39207 FAMILIAR TALKS TO YOUNG MEN WHO WOULD Designed as a Text-Book for Colleges and Higher BY BRAINARD GARDNER SMITH, A.M. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ELOCUTION AND ORATORY IN CORNELL UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT, 1891, BY BRAINARD GARDNER SMITH. TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & Co., BOSTON, U.S.A. PRESSWORK BY BERWICK & SMITH, BOSTON, U.S.A. INTRODUCTORY. THIS collection of suggestions to would-be speakers consists of most informal talks on matters of importance to all young men; for we are a nation of speech-makers. Wendell Phillips used to say that as soon as the Yankee baby could sit up in his cradle he called the nursery to order, and proceeded to address the house. There are some rules in the book, but they are those which my experience has taught me ought to be known by every speaker; and as there are not so many as to be burdensome, I trust that they may be learned by every young man who has this book. I have put upon these pages suggestions not usually found in print. Some of them may seem trivial; but I have been making them to students in the class-room over and over again. Why not print them? I do not claim any originality, or to say what has not been said in one way or another by many teachers. Indeed, there is no new road to successful public speaking. But I have tried to group together, in small compass and convenient form, suggestions, rules, hints, encouragements, warnings, examples, illustrations, all having bearing on the "noble art of oratory," and all likely to be helpful. My one aim is to help young men to a natural, comfortable, manly, forceful manner of speech in public. That is not oratory; but it is a long stride towards it. If they add these suggestions and rules to the solid foundation of V |
