muscles. It is one, however, that must be kept in mind and practiced constantly. If he thinks of it only while speaking and neglects it at all other times it will never help him to gain a pleasing carriage.

With the chest high, the lower trunk held in, and the head erect, there remains only the matter of proper poise. It goes without saying that the weight of the body should not be thrown all on one side or all back upon one heel so that the body has a sagging appearance. Nor should the speaker stand with his heels drawn closely together in a military fashion. Neither should he stand with his feet parallel, nor wide apart, nor with one heel drawn closely in toward the instep of the other foot. All of these things destroy the proper poise of the body and give the speaker an ungainly appearance.

A very good speaking position is one in which the feet are not unduly close together nor yet wide apart, but at a distance that will support the body naturally and allow the speaker to move about the platform freely. A position that always looks well and one that is usually most comfortable for the speaker is with one foot slightly in advance of the other, the toes turned outward, and the body in good poise and well supported. The weight may rest at times more upon one foot than upon the other, but speakers who have good poise usually have it about evenly distributed between both feet.

Poise the essential thing. The habit of throwing the weight back entirely upon the heels should be avoided by beginners, since it gives bad poise to the body. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as a definitely prescribed position for the public speaker. A tall, lean

man may very properly assume a speaking position that harmonizes with the length of his legs-one considerably different from that suited to a short, fat man. The important thing is not position but poise. If the speaker's poise is good, his position will take care of itself.

With the confident feeling that his position is one of strength, he should be very careful to avoid any appearance of discomfort. If he has a position that he knows to be good and yet one in which he feels uncomfortable, his audience will be very likely to feel the same way about it. Never should the speaker come out upon the platform and deliberately take a position; that is, set his feet down as though all had been carefully measured out beforehand and he must get his feet at just the right angle. As already suggested, he should walk out toward his audience in a natural manner and then merely stop in a good speaking position. This is the natural. thing to do, and the audience thinks nothing about it. But if there is a conscious adjusting of the feet it often becomes ridiculous. Of course, if he has been in the habit of standing in awkward positions he will not be able to do this naturally; but by a little practice with positions that are uncomfortable and without poise and then with those that have good poise, he will very soon be able to assume a natural speaker's position without ever stopping to adjust himself or even to think how it is done. Above all, he should cultivate the feeling of being comfortable and appearing perfectly at home on the platform. This goes a long way toward creating a favorable impression. It induces a similar feeling in the audience and opens the way for the speaker.

The importance of a good start. The opening moments of the speech are of great importance. Rarely does the speaker launch into his subject instantly. If he rises for a very informal discussion he may do so, but in more formal address there is usually a very important moment of suspense, when the speaker fixes his eyes upon the faces before him and pauses five or ten seconds, or even longer (depending upon the occasion), before beginning his speech. This often has a magnetic effect. Every eye is fixed upon him and all wait eagerly for his opening word. It is also the quickest way to quiet an audience. If there is whispering, moving of chairs, swinging of doors, and the like, all this tends to subside when the speaker stands and pauses before his audience. The wise speaker will never attempt to begin his speech while people are being seated or while there is noise or movement in the room. It is always better to wait for several minutes, if necessary, than to attempt to begin in the midst of confusion.

The pause before the opening of the speech is also one of the most valuable aids to the speaker in getting control of himself and in gaining confidence. If he is able to fix his eyes upon his audience and look calmly into their faces for five or ten seconds, he need have little fear of what will happen when he begins to speak. This composure and self-possession at the beginning are of great importance. If the speaker at that instant finds his legs threatening to give way under him and his heart thumping hard, the sheer exercise of his will and the holding of his eyes firmly upon the faces before him will help wonderfully in winning the battle. A deep breath

is also employed by many speakers to aid in gaining the desired control. This is of great service, inasmuch as it gives an abundant supply of breath for the opening words. It also enables the speaker to get control of his diaphragm, so that his tones are evenly supported and there is not that wavering of the voice that accompanies stage fright.

The will to do. But probably nothing is so important as getting rid of the "I can't" feeling and going on the platform with the grim determination, "I will if it kills

Many a beginner, who felt sure before he went upon the platform that he would sink through the floor, has been surprised at the self-possession and composure that he has experienced, merely because he went about it with the do-or-die frame of mind. There is only one way in which to become an effective speaker; that is, by speaking. And the mental attitude with which one goes about it is a tremendous influence toward success or failure.

After the beginner has gained in his practice a certain amount of strength and self-possession, his attention should be turned to the matter of general freedom of action. The speaker's ideal should be always to gain a position that is expressive of freedom as of strength. He should appear to be perfectly free to move about the platform in a manner that will not call attention to how it is done. He should have a kind of "at home" air, not as if he were out of his natural sphere and trying all the time to adjust himself to his new environment, but as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be speaking then and there to that particular

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group of people. This is the ideal of platform deportment that naturally takes time and experience to gain. Yet it is an ideal of action that many speakers never attain, because, either through ignorance of correct principles or through carelessness in the use of them, they are continually doing things that are more or less distracting and draw attention away from the message.

Problems of action later in the speech. The problems of action after the speaker once launches into his discourse are without number. It would be impossible to enumerate the faults that appear in different speakers and detract from the general effectiveness of the speech. Here the principle already laid down is the only reliable guide: Whatever action draws the attention of the audience away from the speaker's message is bad, and should be avoided.

The use of the hands. The first thing that the beginner usually does is to try to dispose of his hands. If he is embarrassed he tries to make himself comfortable by stuffing his hands into his pockets, by drawing his arms closely behind his back, or by grasping tightly a manuscript or other article. This may tend to relieve the speaker's embarrassment somewhat, but it does not relieve his bodily tension. On the contrary, it tends rather to increase it. He comes to rely upon some means of this kind with which to dispose of his hands, and he never feels just right unless his arms are folded behind his back, stuffed into his pockets, or employed in fingering his clothing, his manuscript, or the like. Action of this kind is never pleasing and is always indicative of lack of mental poise and physical self-control.