bad ones which interfere with delivery. The ideal posture should do two things: (1) It should be the most comfortable position of rest from which the speaker may make the most direct, easy, and graceful movements when there is a natural impulse for him to do so; and (2) it should be the best position to foster the kind of breathing which is most desirable for the public speaker.

(a) The Position of the Feet

The first and easiest thing to explain about posture is the disposition of the feet. They should be placed so as to support the body in easy balance, permitting the simplest change of position when the speaker moves about on the platform or shifts his weight in gesture. There are, of course, many different attitudes which a speaker may assume during an address. We shall describe now the normal posture, or standard position, from which the speaker departs in assuming the others and with which others are compared.

Look at the outline picture of Demosthenes and note the position of the feet. You will see that the right foot is somewhat in advance of the left, thus bringing the right hand, with which most men usually make the most gestures, nearest the audience. (The Greek orator has that arm free of drapery so that its movements will be unhampered.) Neither foot points directly at the audience, though the right foot comes nearer to doing so than the left. If a line were drawn through the right foot and back to the left foot, it would pass through the left heel. The right foot is advanced so that the heel is about as far forward as the toe of the left. The accom

panying diagram (Figure 2) shows the relative positions of the two feet and indicates that they are turned at about an angle of 45 degrees.

It is from this normal position, as a point of departure, that the speaker changes during the progress of his speech. The feet having been so placed, the next problem is the determination of the disposition of the weight of the body. Look at the picture of Demosthenes. It shows a man in the normal position at rest. You can imagine him just facing the Athenian audience waiting quietly until their applause of greeting subsides. His weight is almost entirely on the left foot and the right knee is somewhat bent. But when he straightens up to speak, the bend at the right knee will disappear; the shoulders will be thrown back and the weight, though still more on the left foot than on the right, will be almost equally borne by both. This is the normal position in action.

With the feet in the normal position, the weight may be shifted so as to be almost wholly on the left foot, now equally on both, and again all on the right. While waiting, or in a retiring attitude, there is a normal tendency to rest easily on the back, or left, foot. In straightfor

ward, natural discourse, the weight is borne equally by both feet. With increased energy, the weight shifts more forward, and in very aggressive speech the weight is almost entirely on the forward foot. In great animation the speaker may even lean forward with the heel of the left foot well off the floor. Yet the normal position for normal delivery calls for both feet placed firmly on the floor; their positions in relation to each other should be as indicated in the diagram and the weight should be carried almost equally. The legs are straight and the body held upright.

(c) Practice

Assume the normal position at rest and as you say these words, straighten up in action as described in the paragraph above: "Mr. President, I am pleased to address the House on the question of the freedom of the Filipinos." At this point, the weight is carried equally by both feet. As you continue, shift a little more weight to the right foot, saying, "Where human liberty is to be gained, there will I always take my stand.”

Note that at rest, the body bends in somewhat at the waist and the left hip sinks. In action, the body is erect. In earnest address, it is more vigorously erect. Continue your exercise by improvising a number of quiet openings which gradually change to more spirited expression. In each case, start from (1) the somewhat subdued position of rest to (2) the easy balance of normal action, and (3) the more tense posture of animated delivery.

The student should continue his exercises with the view to securing easy balance in all positions and during the shifting of weight. Throughout the actual de

livery of a real speech, one does not attend to these things; he either does them well or poorly, but he does not consciously direct his body. The exercises we suggest are to train the body so that it will take care of itself when the mind is engaged in the business of sending thoughts to the audience. Indeed, all mechanical exercises in connection with speech are to be forgotten during the delivery of the speech itself. It is hoped, however, that their effects will be evident in excellent performance.

(d) The Posture of the Trunk

We shall now consider the way the body from the waist up should be held. Again we take a normal, or standard, posture as the point of departure. We want a posture which will be manly and pleasing and which will facilitate good breathing. It is a well-known fact that clerks who sit hunched over a desk do not fill their lungs properly with air. Their posture prevents them from doing so. In order to get a full breath, the shoulders must be thrown back and the chest held high. Then, at the same time, there must be freedom at the waist so that a deep inhalation may be possible.

It will be clear, before we end this lesson, that if the student can get the habit of standing with the shoulders held properly, the back hollow, stomach in, and chest up, he will be able to breathe in the proper, public-speaking style. No doubt you have seen in drug stores the braces which are advertised to "make you breathe correctly." This indeed they do, for they draw the shoulders back and force the body into the position just described. The exercises we shall give will also force you to breathe properly, because they will strengthen