SPEECHES AND MEETINGS.
The Volunteers are organized, not to do the easy things that have been
done in the past and are now being very satisfactorily done by others,
but rather to do what others have left, and are leaving, undone. In
communities where the New Democracy is strong and the people are
already in the habit of gathering periodically and during political
campaigns nightly, it requires no organization of Volunteers to
provide men to instruct and amuse them to their entire satisfaction.
Our work is to do what others have not done and cannot do; to gather
crowds where others have failed; to create interest where there is
no interest; to make friends where we have no friends, and, WHERE WE
ARE ALREADY STRONG AND DOMINANT IN A COMMUNITY, TO TEACH OUR FRIENDS
AND BROTHERS TO SO SYSTEMATIZE THEIR EFFORTS AND ENTHUSIASM AS TO
BE MOST USEFUL IN EDUCATING AND GAINING THE SUPPORT OF LESS ADVANCED
COMMUNITIES ELSEWHERE.
In arranging indoor meetings, it is essential, in order that our work
may be fruitful, to get out other than what is known as "the same old
crowd." There are a few people of both parties in every community who
are always interested in politics, and who attend nearly all party
meetings. On such, ammunition is largely wasted. A speaker should never
be satisfied to address a small crowd, the majority of whom are already
in accord with his principles. His object should be to bring in new
men, to get in fresh blood. The motto of each of us should be, "I came
not to bring the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
To secure the attendance of the non-political class, it is, therefore,
expedient, in addition to the regular speeches, to provide some form
of entertainment, such as vocal and instrumental music, a dramatic
rendition, or a children's performance.
When an audience is assembled particularly to enjoy the entertainment
and incidentally from curiosity to see and hear the strange speaker,
it is well for the speech to be built from materials furnished by
the local performers. If children have participated, there is no
happier way to begin than by telling how enjoyable were their songs
and recitations, how thrilling the thoughts born of their happy faces
and hearts throbbing with youthful hopes. The speaker might tell
how, looking into their bright eyes, his thoughts turned toward the
future, where he saw the obstacles against which these children will
have to contend, the difficulties they will meet in getting started
in life, the unfair advantages over them possessed by the children of
special privilege. By taking the children who participate as a text and
riveting the attention of the audience upon them instead of considering
the rights of men in general, he can gain at once, not only the
attention, but the sympathy and the very hearts of those who listen.
If the entertainment is a musical one, the speaker might begin by
describing the state of mind produced by the sweet harmonies just
listened to. By recalling the difference between the discord produced
by ten men tuning their musical instruments and the harmony resulting
when they play the same instruments together, he has an illustration
applicable in several ways: suggesting the harmony and orderliness
of the state that we are fighting for, the economy of concert in our
political methods, and numerous other points, which, if given in a
conversational way, will arrest the attention of even the women and the
children. Let him then proceed with simple axiomatic truths that can be
grasped by every hearer, abundantly illustrated, and the crowd will be
induced to attend future meetings.
There are a thousand cues given and illustrations suggested by
a preliminary entertainment that can be made the gateway to the
sympathies, affections and intelligence of those who listen. Convince
the audience that the questions treated are neither abstract nor
incomprehensible, but simple and tangible, and concern their personal
welfare and the future of their families, and self-interest will impel
them to listen to specific arguments backed by facts and figures.
The Volunteer who aspires to attract vast audiences and transplant
the hopes and thoughts that flourish in his own mind to the fertile
soil of other minds, must first learn that the passion to instruct,
though a noble instinct, must be curbed ruthlessly, else instead of an
orator the "would-be" will find himself a bore. The passion to impart
knowledge, like the other human passions, when given free rein to
exercise itself unrestrained, defeats its own ends and at last destroys
itself.
How many old speakers we know who long ago looked forward, as hundreds
of young men now look forward, to becoming orators, with power to sway
the multitudes, to guide and lead them to higher things. But instead of
orators we call them fossils. Instead of attracting they repel. They
begin whenever permitted and never stop until so commanded. They are
brought out and used in emergencies when no one else can be obtained,
but never otherwise. They are common hacks. Why is this? Not always
because such men do not possess ability. Some of them have followed the
world's greatest thinkers throughout their intricate reasonings and
profound solutions of life's most serious problems. But at the very
start they conceived wrong notions concerning the function of a public
speaker, an erroneous impression as to the utility and object of a
speech or popular address.
We have often noticed that superior minds are overlooked on popular
occasions and some man with less capacity and knowledge, far less
endowed with mental treasures, is called upon to do the honors of
the occasion. Why? Because he has the faculty of addressing himself
directly to the listeners and of adapting himself to their frame of
mind.
