Page:Psychology and preaching.djvu/190

 172 PSYCHOLOGY AND PREACHING

often compulsory attention is unpleasant. Frequently the stimulus itself is an unpleasant one, and even when it is not, it usually interrupts the current of consciousness ; and this of itself is disagreeable, though if the object or situation which obtrudes itself is agreeable, the resulting pleasure may im mediately swallow up the momentarily unpleasant sensation. But to this disagreeable sensation is added the irritation of a stimulus which is offensive. As a rule the experience is annoying or painful.

As an example of a bold oratorical device for securing compulsory attention, the story how authentic I do not know is told of Henry Ward Beecher, that as he arose to preach one warm day, he wiped the perspiration from his brow and exclaimed, &quot; It is damned hot ! &quot; After a pause, he explained to the shocked congregation, &quot; That is what I heard a man say awhile ago as I was entering the house,&quot; and proceeded to preach a strong sermon against the use of profane language. Of course, it was effective in compelling attention. It startled everybody, though to the sensation lovers, of whom there were perhaps not a few present, it was doubtless a pleasant shock. But while it compelled attention and made the occasion memorable, may it not in fact have diverted attention from the moral and spiritual import of his message? It is possible that throughout the discourse and subsequently when the occa sion was recalled the attention of those who heard was focused more upon that startling introduction than upon the wholesome lesson which his sermon inculcated. It is certainly far from the purpose of this discussion to insist upon tameness as a duty of the pulpit. Alas! there seems to be no occasion for that. The purpose is to show that often the devices used to compel attention are most likely to divert it from the subject matter of the discourse. Per haps the line between the legitimate and the illegitimate in sensation should be drawn just here: &quot;sensationalism&quot; is objectionable because it ordinarily means the use of devices for compelling attention in such a way that the interest is

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