Carnegie Language Breakthroughs and the Art of Communication

Chapter 25 The Art of Effective Communication (4)
A clumsy pioneer, Lincoln spent his youth peeling corn and butchering hogs on his farm in Pigeon River, Indiana, for a meager wage of 1 cents a day.But it was such an unattractive person who later delivered the most wonderful speech in the history of mankind in Gettysburg.At that time, 31 troops fought a big battle at Gettysburg, and about 17 people were killed.The famous orator Somner said shortly after Lincoln's death that when the memory of the battle faded from people's minds, Lincoln's speech was still vividly etched in people's minds.And even if this battle is recalled again, the main reason is because people think of Lincoln's speech.Who among us can deny the correctness of Somnay's prophecy?

The well-known politician Ai Villette also gave a speech for two hours in one breath in Gettysburg.What he said has long been forgotten by people, but Lincoln's speech lasted less than 2 minutes. A photographer tried to take a picture of him during the speech, but when the photographer set up his old-fashioned camera and aimed at At the time of focus, Lincoln had finished his speech.

The full text of Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg has been engraved on an incorruptible copper plate and is displayed in the library of Oxford University as a model of the English language.Every student of public speaking should learn this by heart:

87 years ago, our ancestors created a new nation on this continent.She was conceived in freedom and dedicated to the theory that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, a test of that nation, a test whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so believed, can long endure.We are met on a great battle-field of that war.We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.It is quite natural and appropriate for us to do so.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow the ground.Those who fought here, living and dead, have consecrated it more than our little power can add or detract.The people of the world hardly notice, much less long remember, what we say here today.People all over the world, however, will never forget what these warriors did here.Instead, we the living should dedicate ourselves to the warriors, moving forward with nobility in the unfinished business.More should we dedicate ourselves to the great task still before us—we shall draw more devotion from these venerable dead to the cause to which they gave all their devotion; resolve not to let the blood of the martyrs be shed in vain; to give our Nation a new birth of freedom, under the grace of God; to perpetuate our government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

It is generally believed that the immortal sentence at the end of this speech was originally coined by Lincoln.Did he really come up with it himself?In fact, Lincoln's law partner, Herndon, had sent him a copy of Buckle's complete speeches a few years before the Gettysburg lecture.Lincoln read the entire book and took note of this sentence: "Democracy is direct self-government, governed by the people, belonging to the people, and shared by the people." However, Buckle's sentence may also be derived from Weber. Borrowed from Sturt, because Webster had said in a reply to Hayne four years before Buckle said this sentence: "Democratic government is established for the people, it is composed of the people, And be accountable to the people." If we go back further, Webster may have borrowed it from President Monroe, who, according to research, published it a third of a century before Webster said it. same opinion.So who should President Monroe thank?4 years before Monroe was born, the British religious reformer Wycliffe said in the preface of the English translation of the Bible: "This Bible is translated for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Before Leaf, more than 1 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, when Craven delivered a speech to the citizens of ancient Athens, he also talked about a ruler applying the system of "of the people, by the people, and for the people" to govern the country.As for which ancestor Klein got this concept from, it is impossible to verify...

In this world, there are very few so-called brand-new things that are truly genuine.Even the greatest speakers rely on reading for inspiration and material from books.

Learn from books!It is the secret to success.If a person wants to increase and expand his text memory, he must often let his mind be baptized by literature.John Bright said: "As soon as I enter the library, I feel a pang of sadness: because my life is too short, I can't fully enjoy the delicious meal that is presented to me." Bright left at the age of 15 school, went to work in a cotton factory, and never had the chance to go to school again.To the amazement of the world, he became the most brilliant orator of his time.He is known for his mastery of the English language.He read and studied the long poems of those famous poets repeatedly, studied them with great concentration, and took detailed notes, and he was able to recite some of the wonderful sentences backwards.These poets include Byron, Milton, Wordsworth, Whittle, Shakespeare, Shelley, etc.He read Milton's "Paradise Lost" from beginning to end every year to increase his vocabulary and literary quality.

