the preparing and the delivering of your speeches be. Be sure, then, to get practice.

I feel I cannot conclude this chapter better than by asking you "to read, swallow and digest (as Bacon crisply expresses it) the following quotation:

I owe my success in life to one single fact, namely: At the age of twenty seven I commenced, and continued for years, the process of daily reading and speaking upon the contents of some historical or scientific book. These off-hand efforts were made, sometimes in a cornfield, at others in the forest, and not unfrequently in some distant barn, with the horse and ox for my auditors. It is to this early practice in the great art of all arts that I am indebted for the primary and leading impulses that stimulated me forward, and shaped and moulded my entire subsequent destiny.

Improve, then, the superior advantages you here enjoy. Let not a day pass without exercising your powers of speech. There is no power like that of Oratory. Cæsar controlled men by exciting their fears; Cicero, by captivating their affections and swaying their passions. The influence of the one perished with its author, that of the other continues to this day." (Clay).

EXERCISES.

I. Read the following paragraph once-and once only -and then write down in your own words what you have remembered. Let your mental image correspond with what the author actually saw. Note: Let your whole mind go with the reading of the paragraph, otherwise you will not remember much of it; expel from your mind every intrusive thought immediately it enters you will then not only be concentrating your whole attention on the exercise, but you will also, by this very act, be increasing your power of Concentration :

Afar yonder I can see a summit beyond where the grass swells upwards to a higher level than this spot. There are bushes and elms whose height is decreased by distance on the summit, horses in the shadow of the trees,

and a small flock of sheep crowded, as is their wont, in the hot and sunny gateway. By the side of the summit is a deep, green trench, so it looks from here, in the hillside: it is really the course of a streamlet worn deep in the earth. I can see nothing between the top of the espalier screen and the horses under the elms on the hill. But the starlings go up and down into the hollow space, which is aglow with golden buttercups; and, indeed, I am looking over a hundred finches eagerly searching, sweetly calling, happy as the summer day. A thousand thousand grasshoppers are leaping, thrushes are labouring, filled with love and tenderness, doves cooing-there is as much joy as there are leaves on the hedges.' (Richard Jefferies.) This kind of exercise should be done by you every day for a week, at least.

2. Write a description of your garden or of the exterior of your house. I want your description to be so accurate and so complete that it shall give the reader a good mental image of the object you have described. This exercise will test your powers of observation, and the ability you possess to communicate to an audience what you have observed.

Remember, the more nearly the mental image which the reader forms after having read your description, corresponds to the thing itself, the greater will be the value of your description. As a public speaker your ultimate success will depend, almost entirely, upon the power you possess of conveying your ideas to the minds of your hearers.

3. What authors excel as descriptive writers ?

4. Why does a speaker, who is a keen observer of men and affairs, generally make a stronger impression upon the minds of his hearers than a less observant speaker makes ?

5. He was about the middle height, but the thinness of his body, and the length of his legs, gave him the appearance of being much taller. The green coat had been a smart dress garment in the days of swallow-tails, but had evidently in those times adorned a much shorter man than the stranger, for the soiled and faded sleeves scarcely reached to his wrists. It was buttoned closely up to his

chin, at the imminent hazard of splitting the back; and an old stock, without a vestige of shirt collar, ornamented his neck. His scanty black trousers displayed here and there those shiny patches which bespeak long service, and were strapped very tightly over a pair of patched and mended shoes, as if to conceal the dirty white stockings, which were, nevertheless, distinctly visible. His long black hair escaped in negligent waves from beneath each side of his old pinched-up hat; and glimpses of his bare wrists might be observed between the tops of his gloves and the cuffs of his coat sleeves. His face was thin and haggard; but an indescribable air of jaunty impudence and perfect self-possession pervaded the whole man." (Dickens.)

After you have read the above description, form a mental image of the person described. Then write, in your own words, a description of the person. Of course, you should not refer to the description given by Dickens. 6. Why should a public speaker possess great power of concentration of thought?

CHAPTER II

Words their power and their use. Speech clearness, precision, propriety, brevity, euphony.

Conversation: its importance to the public speaker. How to take part in conversation: what to do and what to avoid. Exercises on the chapter.

In the first chapter I explained to you how you may develop your power of Concentration, how you may cultivate the power of Observation, and how you may acquire the ability to communicate to others what you have observed.

In the present chapter I purpose to deal with the power and the use of words-those weapons with which you must be well-armed if you would be a successful public-speaker.

If you would be an attractive and a convincing public speaker you cannot afford to be without a good knowledge of your mother tongue; if you would aspire to success in "The Art of all Arts you must possess the knowledge of the power and of the use of those words which should form your vocabulary.

Coleridge has said: "Language is the armoury of the human mind and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future, conquests.'

Language is the medium by which thoughts and ideas are expressed. It is clear, then, that if you wish your ideas and thoughts to be expressed accurately and completely, your language must be well-chosen, so that there can be no doubt, in the minds of your hearers, of what you really mean.

You will not be slow to understand that your thoughts may be expressed grammatically and yet not completely

.

or even accurately. If you would be a successful publicspeaker, then, you should strive diligently to acquire the ability to express your thoughts both grammatically, and completely, and accurately. I ask you to observe very closely your everyday use of words. Frequently ask yourself such questions as these: "Have I conveyed in my words the exact meaning which I wished to convey?" "Is my idea expressed simply, and in the fewest possible words? Is my thought or idea expressed as forcibly as I wished it to be?" And, above all and for your own sake, be honest in your answers to these questions.

If you would fully know the power and the correct use of words, you cannot do better than study the following hints very carefully:

(1) Make yourself familiar with the meanings of words. Do not be content with the thought: "I think I know the meaning of that word." Cultivate the habit of looking deeply into words. It very often happens that the most potent meaning of a word is that meaning which it seems very rarely to convey. You will find it a very valuable and highly interesting practice to take a few words each day and, without any preparation or outside help, write down all the meanings you know of the respective words Compare your meanings with those given by good dictionaries-Annandale, Webster, The Standard-and see how successful you have been. If a good dictionary does not assign a meaning to a word which you do, you will do well not to use the word in that particular sense. Further, if a good dictionary gives meanings of which you knew nothing before consulting it, give them a permanent place in your memory. Frequent and patient study of the dictionary will be of the greatest value for this purpose.

The meaning of a word as given by authoritative dictionaries may be regarded as correct. As words, however, are continually changing in meaning, do not ignore their current uses. It is essential, therefore, that your dictionary or dictionaries be quite up-to-date.

(2) Use words with clearness and precision. In order