The Lawrence reader and speaker ...

Front matter

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Book l^\) ^

GoplglitN*'

Preface

THE arts of Reading and Speaking have, of late years, been greatly neglected, and it is the aim of the editor of this compilation to endeavor to arouse new interest by presenting, in convenient form and attractive guise, many masterpieces of Hterature, and specimens of oratory, Hkely to awaken, in the minds of students in schools and colleges, a desire to know more of these useful and dehghtful arts. Nothing has a greater tendency to improve the diction, and enlarge the vocabulary of a speaker, than a study of the works of great writers and orators, as man mentally grows by what he feeds on just as he does physically ; and by a careful perusal of well-constructed sentences, polished and expressive language, he will learn to use instinctively the proper form and expression of words when communicating his thoughts. The matter may be that of Shakespeare, Milton, Demosthenes, Cicero, Webster, or Longfellow, but a careful student who reads to learn and, while reading, bears in mind the saying [yii]

PREFACE

of Confucius, " Learning without thought is labor lost, and thought without learning is death to the mind," will incorporate the wisdom of others into his own being, and give it out again in his own manner as though it had never existed in any other form.

It is the opinion of the editor that only by intelligent and painstaking efforts are persons made good readers and speakers, and he therefore advises all who are desirous of excelHng in these arts to disabuse themselves of the idea that oratory is a God-given gift, that all they have to do is to sit idly by and await its coming, because in all cases of real greatness — not appsirent greatness — success as orators has only come to those who went in search of it. Those who achieved success without much labor, men like Patrick Henry and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, would have accomplished far greater results had they stored up knowledge in their youth instead of idhng away their time lolling by brooks or wasting their strength in dissipation.

This book is intended to be purely a Reader and Speaker, presenting to the student the finished matter of expression and not the means of gaining the art of vocal delivery, but to all who desire to take up the technical part of vocal work, the [ viii ]

PREFACE

editor recommends his text-book on the speaking voice, " The Power of Speech," which contains explicit instructions for the cultivation of the voice, and for gaining the power of interpreting thought by means of vocal expression.

In this collection of masterpieces the editor is bold enough to insert a few articles of his own, not that they are entitled by merit to associate with such company, but rather suffered to remain, by the kindness of the shepherd, as stray sheep that have wandered in from another fold.

E. G. L.

New York, January^ 1911*

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