乡村修辞课
Don't fire too high．Speak to men in language they understand．Ministers should remember not to fire over people's heads．Truth must be put in simple language,and illustra tedby metaphors familiar to all． Call the sun a sun,—not a luminary． Don't call the sky "an azure vault"; call it the sky．Don't talk of the "economy of grace", for your plainer hearers will at once revert to the kitchen．Here is "A Rural Lesson in Rhetoric," which shows the importance of not firing toohigh：—
Brown was invited to visit a town in the extreme rural districts, for the purpose of lecturing the people on temperance．He arrived at his destination late in the evening,and was invited to the cottage of a farmer to partake of supper, previous tothe display of his eloquence．
The farmer had two sons, twenty to twenty five years of age, and to them a temperance lecturer appeared something more than an ordinary man．Brown had great difficulty in drawing them into conversation, but at length the ice was broken, and the following colloquy was the result：
"I suppose you've both affixed your names to the pledge long ago?"
"Which?"
"I presume you are both temperance men,and have pledged yourselves to abstain from the use of everything thatint oxicates?"
"The which, stranger?
"You do not get the idea clearly．I was expressing thehope that you do not indulge in intoxicating beverages．"
"Eh?"
"That you do not indulge in the inebriating cup．"
"Sir?"
"Do either of you drink liquor? That's what I'm trying to get at．"
"Waal, stranger!I did n't know but ye was atalkin French jabber．Why did n't ye ax the thing right eout?Samand me don't drink no liquor to speak on,’cept hayin’a ndharvist, and then we drink right smart．So does fayther andevery body’round here．Ef ye talk French stuff in yer lecture,stranger,'t won't du much good, I tell ye,for nobody won'tknow a word what yer means in this yer neck o'timber, sartinand sure"
Brown declares this to be the best lesson in rhetoric he ever received, and he made an unusual effort to adapt his word tothe comprehension of his hearers in that "neck o'timber．"Other speakers may profit by the hint．
乡村修辞课
开枪别瞄得太高。用人家听得懂的语言跟人说话。大臣们应当记住不要冲着人们的头顶之上开火。真理必须通过简单的语言表达，并由家喻户晓的比喻加以说明。把太阳就叫作太阳，不要说成发光天体。别把天空称为“苍穹”，就说天空。别谈什么“优雅的节俭”，因为你听众中的普通人马上就要回到厨房去。这里有篇《乡下的修辞课》，说明了适应听众的重要性：
布朗应邀访问一个地处纯农业区的小城镇，准备就自我节制问题向那里的人们做一番演讲。他傍晚时分抵达了目的地，一户农民请他到家里去，让他在一展辩才之前和他们共进晚餐。
农人有两个儿子，一个20岁，一个25岁，对他们来说，宣讲自制的演说人绝非寻常人物。布朗发现想引他们谈话很不容易，但最后总算打破了僵局，于是有了下面的交谈——
“我想二位一定早已在誓约上签署了自己的名字？”
“什么？”
“我猜你们一定都是自制的人，已经立过誓要避免用任何麻醉品？”
“什么东西，外乡人？”
“你们没太理解我的意思。我在表示，我希望你们不放纵豪饮醉人的饮料。”
“啊？”
“希望你们不耽于麻醉之杯。”
“先生？”
“你们俩喝不喝酒？我想问的就是这个。”
“哇——外乡人！我搞不清但您在叽哩咕噜地说法国话。为什么您不一开始就这么问呢？山姆和我都不怎么喝酒，收获干草和庄稼的季节除外，在那些日子里可就要喝个痛快喽。俺爹和这里别的人也都是一个样儿。外乡人，我跟您直说，要是您在演说里尽讲那些法国东西，可没啥用处，因为，毫无疑问，这地界儿谁都听不懂您到底是什么意思。”
布朗宣布这是他上过的最好的修辞课，他做了极大的努力去调整自己的语言，以适应他的那“地界儿”的听众的理解力。别的演说人也可从中得到启发。
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