Words, Words, Words!!

January 8, 1997

In a recent review of Brendan Gill’s book, LATE BLOOMERS, (American Scholar, Winter, 1997) Gill writes of Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) that Fuller “would speak at Ciceronian length, hour after hour, and once at a public meeting had to be lifted bodily off the stage in order to permit other speakers their turn.”

For a good many years I spoke on Sundays, nearly always conscious of the time taken to say what I wanted to say. Like every preacher, I suppose, I have heard from members of the congregation, “No one is saved after the first twenty minutes.”

Or, that old chestnut intended to inform preachers: A visitor dropping into a service after the minister has begun to preach, whispered to his neighbor, “How long has he been preaching?” The neighbor, misunderstanding the question, whispered back, “About three years.” The visitor then settled back in the pew, whispering, “I’m sure he will finish soon.” Again, that is an old one that the pulpit hears from the pew.

I’m responding to the review because in about ten days I’m speaking at the two Sunday services in the Sarasota Unitarian Universalist Church. This month the church has adopted a format of two services. The early service is scheduled for forty-five minutes; the later service for an hour. Why am I antsy about this?

As no member of the Sarasota Church is likely to read this, but one, I can be candid. The service at the Sarasota Church includes identification and welcome of each visitor; a period for expressing joys and concerns about members and events; and, a veritable Niagara of announcements, along with, of course, hymns and sermon. That sure totals up to more than forty-five minutes when you add my 25 to 28 minute talk. I can’t be Bucky Fuller and run on at length because the automobile traffic for the 9:30 service has to exit the grounds so the traffic for the 11 a.m. service can enter. To top off the complications, there is a coffee period after the 9:30 service.

My method of speaking is simple: say what you are going to say; say it; say what you’ve said. If you repeat the cliche that no one is saved after 20 minutes, forget it. I’m not trying to “save” anybody. Particularly as I do not believe they are “lost”.

For comfort, I turned to my Constant Source: Shakespeare.

Parolles to 1st Lord: “I love not many words”
1st Lord: “No more than a fish loves water”
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Act III

“Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale
Vexing the ear of a drowsy man.”
Louis, KING JOHN, Act III

“We hold our time too precious to be spent with such a brabbler.”
Louis to Pandulph, KING JOHN, Act V

“He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument.”
Holofernes, LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST Act V

I read that Kenneth Branagh’s film, HAMLET, will run four hours. This means that most productions of HAMLET have had many “cuts.” Such is true of all Shakespearean productions. There are many cuts and re-arrangements of dialogues and scenes.

If that can be done to Will, what in the world am I grumbling about because I must shorten my remarks for a 45 minute service.

I am properly humbled – or should be.