ances such a person lacks tact. It is likewise lacking in those who do not hesitate to ridicule the defects, shortcomings or misfortunes of their fellowmen. These tactless people are likely in public address to omit the little touches which please, and, especially, are liable to blurt out things that offend. A man who in a social gathering will refer heartlessly to a distorted feature or a crippled limb is in danger in public address of speaking with purposeless contempt of a man who has friends in the audience, or of an institution which numbers staunch supporters among his listeners. The tactful speaker will not do such a thing, and as the once common sign put it, "others must not."

The tactful speaker's characteristic attitude will be one which interprets acts and motives in the best light, consistent with the facts; he will show a readiness to give the other fellow the proverbial benefit of the doubt. He will avoid the vulgar phrase, the cynical turn, the tone of irreverence in speaking of things which some, at least, of his auditors hold in esteem. On the positive side, whenever he can do so without flattery, he will indirectly compliment the judgment, taste, knowledge, or ability of his listeners, or in some other unobtrusive way make them feel that he has a good opinion of them. Unobtrusiveness, it is to be noted, is the key-note of

tact; anything which might appear glaring, forced, or awkward, by its very absence shows

tact.

D. SUMMARY

In the present chapter, self-confidence, sincerity, and charm have been presented as the personal qualities most desirable in the speaker. In the discussion of the first quality, it was pointed out that an attack of timidity is often due merely to a fancied inability to express one's thoughts, or to a sudden notion that one's thoughts are common-place. Such causes of timidity are trivial weaknesses, which should be opposed by a little show of determination. To provide for selfconfidence in the larger sense, broad and thoughtful reading, and careful, appreciative observation were advocated. Furthermore, it was urged that speakers accustom themselves to expressing their thoughts by writing, by more fully developed conversations, and by "thinking aloud" in private. The second personal quality, sincerity, was discussed as a strong convincing and persuasive factor. A man who shows by his words and manner that he believes earnestly what he says is capable of securing results which a mere talker or poser cannot accomplish. It was especially emphasized that sincerity in speaking springs from sincerity as a habitual attitude in

everyday life. The third desirable characteristic of the speaker is charm. This quality was analyzed as consisting chiefly of: (1) modesty, an avoidance of any tinge of bluster or self-sufficiency; (2) geniality, which connotes openness, cheerfulness, good-humor, and optimism; and (3) tact, which is based upon a habitually sympathetic attitude toward one's fellowmen, and an ability to say the right thing at the right time, and to avoid saying anything that will wound or offend.

CHAPTER X

THE SPEAKER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS SUBJECT

From the essential personal qualities, we turn to the proper attitude of the speaker toward his subject. This attitude should be characterized by familiarity with the subject-matter, a spirit of fairness, and a marked degree of interest.

A. FAMILIARITY WITH THE SUBJECT

In order to secure the confidence of his listeners, the speaker should be able to impress them that he is adequately informed about the topic under consideration. This impression must not be conveyed in such a way as to violate the principle of modesty. Of course, if a man's travels or experiences have fitted him particularly to present a certain subject, it is entirely within the bounds of propriety to state, in opening, the opportunities which he has had. Usually, however, the impression of mastery should come as an inference on the part of the audience. This will be the case when the speaker is "full of his subject." In

that event, instead of giving evidence of meager or last-minute preparation, he will suggest by his sureness of procedure and his amplitude of material that he knows more about the topic than he can compass into the limited space of a single address.

Such an indication of mastery depends somewhat upon organization of the general plan, the skillful use of details, examples, illustrations; in part upon the self-confidence of the speaker; but it depends most of all upon the thoroughness with which the material is gathered and digested. It is for this reason that, other things being equal, the speakers who most clearly evince mastery of their subjects are those who speak from personal experience. Admiral Peary on "Polar Exploration," or Miss Jane Addams on "Social Service" immediately gain the full confidence of their hearers. But only a few speeches, relatively, can be made from personal experience; and the disadvantage must be minimized as much as possible by thoroughness of research. The more exhaustively one covers the best that has been written on a given topic, the greater is one's chance of creating the impression of mastery in speaking. This somewhat obvious statement is intended as a warning to those who would attempt to make a speech by paraphrasing one or two magazine articles. While such a thing might be excusable