Naturalness
Be natural j and be as unlike a hooh as jpossihlej are the two heads which are now to be discussed. To be natural is to be yourself in look, in speech, in action; provided always that you have a self upon which nature has stamped her own simple and graceful impress. If the expression may be allowed, some preachers seem to have a very unnatural nature; in their case a good deal of grinding and polishing may have to be done before they can be safely trusted with the advice to be themselves. An illustrative case occurs to me at this moment: a ministerial acquaintance of mine is entirely innocent of imitating any one, yet a more unnatural speaker never addressed an audience — never; “only himself can be his for fluency, pomposity, and inflation he stands alone; he can talk by the hour together in a most deafening and terrifying manner, and when he has done the acutest hearer may be safely challenged to repeat, or even hint at, one sentence which has been uttered. No mill-wheel was ever so monotonously energetic; no barrel organ was ever so incapable of being worn out; no furnace fire ever tore up the chimney at so desperate a rate. The manner of my reverend acquaintance is nobly independent of the spirit or importance of the subject which he undertakes to discuss; he holds such discrimination in dignified abhorrence; with a lofty impartiality he creates an equal volume of smoke around every theme which he attempts to expound, and in doing so assumes the air of a righteous man. My unnatural acquaintance is quite as eloquent in giving his opinion whether a ministerial dinner should cost one and sixpence or one and ninepence, as when describing the creation of man or the battle of Armageddon. Can anything be finer in the way of even-handed justice? Does an express train care a pin whether it is carrying one passenger or ten, except that it may go fastest when it has least to do? Certainly not; and my acquaintance is exactly an express train without passengers, but not without a furious driver. I have heard him give a public announcement of a tea-meeting, tickets ninepence each, in a manner quite as solemn and urgent as if in one hurried breath he had been announcing that there was a flood in England, a fire in Scotland, and an earthquake half over the continent of Europe. The consequence was that no timid persons ventured to go near the tea-meeting, and not more than half a dozen adventurous youths took a ninepenny ticket each, in order to see what was going to happen! He cannot be easy; he cannot lower his pompous tone to an ordinary key; if he were to ask a chambermaid for a candle, he would leave upon her mind the impression that the morning would rise upon the smoking ruins of the house. No doubt of it, there is a frightful emphasis in his manner which makes havoc of the common mind. In private life his grandiloquence is overpowering, so much so that when I see him in the distance I thankfully avail myself of the next turning to the left; wherever it may lead to.
“Well,, madam/ he said addressing my wife one daylate in Aprilj ‘’ the days are gradually attaining a very agreeable continuity,”’
With a most reprehensible simplicity my bewildered wife merely answered, Yes.
“The services, madam/“* he continued, ^’ which are now in contemplation will be sustained under auspices of a character decidedly flattering to our denominational status,”’
With scandalous absence of mind my wife amiably
replied, Indeed/^
^’ Quite so, madam; not only the worshipful the mayor, but also the whole corporation, arrayed in full official costume, will condescend to honour us with their patronage, and I do fervently hope that we may be favoured firmamentally as well as municipally,”’
Now when a man talks in this manner about the anniversary of a ragged school, what may you expect when he begins to preach? Happily, in this case you have nothing worse to expect, for the impartial speaker pursues an undeviating course of grandiloquent declamation. He knows nothing of the charm of variety, nothing of the distribution of light and shade, nothing of the graceful undulation which at once relieves and delights the mind. Let this man then be a caution to you; in that way he may even yet be turned to a good purpose, the only good purpose I am afraid which he can now serve. You will not understand me as undervaluing the integrity and earnestness of this unfortunate brother. I have reason to believe that he writes two sermons fully out, even to the Amen, every week, and that he sets them to the lively tune of the whirlwind, and that every Monday
28 Ad Glerum: Advices to a Young Freacher.
He complains (and not wltliout reason) of being fatigued; and I have understood that a feeling of ‘^ Mondayishness” is not uncommon with the congregation as well as with the preacher: under all these circumstances it is only proper that hard work should be spoken off with all deserved respect.
