THE HESPERIAN.
U
dcscciitlaiit. Sir Willinm takes quite a Inncy to his young
namesake, and, presuming on the strength of his relationship
proceeds to make himself thoroughly nt home. The general
line of conduct pursued hy him, however, docs not coh.cidc
with his young relative's ideas of eternal fitness, as Sir Wil
liam indulges himself to the utmost in the luxury ofgricf,nnd
goes moaning and groaning about the rooms at unseemly
hours of the night, thereby making himself exceedingly ob -noxious
to the inmates, but particularly to young Sir William,
At last the ghost, in the exuberance of his grief becomes so
unbearable that William Ashcourt resolves to get rid of it by
palming it off on n literary friend of his, which he is enabled
to do by representing to his friend the ptcstige he will confer
upon himself and family by the possession of a Crusader's
ghost, and at the same time insinuating that here will be excel
lent material out of which to construct a thrilling talc. The
bargain is struck, and the same evening at 12 p. in. Sir Wil
liam is informed of the change in his alTairs. Naturally he
docs not take kindly to this summary disposal of himself, but
is powerless to resist, as the young man threatens to consign
him to the care of his Satanic Majesty by spending the old
knight's buried treasure, a proceeding customary under such
circumstances.
The next morning the. young man proceeds to his friend's
house and is surprised to find the ya.rd full of vehicles, the
parlors crowded with cx.itcd people, the wife and children of
his fiicnd half dead with fright; altogether forming a scene
of the utmost confusion. Upon being taken into a room up
stairs he finds the shadowy appearance of the ghost lying up
the floor, but without the head. The unhappy shade, not be
ing able to survive his dismissal from his ancestral castle, had
found a sword in one of the rooms and had decapitated him
self with it. The story concludes with some reflections upon
suicide as practiced by'ghosts.and pointing out the demoraliz
ing effects of such practices.
We congratulate our friend upon this efibrt of his imagina
tion, and give it as our opinion that if he perseveres in this
line, he will no doubt produce something which will compare
favorably with some of Mr. Frank Stockton's best efforts.
SHALL WE STUDY ORATORY?
We have heard people say "an unbalanced man is worse
than a fool." This seems strongly put, but it is true. The
unbalanced man is useless to himself and to the world; yet
his influence is as vast as it is malignant. He is learned, yet
iichas no knowledge. His brain is active, but he accomp
lishes nothing. He is a crank, for which the world has no
use.
The complaint is that such is thejproduct of our schools
and universities. This is only too true. Out own University
is not free from this. I recall several cases: among them that
of a graduate of several years ago. He was a brilliant fel
low. Latin and Greek were as play to him. Always stand
ing at the head of his class, the faculty predicted a grand fu
ture for him. Hut he knew nothing. Practical life was as
far below his thoughts as the earth is below Saturn. The
last news of him was that he was cutting cord wood at fifty
cents per day.
Our intensely practical West is crying out for instruction
that will fit men and women for busy life. Education dots
not mean graduation, or years spent in study. It means the
leading forth or development of all the faculties, mental, phys
ical and moral, alike. Each must receive its proper training
or the man is unbalanced.
The difficulty in our schools is the undue attention devoted
to the culture of the mind to the neglect of all the other fac
ulties. In order to remove this the industrial department and
the study of music, painting and oratory have been introduc
ed. The mind is relieved, by removing the pressure of too
much cramming, and the hand, eye and voice arc trained.
Were there any difference in the importance of these
branches, the preference would for several reasons be with
the study of oratory. A good speaking voice is necessary in
every walk of life. Talent for music or painting is a gift
rarely bestowed. Hut all have naturally a voice, that, culti
vated, will make beautiful tones. It will always be a com
fort, an aid, and a means of success. Not only in the pulpit,
at the bar, or on the platform is such a voice indispensable. It
is as necessary for the merchant, mechanic, or student. There
is a charm in a beautiful voice that docs not appear elsewhere.
A merchant having a clear, pleasant voice and knowledge of
its management will sell far more than oic of equal ability
otherwise, but with a harsh, grating one. What we must
know is how to talk. We all have an ear for sweet sounds, and
know how to admire a good voice, even though ours is not
pleasing. The student with a saw-filing voice is avoided; the
teacher who knows no difference between a nasal or guttural
twang and good speaking receives but little attention, even
though he be a learned and instructive man. This cultivation
of the voice is not an accomplishment, but a necessary study.
Wc sing, and lay aside the singing voice for days; but the cul
tivation of the speaking voice is necessary for every word we
speak. Wc must, by constant practice, keep the singing
voice in tunc; the good speaking voice, once acquired, is ours
forever.
All have naturally good voices; but through carelessness
and ignorance of its use, it becomes changed. Unconscious
ly a rapid, hollow or nasal tone is acquired, that is disagreea
ble. It is the province of oratory to restore the voice to its
former musical tone. This abuse of the voice is not only dis
agreeable but harmful. It is a fact that improper speaking
leads to innumerable diseases of the throat and lungs, which
may be cured by a removal of the cause. A teacher iu vocal
culture, to illustrate this, recently, gave a description of one
of her pupils, who had been a pubiic speaker for a number of
years, but who was suffering severely from the effects of igno
rancc of the proper use of the vocal organs. After six
months training she was not only entirely cured of all lung
diseases, but was stronger physically than she had been for
years.
There is oratory and there is elocution merely. They dif
fer chiefly in this respect: the latter teaches the student to
make a showy appearance on the stage, to cloak his harsh
voice in borrowed tones, to regard good speaking as a thing
for special occasions to be put on and off at pleasure in
fact to be unnatural while the former frees the voice from
any obstacles to clear enunciation and pure tones, and gives
a natural uttciancc that is equally beautiful in conversation
and in public speaking. Elocution is often the more attract
ive, and hence preferred. It is very gratifying to speak a dra
inatic recitation, and far more gratifying to borrow the teach
er's tone and gesture, than to learn the rudiments. There is
a vanity that prates of natural talent in elocution, etc, and
thinks all that is lacking is the opportunity, in order to win
immortality of fame. To such the false teaching is accepta
ble. It builds up without tearing down; it flatters, when it
should humiliate. It is contrary to all laws of development,
for it begins at the top. He who cannot speak a sentence
properly is given to recite, a difficult passage in Shakspeare.
He learns it as a parrot would by imitation. Every tone and
every movement is mechanical; and after a full course in such