Selections for Practice

Note: In the following selections, those passages that may best be delivered in a moderate pitch are printed in ordinary (roman) type. Those which may be rendered in a high pitch--do not make the mistake of raising the voice too high--are printed _in italics_. Those which might well be spoken in a low pitch are printed in _CAPITALS_.

These arrangements, however, are merely suggestive--we cannot make it strong enough that you must use your own judgment in interpreting a selection. Before doing so, however, it is well to practise these passages as they are marked.

    _Yes, all men labor. RUFUS CHOATE AND DANIEL WEBSTER_ labor, say     the critics. But every man who reads of the labor question knows     that it means the movement of the men that earn their living     with their hands; _THAT ARE EMPLOYED, AND PAID WAGES: are     gathered under roofs of factories, sent out on farms, sent out     on ships, gathered on the walls._ In popular acceptation, the     working class means the men that work with their hands, for     wages, so many hours a day, employed by great capitalists; that     work for everybody else. Why do we move for this class? "_Why_,"     asks a critic, "_don't you move FOR ALL WORKINGMEN?" BECAUSE,     WHILE DANIEL WEBSTER GETS FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR ARGUING THE     MEXICAN CLAIMS, there is no need of anybody's moving for him.     BECAUSE, WHILE RUFUS CHOATE GETS FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR     MAKING ONE ARGUMENT TO A JURY, there is no need of moving for     him, or for the men that work with their brains_,--that do     highly disciplined and skilled labor, invent, and write books.     The reason why the Labor movement confines itself to a single     class is because that class of work _DOES NOT GET PAID, does not     get protection. MENTAL LABOR is adequately paid_, and _MORE THAN     ADEQUATELY protected. IT CAN SHIFT ITS CHANNELS; it can vary     according to the supply and demand_.

    _IF A MAN FAILS AS A MINISTER, why, he becomes a railway     conductor. IF THAT DOESN'T SUIT HIM, he goes West, and becomes     governor of a territory. AND IF HE FINDS HIMSELF INCAPABLE OF     EITHER OF THESE POSITIONS, he comes home, and gets to be a city     editor_. He varies his occupation as he pleases, and doesn't     need protection. _BUT THE GREAT MASS, CHAINED TO A TRADE, DOOMED     TO BE GROUND UP IN THE MILL OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND, THAT WORK SO     MANY HOURS A DAY, AND MUST RUN IN THE GREAT RUTS OF     BUSINESS,--they are the men whose inadequate protection, whose     unfair share of the general product, claims a movement in their     behalf_.

    --WENDELL PHILLIPS.