ate and House of Representatives, but there are vastly more persons to-day than then who give some heed to the never ceasing discussion of press and platform. Every step in the growth of the press, in the rapidity of communication, in the ease with which large bodies of people can be brought together in assembly, aids in rendering this debate of business questions nation wide. Our pressing problems of the railroads, of strikes, of the relation of labor and capital, of taxation, of the debts to us from our allies, of government regulation, are being debated not only in Congress and in the press but before countless associations, and not only by our political representatives but by those who are still actively sharing in the risks of capital, the responsibilities of management or the aspirations of labor.

The operation of all four of these causes that have pushed the man of business to the platform was at first retarded but finally accelerated by the World War. All the arts of salesmanship were employed in distributing the Liberty bonds. Every existing association lent itself to patriotic service, and the need for enormous economic productivity required an unexampled development of business organization. It became a patriotic necessity that the affairs of many business undertakings should gain the interest and sympathy of the public. And though every issue and difference might be subordinated to the main purpose of winning the War, it soon became evident that, when the War was won, our people would return to an eager discussion of economic, industrial, and financial problems.

It may be asked whether all this discussion affords much genuine eloquence. This is a question which has occurred to many of the gentlemen who have been asked for permission to include their speeches in this volume. They have modestly replied, "We are not orators, we do not make eloquent speeches, we simply say things in a straightforward fashion." It is no doubt true that their speeches are often expository and informative rather than appeals to feeling. The business man is not usually an emotionalist and he is likely to hold his fancy closely leashed to common sense. What are the qualities of modern eloquence? It appeals, we believe, to the reason rather than to

passion and prejudice. It should have the support of ideas as well as of carrying voice and graceful gesture. But eloquence is something more than the sensible and reasonable presentation of facts and opinions. It is the transmission of personality from speaker to audience; and personality is revealed less by the operation of the reason than in the play of the feelings, sympathies and imagination. The eloquent man, whether ancient or modern, whether in business or profession, has the power of conveying his personality to his hearers. The business man who becomes a public speaker must appeal to emotions as well as intelligence. He must seek to win the attention and the interest and finally the sympathy and approval of his audience for himself as well as for his cause. Mr. George Vincent, one of our most eloquent speakers, reports as almost the greatest compliment he ever received the comment of a Kansas farmer at the close of one of his addresses: "He ain't no orator but he's a damned good talker."

No such collection as that presented in this volume has ever been made before. It presents speeches on topics of interest in modern commerce and industry made in almost all cases by leaders in these fields and usually before assemblies representing organizations of business men. The collection should prove of interest to the reading public and especially to young men in business who are ambitious to become public speakers. The speeches in the volume constitute a survey from various points of view of the economic and industrial subjects which are of most pressing interest at the present time. The larger problems of ethics in business, of the relation of labor and capital and of the financial reconstruction of a war-stricken world, are discussed by those who must take an active part in their solution. And there are many more specialized themes of vital importance. The book becomes an epitome of the world's debate over its business problems.

The speeches are interesting because of the speakers as well as because of what they say. There is a remarkable assemblage of personalities. The leading figures of American and British business are gathered as around a table for a discussion to which the public is invited. How vividly for example the personality of Mr. Schwab is revealed in his talk to the boys

at Princeton on "Success in Life." How vigorously the personality of Mr. Gompers is manifested in his speech setting forth the purpose of the Federation of Labor! The reader has an opportunity to study men as well as ideas.

The speeches may also be offered as examples for the young speaker. The youth of to-day is not likely to have the chance to talk like Edward Everett or Daniel Webster even if he has the ability. The subjects on which he is likely to speak are similar to those presented in this volume. And the methods which will lead to an effective presentation of ideas to an audience are those followed by the business man addressing his associates. It would be going too far to assert that these speeches are models, but they at least point the pathway that must be trod and suggest, whether by their merits or defects, the means that must be practiced and mastered if the young speaker is to contribute to modern eloquence.

Full and practical directions and suggestions for training in public speaking are given in the Introduction which follows, prepared by Dean Joseph Johnson of the School of Commerce, New York University. Further guides and lessons for speaking in connection with business are to be found in Volume XV.

INTRODUCTION

THE BUSINESS MAN AS A

PUBLIC SPEAKER'

By JOSEPH FRENCH JOHNSON

We often hear it stated that business men are doers, not talkers. The aphorism goes too far. A more correct statement would be that efficient business men are good doers, that many of them are good talkers, and that a few of them are good speakers.

Talk plays a larger part in the conduct of business than is often realized. Any time after the executive has come to business and goes into his office, the young woman at the switchboard is very likely to tell you that he is "in conference." He sees and talks with a continuous stream of his associates, his subordinates, and outsiders with whom he has his business dealings. He talks much, and he talks effectively. Again he must attend oftentimes the meetings of his Board of Directors, and again talk is the medium by which business is transacted. When not in conference or at the Board he is occupied with his correspondence, and transacts his business by talking to his secretary. Apart from the obligation or privilege of attending the Board meetings the work of many heads of departments is exactly parallel to that of the head of the business. Nor can we ignore in modern business the important, and certainly not voiceless, activities of the salesman.

As a matter of fact it is comparatively rare to find a good

'Copyrighted by the Alexander Hamilton Institute and reprinted as an introduction to this volume by the kind permission of author and publisher.

business man who is not at the same time a good talker. He is a good talker because as a rule he knows what he is talking about, and he is perfectly natural and unaffected. Any one who has overheard the conversation at a business luncheon or who has attended the meetings of Boards of Directors will recognize that the business man is ordinarily a master of clear and forcible statement. He is at his best with an audience of one or at the most a small group that can gather around a table or occupy the chairs in his office without bringing in any extra chairs. In other words, his forte is conversation. Enlarge his audience to fifty or one hundred or put him up in a conference hall with three or four hundred people to listen to his words and his confidence often oozes out. He not infrequently halts, stammers and makes an exhibition which is often equally painful to his audience and himself.

Some will say that a cat in a strange garret is always ill at ease and one cannot reasonably expect self-command when you put business men on the platform. What difference, they ask, does it make whether a business man can make a speech or not? Business, fortunately, does not rest like government on the basis of speech-making. This is, of course, true in a measure; but it utterly ignores the important developments in modern day business which more and more present occasions where the presence of the business man on the public platform is a matter of necessity. Business units, for example, have grown so large that mass meetings are oftentimes the only effective means by which under certain circumstances the employer can reach those who are associated with him in business. Then again these business units are coöperating to such an extent that the business man feels that he cannot with propriety decline an invitation to read a paper at a trade conference. He is interested in the welfare of his craft as well as in the prosperity of his own enterprise. The business man is more and more a factor in civic affairs. His presence at the Board of Trade dinner is one sense a part of the conduct of his business. He must be ready to take an active part and to speak if called upon. The schools, civic organizations of all kinds, the Y. M. C. A. and the church are looking more and more to business men for leadership, and these wider duties