THERE seems to be a marked effort this year to give greater importance to the subject of Elocution. Mr. Hayes still continues his courses in that subject, Mr. Copeland is giving a largely attended course in Reading and Speaking, and tomorrow night Rev. Edward E. Hale delivers a lecture upon the Art of Extemporary Speaking. The ability to speak well what one thinks, to clothe ideas concisely in appropriate and unaffected words, and, moreover, to pronounce them correctly is an art generally neglected by college men. Yet the subject is not the indifferent one it seems to many; it connects itself more or less with every man. To any man called upon for a public speech this training is of great value; and it has much to do with making a good conversationalist. It leads, moreover, to a better pronunciation of the English language. The fault of clipping and slurring and mis-pronouncing words is often laid to Americans and not unjustly. Still further these courses have another advantage in giving a deeper insight into the beauties of prose and verse and the ability to recognize them more clearly. Upon the whole, then, this subject of speaking is not an idle one and its value should be better recognized.
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A Festivus for the Rest of Us
