lusion
of the story. No matter how falteringly the story is told, it will
succeed if the point itself be made clear, and this is insured for even
the most embarrassed speaker by memorizing it.

The art of making the whole narration entertaining and amusing is to be
attained only by intelligent practise. It is commonly believed that
story-sellers are born, not made. As a matter of fact, however, the
skilled raconteurs owe their skill in great measure to the fact that
they are unwearying in practise. It is, therefore, recommended to any
one having ambition in this direction that he cultivate his ability by
exercising it. He should practise short and simple stories according to
his opportunities, with the object of making the narration smooth and
easy. An audience of one or two familiar friends is sufficient in the
earlier efforts. Afterward, the practise may be extended before a larger
number of listeners on social occasions. When facility has been attained
in the simplest form, attempts to extend the preliminary narrative
should be made. The preparation should include an effort to invest the
characters of the story; or its setting, with qualities amusing in
themselves, quite apart from any relation to the point. Precise
instruction cannot be given, but concentration along this line will of
itself develop the humorous perception of the story-teller, so that,
though the task may appear too difficult in prospect, it will not prove
so in actual experience. But, in every instance, care must be exercised
to keep the point of the story clearly in view, and to omit nothing
essential in the preparation for it.

In the selection of stories to be retailed, it is the part of wisdom to
choose the old, rather than the new. This is because the new story, so
called, travels with frightful velocity under modern social conditions,
and, in any particular case, the latest story, when told by you to a
friend, has just been heard by him from some other victim of it. But
the memory of most persons for stories is very short. Practically never
does it last for years. So, it is uniformly safe to present as novelties
at the present day the humor of past decades. Moreover, the exercise of
some slight degree of ingenuity will serve to give those touches in the
way of change by which the story may be brought up to date. Indeed, by
such adaptation, the story is made really one's own--as the professional
humorists thankfully admit!

INTRODUCTI