| PREFACE.—Objects of the Work stated | [3] |
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| INTRODUCTION—By Hon. John A. Bingham, Member of Congress | [7] |
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| PART I.—GENERAL PREPARATIONS. |
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| CHAPTER I. |
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| The Written and Extempore Discourse Compared—Illustrative Examples | [13] |
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| CHAPTER II. |
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| Prerequisites—Intellectual Competency; Strength of Body; Command of Language; Courage; Firmness; Self-reliance | [18] |
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| CHAPTER III. |
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| Basis of Speech—Thought and Emotion; Heart Cultivation; Earnestness | [27] |
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| CHAPTER IV. |
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| Acquirements—General Knowledge; of Bible; of Theology; of Men; Method by which such Knowledge may be obtained | [35] |
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| CHAPTER V. |
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| Cultivation—Imagination; Language; Voice; Gesture; Confidence; References to Distinguished Orators and Writers. | [42] |
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| PART II.—A SERMON. |
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| CHAPTER I. |
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| The Foundation for a Preacher—Subject; Object; Text; Hints to Young Preachers | [69] |
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| CHAPTER II. |
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| The Plan—Gathering Thought; Arranging; Committing; Practical Suggestions; Use of Notes | [80] |
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| CHAPTER III. |
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| Preliminaries for Preaching—Fear; Vigor; Opening Exercises; Requisites for a Successful Discourse | [96] |
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| CHAPTER IV. |
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| The Divisions—Introduction, Difficulties in Opening; Discussion, Simplicity and Directness; Conclusion | [104] |
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| CHAPTER V. |
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| After Considerations—Success; Rest; Improvement; Practical Suggestions | [115] |
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| PART III.—SECULAR ORATORY. |
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| CHAPTER I. |
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| Instructive Address—Fields of Oratory; Oral Teaching; Lecturing | [123] |
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| CHAPTER II. |
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| Miscellaneous Address—Deliberative; Legal; Popular; Controversial; the Statesman; the Lawyer; the Lecturer; the Orator | [127] |
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| PART IV. |
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| Eminent Speakers Described—St. Augustine; Luther; Lord Chatham; William Pitt; Edmund Burke; Mirabeau; Patrick Henry; George Whitefield; John Wesley; Sidney Smith; F. W. Robertson; Henry Clay; Henry B. Bascom; John Summerfield; C. H. Spurgeon; Henry Ward Beecher; Anna E. Dickinson; John A. Bingham; William E. Gladstone; Matthew Simpson; Wendell Phillips; John P. Durbin; Newman Hall, and others | [133] |
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| APPENDIX. |
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| The Chairman’s Guide—How to Organize and Conduct Public Meetings and Debating Clubs in Parliamentary style | [199] |