Here we come to the use of the pen. All the great orators of the world
have been prolific writers in the sense of writing out their thoughts.
It is the only certain way to clarify your thought, to test it in
advance of verbal expression and to examine it critically. The public
speaker should write much in order to form a clear and flowing English
style. It is surprising how many of our thoughts which appear to us
clear and satisfactory, assume a peculiar vagueness when we attempt to
set them down definitely in writing.

The use of the pen tends to give clearness and conciseness to the
speaker's style. It makes him careful and accurate. It aids, too, in
fixing the ideas of his speech in his mind, so that at the moment of
addressing an audience they will respond most readily to his needs.

A well-furnished mind is like a well-furnished house. In furnishing a
house we do not fill it up with miscellaneous furniture, bric-a-brac and
antiques, gathered promiscuously, but we plan everything with a view to
harmony, beauty, and utility. We furnish a particular room in a tone
that will be restful and pleasing to the occupant. We choose every piece
of furniture, rug, picture, and drapery with a distinct purpose in view
of what the total effect will be.

So with a well-furnished mind. We must choose the kind of material we
intend to keep there. It should be chosen with a view to its beauty,
power, and usefulness. We want no rubbish there. We want the best
material available. Hence the vital importance of going to the right
sources for the furniture of our mind, to the great books of the world,
to living authorities, to nature, to music, to art, to the best wherever
it may be found.