Chapter II: 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.