TEN COMMANDMENTS.
To those who would become speakers and avoid the mistakes that cause
the majority of failures, the following rules will be found valuable:
1. Do not try to tell all you know at any one time.
2. Do not try to appear deep, learned or poetical.
3. Do not try to prove every statement you make.
4. Use statistics sparingly.
5. Address yourself, not to the kind of men and women you would have
made had you been the Creator, but to the actual men and women who have
been created, who fill your halls and make up your audiences.
6. Make your talk personal and apply every point to the wants, woes and
sentiments of your listeners.
7. Never regret the half hour or the hour occupied by the music,
recitations, drama, or other entertainment preceding your speech.
8. Do not manifest impatience at the time consumed in short talks by
local speakers.
9. Remember that generally all the good that it is possible for you to
accomplish if your audience by preliminary exercises is brought into
rapport and sympathy with you, can be accomplished in half an hour.
If you can get the complete attention of your audience for half an
hour, they will have sufficient matter to fully occupy their thoughts
the rest of the day and night, and not only this, if your talk is
interesting and they go away hungry instead of satiated, they will
gladly attend the next meeting.
10. Be satisfied if you interest your hearers and be not greedy
to instruct. For those really interested by oratory will instruct
themselves by means of literature which is the only source of real
instruction. Oratory should win sentiment and stir interest; literature
performs the work of education. The speech fulfils its mission if it
persuades men to read aright.
ENTERTAINMENT.
A meeting that is half entertainment or if illustrations, anecdotes
and stories be included under the head of entertainment, a meeting
that is nine-tenths entertainment and one-tenth direct statement
of fact and reasoning therefrom, is of far more value than a three
hours' bombardment with facts, figures, arguments and the soundest
reasoning, directed by a master. The average human mind, as God made
it and as our present unsocial life has unmade it, will become wearied
by such an effort and leave the meeting with the firm resolve not to
attend another. Such meetings cannot be held often and do not win the
sympathies and co-operation of men nearly so much as a meeting planned
and arranged on the basis of adaptation to the capacities of the
average listener and his multiform emotions and mental wants. This is
the secret of the success of the popular churches. They do not try to
teach the people too much. They do not strain that organ, very weak in
the average human mind, known as the logical faculty.
Far more progress can be made in any community by instituting a
successful series of meetings, wherein serious reasoning occupies a
minor portion of the time, the rest filled in by entertainment, than
can be gained by meetings that furnish a perfect mine of wealth in the
way of food for thought and intellectual feasting for the few who have
the power to appreciate such things.[4]
[4] Of course the most effective methods of presenting our
cause can only be hinted at in a text-book. A month or several
months of personal training is requisite to give the student
a real understanding of the difference between the old method
and the new. It is, therefore, urged that as many of the
younger speakers as possible attend and take direct, personal
instruction from the Faculty of the Volunteers' School in St.
Louis.
LIFE IS SHORT.
The length of the man's speech should be measured, not by his own
physical endurance nor the time that his breath lasts, not by the
amount that he has to say nor even by the capacity of his audience
to listen or to remain in the room, but in every case it should be
measured by the capacity of his hearers to enjoy.
Most political meetings are too long. Very often two or three speakers
are engaged, each harboring the erroneous opinion that duty requires
him to talk an hour. Now, any speaker who cannot say something good,
useful and inspiring in fifteen minutes, is incapable of saying
anything good, useful or inspiring at all.
Except in times of great excitement or in out-of-the-way country
districts where meetings are few and the hearers, like savages in a
forest, must gorge themselves when they have a chance, the speaking
should never, on any occasion, last more than an hour and a half.
Where there are three speakers, not only should each be limited to
half an hour but the chair should be filled by a man with pluck and
personality sufficiently great to tap the speaker on the shoulder when
his time is up.
I have seen more hoggishness displayed at political meetings than ever
at a dinner table. The man who sits down at a table and eats everything
in sight before his friends arrive, is a gentleman compared with the
fellow who occupies the time of his colleagues at a public meeting;
because, if by one man's greed all the food on the table is eaten,
other food can be obtained, but when some oratorical hog monopolizes
the opportunity of his fellow-speakers, he takes from his colleagues
what can never be replaced.
