It begins with mother to child; it continues with teacher to pupil; it
continues still in lecturer or professor to his student (for the
universities are all going back to the old oral method of
instruction); and it still continues in all the forms of effective
human communication.
The newspapers are a marvelous influence, but they are not
everything, and they do not supply everything. For example, it is
commonly supposed that they, absolutely and exclusively, mold and
control public opinion. But they do not. When all has been said, the
most powerful public opinion, after all, is that from-mouth-to-mouth
public opinion--that living, moving opinion--which spreads from
neighbor to neighbor, and has fused into it the vitality of the
personality of nearly every man--yes, and woman; don't forget that--in
the whole community.
And the philosophy which underlies this is what makes public speaking
immortal. The Master understood this very well, and that is why He
chose to speak by word of mouth rather than by writing epistles. The
Saviour never wrote a single epistle--no, not even a single word. He
_spoke_ His message.
Think of a gospel announced to the world in cold type! Absurd, is it
not? It may be repeated in that form, but its initial power must come
from the spoken word and vital personality of its author.
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