Another acquaintance of mine exhibits quite a different phase of unnaturalness a phase which would be immoral if it were not so intensely farcical. Mr. Dexter (such is the name destined to a splendid renown) feels himself called upon to attempt a reproduction of Mr. Binney, for the advantage of his rural congregation. Mr. Dexter is Mr. Binney upon a miniature scale very miniature indeed! Though Mr. Dexters sight is as good as yours,, he thinks it part of his vocation to use an eye-glass set in a gold frame; said eye-glass is thought not only to give a knowing look to young preachers but to convey a profound impression about late hours deep studies and ministerial martyrdom, — in fact to present, without undue ostentation, a birds-eye view of what may be called the tragic side of student life. ( Mr. Dexter knows how Mr. Binney’s eye-glass is occasionally used; consequently before announcing his text he does a little polishing upon that optical instrument, during which he darts his furtive glance at the congregation, partly in an observant and partly in a threatening manner. Mr. Dexter knows how Mr. Binney occasionally says more by the significant motion of his hand than could be said in so many words; consequently Mr. Dexter finishes his introduction with a grotesque flourish of his hand, and completes the third head by extending his first finger in the direction of the north-west angle of the meeting-house. Under this graphic attitudinising the rural hearers often quail, because, as they say, it leaves so much to be understood.
“That ‘’s it, sir/^ said one of his hearers to me;” you see his thoughts are too great for words, and when that finger of his goes up you may be sure something is meant. •’^
‘’ You know that for a fact V said I.
“Known it long enough, sir, in fact we have all known it; why there s my little boy, only five years old, gets on the table and mimics Mr. Dexter to perfection/^
And you really think that such gestures do good, do you?^^ I inquired.
“They do good in this way, sir, you see,” he answered;” they set people a-thinking; our people begin a-saying to one another, now whatever did Mr. Dexter mean when he shot out his hand in that way, so sharp and sudden like? And then one says one thing, and another says another, and so they keep coming and coming, and watching and watching, d’ye see? ‘’
“Then Mr. Dexter does that sort of thing pretty regularly, does he? ‘’
‘’’Every Sunday, sir; it wouldn’t be like Sunday if he didn’t do it; my word, but sometimes he does come out with jerks and twitches that are capital; he like lays his hand upon something, and clutches it as if he would never let go!”
Thus Mr. Dexter caricatures and debases the original. He forgets that what may be natural in Mr. Binney, with his lofty stature and beaming countenance (a countenance of rare dignity and expressiveness), may be absurdly grotesque in anybody else, and especially absurd in a man little more than five feet high, with a face that was intended to adorn a very small liaberdasliery establishment in a very small back street,, in a very small market town.
^’ Why they tell me,” said one of his admiring hea-rers, that our Mr. Dexter is very like the great Binney! ‘^
“Indeed,” said I; ‘’ did you ever see the great Binney? ‘’
^’ Oh no no; but them as has seen him has told me so more nor once.’”’
^’ In what way then,” I inquired “is Mr. Dexter thought to be like Mr. Binney?”
“Why in his way o’ going on a-pointing and a-twitching, and such like.”
Such is the penalty of popularity! Dogs paint themselves tawny, and then set up for lions; dwarfs buy high-heeled boots, and give themselves out as giants. There are many who imitate Mr. Binney’s mannerism who know nothing of his wonderful insight and spirituality; they think that when they have borrowed his hat they have also borrowed his brains. Yes, that is their trick. You have heard of maiden ladies who have lived by themselves in lonely houses, setting a number of men’s hats upon the hall tables at nights, so as to give any intruder the notion that the house was full of burly defenders: even so do the Mr. Dexters of the pulpit; they borrow all Mr. Binney’ s old hats, and then boldly challenge the world to touch their ministerial reputation.
I have said that some men require a good deal of grinding and polishing before they can be safely entrusted with the advice to he tJiemselves. Much, however, will depend upon the way in which the business is gone about. Let me at once advise you to be on your guard against prof^SS^iT^ nf ftjonntinn, if you wish to be natural, easy, and effective as a public speaker. I remember the case of a few youths who were very ambitious of beingorators, and who accordingly availed themselves thankfully of an offer of the services of a professor who undertook their instruction at the rate of five shillings per lesson. Happily, their exercises had no view to the pulpit. They felt the importance of being able to speak readily at tea-meetings and other exciting assemblies of their fellow-townsmen, and consequently went into the study of elocution with great spirit. Their professor thought himself a very able man; he buttoned his coat in military fashion; and while his head always looked as if he had just hit upon a new and daring figure of speech, his protruding eyes generally seemed to be fixed defiantly upon an imaginary opponent. He had a nice smart way, too, of waving a little cane which he always carried, a way which seemed to advertise its owner as no common man, though at that particular time he had not reached the happy and convincing climax of paying twenty shillings in the pound; but this, said the waving cane, was more his misfortune than his crime. The professor was unquestionably a great rhetorician in his own estimation; so great that no other man knew what he himself knew, viz., the secret of opening silent lips in copious and eloquent speech. The professors system was strictly secret; ^’ of course so,^^ said he, “for, gentlemen, that secret is nothing less than my bread!” and down came the cane by way of emphasis.
