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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1877)
Attention. 1C1 Uinugli n speech may not be perfect it is not ail a bosh. The mind should be active, ly At work weighing ami considering its merits, separating tin theatrical ami How. ery part, leaving it for the Sophist. As Iho Bw pauses by the Ivy and Hyacinth and settles on the prickly Tjme and goes away laden, so should we return from an oration or lecture not as from a theater or minimi show, but laden with the esenec of the oration, thus culled out. Consider mid think of it, that an impresion may be mndo on the mind ami the words may not "as the hronlh vain and unrcgaitfcd turn to air." After the oration is deli vercd criii else nol loo hiliely, lite faults of another are easily seen. It is an easy matter to ac cuse mioUier, il the speech does not suit Lot us pul Plato's question " Can you pio duco such another." Try to correct the fallacies of nsp ch or reproduce one that is perfect and the task will not be found very easy. The attention given is often merely ap parent. ThcypMeadly e;,v the speaker, sit doubled up in some unnouth position, keeping their minds on ouie other sub ject, or if trying to pay attention stop oc oasionly to whisper to a person beside them and thus loose the chain of argument. An iuquireing mind is a good sign of tnl. ont, but it is not well to bo to fond of ask ing questions. A well dressed gentleman onro step! into an Italian paint shop the young artist treated him with courtesy un .til ha showed his ignoranco by asking questions, they soon saw ho knew nothing about painting and by the manner he spoke they judged he knew nothing else. In the class the best students ask the ques tions because they understand something about iho lesson, unless it is some egotist who endeavors to hide his ignoronce and in so doing makes it more manifest Otlu-Jton account of bash fulness refrain from ,iking quci ions. Some fearing lest th- 1iov iheir ignoreuce (as compared will, others) keep silent and when the clu- Is dismissed, some go away in doubt Bom -.atisfied that thej' understand the lesson, others satisfied that they never wil". If you do not understand the lesion it i best to keep quiut better hum by hearing others than to keep others from learning by hearing 3'ou. In a discussion attention and reserve add as greatly to the effect as the argu ments you produce. Do not interrupt your opponeniin thej midst of an argu ment but remain silent until he has fin ished lak? time to consider, then say what j'ou wish. In assemblys where every thing is carried by noise, talk and debate, one will have the lloor another interrupts him, then three or four will rise to n point of order, after some trouble the speaker rest res order, and the gentleman proceeds untill again and again interrupted b3 those who wish to hear themselves talk, lie sits down, these in thoir wrangJings and dis putes, not haveing said anything. A gen tlcman of reserve haveing given attention and heard the discussion rises and by a poweiful speech carries the house, 'As words are but breath, breath but air, air put in motion but wind," and the stronger the propelling force the greater w ill be the effect. As long us a speaker is able to keep the attention of an.audience ho feels at liberty to continue speaking, but when the audience tired and restless, show their dislike to hearing him, by whimpering. laugeing and going to deep; unless he is a bore will take the hint and sit down as soon as possible. But a learned and smart man can well judge when he should be heard and when he should not; if he sees an3'one manifesting their dislike to hearing hi in, he judges himself nol an intruder, but that thej arc to stupid to understand him. A great lnairyhavc a sense for the ludi crous, for a humorous declamation or a burlesque oration w ill atiract the attention of an audience as well as an oration that has mjuired thought to produce il, 1hey will listen with greater interest to a Shirk Twain or Danbury .News man than to n bishop or philosopher Their attention is attracled by any thing impious for if a