81
RIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1948
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PAGE THREE
Speech Making An Art, Not A Grammatical Treatise
By HARMAN W. NICHOLS
ington—(UP)—When a man switches from beach combing to public speaking he can forget a lot of what teacher taught him about tammer.
That's quoting Stuart J. Barnes, editor of "Speaker's Magazine," who sed to be a high school boy himself. Now he makes a nice writing
eeches for launchers of ships, in-ageurs of mayors, councilmen, ter dinner spielers—and even conessmen.
Mr. Barnes, who taught himself ow to write speeches, does all of its ghosting in the tiny basement of its home here; generally sitting in comfort in his carpet slippers and caring an old brown sweater.
He charges upward of $5 for a five-minute speech, depending on the amount of research. Filibusters cost $10 a yard. He has crowded into little book-lined cellar one of the most complete files on general pics in the country. He rarely has to go to the Library of Congress or help on research.
"A real fear most beginning public speakers have is that they will take mistakes in English," he said. After they have gained poise and confidence, this fear dwindles to its oper insignificance. Then they begin to adopt the attitude of Henry 'ard Beecher; "When the English language gets in my way, it doesn't and a chance."
Mr. Barnes claims there is nothing wrong with "saint" now and then, and occasion he'll spot you the phantom and beat you to the nearest bit infinitive or gummed up metaphor—"so long as it's plain talk."
"The trend today," he said, "is away from stiff, well-balanced ponereous sentences to short, concise ones, pithy, country style."
The "ghost" fingered his pompaw back where it belonged on hisark forehead and said he wouldlike to expand a little on the question of whether a speech should be read.
It's a fine theory; the business of
reading a speech. Trouble is, only a
can read one and read it the
should be read. They don't
w how to emphasize the words
when they go out over a loud
peaker they sound like Donald
duck.
The man who writes other folks' peeches for a living said most speakers would be better off to give the cript a good once over and pitch it way.
And how about leading off with your best wise crack?
Well, that depends. In and in your conversation and people now you for a sense of humor, it's right to spring off with a joke. "Be it Barnes warned, 'Be are that it fits the theme of the meeting you are addressing and is good taste. If you are talking before a bunch of junk dealers don't start with 'any old rags today, lady.' You might offend somebody." And as to the length of a speech, Mr. Barnes said few, if any speeches, would run more than 15 or 20 minutes.
In that connection, the "ghost" has some advice for the 81st congress, which already is whipping up some dandies for the next session. "Read the congressional record for the 80th congress—and some of those wong-imbred addresses. Take a cue, ents, and go on from there." So says speech-writer Barnes.
Will Give Prizes To Script Writers
The National Academy of Broadcasting in Washington, D.C., is offering to script writers several scholarships in a contest closing Feb. 1.
The grand prize will be a semester (16 weeks) of professional training in all phases of broadcasting studio work at the residence school in Washington. Other prizes will consist of residence courses in announcing, continuity writing, production, and a basic course offered by correspondence. Awards will be made by qualified judges on the merits of scripts submitted. Any type of original continuity, commercial, or dramatic writing, will be accepted.
Any student interested is invited to write to the academy, 3338 16th street, N.W., Washington 10, D.C.
DOLL BUGGIES
Anton Holmboe, a Danish postal clerk, is credited with inventing Christmas seals as a means of getting money to fight tuberculosis.
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