‘^ Gentlemen,^^ the professor would say, ‘’ to-night we assemble as rhetoricians; your esteemed, and I will add, though without one particle of flat-^ry, your able fellow-
32 Ad CleriLin: Advices to a Young Preacher.
student, Mr. Binton, lias consented at ‘my special request to embody our idea of a few emotions; gentlemen, I propose that we first take an embodiment of the emotion appropriate to admiration, mingled, if you please, with somewhat of surprise and even bewilderment: Mr. Binton, be kind enough, sir, to give us your notion of the proper gesture.’’’
Mr. Binton, who had had ample notice that he would be called upon to act this part, and who had secretly gone through several rehearsals in his own bedroom in front of the little tenpenny shaving glass which was nailed above the mantel-piece, then stepped into the middle of the room and set himself in a well- studied posture.
^’ Gentlemen,^’ the conductor continued, what criticism have you to offer? ^’
‘^ In my opinion, sir, the head is not sufiiciently drawn back.’’
‘^ The eyes should show more white, sir,” a very mild young member suggested.
‘’ Gro on, gentlemen; your criticisms are extremely discriminating.’”
‘^ Sir, I think Mr. Binton’s left hand should be horizontal and his right hand perpendicular.”
“Try that, Mr. Binton, and let us see if the effect be pleasing,“” the conductor added.
^’^But, sir,” a practical member interposed, “don’t you think Mr. Binton should say something? I mean something appropriate to the attitude.”
“Excellent suggestion, sir,” the conductor replied; ‘’’ now let me see what would do for that purpose; it must be something brief, abrupt, and striking; come now.
let me see; yes, just so, nothing better: Mr. Binton, be kind enough to exclaim, ‘Bless my soul, the creature is beautiful!^ Your tone must be clear and startling, expressive of surprise as well as delight,”
Mr. Binton, with his well-combed head drawn back, his eyes nearly rolled away somewhere under his eyebrows, his right hand perpendicular, and his left hand
horizontal, began,” ‘Bless my soul; ‘I forget the
rest, sir,” he said with humiliation; and when the surrounding rhetoricians laughed, Mr. Binton turned round to” confound ‘’ them, and in that single moment he became a most natural and effective speaker.
The professor frowned. Who had any right to laugh in his presence? That question has never been satisfactorily answered to this day. It took a full half-hour to recover the needful composure. The young rhetoricians, pledged to five shillings a lesson, bitterly regretted their untimely laugh, and promised amendment.
‘’ Gentlemen, our second lesson will supply us with a contrast. Mr. Turner “[apprenticed to a boot-maker, and who had his head examined by every travelling phrenologist who came in his way] “has kindly consented to assume the gesture which he considers appropriate to the sensation of horror, and to accompany that gesture with the pathetic exclamation, 0 save my drowning father! ‘”
Mr. Turner felt himself to be nothing short of a born orator. His neighbours indeed, who were extremely plain people, without the slightest regard for literature or the arts, got up a rumour that young Jonas Turner was crazy; and when called upon to substantiate that serious charge, they referred to his howling in his bedroom and to the strange shadows which appeared almost every night upon the white calico window-blind of that elevated apartment. They said he sometimes talked as if he was scolding about twenty people all together and sometimes he shouted as if he was calling somebody who was a mile oflT, and that he was always most outrageous the night before there was a tea-meeting at the Young Mens club. On that particular night, they said his voice was often quite threatening, and he would keep up his bawling so long that decent people quite despaired of getting to bed before morning. Such was Jonas Turner.
