ON THE STUMP.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2043, 22 July 1875, Page 2

ON THE STUMP.

If a man would but realise, or attempt to realise in his own mind how eminently ridiculous he may sometimes look when addressing a public meeting, or, if he were to read but a copy of his own speech as by himself actually delivered, with all its breaks, pauses, stammering, and hesilatations faithfully set down, we should have, we opine, fewer" men. who deliberately choose to make spectacles of themselves as stump orators; much valuable time might be saved, and those who are really capable of stating sensible views in a clear and concise manner would have many more opportunities of being heard. Many a man in whom the bump of selfesteem is so well developed that he feels a delight in. hearing his own tongue going—unconscious of the nonsense he talks, or ,the ass he looks —would feel angry and insulted if it were hinted to him that his flowers of oratory were, after all, not very entertaining, or that a considerable distance existed between him, as a speaker, and' Mr Gladstone or Bishop Magee. Whereas, if it were even suggested that his oratiors were not much more useful, and not half so entertaining as the platform speeches of Mackney, or any other of the numerous nigger delineators of stump oratory, h'#wdufti consider the suggester not only devoid of common sense, but perhaps bo his mortal enemy for life. And yet this is, in a great measure, true of many who address public meetings, and look on their speeches with that feeling of pride which a man may be supposed.to feel on the success of his son, or one whom he has taught to do some great thing successfully. The blackened face of the professional stump orator, and his grotesque attire, with the necessary umbrella, are indeed wanting; but often the speech itself is spoken as little to the purpose as any of the amusing nonsense uttered by the actor. And when, the •speaker has finished, amidst the ever forthcoming applause of the audiencesome of whom, perhaps, applaud because he has finished—many who heard it have no just notion of what he has • been endeavouring to speak about. And yet the speaker frequently imagines that he has led the hearts of all who heard him to "dwell on his words." He calls to mind that even Demosthenes suffered from an, impediment in his speech, andfeels happily conscious in his own mind of having made his mark ! So easily satisfied a quality seems to be self-conceit. , There are many differences, however, "of-ihose . who choose to go "on the stump," and even at the. Thames fair •' specimens " may be found. There is first—though we wish to give no pride of place—the Energetic Orator, who accompanies his speech with so .much action, in the way of gesticulation with his hands and stamping with his .feet, nodding with his head and jerking his body about in divers postures, that the actual amount of physical exertion undergone in the course of his speech would form no inconsiderable item in the work , gone through by an athlete in training for a prize fight. He seems to forgot that by emphasising every word ivith stampings or shakings he loses all emphasis, and that, contortions do not carry weight to the sentence, or add force to the argument ; but simply serve to make him ridiculous. There is another form which is a great favorite with those who allow no latitude of opinion contrary to their own, but argue simply—and the mode of their argument is very simple indeed—that tho views they urge must be right and consequently that all others must be wrong. Instead, however, of showing or attempting to show wherein the fallacy 'consists, they .content themselves with pouring a torrent of stormy invective against the opposite party—no matter of what their abuse consists, so long as. it is abuse. Their atitudes and. gestures must also involve considerable exercise, as with hand clenched and arm extended they pour forth their invective, somewhat after the pictures we have seen of " Jeremiah cursing Jerusalem;" and though they may wish - good results to follow from their harangues, yet one cannot help calling to mind that Miss Murdstone doubtless wished the same, when, according to Dickens she said her prayers "as if she were calling all the congregation names." The Egotistical Orator I

also ■ goes not unfrequently --« on ''■ the stump ; " he also speaks but little to' the point, though;ho "may, wish to, for the obtrusive personal pronoun "I" will keep forcing itself in, until the audience are afi almost led to'believe that it is their boundeh 1 duty to praise the speaker addressing them as the source" whence all their Blessings flow. There also goes-oh': thb stump the man who wishes to speak, if he fould,. and would gladly speak Ho f. the point. He may, perhaps, have really sound arguments to urge, but so incapable is he of speaking that they might just as well not exist at all for all the benefitlikely to accrue from them. He might further^.is cause by .stating them to a friend who would, be able to place them fairly before the meeting, but sq.anxio_us.Js,he to distinguish himself, and so afraid Jest he be robbed of the praiser he thinks due to his sugestions, that he prefers to blurt them out himself with ludicrous attempts at a flow of language'!almost painful to behold; and after a few liesitating remarks,, and an evident anxiety to say something which he has in,mind, but which for the life of him he "cannot get out, he is obliged to sit down covered with confusion. There are many other varieties,' almost, as the advertiseirients* sometimes say, too numerous to mention, of those who habitually go on the stump —the stammering man, who has no business to speak at all «s he only annoys 'his audience if in a bad temper, and ! mates them in a bad temper if they chance to be in a good one.,. The witty speaker who .thinks of some jest before the meeting which is to convulse his hearers, and which, he.labors throughout his speech to bring in adroitly—:no matter how much the. speech may suffer—and generally fails, and so delivers his joke point blank where it is entirely out of place and then .-retires- with a feeling of disappointment .and anger, at the dulness of those whom he addressed. Time would fail to tell of all the kindsof men who, more or less, go on the., stump, suchas the Enquiring Orator whbaddresses animaginary opponentbythe words, "what will you if, etc?" The Pacific* Orator, who tries to act as oil on .the.water between two rival'debaters' by suggesting some middle course equally repugnant "to either'.ahd so gets simply blamed byboth. The Nervous Orator, w.hose sense .of'ielf is so painfully apparent that he .cannot utter a single sentence coherently,, and retires into his shell (speaking metaphorically) conscious of having made himself a fool—and that, moreover, to no purpose. All these "specimens'! exist,.and many more than these—men who have much good in them, and might be of much use if they would but get over the idea-that nature intended them for speaking, and so take no pains to cultivate' any-talent for speaking they may possess, which in some no doubt is very considerable. Of these for the present enough, *• Tempus fugit;" and the hour for publication draweth nigh. '. - - ■ - .■; „.,,