RECOMMENDED READING BING, P. C., The Country Weekly (D. Appleton and Co., New York). FLINT, L. N., The Conscience of the Newspapers (D. Appleton and Co., New York). HARRINGTON AND FRANKENBERG, Essentials in Journalism (Ginn and Co., Boston, 1912). HARRIS, E. P., The Community Newspaper (D. Appleton and Co., New York). HYDE, G. M., A Course in Journalistic Writing (D. Appleton and Co., New York). PAYNE, GEORGE H., History of Journalism in the U. S. (D. Appleton and Co., New York, 1920). SEITZ, DON C., Training for the Newspaper Trade THE CHAPTER XIII POLITICS HE incentive to enter politics in England is greater than in this country. There it is on a distinctly higher plane, and better men choose it as a career. We are so interested in developing the resources of our great country that the best men have not generally been attracted to the business of governing it. There is, however, a crying need for the right kind of men to enter politics. A good many decent men have gone into it, and have become so disgusted that they have dropped out. This, nevertheless, is all the more reason that such men stay in, for it is the only way that conditions can be remedied. Any man with an open mind and proper ideals can render to his country a service as a politician, which may be measured only by his ability. Politics in this country are, as a general thing, given over to a second-rate lot of men, who once they are elected are filled only with the idea of being reëlected, and getting as much graft and pickings from the pork barrel as they can possibly grab, for themselves and their constituents. Many of them have not the education or vision to see beyond the boundaries of their own electoral districts, and they play party and local politics from beginning to end. It is comparatively rare that we see among Americans in public life the effacement of self for the public good. The right sort of a man regards public office as a public trust-not as a meal ticket. However, a new era seems to be dawning, and more able and public-spirited citizens are entering the field of politics. A good man certainly ought to be able to win a nomination and an election over such a person as a recent United States senator from one of our Southern states, who used to let his hair grow down to his shoulders; and during one of his electoral campaigns was dragged around the towns of his state on a float drawn by eighty white oxen. A man of any education should be able to take the seat of the United States senator from the Middle West who several years ago during the cross-examination of one of the officials of the White Star Line in regard to the Titanic disaster asked him why he had not "put the passengers into the water-tight compartments." Another United States senator, although born in a foreign country, has recently announced that he was seriously thinking of running for President. Another has done practically nothing but introduce pension bills. Another in February, 1925, introduced a resolution to appropriate $10,000 for the purpose of "inquiring into and reporting upon the causes of the European war." Too many of our politicians have won their seats solely on account of an ability to talk. What they say doesn't seem to count so much. Of course, a prime requisite for success in politics is the ability to think and speak freely upon one's feet. It is for the lack of this quality that a man will fail to get the votes, while a Fourth of July orator, with one-tenth of his intelligence, will win over him. Readiness to talk easily upon all occasions often awes people who are unable to do that very thing, and gives them a false impression of the ability of the speaker. Apparently, if a man is able to speak to an audience without embarrassment or restraint, he can always command recognition, even if he be distinctly lacking in the more substantial and desirable qualities. To speak freely upon one's feet requires a great deal of practice. One must start early and acquire confidence in oneself. Debating societies in both school and college offer valuable preliminary training, and the opportunities thus offered should not be neglected. The Oxford Debating Team which visited America in 1924 was immeasurably superior to the American teams, and they attributed their success to the fact that they had all had much practice in their secondary schools. Debating in England is done a great deal, whereas in America but little attention is paid to it. It is an unfortunate condition. One must forget oneself while speaking in public, and try to feel as if the conversation was with an individual rather than with the audience as a whole. Single out an intelligent or sympatheticlooking person in the back row and talk to him or to her, and it becomes easier to forget the rest of the people. One can thus be fairly sure that one's voice is carrying to the edges of the crowd. Furthermore, rapid speech cannot be understood by a large crowd. One must speak slowly and distinctly. It is dangerous to try to commit a speech to memory. The best way is to have an outline on cards small enough to hold in one's hand, and refer to them, in order to be sure that all the points have been covered. Before speaking, it is almost imperative that the speech be actually "spieled" or spoken out from the beginning to the end. It sometimes helps to do this before a looking-glass. One can thus feel that a real person is being addressed, and it is of some importance to note facial expres |