ure, but according to the importance of his subject, or according to the relation of his discussion to the accomplishment of the end.

The importance of holding to the order of thought cannot be over-estimated, because there are many temptations for the mind to wander from the path it has laid down; but yielding to such temptations will destroy all power in speaking.

All art requires the artist to foresee results. He must conceive an ideal, and then hold it until he embodies it as definitely as possible. The speaker must be able in his calm moments to foresee just what he has to say. In the heat of passion he is apt to be one-sided, and, in pursuing a train of ideas of interest only to himself, to neglect those which are most important to his theme. Hence the speaker must be able in cold blood to choose what he has to say, and the order of his points. His own personal interest and enjoyment must be sacrificed to his cause.

It is still more difficult and important to cling to the time previously appointed. Many a speech consists in a long discussion of the first point. If the result could be compared with the speaker's intention, it would be found one-sided, and his real aim wholly lost from view.

Speakers generally think they have occupied a very short time. Dr. Hale says, that if you ride home with six or eight people who have just spoken on the same platform, and consult each one separately, each man will think he made the shortest speech. This is because every man enjoys so much his own speaking. Hence there is a universal tendency to speak too long.

After a speaker has spoken he should compare what he has done with what he intended, and rigidly rein himself up the next time to achieve exactly what he intends.

The preparation for extemporaneous speaking is of great importance. A subject needs meditation. It is astonishing how the mind goes on working in meditation, arranging illustrations and points, and gradually probing to the very depth of the most complex theme.

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XLIV. DISCUSSION AND DEBATE.

NE of the most important exercises for the development of delivery is discussion upon subjects of the student's own choice, which may be simple and commonplace, or the greatest and most important of living issues. Such exercises develop the insight and general knowledge of students. They form one of the most important aids in inspiring them to keep posted upon current events. Newspapers at the present time are so large, and the scope of news so extended, that it is difficult to keep up with the leading events of the world. Some, however, do keep posted by reading only a few paragraphs in the papers daily. By giving students the leading topics of national or international interest, a means is found to develop their power to select and to grasp broad living questions; the mind is set to work upon complex problems, and trained to right methods of selection and arrangement. The same exercise may also be made an aid in training students to make investigations in libraries.

Another exercise in speaking, which is also very important in developing the right mental action and stimulating natural delivery, is debate.

In preparing for debate the student should study carefully both sides of the question. Webster, the ablest of debaters, was always prepared on every question that arose. The reason was, that whenever any question came up in Congress, he was accustomed to debate to himself both sides. Webster, with his great mind, could state the arguments for either side better than any one else. Having therefore argued it out to himself, and stated both sides, when any opponent stated an argument, he was prepared to answer it. It is said that he often stated an opponent's position better than that opponent did himself.

One who wishes to debate must not blind himself, or endeavor to ignore the other side of the question. He must be fair; he

must recognize all legitimate arguments. He must debate for truth's sake; he must himself look upon all sides of the question before he ventures to speak upon any one side.

Often the best way to win the audience to his cause, is to speak frankly and to recognize the arguments of the other side. All men love frankness and honesty. Such a course awakens the judicial faculty in the minds of his auditors; it disarms antagonism and leads them to look calmly or with sympathy upon his arguments. But one who refuses to see any but his own side, and tries to blind the minds of his auditors to the fact that there are other sides, will be likely to find that they rebel against all the arguments he may offer. The first great object in debate is to disarm this tendency of the hearer to oppose and to argue against a speaker; in starting out the debater should often touch those points upon which all agree, or in some way cause the audience to look fairly at all sides of any question. There are very few propositions which can be stated which have not more than one side. There are some who seem to think that no man who is honest, no lawyer who is really true can undertake the case of a man whom he knows to be guilty. But this is a misconception of the nature of an advocate, or even of justice. Even the law requires that the criminal shall not be condemned without counsel; some one must take his side or injustice may be done him. He must have an advocate to state those conditions and circumstances which soften the severity of the sentence of the most hardened criminal.

goes by approximation in this world, and no statement of any truth is completely perfect. For this reason, all minds should be led to debate and discuss the different sides of any given subject in order to judge where lies the preponderance of truth in this approximation, and thus be enabled to see where lies the real depth of truth.

The subject of debate has been so often discussed that it is only necessary to add a few words regarding its power to develop

naturalness in delivery. Debate disciplines the antithetic action of the mind. It disciplines the mind also to penetrate to fundamentals. As there is a present point to win, there is a tendency to cause the speaker to make salient his central ideas, to endeavor to give them clearly. The speaker is helped, too, by being compelled to speak to some one.

Debate tends to prevent declamation and stiltedness. The speaker soon learns that in order to win his case he must be simple, concise, and direct. Debate thus not only awakens mental energy and develops the logical sequence of ideas, but it also gives self-possession, and tends to discipline the man to speak with his whole nature and with all his body and with every language. Thus it becomes one of the most effective exercises in developing directness of delivery.

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XLV. RECITATION.

HE importance of Recitation can hardly be over-estimated.

The universal custom in the schools of the Greeks was to recite continually from their poets. Many assign this as the chief cause of the high development of the artistic nature of the Greeks. Recitation has always been held as one of the most important means of developing the imagination, and especially the memory. In the recitation, however, of any form of literature from memory there are many dangers. One of the chief of these is, the tendency to repeat mere words, thus developing accidental or verbal memory. All memory should be of ideas. The thought should be reproduced, idea should follow idea by a natural and logical sequence, that is to say, true recitation must always use the philosophic memory. A mechanical use of memory will make all expression artificial.

The custom in our schools and colleges of mechanically reciting extracts often half learned, cannot be too strongly condemned. The mind is simply recalling words, and does not

re-create the ideas; such practice encourages the student to speak without thought, causes his voice to become cold, his memory to become superficial, and his relation to literature to become one of indifference.

The first requisite, therefore, in the recitation of poetry or literature, must be an endeavor to stimulate philosophic rather than mechanical or verbal memory. Consciousness, in delivery, must centre in the thought. "Ideas, not words," must be the motto. A recitation must simply reproduce the process of the mind. Idea must follow idea according to the law of association of ideas. The mind must be concentrated successively upon each idea by a natural and simple progressive transition. Too much importance cannot be attached to a proper method of preparation. To prepare a poem or any form of literature for recitation requires careful meditation. The student must read it over to himself, and get its meaning and the sequence of ideas. If the methods and steps so far explained have been properly practised, the mind has formed the habit of giving attention primarily to ideas and not to mere words.

Poor memories can be improved by this method. The memory, when exercised philosophically, will grow normally and rapidly, and furnish material for the imagination; when exercised mechanically and artificially it will become dissociated from the imagination. All of the patent methods for improving the memory which have been advanced in the last few years are vicious, because they violate the laws of mental action. When the mind remembers merely by accidents, the power of thinking is stifled. Memory can only truly act according to the great law of association of ideas.

The benefits of the best work in recitation can be seen at once. As the student practises a good piece of literature, with clear ideas, simply and progressively expressed, he will find his logical power improved. The law of association of ideas will begin to dominate him and affect his expression; he will find the meth