us determine the exact situation. You, the author of a
moving play--you, its stage-director--have called us, your actors,
together for rehearsal. You know just how you wish the lines of your
play delivered. It is absolutely vital to the success of your venture
that we, the actors, should grasp your ideal of delivery and act upon
it. You must convince us that this is the only way in which you will
permit the text to be handled. You are the orator as Mr. Beecher has
drawn him for us. You will realize, in thinking your way through this
appeal, that, while the stage-director is addressing the whole company
of players, he has singled out from the others one who is to deliver a
particular speech from his play. It is well to follow this idea of the
situation. Include us all, then, as a class in your chosen cast, but
single out one of us, and speak directly at the mind of that one. Look
him straight in the eye. Direct your thought in the main to his mind,
even while your thought reaches out and draws us all into the circle of
its enthusiasm. Now, with this attitude and intent toward an audience,
try to vocally interpret, to _think aloud_ this thought. What is the
trouble? "Speak the speech" you say, "is a difficult combination of
words to utter"? "'Trippingly' trips up your tongue"? "You don't
understand the reference to a 'town-crier'"?

Ah, what discoveries we are making!

"You feel that you should be able to illustrate your own ideal of
delivery by delivering these directions after the very manner you ask
your players to observe"? That might legitimately be expected of you, I
think. "But this you cannot do!" What a shocking confession! Yes, but
how good to have this new knowledge of your own ability, or, in this
case, disability. How appalling to find that you cannot easily utter the
simple combination of words, "Speak the speech, I pray you," without
stumbling; that any word, a plain, simple English word, trips your
tongue. How appalling, but how encouraging it is! For the discovery of
this fact, the consciousness of these limitations, "constitutes half the
battle" before us. It is a battle. But you shall be equipped to meet it.
Turn to the chapters on "Freeing the Tone." Find the exercises for
training the tongue. Faithful practice of these exercises (even
_without_ direction, but, if you are a member of the class in expression
for which this book was made, _under_ direction) will very shortly
conquer the unruly tongue f