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 10 FAMOUS LIVING AMERICANS I. Introdnction. 1. Statement of the THEME. 2. Expansion of the truth or principle and illustration of it in the character under consideration. n. The Problem, L e., The Diffleolties. A brief statement of the conditions, the discourage- ments with which the subject met, perhaps his lim- itations in endowments or opportunities. These facts should be stated as briefly as possible. m. Solution : How He Overcame These Difficulties. 1. The means he employed, briefly stated. It should be shown that a single great cause — that suggested in the Theme — accounts for the inspiration the sub- ject affords. 2. The results, briefly, of his efforts. The permanent results of a life should be accounted for through the Theme. IV. Oonclusion : Appeal. 1. The significance of the principle to the hearer. 2. The significance of the principle, illustrated by the life of the subject, to the country at large. 3. The appeal for the personal embodiment by the hearer of the principle or Theme illustrated in the life of the subject. This outline follows that suggested by the ancient and mod- em writers on the subject. The words Theme,'* Prob- lem,** and "Solution** are not original. A very good treat- ment of the development of oratorical themes, in which prac- tically this same outline or structure is suggested, will be found in Professor Maynard Lee Daggy*s The Principles of Public Speaking (Row, Peterson & Company, Chicago, 1909). The practical application and clearness of such an outline are shown in the oration. The Redemption of Jean Valjean, by Mr. Clarence E. Flynn, DePauw 6. Use op outunb University, 1911. In the latter part of ILLUSTRATED the f oUowiug short paragraph he gives the theme: "Men fall, and the world may remember them for a day as