SPEAKING IN PUBLIC.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 294, 29 August 1888, Page 3

SPEAKING IN PUBLIC.

Cjlaujscey M. Depjew was asked reccnLly to ' give sonie^ hints to young men on how to speak in public. He replied : ' The best thing for a young man who desires to become a, successful public speaker to do is to join a public debating society. Here ho should take part in two kinds of debate ; one requiring elaborate preparation as leading speaker, and the other without prepai-a-tion, but still as one of the chief disputants. He should also hear all the famous speakers of the day and study their style and methods ol presenting their subject. 1 -. Ho should endeavour to discern the thoughts which produce effects, and also bring out whatever may be suggested to 1 h/'s own mind. If he has the stuff in him, in time a method of correctly expressing himself will result. If he has not got tho faculty, as soon as he finds this out he would do well to abandon his efforts to become a speaker, lor otherwise he becomes a slavish imitator ot some speaker and proves a iailure. 1 don't believe any successful speaker could tell how he became successful or what was the element of his success ; While he was surefooted, every effort is nevertheless an experiment. But for a man to be a good ordinary speaker— expressing himself well without attempting to be an orator— to be able to give his views to a society, address a meeting of citizens, fche people of a church, 01 similar gatherings, the debating society gives facility of speech and confidence on one's feet. It is important that tho speaker be thoroughly informed upon fche subjoct he is describing and be positive in expressing his convictions and opinionsHe must havo a faifcli and a reason tor that faith which he is capable of expressing in words. X do no.b think a college education absolutely essential in order to make a man a successful speaker, for there have been great orators who never went to college. But still ib is almost everything to a speaker. By fchi young man is taught discipline of ate mind, even if he learn nothing, and the ability to concentrate his mind upon the subject under discussion and force ib to think out the reason for the conclusion. That is very a hard and disagreeable work for an untrained mind. The young man who is to be a successful speaker should also take up reading of, the widest kind. By this he will find in a short time the subject which' interests him, and upon this he can becomo so much more fully informed than those of his acquaintance thatheean become an authority upon it. Ho should bocome so familiar with fche best English classics and fche general history of t?ie world that he can have their subjects Ko draw upon both for attack and defence. 51