EFFECTIVE SPEECH
There are four definite steps in the mastery of effective speech:
It must be INTELLIGIBLE
It must be SYMPATHETIC
It must be MELODIOUS
It must be FORCEFUL
In seeking to accomplish these four aims, the pupil will not only
increase his culture but his practical mental power as well.
The first step has to do with whatever makes understandable what he has
to say. But before he can be _intelligible_ in address, he must be an
_intelligent_ reader. He must train himself to master the real meaning of
words. This means taking in—comprehending—and translating the thought of
others. This is an important part in accomplishing the first step. The
mind must be trained quickly and accurately to comprehend the printed
page.
THE BASIS FOR GOOD ORAL READING
Grasp this idea firmly: Before one may hope to read _intelligibly_, he
must first be an _intelligent_ reader. You cannot express outwardly what
you have not received and do not feel inwardly. Therefore the basis of
good oral reading is understanding—intelligent silent reading. Some one
has well said, “Unless a child can read, he cannot be educated.” How few
can read at sight a short passage and then close the book and relate its
context. Why is this the case? Because the pupil has not been properly
trained to read.
THE BASIS FOR GOOD SILENT READING
In the study of the printed word we must remember that its real meaning
depends altogether upon its relation to other words in the same group.
For instance, the word “fire” does not mean the same thing at all
times. The real meaning of this word depends upon its kinship with
other members of the same group. When we say, “The house is on fire,”
the word “fire” means an altogether different thing from what it means
when we say, “There is need of a fire in the stove this morning.” We
must continually take care that we do not isolate words, but that we
get their _associated_ meaning. For too long a time in our public
schools the pupils have been taught to read _words_ and not _ideas_ or
_thoughts_. They have been taught to read word by word and not group by
group. For instance, the most elementary pupils will read as follows:
“The—cat—can—run—and—play—with—the—ball.” The grouping is altogether
overlooked. The children are concentrating their attention upon single
or isolated _words_ instead of upon _thought groups_ made up of several
words as follows: “The cat can run—and play with the ball.”
GET THE AUTHOR’S THOUGHT
Whatever one reads, he must first determine for what purpose he is
reading. A definite aim or end in view must be had to serve as a motive
power. The pupil who can relate the successive events in a narrative
after having read it carefully, has trained his memory. But memory
training is not the highest aim or end. The thing of paramount importance
is: What is the application of the author’s meaning? The value lies in
what _use_ the student can make of the knowledge. This act of getting
the author’s thought draws upon the student’s stock of experience. All
new matter comes to the pupil in terms of his past experiences. The task
of the teacher is to aid him in identifying himself with the lesson
taught by the author, so that he can make practical use of it.
WE ARE NOT STUDYING STYLE
In this present step in the development of the student in effective
speech the style of an author is nothing more than a means to an end
and not the end itself. The test for the pupil is to see if he can put
in his own words the vital meaning of the author. It should not be his
purpose to attempt to improve on the writer’s style. It is true that
some of the world’s greatest literary expressions would lose their
highest significance if put in any other than their original form. This
applies especially to verse form, for here the rhythmic movement is an
inseparable element in the full expression of the idea. Some one has well
said: “Style grows to the thought as the sea-shell to its occupant.”
But at this point the aim is not to teach the pupil the mechanics of
literature. He must be taught to think for himself and use the knowledge
he gains so that it will be valuable in his own life.
THREE DEFINITE AIMS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE
Let us keep in mind the fact that the pupil is continually seeking
information which will help him to live better. He is constantly trying
to increase his cultural and practical powers. Of course book learning
does not furnish all, but its contribution is immeasurable in its
importance. Hence the pupil must learn to master the printed word as well
as the spoken word. Here are three definite ends or aims to serve as
motive power in getting the thought of the author:
First, the student must seek ideas and not words.
Second, he must seek to classify and organize facts.
Third, he must seek to turn his knowledge to some use.
EACH AIM ILLUSTRATED
To illustrate the first aim, let us take the following lines from Hamlet:
Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, aye, in my heart of hearts,
As I do thee.
Shakespeare wished to point out the blessedness of that virtue,
Independence. It is of little consequence to the pupil in this first
step of his growth to make a comparison between Shakespeare’s method
of expressing this truth, with that of Elbert Hubbard, who, speaking
of Rowan, that man who delivered an important message to Garcia in the
jungles of Cuba when we had decided to go to war with Spain, said:
By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in
deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the
land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instructions
about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebræ which will
cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate
their energies; do the thing—Carry a message to Garcia!
Is not the aim in both cases for the pupil to get the idea which the
authors wish to impress upon his mind? In other words, the authors are
not simply writing for art’s sake, as so many would have us believe. The
pupil must get the author’s messages, so that they will help him in life,
to be both independent or free from passion, and reliable or dependable
in whatever he undertakes.
Let us advance to the second step: The classification and organization
of facts mean more than the simple process of orderly arrangement.
This has to do with translating what the author presents to the pupil
in terms of his past experience. This is the process of judging values.
Before we pigeon-hole new information, we pass judgment upon its relative
importance. The pupil has experienced the value of punctuality, courage,
optimism, etc. Now, when any new truth comes under his observation, it is
not turned into knowledge until it has gone through his mental gristmill.
What he hears, or sees, or feels, is not usable until it has been fitted
into its particular niche, and this fitting process is brought about by
likening the unknown to the known.
This brings us to the third step. Frederick Harrison has said: “Man’s
business here is to know for the sake of living, not to live for the sake
of knowing.” There is no better way of expressing the third step in the
development of the student in intelligent reading. After he has learned
to grasp the author’s thought readily, and then so reacts upon it that it
becomes a part of his very being, his next step is to find an open market
for the sale of his knowledge. This does not mean to sell for money in
the narrow sense, but to put his understanding into actual daily life.