Jonas now appeared as a personification of horror. He had studied the part carefully. The born tragedian extended his arms in a clutching manner, strained his eyes until they were almost lying on his cheek, opened his mouth to its utmost stretch, threw himself forward into a beseeching attitude, and in a voice whose filial pathos was intended to be heartrending, exclaimed,” 0 save my drowning father! ‘^ The rhetoricians looked upon the agonized tragedian with amazement mingled with envy.
“How will this do? ‘’ Jonas himself inquired in a tone not at all dissatisfied.
‘^ Grentlemen,^^ said the delighted professor, ‘^ dont prolong the torture of your friend; criticise at once.’’’
“Don’t you think the left leg should be a little further drawn back, sir? “”
‘^ The word ’ father,’ sir,” said an envious critic, ‘’ would admit of a little more pathos.”
‘^ The word ’ 0/ sir, should be more piercingly pronounced; Mr. Turner makes it too round.”
‘’ Mr. Turner’s hair, sir, should look a little more wild and scattered, and the clutch of the right hand should be more expressive of desperation.^’
“I think, sir, the eyebrows should be a little more elevated, and the upper lip should writhe as if in agony, and a sprinkling of foam around the mouth would add to the effect considerably,”
Try the exclamation once more, sir,’’ the professor demanded with dignity.
A loud shriek was then uttered by Mr. Jonas Turner.
“Come, gentlemen, there is vigour and no mistake; what may it please you to say to that?”
‘’ He should have said ’ my ’ more affectionately.”
‘^ The first syllable of father ’ should have been much more penetrating.”
‘’ There was not soul enough in the word *” drowning’ sir; it strikes me that ’ drowning’ is the most important word in the sentence.”
^’ Say you all so, gentlemen?”
“No, sir.”
“How say you then? let each student give his opinion fearlessly.”
The young men then contradicted one another flatly, no two agreeing which was the most important word in the sentence. Each maintained his own opinion stubbornly, and the professor looked on without attempting to decide the fierce debate.
Side by side with these rhetorical abominations let me place the following letter addressed by David Gaerick to a young preacher: —
“My dear Pupil, —” You know how you would feel and speak in the parlour to a dear friend who was in imminent danger of his life, and with what
36 Ad Ghrum: Advices to a Young Preacher.
energetic pathos of diction and countenance you would enforce the observance of that which you really thought would be for his preservation. You would not think of playing the orator, of studying your emphasis, cadence, or gesture. You would be yourself; and the interesting nature of your subject, impressing your heart, would furnish you with the most natural tone of voice, the most proper language, the most engaging features, and the most suitable and graceful gestures. What you would be in the parlour, be in the pulpit; and you will not fail to please, to affect, to profit.
“Adieu.”
Yes, that is rhetoric! Be earnest, and you will be eloquent; let your soul speak, and your words will be wise and good. When I venture to put you on your guard against professional rhetoricians, you must not understand that I am cautioning you against friendly and sensible criticism; we cannot see ourselves as others see us; hence many an ungainly action or offensive habit may be modified, if not quite removed, through the good offices of judicious critics. Court the judgment of your professors, and receive their hints with thankfulness; they are, of course, deeply interested in you, and if they wound your vanity their wounds are inflicted not with ill-nature but with faithfulness and even generosity. Invite the knife, if you would be strong and useful; fret at criticism, if you wish to lose a lifetime rather than endure temporary mortification. What I do warn you against is the wichedness of talcing any studied gestures into the jpuljpit. I denounce this as iniquity in the sight of God, as the consummation of heartlessness, as a hypocrisy as transparent as it is audacious. Abandon all selfish notions of popularity when you stand before men as the messenger of God; and that you may be enabled to do this, watch and pray, and fast if need be, and God will accept your sacrifice; look upon all self- consciousness in your ministry as a temptation of the devil, and cry mightily to God that He may break the damning snare: for what have you to do with your personality and with human opinions about your appearance and styles when your Lord is waiting to speak His living word through your lips? Know you not that you preach in God’s hearing as well as man’s? Will you cheat your hearers with an attitude, when you should give them a gospel? Will you perplex them with a riddle, when you should call them to salvation? Will you attract their eyes by a grimace, when you should fix their vision upon the uplifted Saviour? May God in His mercy strike us dumb rather than allow us to preach ourselves; but rather may He fill us with His love that our preaching may be all of Christ I