words; the talker gains as much from his conversation as the listener. You

sometimes begin to converse on a subject thinking you have very little to say,

but one idea gives birth to another, and you are surprised to learn that the

more you give the more you have to give. This give-and-take of friendly

conversation develops mentality, and fluency in expression. Longfellow said: "A

single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years'

study of books," and Holmes whimsically yet none the less truthfully declared

that half the time he talked to find out what he thought. But that method must

not be applied on the platform!

 

After all this enrichment of life by storage, must come the special preparation

for the particular speech. This is of so definite a sort that it warrants

separate chapter-treatment later.

 

_Practise_

 

But preparation must also be of another sort than the gathering, organizing, and

shaping of materials--it must include _practise_, which, like mental

preparation, must be both general and special.

 

Do not feel surprised or discouraged if practise on the principles of delivery

herein laid down seems to retard your fluency. For a time, this will be

inevitable. While you are working for proper inflection, for instance,

inflection will be demanding your first thoughts, and the flow of your speech,

for the time being, will be secondary. This warning, however, is strictly for