little influence with the people: "The actor speaks of things imaginary as though they were real; the preacher too often speaks of things real as though they were imaginary." Do not speak "from the teeth outward," but from the heart. Mr. W. Mathews says, "It is not enough that the speaker utter profound or weighty truths; he must show by all possible forms of expression, by voice, looks, and gestures— that they are truths, living, vital truths to him."

When rendering the selection of some one else, learn the circumstances which occasioned it. Get the historical setting, if you can. Try to identify yourself with the speaker and the occasion. Your imagination must be called upon to aid you in this. Picture to yourself as vividly as you can the scenes you describe; do not speak mere words. Unless you see the picture and feel the emotions you will never get your audience to see nor to act. Do not forget that the thought must be clear and vivid in the speaker's mind at the moment of utterance. Effective speaking is simply the science and art of thinking out loud. Reverend Joseph Parker, the great London preacher, was once asked by a clergyman to aid him in getting a charge. Mr. Parker asked him to preach a sermon. In the midst of its delivery he was interrupted with the pertinent comment, "Now, I know why you do not have a parish; you are speaking to get something off your mind and not into mine." The trouble with many speakers who excuse themselves when their delivery is poor, by saying that they did not get into their subject, is that the subject did not get into them. Luther said that he could never preach nor pray unless he first became indignant. It is often necessary to be provoked or antagonized before one is stimulated into doing one's best. Some students are very poor speakers until they become angry, and then they have a remarkable command of language and speak with great force.

The audience is often an added inspiration to earnestness. It is difficult to do your best without some inspiration from

a sympathetic audience. But in your practice do not depend upon this. Imagine that you have a large audience; speak as though you are commanding one, and some day you may. Forget self. Be conscious only of your subject and a desire to get the subject into your audience. Do not let your earnestness depend upon the occasion, but master the occasion through earnestness. Be prepared; be confident that you have your speech well in hand. Speak it as though you meant it. Loudness is not earnestness. Talma, the French actor, said that he had studied forty years to be energetic without noise.

3.

Progress. Get somewhere. Say something worth while each moment, or quit. Get at your point, make it, then stop.

Begin in a tone just loud enough to be heard by every one in the audience. But be sure that you are heard. It is said of Henry Gratton that he "could not utter a halfdozen sentences without getting into such a passion and indulging in such violent gestures that it was quite unsafe for any member to sit within reach of his right arm." Such violence, especially at the beginning, is not recommended. Dr. Leifchild's rule is a better one, "Begin low; go on slow; rise higher; take fire." It is natural that you should take some time to get warmed up, but be sure that you do get a little fire in you and let it burn brighter and brighter until you close. In the delivery, as in the composition, everything must be done climactically. Your enthusiasm must be on the increase until you close. In a long speech you may have a number of climaxes, but the close of each succeeding climax should find you more in earnest, more enthusiastic. Get somewhere; never let the interest in your speech fag for a moment. This does not mean constant pounding under a running fire. Interest and attention can be secured only by appropriate transition. At the beginning of each main division there should be a lull, not unlike a well-ordered con

versation, when the subject under discussion is changed. The speaker starts out with about the same composure and deliberation he did at the beginning of his speech. Short periods of silence, rising from a transition of ideas, are incident to a normal conversation and are an important factor in holding the attention of the audience.

4. Control. "He who reigns within himself, rules his person, desires, and fears, is more than a king." Emotions must be checked, not choked. Power is not expressed by ranting, by a loud, tearful, tremulous voice, by abundant gesticulations, by sobs, nor by uncontrolled expression of the feeling within. Power is expressed by exhibiting a reserved strength. Like an army, its strength is shown by the men in reserve, not the number on the picket line. The audience sympathizes with a man who struggles, not the man who gives up. Control your passions, your anger; hatred, sorrow, joy, and sympathy; let it be seen in your eyes, the lines in your face, the color of your cheek, the trembling of your body. The Bible speaks of "unutterable joy” and "voiceless prayer." Those persons who themselves are cool when at white heat, are most likely to set the audience on fire. The three friends who sat down by Job for seven days and nights without uttering a word were more eloquent in their silence than all the subsequent complainings and lamentations.

Mathews says, in his Oratory and Orators, “When a speaker who is deeply moved, using a gentler mode of expression than the facts might warrant, appears thus to stifle his feeling and studiously to keep them within bounds, the effect of this partial concealment is to give them an appearance of greater intensity and strength." Silence is often more eloquent than words. That man has the greatest expression of power who does not express all of it, and lets the audience feel that there is still more in him. What the audience sees is merely the overflow. Still waters run deep

est; and an empty vessel makes most sound.

5. Physical Expression. This element, mentioned here for completeness in classification, is of such importance to the speaker that a separate chapter will be devoted to it.

EXERCISES

I. Select similar stanzas from some long poem and experiment on yourself as to the best way to memorize it.

1. Read it over silently.

2. Read it silently but move your lips.

3. Read it aloud.

4. Have a friend read it to you.

Read it silently but repeat each line until committed, memorizing it sentence by sentence.

6.

Write it over and over.

II. Let each member of the class tell a funny story. Let the class tell whether it illustrates Wit or Humor.

III. Look steadily at an object for three minutes.

IV. Let each member of the class relate his efforts in trying to look into the eyes of some person to whom he will speak to-morrow.

V.

Select some good oration from Part III. for practice in a direct, conversational, natural style.

VI. Describe ten scenes which made you laugh while observing moving-pictures.

VII. Describe five scenes that made you feel sad.

VIII. Why do you laugh when one man accidentally steps on the corns of a fellow actor on the stage?

IX. What emotions are aroused in you when an actor sings a parody of Home, Sweet Home?

X. Make a full report on the next great speaker who comes to your town. What features impressed you most? What were his main faults?

CHAPTER V

PHYSICAL EXPRESSION

DEFINITION. Physical expression, or gesture, is any movement of the body that expresses the thoughts and emotions of the individual. It is a myological language, a silent, visual, powerful auxiliary to the human voice.

All movements of the body are not gestures. Such mechanical movements as breathing, walking, buttoning one's coat, "babbling with the hands," and scores of other movements arising from physical necessity, mental embarrassment, or bodily discomfort are ordinarily not auxiliaries or substitutes for the voice; but are premeditated, voluntary, muscular actions that always detract from delivery.

Gestures, then, may be said to be those spontaneous, involuntary movements of the eyes, forehead, lips, head, arms, hands, feet, chest, trunk, or any part or parts of the body that aid in expressing the thoughts and emotions of the speaker. These physical manifestations are always soulinspired and should always re-enforce vocal delivery.

PURPOSE. As articulate speech antedated writing, so the muscular language preceded articulate speech. Delsarte states that thoughts are expressed by articulate speech, feelings by inflections, and emotions by gestures.

The mentality of animals and savages is limited, for the most part, to feelings and emotions. Their expression is likewise limited to vocal inflections and physical action. As races rise in intelligence, their articulate language becomes more developed, and inflections and gesticulation decrease. The Chinese language, for example, is very inflec