The Value of the Public Speaking — Club to the Business Man
The question has been asked, “Of what practical value is the Public Speaking Club to the business man?” My answer is because it teaches him to think. There is no greater difficulty confronting the business man to-day than that of finding men to fill positions where initiative and original thought are necessary. The call comes from the business world everywhere, “Give us men of ideas—men of ability—men who have mastered the art of thinking for themselves.” Our schools and colleges are engaged in the task of storing the mind with facts. This is a splendid work, but we need to go one step farther, we must teach men how to apply and develop and use this knowledge. It is not how much a man knows that makes him a successful business man; it is what he thinks and does. Success is not measured by the size of a man’s hat. The educational problem of the hour is not one of better schools and larger public libraries; it is the practical development of the mind; it is the awakening of the creative powers of thought, the birth of new ideas; it is training men how to put these ideas into concrete form, how to present and express them in such words and with such power that they shall carry conviction to the hearts of their fellow men.