are told that the delivery of a memorized oration is not only unworthy of the name oratory but is positively injurious Injurious In In- in injurious jurious since it destroys and consciousness of 01 thought The first objection objection objection ob ob- is not of f much importance since it is only a matter of name yet we fail to see the grounds upon which it is based A At t least some of our dictionaries dictionaries dictionaries diction diction- aries give the definition of oratory as the delivery very of eloquent discourse expressly expressly ex expressly ex- ex pressly stating that it may be written But going further it is safe to say that th the majority of great speeches delivered in Congress are memorized the classic orators probably wrote their orations before delivery and one of the greatest of modern orators Webster delivered orations from memory and in the case of the l B Banker Hill Monument oration he even had his manuscript with him for reference These facts would seem to justify our giving just one trial at least to such discourse discourse discourse dis dis- course but lest Jest we be classed among th that t unworthy number who follow custom custom custom cus cus- tom with insufficient reason we feel it wisdom to discuss this phase of the subject further We are told that say that repetition removes consciousness and ther therefore fore that the young man who st stands up and delivers to an audience words that he has written written written writ writ- ten out and memorized is injuring his mind and depriving himself of a realization realization realization tion of the meaning of his words and of If this is true if a young man is injuring his mind by repeating once or even several times the words that he has carefully chosen to embody his own thoughts how woefully unconscious unconscious unconscious and must become the professional actor and elocutionist who day after day month after month and year after year speak the lines of some other person But strange to say I f the studious actor actor t plays the s same me part better as time tim passes passes Edward Forrest probably the greatest actor actor actor ac ac- tor tor that ever lived a big looking heavy-looking man with a co coarse face and a square protruding jaw a man th that t is said to have looked like an ideal butcher though he had not the elaborate stage settings or costumes of ot today succeeded after years of practice in holding his audience six minutes on the few lines To To be or not to be he It and yet so full of thought was his mind that the people i sat sat- though they knew the words almost 1 J uncertain whether the soliloquy would end in suicide or not Miss Cushman at about the same period although she was probably worse than Forrest in features and form was as successful as he She had been playing tragedies in England and in that line had at t last dissipated the deep prejudice against her The critics said however that she was was was' not versatile and so she announced announced announced an an- herself ready nady to pla play Rosalind And what a gentle Rosalind she did appear appear appear ap ap- pear She looked more like a wo fish man All the prejudice was again aroused but before half the play was over the audience was charmed and the critics confessed that the character had 1 never been heen presented so ideally and if had looked down and seen the play he would have rejoiced that some one understood his work Now at atthe atthe the pre present en t ti time me Joseph Jefferson after fifty years of in presenting presenting presenting present present- ing the character of Bob Acres still plays the part and with all the freshness freshness freshness fresh fresh- ness and truth to nature that he ever put into the character Then after remembering remembering remembering re re- the ability in extemporaneous speaking of Irving and of Edwin Booth and the oratorical power of his more gifted brother Junius Brutus Booth it would appear to us that thoughtful repetition does not lessen consciousness and but ra rather rather rather ra- ra ther heightens it y |