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The Power of Eloquence

By Gordon Francis Corbett

Here is an excerpt from my paperback copy of "Reflections Without Mirrors," the late attorney Louis Nizer's autobiography.  

Mr. Nizer was a wonderfully intelligent and well-spoken man.  I saw him two or three times on television, and was invariably awed by his terrific proficiency with the English language.  My random readings from "Reflections" confirm that he was at least as impressive in print. 

Mr. Nizer's political views and mine disagree diametrically.  He was a democratic socialist and a strong supporter of Democrat causes and candidates, while I am a libertarian Constitutionalist republican.  Still, I think that the three paragraphs I quote below illustrate a power that anyone can use to advance his philosophy.

In 1952, Mr. Nizer attended a social function of the Democrat Party at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.  Speakers included Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, and John F. Kennedy.  Each was impressive in his own way.  

They all paled in comparison with the main speaker, described on Pages 147-148.

"He was terribly short, bald, and unimpressive in face or voice.  Within 

literally three minutes, the audience was spellbound.  Magic had 

suddenly spread across the room.  He began with some witty

comments about the rumors that he and Mrs. Roosevelt (who sat next

to him) were romantically joined.  He treated this sensitive subject so

farcically and with such becoming self-deprecation and adulation of 

Mrs. Roosevelt that the charm and humor made the women's eyes

moist, and the men's hearts warm.  After some original spontaneous

reactions to the speeches which had preceded him, inoffensively

poking fun at the political necessities of the occasion, he got down to

his message.  He spoke of the new challenge to our generation, of the

destiny of our country, of the sacrifices and new horizons of thought

which would be necessary to meet a social revolution spreading across

the world;  of the pressures on the prosperous, whether individuals or

nations, to correct the injustice of inequality, economic as well as social--

I refer the reader to his published addresses in Call to Greatness--of

which this was one.

"As he spoke, he grew in size, as if a giant bestrode the podium.  The 

audience was entranced.  In less than twenty minutes, the great 

qualities of the man filled the air.  He was no longer short.  He was

no longer bald--it was a noble shining head we saw.  His voice was

no longer squeezed and thin.  It had a philosopher's cadence.  When

he finished, the audience stood to a man, woman, and child and 

cheered and clapped in an unending ovation.   Everyone knew that if

the hour called for a leader, he had appeared.  All this in a few

moments.  Yes, speech is an X-ray of a man.

"I was just as moved.  Little did I know then that I would have the

privilege at his invitation to work intimately with him in losing elections

and winning causes."

He was Adlai Stevenson.  

I saw the late Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne only through television's dimming filter;  nevertheless, it was clear that he was a terrific speaker.  Perhaps, if I could have heard him in person, his eloquence might have affected me just as strongly as Stevenson's did that roomful of liberal Democrats in 1952.  

We Libertarians and Constitutionalists need more great speakers.  We need them as candidates, of course, but we also need them as local exemplars respected for their eloquence.  The only agency I know capable of training them is Toastmasters International.

Founded in 1924 and extending around the world, Toastmasters clubs have taught millions of people the fundamentals of public speaking.  Members practice parliamentary procedure and leadership.  They learn to speak impromptu and with preparation.  They lose their stage fright, learn to project, and bloom.  For me, a Toastmaster of nearly thirty years' aggregate membership, few phenomena are more thrilling to see. 

Please consider going to a Toastmasters meeting.  You can find where a club meets near you at http://www.toastmasters.org .

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