Henry Clinton-“Didjuh ever hear of the little goil who found a boid on thoity-thoid street?"

Oliver Cabot-"Would you listen to the East SideWest Side! Can't you say, Did you eva heah of the gehl who found a behd on thehty-thed street?"

Randolph Lee-"Worse and worse, Bacon Hill. I nevah spec te hyeuh uv enny such lil gel or berd or streut." Martin MacBride-"You fellers are craazy. Are you too tongue-tied to say everr hearr of a gerrll who found a berrd on therrty-therrd strreet?"

Obviously, this would be an exaggerated report of any such conversation; yet those who have been present during similar situations and have noted the characteristic physical attitudes and gestures of the speakers could identify them as natives of distinct sections of America. This country is divided less into states than into sections caused by racial and geographic and economic distinctions.

Speech and mannerisms tend to become standardized. rather characteristically in New England, the Middle Atlantic States, the South, the Middle West, the Far West. In each section the inhabitants understand each other as well as may be expected, and they appear surprised or displeased by the vocal, physical and temperamental peculiarities of their compatriots from other sections.

Probably a national standardization in speech will result from at least three great centers of influence: New York City with its control of radio broadcasting, Chicago with its tremendous sales organization sending out representatives from its great distributing center, and Los Angeles with its Hollywood headquarters of talking movies. Thus there are future opportunities for trained speakers who can fit into the radio, selling, and movie professions to exert a powerful influence upon the ways by which Americans suggest, communicate, and stimulate ideas and emotions.

More valuable, however, is the college student or grad

uate who can join the great ones of the world's history in showing marked originality. Refreshing new departures in speech methods are of more value than standardization if they result in influential and successful speeches which have marked effect upon human conduct.

Homer was not merely a composer of epic poetry; he was a distinctive singer. Edwin Booth studied and introduced new ways of presenting Shakespere's characters to audiences. Bryan was significant less for what he said. than for the way he said it, although his apparent sincerity won thousands of hearts to his losing causes. Millions of Americans delighted to imitate Roosevelt's vigorous mannerisms; he was different from most presidents. Wilson's phrases have made his speeches memorable. Billy Sunday's indoor gymnastics and fiery invectives have drawn hundreds of thousands of persons to see and hear him, who might not have been attracted by his doctrines. Hoover's genuine dignity captivates and holds more than his printed photographs would lead one to believe. Al Smith's personal charm and ability to humanize even the most technical affairs of state have made millions love him. Should you try to imitate these speakers you will only make yourself ridiculous. They are originals, unstandardized. Each of the rest of us in his own way and in his own tongue can be himself, original, unstandardized.

Project. You are sitting before a microphone at the ringside of the Tunney-Heeney "Boxing Contest". You are the radio announcer addressing your unseen audience of millions of temporary enthusiasts all over the Englishspeaking world. The challenger has just climbed through the ropes. You dramatize the formalities. Give your audience the last two rounds, at least. Remember that you are heard not merely by gentlemen of the sporting fraternity but also by hordes of other erstwhile devotees of the "manly art of modified murder": fathers, mothers,

young girls, grandfathers and grandmothers, and children. who ought to be in bed. Graham MacNamee could not be too specific; he said, "Heeney's nose is now . . . not so good . . . as a nose." There are two natures struggling within you; one urges Make This Seem Exciting; the other cautions I Mustn't Tell All I Know.

3. He Who Broadens Flattens, He Who Deepens Nar

rows.

One of the tragedies of life is that the world is so full of good things to appreciate and do, which only specialists can completely appreciate and satisfactorily accomplish. A member of a girl's college social society was asked what the aim for the particular year was; and she replied, "We have decided to concentrate." "Good. Upon what do you concentrate?" "Oh, upon just everything!" The club's wagon was hitched to a constellation.

Project. Select an important, abstract subject; examples are: Behaviorism, Pragmatism, Patriotism, Communism, Loyality, Morality, Repression, Individualism...

Choose one phase of your big subject and talk about it. Be specific, be concrete, give actual examples and illustrations of what you mean. Interpret briefly what you have said and done. You are to concentrate, particularize, define, and conclude. Tell a story, paint a picture, and tell in simple language what it means.

C. SPECIALIZATION

1. The Man Who Knows And Knows That He Knows Is Rare-Follow Him.

To gain assurance and acknowledgment of success a student must learn to be a specialist. While he is in college. his job is to be or become an intelligent, efficient college

student, even a scholar. It is true that there should be a certain degree of satisfaction in becoming some sort of specialized college student. Clubs and fraternities usually choose new members for special qualities of probable or proved success. In universities there are: Phi Betas, Varsity Letter Men, Actors, Journalists, Social Lions, Managers, Treasurers, and the possibly unfortunate young men and women who are always chosen as Secretaries. Universities are tending to become cross sections of the world at large. A student cannot be and do everything. If he tries to be a jack at all trades he will probably master none. Yet, occasionally, an exceptional Freshman enrolls who finally qualifies to become a Rhodes Scholar; although even he usually finds it advisable at Oxford to confine his interests to his lectures and research and to not more than one sport or other extracurricular activity.

Nevertheless, any student who knows how to do one job well can become a worthy speaker on that subject. Recently, a university student in a speech course, a short, stocky, blond, bashful lad, confessed to the instructor that he was decidedly "up against it" for a subject upon which he could make a speech. He said that he knew nothing about the dozens of topics which had been suggested, and that he was finding it "tough enough sledding" to "get by" with his courses at all, let alone knowing much about anything in particular. Something about the young fellow's physical makeup and phraseology suggested that here, after all, was the "dark horse" who had been responsible for his fraternity's championship in the annual boxing contests. His speech on The Art of Defensive Fighting was the hit of his section in the speech course. He had probably assumed that it would not have been polite to make a public address on what happened to be his specialty.

When a grocer has a speech to make before a Rotary

Club his club-mates would rather hear him talk on Potatoes At One Cent A Pound than upon The Fourth Dimension. An engineer might be able to speak with authority upon The Proposal of a New Stadium for the High-School. A milliner when addressing her Business Women's Luncheon Club should be able to hold her audience with an explanation of Why You Pay Fifty Dollars For A Dollar's Worth of Material. A bond salesman might, conceivably, explain The Nebular Hypothesis; but there would be standing room only if he could speak with authority on Next Month's Prospects For General Motors Common. There is an excellent sugeon in a small city on the Mississippi who is fairly well qualified to speak on a score of literary subjects; but what he had to say on Sinclair Lewis' "Arrowsmith" was worth travelling across the state of Illinois to listen to. Let a "shark" in college explain How I Got My A Plus In Descriptive Geometry and he could draw an audience of all of the Freshman engineers. If a threeletter-man could be persuaded to tell why the experts put him on an All-American team he would probably discover that he is an important speaker, after all.

Project. With the aid of your imagination as publicity agent, choose just the audience which would suit you best for a speech on the one activity in which you excel. It may be writing sonnets, or breaking the speed limit, or marathon dancing, or running through a broken field, or "doping exams.' Tell your visualized, enthusiastic audience how YOU do it. Include your response to applause.

2. Some Are To The Manor Born, Some Speakers Are Wedded To The Manner.

We had a student one Summer who spoke on a variety of subjects, sometimes on several subjects in the same talk. The class was interested in what he said, but more espe