Nature has no such favorites, therefore extends no credits. She is as relentless

as a gasoline tank--when the "gas" is all used the machine stops. It is as

reckless for a speaker to risk going before an audience without having something

in reserve as it is for the motorist to essay a long journey in the wilds

without enough gasoline in sight.

 

But in what does a speaker's reserve power consist? In a well-founded reliance

on his general and particular grasp of his subject; in the quality of being

alert and resourceful in thought--particularly in the ability to think while on

his feet; and in that self-possession which makes one the captain of all his own

forces, bodily and mental.

 

The first of these elements, adequate preparation, and the last, self-reliance,

were discussed fully in the chapters on "Self-Confidence" and "Fluency," so they

will be touched only incidentally here; besides, the next chapter will take up

specific methods of preparation for public speaking. Therefore the central theme

of this chapter is the second of the elements of reserve power--Thought.

 

_The Mental Storehouse_

 

An empty mind, like an empty larder, may be a serious matter or not--all will

depend on the available resources. If there is no food in the cupboard the

housewife does not nervously rattle the empty dishes; she telephones the grocer.

If you have no ideas, do not rattle your empty _ers_ and _ahs_, but _get_ some