09.1898 thru 06.1899.pdf - The Lowell

Oratory and Orators.
THE- LOWELL
",,V • ; : . • " l
The question may well be asked : "Has
the power of oratory as a great social force
r'e^lined?*' An affirmative opinion is.to a
certain extent, correct, because the art of
journalism, the most formidable competitor
of the orator, has never before reached
so high a state of development In
ancient times the orator and poet were
the chief educators of the people ; now
the newspaper fills the office. Where
; on the one hand the newspaper reaches
thousands, on the other, the orator whose
range of voice is naturally limited, can
reach but hundreds. The newspaper is
circulated in every town and hamlet
throughout the world. For many it is
Tie only available medium of informat
on.and that it now affords the reader the
readiest means of conveyiug thought's a
f ict settled beyond doubt. For the orator
to : successfully compete with such-a
power, would, it is readily seen, be will
nigh impossible. The opinion, then,
•that the power of oratory has to a certain
extent declined is correct
The difficulties which now beset the
orator's path are more numerous than
those which had to be met in the past.
His auditors no longer listen to be educated,
to be instructed : they have already
preconceived opinions: the newspaper,
has been read nnd they come not
to be instructed, not to be educated, but
to be persuaded. By the progress of
the press, the wide circulation of the
newspapers and magazines the influence
of the oratory has bsen correspondently
decreased But to whatextent the power
of the orator ha? been decreased is. indeed,
very hard to say. For. when in
view of the many obstacles which seem
to impede, and at lime * even deprive the
orator of the power he once wielded, we
stop for a moment and meditate on the
great oratorical achievements of the past
and present, we hesitate to affirm that
the influence of the orator is as limited
as we nrght fit first inadvertently suspect.
A little over two years agn thtre
arose to speak in a great political convention,
a young man, obscure and for
the most part unknown to hip countrymen,
yet that young man \vrn the President's
nomination fr< m this convention
by the sheer efforts of his oratorical eloquence.
His name i^ William Jennings
Bryan Unknown before, oratory has
made him famous. By oratcry his name
was made; by oratory it lives.
The name Bryan is in itself a plea for
the revival of oratory, for the study of
Cicero, Demosthenes and Quintilian.
Our modern blood may be cold ; in spirit
we may be dormant; in taste we may be
cynical and even pessimistic; but like
our ancestors we have sentiment and
passion, which once fervidly appealed to
mu*t respond Right here in our midst
we know of advocates to whom the granting
of a jury trial is but a signal victory;
to them oratory has brought success, distinction
and honor. We admire them
fjr their power and bii liance as speake*s
We too, would like to enjoy their
power and be able to speak like them.
We call them gifted. But are they
gifted? Docs gift imply an inherited
quality or does it mean the mastery
of some art through di i/ent application?
It may l>e the former, but generally it is
the latter Reflect for a moment. Who
and what were their fathers? Did they
occupy some high station in life, or were
they of that humble, honest class that
Lincoln used to call the plain people?
The answer in most cases would be an
affirmation of the latter part of the question.
Oratory is a science, an art, not a gift.
To be an orator is the gift of all who
would strive and earnestly work to attain
it. As oratory is a science,to be proficient
and successful it must be studied and if
possible in one's youth. There is no ex-
•m
cuse for failure as a
can say.something an|
when we may have to
of nervousness will nj
may be overcome ..with
Abov* all there is no e
ing, as success is the s
earnest and assiduous
we, the most of us, ar
other asked to respon*
to deliberate upon son
or less importance- 'B
sinful, is very erabai
have failed before us
fail after us. Failur
only when we allow ot
discouraged and refus
and improve ourselves.
Professor Brander M|
excellent methods for<
dres*. He says:
something to say
opportunity to say if tin
ods of making a speech
from, (a) He may
dress and read it frc
boldly held in hand,
out his rematks andj
memory, (c) He mi
opening words, his
and such other salieni
wishes to make sure o
extemporize the whole
the audience with no \
and apparently talkin]
ness of his heart As
methods are excellent
their advantages as
tages. The choice of
speaker. Personally I
fourth as this one ap]
the most effective. B
necessary that a speaki
to these rules, if he ha
These methods, htfwe 1
the field of choice.
For one, who, like
no means adept in rh