Chapter 68 The Value of Seemingly Random Speech Openings

You will appreciate the following passage, delivered by Mary E. Richmond at the annual meeting of the Women's Suffrage Society of New York, just days before the legislation outlawing child marriage, but can you say What is the reason? Yesterday, as the train passed through a city not far from here, I recalled a marriage that had taken place there some years before.Because there are so many hasty and unhappy marriages like that in our country today, in today's speech, please allow me to give you the details of that marriage. A few years ago, on December 12, a 15-year-old girl in high school in that city met a boy who was a first-year student at a nearby university.Three days later, on December 15th, they falsely claimed that the girl was 18 years old, exempted the requirement of parents' consent to start a family, and obtained a marriage certificate.Immediately after leaving the city marriage registry, they went to a priest (the girl was a Catholic), who, however, tactfully refused their request to hold the wedding.Through the priest, the girl's mother learned of all this, and she immediately went to find her daughter.Before they were found, however, her daughter was legally married to the boy.After the two of them lived in a hotel for two days and two nights, the boy abandoned the girl, and they never lived together again.

From my personal point of view, I really appreciate this way of starting.Its first sentence is very good. It first explains to everyone that an interesting past event is to be told, which naturally makes everyone eager to know the details, so everyone quiets down and listens to the speaker tell the story of this character.Apart from this, it also appears very natural, without a hint of pedantry, without seriousness and solemnity-"Yesterday, when the train passed a city not far from here, I recalled what happened a few years ago. A marriage there.” How natural and human it sounds, like one person telling another an interesting story.As an audience, I am always happy to hear these, but the audience will reject from the heart the speeches that are too formal and deliberately prepared.After all, we need unadorned art.