The famous British orator Fox improved his style by reciting Shakespeare's famous plays aloud.Greystone jokingly called his study "The Temple of Peace", which contained 15 volumes.He himself freely admitted that he had benefited greatly from reading St. Augustine, Barthes, Dante, Aristotle, and Homer, among others.Homer's Greek epics "Iliad" and "Odyssey" fascinated him even more, and he wrote 000 books to comment on Homer's epics and the era background in which these works were produced.

The famous British politician and speaker Peter often read 1-2 pages of Greek or Latin works every day when he was young, and then translated these passages into English.He did this every day for 10 years.This effort has given him an unrivaled ability to reduce his thoughts to the most condensed and best-arranged words without the need for pre-thought.

The famous ancient Greek orator and statesman Demosthenes copied the historical works of the historian Thucydides 8 times in his own hand, hoping to learn the gorgeous, noble and touching style of this famous historian. wording.How effective is it?It really pays off. His first-class writing skills honed by himself have made his works a model for future generations to learn from. Even 2 years after his death, President Wilson specially studied it in order to improve his speech style. The works of Demosthenes are similar to it, and the famous British orator Asquith also found that reading the works of the great philosopher Bishop Berkeley is the best training for himself.

British Poet Laureate Tennyson studied the Bible every day, and the great writer Tolstoy read and reread the "New Testament Gospel", and finally he could recite it at length.Ruskin's mother forced him to recite the chapters of the Bible every day, and stipulated that the whole Bible should be read aloud once a year, even every syllable, every word, from Genesis to Revelation, nothing could be missed.Ruskin attributed his own literary success to these rigorous trainings given to him by his mother.

Recognized as the most beloved initials in the English script, RIS stands for Scottish author Stevenson.He can be said to be a writer among writers.So how exactly did he develop the glamorous style he's become famous for?Fortunately, he told us his own story:
Whenever I read a book or an article that particularly pleases me—it says something so well, it either leaves a certain impression on us.Some of them have a palpable force, others have a pleasing quality to their style.I will definitely sit down immediately and ask myself to imitate these characteristics.It won't work the first time, I know; so I try again, unsuccessfully, and often several times in succession; On the one hand, I got some opportunities to practice.

In this assiduous manner I have imitated Hazlitt, Lamb, Wordsworth, Sir Browne, Defoe, Hawthorne, and Montaigne.Like it or not, that’s how I learned to write; whether I benefit from it or not, that’s how I learned to write.The great poet Keats also learned in this way. I am afraid no one will deny that there is no more beautiful temperament than Keats in the history of English literature.

The most important point of this imitation method is that the objects imitated by students always have some characteristics that students cannot completely imitate.Let him try, he may fail, but the old and true adage "failure is the mother of success" gives us the courage to continue.

We have cited too many successful people and some very special examples.This secret has been fully disclosed.Lincoln wrote to a young man who aspired to become a lawyer: "The secret of success is to pick up a book, read it carefully, and study it. Work, work, work is the most important thing."

What book are you reading?You can start with Bennett's How to Live 24 Hours in a Day.This book will be as stimulating as a cold shower.It will tell you a lot about the things that interest you most - that is, yourself.It will show you how much time you're wasting each day, how to stop it, and how to use the time you save.The book is just over 100 pages.You can easily read the entire book in 1 week.Tear 20 pages out of the book every day and put them in your pocket.Then, shorten the time you spend reading the newspaper every morning to 10 minutes, instead of the habitual 20 or 30 minutes.

President Jefferson wrote: "I have given up the habit of reading newspapers and have read instead the works of the Roman historian Tacitus and the ancient Greek historian Thucydides. I find that after making this adjustment I've been happier myself since then." If you do what Jefferson did and cut your newspaper reading time at least in half, you'll find yourself happier and wiser in a few weeks.Do you believe?Wouldn't you like to try this for a month, and spend the time you've saved thus reading a good book of more enduring value?While you're waiting for the elevator, the bus, the meal delivery, the date, why not pull out that 1-page book you carry with you?

After you read the 20 pages, put them back in the book, and tear off another 20 pages.When you've finished reading the book this way, put a rubber band around the cover to keep those pages from falling out.Wouldn't it be better to dismember and take apart a book in this way than to leave it useless on the shelf in your study?

After you finish "How to Live 24 Hours in a Day", you may become interested in another book by the same author.Then try The Human Machine.This book will enable you to learn how to deal with others more fluently.It will also help you bring out your hidden strengths of calm and poise.

