degree. The powers slumber within him; and the teacher's duty is
not to create but awaken, draw out, develop and guide these
inborn gifts.

Now, the question is--By what standard shall the speaker be
trained? The master-hand of Shakespere has framed a set of rules
that will stand for all time as the most pregnant piece of wisdom
ever penned on the art of elocution. Though Hamlet's advice is
addressed to actors, there is scarcely a line which the young
orator can afford to ignore. He would do well to commit the
entire piece to memory.

[Side note: Shakespere's advice to speakers]

"Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you,
trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of our
players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do
not saw the air too much with your hand thus: but use all gently;
for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of
your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may
give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul, to hear a
robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to
very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings; who, for the
most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and
noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'er-doing
Termagant; it out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it. Be not too
tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the
action to the word, the word to the action; with this special
observance, that you o'er-step not the modesty of nature; for
anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end,