Public Speaking 209 



ancy, and before long became known as one of the 

 finest speakers of his time. Certain natural gifts aided 

 him ; his well-set figure and strong features, of which 

 the piercing eyes and firm, trap-like mouth were the 

 most striking, riveted attention, while his voice had a 

 wide range and was beautifully modulated. But it was 

 above all things the matter and not the manner of his 

 speech that commanded success. He cared Httle or no- 

 thing for the impression he might make — everything 

 for the ideas which he wished to conve3^ He was 

 concerned only to set forth these ideas in their clear 

 and logical order, convinced in his own mind that, 

 were the facts as he knew them placed before the 

 minds of his hearers, only one possible result could 

 follow. The facts had convinced him : they must 

 equally convince any honest and intelligent person 

 placed in possession of them. He had not the smallest 

 intention of overbearing by authority or of swaying 

 by skilfully aroused emotion. Such weapons of the 

 orator seemed to him dishonest in the speaker and 

 most perilous to the audience. For him, speaking on 

 any subject was merely a branch of scientific expos- 

 ition ; when emotion was to be roused or enthusiasm 

 to be kindled the inspiration was to come from the 

 facts and not from the orator. The arts he allowed 

 himself were those common to all forms of exposition ; 

 he would explain a novel set of ideas by compar- 

 ison with simpler ideas obvious to all his listeners ; 

 and he sought to arrest attention or to drive home a 

 conclusion by some brilliant phrase that bit into the 

 memory. These two arts, the art of the phrase- 

 maker and the art of explaining by vivacious and 

 simple comparison, he brought to a high perfection. 



The fundamental method of his exposition was simply 

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