Opis: Speeches of Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 30 - Wilson Woodrow

Excerpt from Speeches of Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 30: Notable Addresses by the President on Great Public Occasions, Including Messages to Congress

The public speeches of Woodrow Wilson since he became President of the United States are not many, nor are they long. Yet they have made a distinct impression on the public mind. There is a widespread idea that, at least from the standpoint of literature and lofty ideals, these speeches outrank those of any President since the days of Abraham Lincoln.

They represent a comparatively new side of Woodrow Wilson; certainly they have within the past two years revealed that side to the people of the United States for the first time. Mr. Wilson's professional training and life were never those of the orator. He was, rather, a student in seclusion. For many years a master of pure English, it was the English of the writer rather than of the speaker. Not until Mr. Wilson became a candidate for the governorship of New Jersey did the revelation come that he was a platform speaker of rare skill and felicity; that the "college professor" could strike the human note with extraordinary force and that the man of the classroom could go before the people of the country and "think on his feet."

During his term as Governor of New Jersey Mr. Wilson added greatly to his reputation as a public speaker. Even then, as now, he was not given to many speeches. But when he talked he had something to say, he knew how to say it and when to say it; he displayed a keen realization of the fact that a long speech is seldom a great speech, and he had the faculty of putting his ideas into words, phrases and sentences that have steadily given emphasis to the belief that he creates literature almost offhand.

After he became President his audience automatically increased. It included not only the people of all States, but of all political parties. Mr. Wilson, however, did not increase his output because of that fact. Rather, he curtailed it. By comparison with other Presidents of recent years, he speaks seldom and invariably more briefly. Because of this, the audience never seems to tire. It is eager to listen and to read.

President Wilson's speeches during the past two years fall into two classes - his formal addresses to Congress and his addresses to meetings of citizens. The method of preparation is different in each case. Mr. Wilson writes and reads his addresses to Congress. His other speeches are made without written preparation.

In the case of his addresses to Congress, when he revived the custom established by George Washington of reading them in person, Mr. Wilson has invariably read from manuscript. It can be said of these addresses that they do not possess the charm or spontaneity of his other speeches. But there is a sound reason for reading them. They are, in a peculiar sense, official documents. Every word must be weighed for its effect, every idea set forth with a view to the fact that it is being submitted to another branch of the government for formal consideration. His speeches outside of Congress possess less of an official character, despite the fact that it is, of course, impossible to separate a President from his office when he opens his lips to speak.

His mind is always prepared. He has trained it to be orderly, precise and attentive to the matter in hand. It is his alert obedient servant. He does not talk on subjects of which he has no knowledge, so that always there is a solid foundation for what he says.

Usually the President makes some notes of what he proposes to say. Knowing his subject generally, he subdivides it. He gets clearly in his mind the chief points that he proposes to make and he sets down a memorandum of them. Beyond that, he depends upon himself and the occasion. The President is not a slave to his notes. Rather, he is apt to regard voluminous notes as a handicap; he is restive under the restrain they impose. He prefers to be u

Szczegóły: Speeches of Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 30 - Wilson Woodrow

Nazwa: Speeches of Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 30 Notable Addresses by the President on Great Public Occasions, Including Messages to Congress (Classic Reprint)
Autor: Wilson Woodrow
Wydawnictwo: FB &c Ltd
Kod paskowy: 9781331290346
Języki: angielski
Ilość stron: 74
Format: 15.2x22.9cm
Oprawa: Miękka

Recenzje: Speeches of Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 30 - Wilson Woodrow