We hereby recommend these books, not only for what they say, but also for what they say, because they are sure to increase and improve your vocabulary.

A couple of other helpful books are also included here: The Octopus and The Peach Pit by Frank Norris.These are two of the best novels ever written in America.The former describes the turmoil and human tragedy that took place in California; the latter describes the infighting of stock market brokers on the Chicago Stock Exchange.Tess by Thomas Hardy, the most beautiful novel ever written.Hillis's "The Social Value of Man" and Professor William James's "Talking with Teachers" are two good books worth reading."The Little Elf, Shelley's Life" by the famous French writer Maurois, Byron's "Harold's Heart Journey" and Stevenson's "Riding a Donkey", these books should also be included in your books Single.

Ask Emerson to be with you every day.You can start by reading his famous essay on Self-Confidence.Have him whisper into your ear something eloquent like the following:

Say what is hidden deep within you, and it should be universal; for the innermost often becomes the outermost—our first thoughts come back to us by the trumpet of the Last Judgment.The voice of thought is familiar to everyone, and we believe that the greatest merit of men such as Moses, Plato, and Milton was that they were not bound by books and traditions, and they said not only what people said, but also what they said. Thought.Everyone should learn to detect and pay attention to the light flashing through his mind from within, instead of paying attention to the instructions of the so-called sages and wise men.And yet, without knowing it, he lets go of his thoughts because they are his thoughts.In the work of every genius we tend to find thoughts we have left behind: they come back to us with a certain alienated nobility.Great works of art do not constitute a more influential lesson for us than this.They teach us to be faithful, with good-natured intransigence, to the impressions that come naturally to our minds, rather than to set aside, as we do most of the time, the voices from the back of our heads.Otherwise, tomorrow a stranger, with good sensibility, will say exactly what we think, while at any moment we are compelled humiliatingly to learn our own opinions from others.

There comes a time in every man's education when he discovers that envy is an act of ignorance; imitation is suicide; Only the piece of land given to him can get food.The power that existed in him was new in nature.No one knows what he can do except himself, and he himself will not know until he has tried it himself.

But we saved the best authors for last.Who are they?Someone asked Sir Henry Owen to provide a list of the hundred books he thought were the best, and he replied: "Faced with the hundred good books, I will only concentrate on studying two of them-- The Bible and Shakespeare." Sir Henry was right.You must drink from these two great fountains of English literature.To drink often, and to drink as much as possible.Throwing the evening paper aside, said: "Come here, Shakespeare, and tell me to-night about Romeo and his Juliet, about Macbeth and his ambition."

If you do, what will you get in return?Gradually, unconsciously, but surely, your rhetoric will begin to become beautiful and elegant.Slowly, you will begin to reflect the glory, beauty and nobility of your spiritual companions.The great German writer Goethe said: "Tell me what you read, and I will be able to tell what kind of person you are."

The reading plan I suggested above requires very little willpower and takes advantage of the few hours that prudence saves... You can buy Emerson's Papers for $5 each and popular editions of Shakespeare's plays.

How did Mark Twain develop his deft and masterful use of language and words?As a young man, he traveled in a stagecoach from Missouri to Nevada.The journey is slow and painful, and food must be carried for both passengers and horses—sometimes even water.Overweight may mean the difference between safety and disaster, and luggage is charged by the ounce; yet Mark Twain carried a thick copy of Webster's Complete Dictionary with him.This big dictionary accompanied him across mountains and mountains, across desolate deserts, and through a vast land infested by bandits and Indians.He wished to make himself master of words, and with unique courage and common sense he endeavored to do what was necessary to do so.

Pitt and Sir Chatham had read the Dictionary twice, page by page and word by word.Browning also reads the dictionary every day, and gets pleasure and inspiration from the dictionary.Nicolai and Hay, who wrote Lincoln's biographies, said that Lincoln often "sat in the evening sun" and "read the dictionary until he couldn't read the writing."

These examples are not special.Every great writer and speaker has had the same experience.President Wilson's English proficiency is extremely high.Some of his works—parts of the declaration of war against Germany—must have a place in literary history.Here is how he dictated how he learned to use words:

(End of this chapter)