MR COWEN, M.P., ON THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1889, 10 July 1888, Page 3

MR COWEN, M.P., ON THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.

At a late meeting of the Working Men's Olub at Newcastle, Mr Joseph Oowen, M.P. , delivered ao Bble address on the above Bubjcc v . In concluding, Mr Ootven said that until the widespread ltnproesion that It was possible to- be Bucoessful as a speaker without preparation was destroyed, Englishmen would not achieve great success as orators, (Hear, hear.) If a man wrote an essay, composed a poem, painted a plotore, or studied » patt for the stage, it was understood that he took time to do any of these things. But oratory, which embraced some of the qualifications essential fur an essayist, a poet, an artist, and an aotor, was expected to be produced without study and. without effort, The belief that oratory was a natural gift was. also largely a delusion. (Hear, hear.) In the case ot Demosthenes it was the work it greet pain. He stammered, he had a lisp, he was short of breath, and In body. He strengthened hts voice by speaking Bgafmt the waves of the sea ; he strengthened hia wind by speaking as he improved his utterance by puttlDg pebbles into hla mou,th. He shut himself m a cave for weeks together, and shaved one side of hii head fco prevent him heing tempted to go out, ao that h<i might cultivate his art, Onrran gave an amusing account of his failure an a speaker. Be broke down hopelessly not once, but several times. Sheridan did the same, so did Orattan. When M. Thlers first appeared m the French Tribune they laughed at him as tt-.o Bngliih Parliament laughed at Lord Beacon*£e'd when he fir it spoke ; but both of these men lived to make not only England and France, but the world, listen to them. (Applause.) In nearly all times and with all meu oratory has been the outcome of patient, dejibe^to, and prolonged study. There have been exceptions, as m the case of Mlrabeau, and to some extent m the case of O'Oonnel), but the exceptions only proved the rule. The young men of that society mast not be deterred by any Ignorant prejudice against prepared speeches. Lot them all study carefully and deliberately everything they hjid %i "ay before they said it. In their duenseions let them seek for truth and not for victory. The greatest victory they oould Bohievo would be to raise the oharaoter of tbelr discussions. They should strive for the improvement of those opposed to them. They should argue for their antagonist's enlightenment rather than for their own gratification. Lat a man explain his cubjecl rather than defend it. (Hear, hear) A man might be the opponent of their opinions, bqt he raipht be a friend of their improvement. Personalities should always be avoided; (Hear, hear.) They Served no good purpose. They were of two kinds. They might Impugn a man's judgment, which might be necessary, but it was not desirable., They might impugn a mana oharaoter, which was neither necessary nor desirable If a man's oharaoter was of a kind they could not respeot they need not debate with him. Recriminations and threats were of little avail. As a rule, meu committed error rather from want of knowledge than from bad intention. (Hear, hear.) It was possible for men to hold the most diverse opinions and have no personal antagonism. They oould not succeed In getting uniformity of opinion, and even If it oould be got it would be undesirable. But what could be got was respeot for the opinions of their opponents, however much they were against their owa. Let them express their opinions, whether popular or unpopular, frankly and fearlessly, and while doing ao forfeit noue of j the good will of their fellows oitfssjns. L(fcou4 oppUwe.)