How to Master the Spoken Word / Designed as a Self-Instructor for all who would Excel in the Art of Public Speaking

author of “the power of speech,” “speech making,” “the lawrence reader and speaker”
(A. C. McClurg & Co. logo)
A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY CHICAGO, NINETEEN THIRTEEN
Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co. 1913
Published March, 1913
W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO
To WILLIAM EDWIN HALL As a mark of appreciation and affection I dedicate this book
“Give me that man That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him In my heart’s care, ay, in my heart of heart, As I do thee”
This work aims to show how to breathe correctly, produce voice properly, put the meaning into words by aid of inflection, emphasis, and the tones of the voice; how to improve the memory, acquire fluency of speech, control an audience, construct speeches, and in every way become competent to think on one’s feet and express thought vocally in an entertaining, convincing, and moving manner. It is intended as a text-book to aid in making students proficient in the art of vocal expression. It aims to cover the field exhaustively, dealing in a comprehensive manner with all subjects pertaining to the construction and the delivery of speeches.
There are so many books treating of the subject of oratory that there would appear scant room for another, but as they all treat mainly of the way to speak, and only give general instructions as to how to speak, there is, in the author’s opinion, a wide field for a book that explicitly shows not only what a person should employ in order to become a ready and effective speaker but also gives specific instructions as the employment of those means.
This book is intended to take the place of the living teacher wherever the services of a thoroughly competent one cannot be secured, or where the student desires to work in the privacy of his own room, and the aim of the author is to make it more practical and of greater value than any of the so-called “Personal Correspondence Courses” now being exploited, and for which exorbitant fees are charged. It may, however, be used to equal advantage by the teacher in the class room as a text-book.