THOUGHT PURPOSE OF LESSON VI.

From what has been said above concerning the value of enthusiasm and its development it naturally follows that in the thought purpose of this lesson the student should devote himself to the task of feeling enthusiasm. Of course enthusiasm must be felt by one's self before it can be imparted to others. Therefore to feel enthusiasm is the first step. In considering how to To Feel do this the student must take thought. Enthusiasm. One of the best ways to develop this feeling of enthusiasm is to choose a subject in which one is interested, the more intensely he is interested in it the better. Then become thoroughly acquainted with the subject and consider the means necessary to make the subject of the greatest interest and value to your listeners. Become thoroughly imbued with the idea that you have something to say on this particular subject which your audience ought to know and concerning which you can tell them better than any-one else. As has been stated in a previous lesson consider the needs of your audience and the adaptation of your style of treatment to them. Study on your subject, discuss it with your friends, master it, become so in earnest over it that you cannot help but feel enthusiastic concerning it. "Energy and fervor are qualities necessary to the success of an address. Listless speakers do not receive attention; nor will mere muscular effort and vociferation suffice; the countenance, gesture and voice must indicate earnestness."-Buckley.

But there are two kinds of enthusiasm; mental and physical. Many speakers are mentally enthusiastic. That is to say they have a thorough appreciation of their subject and its extreme importance, they have mastered it, they feel that the audience needs their message. They are all aglow over the subject mentally, and yet some way or other they haven't the power to become physically enthusiastic. They are unable to back up their mental enthusiasm with the necessary physical

Mental Enthusiasm.

enthusiasm and energy. They throw their minds into

their subject but they cannot throw their bodies into their subject also. And it is about as necessary to throw the body into the subject as it is to throw the mind and soul into it. Demosthenes said the three things necessary to the successful public speech were first, action, second, action, and third, action. Action which is such a necessary element of success can only come from physical enthusiasm. Without an abundance of this element no speaker can attain to the largest success. Mental enthusiasm alone is insufficient.

Physical enthusiasm is one of the most essential elements in public speaking. No man without a great abundance of physical enthusiasm ever became a great public speaker. Demosthenes, Savonarola, Martin Luther, Gladstone, Henry Ward Beecher, in fact all our great speakers have been men of abundant physical enthusiasm Nathan Sheppard has said of Physical Gladstone that "he springs to the box Enthusiasm. with greyhound agility, reminding one of a greyhound in the leash." The effect of such enthusiasm upon an audience would no doubt be startling and would in itself inspire confidence and command attention. An English newspaper complaining of the preachers of the Church of England said: "Take a Methodist preacher who has something to say and says it with all his heart, set him down in village or city, and he will in a short time fill the commonest and baldest barn. Let a Church of England minister display the same enthusiasm and he will have as much success." And Mr. Sheppard in commenting upon this, says: "The Methodist preacher 'says it with all his' body, and if the Church of England preacher should 'display the same enthusiasm' it would be a physical enthusiasm." The majority of our public speakers are no doubt somewhat deficient in the quality of physical enthusiasm. From what has been said the student will certainly be able to perceive what is meant by physical enthusiasm as applied to extempore speaking and will see what a necessary element it is in promoting true success.

DELIVERY PURPOSE OF LESSON VI.

Το Impart Enthusiasm.

To feel enthusiasm is one thing; to impart enthusiasm is quite another. Simply because a speaker feels enthusiastic over his subject himself is no sign that he is going to impart the same degree of enthusiasm to his audience. Here is where the art of delivery comes in. Of course to impart enthusiasm to an audience he must possess enthusiasm himself, but he must have thorough command of his enthusiasm. He must know how to use it. If he lets his enthusiasm get away with his brains he will not accomplish the proper effect with his audience. Or if he lets his own enthusiasm run ahead of the enthusiasm of his audience he will likewise fail. It is a great art to impart enthusiasm to an audience. An earnest and well-controlled enthusiasm is the kind which accomplishes results. A rare combination of the mental with the physical quality of enthusiasm is what the student should strive after. It has been said, "Never allow yourself to go physically to sleep if you expect to keep yourself mentally awake." Likewise we may say, never go either physically or mentally to sleep if you expect to impart mental and physical enthusiasm to your audience.

To arouse appreciation in others should be the constant aim of the public speaker. In the study of the fine art of delivery the speaker finds the real secret of how to arouse appreciation in the minds of his audience. It is not so much the subject itself as the way in which it is presented that makes it interesting to the audience. To adapt the delivery to the subject; to adapt the expression to the thought is one of the surest ways to arouse the apAppreciation preciation of your hearers. No matter how fine or masterly a thought may be if it is expressed in an uncouth and inappropriate manner it will fail of its effect upon the listeners. And no matter how great the appreciation of the speaker may be of the thought he is

То
Arouse

in Others.

trying to express he will fail to arouse the same degree of appreciation in the minds of his audience unless he is a master in the art of delivery in its highest and best sense. And as in all other matters pertaining to the subject of public speaking, the simplest art is the best. A study of the art of how to arouse appreciation in others is worthy of the highest consideration and most earnest effort of the student. In devoting his attention to this phase of the subject he gets away from the consideration of himself and begins to think more of his audience. And when a speaker begins to study his audience as well as himself he is in a fair way to become an effective speaker, one who can arouse appreciation in others.

It should be the aim of every speaker to secure a response from his audience. And this response need not necessarily consist in loud applause, although applause is usually the way in which an audience manifests its enthusiasm and appreciation. It may be manifested in quiet, sincere, earnest and respectful attention. With

Το Secure Response.

out this response manifested in some form or other the speech is a failure. Sometimes the object of a speech is of course not only to arouse people to thought, but to arouse them to action. The audience of Mark Anthony at the burial of Caesar manifested their response to the sentiments of the orator by going forth at once with determination and enthusiasm to "burn! fire! slay! kill!" Demosthenes found it hard in his orations to arouse the people of his state to action to go against Philip. They were so dead to the spirit of patriotism that even the earnest and fiery appeals of this great speaker failed to secure from them a response. Sometimes the purpose of a speech is to secure from an audience an expression of sentiment or perhaps a vote upon some cerain plan or project. Then the speaker's success must be measured by the extent to which he secures a response to his views. The speaker should learn to study his audience, and to know whether hé is securing from them the right kind of response. So whatever may be the object of a speech whether it be to arouse the audience to action, to stimulate them to higher thought, to secure from them a vote or expression of sen

timent on some project, or merely to secure from them respectful attention let the student of Public Speaking learn to devote all his qualities of heart, mind, soul, body, and voice, to the securing of the right response. Power of voice and the right use of it in enforcing and backing up the thought of a speaker is a powerful factor in achieving the speaker's object whatever it may be. In the selection "for practice" in developing voice power and action given in connection with this lesson, note the object which lies back of the words and apply the voice to the expression and accomplishment of the object. Does the object of the selection seem to be to arouse the listeners to action? And note whether or not the action of the voice has anything to do with the carrying out of this purpose.