dduced from a score of
sources. Even from the seemingly far-removed phase of military
leadership comes the same support. The following paragraph is part of
a letter issued by the office of the Adjutant-General during the
early months of the participation of this country in the Great War.

"A great number of men have failed at camp because of
inability to articulate clearly. A man who cannot impart his
idea to his command in clear distinct language, and with
sufficient volume of voice to be heard reasonably far, is not
qualified to give command upon which human life will depend.
Many men disqualified by this handicap might have become
officers under their country's flag had they been properly
trained in school and college. It is to be hoped therefore
that more emphasis will be placed upon the basic principles
of elocution in the training of our youth. Even without
prescribed training in elocution a great improvement could be
wrought by the instructors in our schools and colleges,
regardless of the subjects, by insisting that all answers be
given in a loud, clear, well rounded voice which, of course,
necessitates the opening of the mouth and free movement of
the lips. It is remarkable how many excellent men suffer from
this handicap, and how almost impossible it is to correct
this after the formative years of life."

Perhaps the most concise summary of the relative values of exercise in
the three different forms of communication through language was
enunciated by Francis Bacon in his essay entitled _Studies_, published
first in 1597: "Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and
writing an exact man."

Speech and Talk. The high value here placed upon speech must not be
transferred to mere talk. The babbler will always be justly regarded
with contempt. Without ideas, opinions, information, talk becomes the
most wasteful product in the world, wasteful not only of the time of
the person who insists upon delivering it, but more woefully and
unjustifiably wasteful of the time and patience of those poor victims
who are forced to listen to it. Shakespeare put a man of this
disposition into _The Merchant of Venice_ and then had his discourse
described by another.

"Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any
man in all Venice. His reasons are as two grains of wheat hid
in two bushels of chaff: you shall seek all day