Our volunteers will accomplish a great work for humanity indeed if one
of their number succeeds in inventing a method to stiffen the backbones
of presiding officers sufficiently to enable them to sit down on that
species of "bore" who push themselves to the front, ask to speak first
by pledging to quit at a specified time and then talk on until the
audience begins to disperse. Few people appreciate the great loss
caused to a party or movement by the vacillating weakness of presiding
officers and the greedy instincts of men who like to be heard and, in
order to satisfy this instinct, "hog everything in sight."
One mission of the volunteer speaker is to teach etiquette to the
political speakers of our own party and when "Ex-Governor So-and-So"
and "Prosecuting Attorney Other-man" and "Judge Dry-Bones" and
"Ex-Judge Old Fogy" and "The Honorables" and "The Colonels" and "The
Generals" and the bulldozing youthful speakers assume to occupy time
not intended for them, to take the chairman by the arm and stand by his
side until he redeems the pledge made before the meeting and stops the
mouth of the insolent fellow who has not sense enough to regard the
rights of his fellow-workers.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION.
If a prominent man, known to be long-winded and lacking in this one
requisite of a gentleman, is present and it is uncertain that the
presiding officer has the courage necessary to call him down at the
right time, our voluble celebrity should be told that the position of
honor being the last on the program, it has been POSITIVELY given to
him. Thus the other speakers will have a chance to plant a few ideas
in the minds of their auditors before they are hopelessly wearied.
Although the last speaker may injure the general effect of the
meeting by his prolonged and drawn-out harangue, the self-assertive
and independent ones among the listeners can, at least, leave the room
when they get fatigued, without missing the opportunity of listening to
those whom they came to hear. This point is purposely emphasized, and
strong language not inadvertently used.
Where more than one speaker participates, there is nothing more
essential for a successful meeting than that each speaker be limited in
time by a pre-arranged plan, and that each be forced by the presiding
officer strictly to observe that limit.
MORE THAN TWO MILLION MEMBERS.
The success of the Christian Endeavor movement in the Protestant
churches is due almost solely to their method. The Christian Endeavor
Societies have no new message to the world; they advocate no reforms;
they do not add anything to the teaching of the church; do not even
take it back to any of those sublime truths of the past largely ignored
and forgotten by the modern church. But there is one simple reform in
the method of carrying on religious meetings to which the Christian
Endeavor Societies owe their success, and by means of which alone they
have gained more than two million members in little more than a decade.
This great and valuable secret is their system of two or three minute
addresses, and their requiring participation in the meeting by every
member.
Some of us are familiar with the old time Protestant prayer-meetings,
composed of five or six old men, from ten to thirty middle-aged and old
women, with a scattering boy or girl forced to attend by parents. The
prayers were long. The talks were dry. The presence of a young man or
woman was always a surprise.
The Christian Endeavor Society with the same theology, the same
message, the same hymns, not even having a new impulse, a new moral
ideal, or a new hope for the betterment of the world, but merely by
requiring each member to say a few words and requiring that they say
no more than a few words, has succeeded in joining together over two
million young people into a prayer meeting society. Young people and
prayer meetings! Always before suspicious of each other! Presto
change! Two million young people organize in fifteen years to attend
prayer meeting. The explanation of this miracle is ENFORCED BREVITY.
Short speeches, the extinction of bores, and the participation in each
meeting in some way by every listener are so far as method goes the
essentials for a great popular movement.
Good manners that have been taught to most of the world as regards
eating and drinking have begun to be introduced into the world of
meetings, religious and political, and when we see a feature, a little
reform of this kind, building up in a few years one of the largest and
most formidable religious organizations in the way of numbers that the
world has ever seen, the organizers and workers of the new Democracy
should profit thereby and at least learn the lesson, "Don't bore the
people." It were better that the long-winded talker were a Republican
or that he were thrown into the sea than that he should be allowed to
destroy our meetings by his prolonged and learned discourses. Flee from
the long-winded man, or else turn on him and make him sit down when
his time is up. Or do with him as you do with the man who displays
swinish proclivities when you invite him to dinner, DON'T INVITE HIM
AGAIN.
THE BUREAU OF VOLUNTEER SPEAKERS.
A community feels that it needs to be awakened, and desires to arrange
a series of meetings.[5] How can suitable speakers be had? So often
a mistake is made. A speaker goes off on a tangent; he carries his
hearers into a labyrinth of statistics and details, from which he
cannot extricate them; he makes one "break" that alienates more votes
than his whole speech wins, or in other ways proves himself incapable
of accomplishing good for the community that he visits.
