It is in vain, Sir, to extenuate the matter.  Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace—­but there is no peace.  The war is actually begun!  The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!  Our brethren are already in the field!  Why stand we here idle?  What is it that gentlemen wish?  What would they have?  Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?  Forbid it, Almighty God!  I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

    PATRICK HENRY in the Virginia Convention, 1775

Preparing and Delivering Conclusions.  Students cannot very well be asked to prepare and deliver conclusions to speeches which do not yet exist, so there is no way of devising conclusions until later.  But students should report upon conclusions to speeches they have recently listened to, and explain to the class their opinions concerning their material, methods, treatment, delivery, effect.  The following questions will help in judging and criticizing: 

Was the conclusion too long? 
Was it so short as to seem abrupt? 
Did it impress the audience? 
How could it have been improved? 
Was it recapitulation, summary, peroration? 
Was it retrospective, anticipatory, or both? 
What was its relation to the main part of the speech? 
Did it refer to the entire speech or only a portion? 
What was its relation to the introduction? 
Did the speech end where it began? 
Did it end as it began? 
Was the conclusion in bad taste? 
What was its style? 
What merits had it? 
What defects? 
What suggestions could you offer for its improvement? 
With reference to the earlier parts of the speech, how was it delivered?

The following conclusions should be studied from all the angles suggested in this chapter and previous ones.  An air of reality will be secured if they are memorized and spoken before the class.

EXERCISES

1.  There are many qualities which we need alike in private
    citizen and in public man, but three above all—­three for the
    lack of which no brilliancy and no genius can atone—­and
    those three are courage, honesty, and common sense.

    THEODORE ROOSEVELT at Antietam, 1903

2.  Poor Sprat has perished despite his splendid tomb in the
    Abbey.  Johnson has only a cracked stone and a worn-out
    inscription (for the Hercules in St. Paul’s is
    unrecognizable) but he dwells where he would wish to
    dwell—­in the loving memory of men.

    AUGUSTINE BIRRELL:  Transmission of Dr. Johnson’s
    Personality, 1884