[5] Advertising methods: Tickets afford the best method of
advertising meetings of all kinds. It is a personal, definite
invitation, and the surest "crowd-gatherer." In large cities
it may be necessary to issue from fifty thousand to one
hundred thousand, and have them carefully distributed, in
order to get out two thousand persons. In smaller places the
percentage of waste is not so great. Get the co-operation of
the press, if possible, but do not rely upon it. To the last
moment there is always danger of its deserting to the money
power, as the latter can bring almost irresistible pressure to
bear upon it. Print on every ticket a short list of the best
books, i. e., Lloyd's "Wealth against Commonwealth," Ely's
"Socialism and Social Reform," "Ten Men of Money Island,"
"Coin's Financial School," etc.
Heretofore such a man, by bulldozing prominent politicians into giving
him letters of recommendation, might impose himself on one community
after another, and continue for years to injure the party. By proper
co-operation of the party with the Bureau of Volunteers Speakers, this
evil, in a large measure, can be avoided, because this Bureau does not
send a man to speak until it is thoroughly acquainted, not only with
his character, but his capacities and judgment, and knows his method
of argument and what he is to advocate. When young and comparatively
inexperienced speakers are sent out, it is known beforehand what is to
be said, as their speeches are prepared and rehearsed in advance. They
must know what they have to say, and not trust to inspiration, which
often results in perspiration for the speaker, and exasperation for the
hearers.
Every speaker sent out will present the great fundamental truths of our
movement and not waste time in arguing details, which only supplies our
enemies with new weapons to use against us. His speech beforehand has
been pruned and criticised; the dead branches lopped off; the twigs and
vines cleared from the trunk of the tree, and he is prepared to do only
such work as will make converts and deepen the convictions of those
already with us.
There exists no other Bureau or Headquarters in America, through which
Democratic organizations can obtain at all times the best talent, and
never fail to get a man who will strengthen their local organization.
Again, when meetings are held regularly in a town and a work of
systematic education is carried on, it often happens that one speaker
following another repeats over again the same statistics, the same
arguments and even the same stories heard before, thereby tiring the
audience. But when a community is supplied regularly by the National
Bureau, each speaker takes up a different phase of the great problem,
recapitulating only the few fundamental truths on which our movement
rests. Each presents also something new, bright and spicy of his
own. By this arrangement every community can enjoy the benefits of a
succession of good speakers every month or week during the whole four
years, and escape the persecution of those unteachable bores, who think
themselves speakers. The crowds at these regular periodical meetings
will increase, because each time they will hear something just as good
as the last time, with added special features, the result of individual
genius.
At present, when a speaker is wanted, anybody is invited who happens to
be available, his abilities being measured by his own recommendation,
or by letters bulldozed from prominent men, who, for reasons of
political prudence dared not offend so energetic a fellow. A community
in this way may secure a good speech occasionally, but often the
speaker is a positive injury to the cause. One poor speech in a series
does more to lessen the general interest and reduce the size of the
crowds thereafter, than can be overcome by half a dozen good speeches.
Of course, where the local Democracy can secure the services of some
one of our national leaders, no bureau mediation is needed, but our
national leaders are few and the work before us limitless, therefore
the service of the Volunteers' Bureau in training, equipping and
guaranteeing a large number of new speakers who can be secured at any
time, by any community, at a moderate expense, is meeting with hearty
response by Democratic clubs generally.
The best way to make a strong club anywhere is to institute a series of
meetings, all the year round, and, by having at least one able speaker
each time, never to disappoint the audience.
Let each town and village establish a lecture course at once, and place
itself in communication with the Volunteers' Bureau. The more numerous
and closer together such villages and towns are, the smaller will be
the expense to each community and the easier will it be to make up
regular circuits for speakers.
THE CO-OPERATION OF CONSTITUENTS NECESSARY.
Although every speaker sent out is guaranteed to do effective work,
the leaders of each community are urgently requested to report to
headquarters at once, the success or short-comings of each speaker
and meeting. Without such co-operation, the Bureau cannot keep that
oversight of its hundreds of speakers necessary to raise the standard
of work to the highest efficiency. It is assuredly the duty of local
workers to give straight-forward reports to headquarters, of the
short-comings and "breaks" on the part of the representatives of our
Bureau, who represent our party and for whom our party is responsible
as well as to report the benefits resulting from each meeting. The
fact should also be emphasized that each representative of the Bureau
receives a letter of recognition and instruction once a month from
headquarters, and his standing with the Bureau should be judged solely
by such letters or by direct correspondence. We must be able, when any
speaker fails on his part to fulfill our requirements, to cease our
connection with, and our responsibility for him.