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NCA0010_Cover 10/18/04 8:53 AM Page 1 Cohen The Emergence of a Discipline, 1914-1945 The Emergence The History of Speech Communication: The History of Speech Communication: The Emergence of a Discipline, 1914-1945 by Herman Cohen ISBN 0-944811-14-0 NCA The History of Speech Communication: The Emergence of a Discipline, 1914-1945 by Herman Cohen National Communication Association Washington, DC All SCA Publication Program materials are reviewed within the spirit of academic freedom, promoting the free exchange of ideas. The contents of this publication are the responsibility of its author and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Speech Communication Association, its members, its officers, or its staff. © 1994 by the Speech Communication Association All rights reserved. Published 1994. 2nd Printing 1995 Brief portions of this publication may be copied and quoted without further permission with the understanding that appropriate citations of the source will accompany any excerpts. A limited number of copies of brief excerpts may be made for scholarly or classroom use if: 1. the materials are distributed without charge or no fees above the actual duplication costs are charged; 2. the materials are reproductions, photocopies, or copies made by similar processes, and not reprints or republications; 3. the copies are used within nine (9) months after reproduction; 4. the materials include the full bibliographic citation; and 5. the following is also clearly displayed on all copies: "Copyright by the Speech Communication Association. Reproduced by permission of the publisher." This permission does not extend to situations in which: 1. extensive amounts of material are reproduced or stored in an electronic or similar data retrieval system, 2. a fee above actual duplicating costs is charged or if there exists an expectation of profit, or 3. the material is reproduced or reprinted for other than scholarly or educational purposes. In such cases, permission must be obtained prior to reproducation and generally a reasonable fee will be assessed. Requests for permission to reproduce should be addressed to the Publications Manager. National Communication Association 1765 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202-464-4NCA (4622) fax 202-464-4600 ISBN: 0-944811-14-0 II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I hereby acknowledge my indebtedness to my colleague Gerald Phillips for pointing me in the direction of this study, and for providing encouragement during the years it was being researched and written. I am grateful to Dennis Gouran for providing an environment in which this work could be accomplished, and for his scrupulous reading of portions of the manuscript. lowe a great debt to Rita Munchinski for assuring that facilities, equipment and staff support were always available. I would still be struggling with this volume were it not for the computer salvation provided by Annette Keller. Her skill in formatting and reformatting saved me from what seemed an impossible task. Bonnie Schaedel is thanked for her service as computer mentor in the early stages of the book. I am grateful to the national office of the Speech Communication Association, especially to James Gaudino for his welcoming acceptance of this book. Carolyn Cooke and Ann Messersmith have my gratitude for shepherding the work through the various stages of publication from typescript to final product. I am pleased that all or part of this book was read and reviewed by Robert Avery and Malcolm Sillars, both at the University of Utah, and by Samuel Edelman at California State University at Chico. I am appreciative of the time, knowledge and wisdom supplied in conversations and interviews with Samuel Becker, of the Univer­ sity of Iowa, William Burch Jr., of Yale University, Dennis Gouran and Gerald Phillips of Penn State University, Franklin Haiman of Northwestern University, Robert Jeffrey of the University of Texas at Austin, Dale Leathers, of the University of Georgia, and Malcolm Sillars and Richard Rieke at the University of Utah. The assistance provided by graduate students was invaluable. Maureen Montgomery, my research assistant, was at my physical and intellectual side almost from the time I started to write. She provided materials, searched the library, secured journals, suggested procedures and served as critic in residence. The index to this book is substantially the work of Enrico Pucci. I am indebted to graduate students in seminars who were subjected to the reading of numerous drafts of these chapters; Their comments and criticisms were extremely helpful. Finally, I express my gratitude to my wife Marlee for her willingness to listen and for her supportive care and concern. II CONTENTS Acknowledgements . iii Foreword .. vii Introduction ix 1 The Elocutionists . .1 2 The Tradition is Preserved 13 3 The New Profession . 29 4 The Profession Diversifies 85 5 Mental Hygiene, Psychology and Personality 119 6 Ethics, Freedom and Democracy . 137 7 Rhetorical Criticism 159 8 Rhetorical Theory 183 9 Group Discussion 275 Epilogue . 323 References 329 Author Index 345 Subject Index 351 II FOREWORD I first learned of Professor Cohen's intention to write the volume that follows some years ago while serving on the Research Board of the Speech Communication Associa­ tion. At that time, my reaction was that such an undertaking would be of considerable value, but thatit would also require a substantial investment of time, personal energy and sustained commitment. Completion of the project has convinced me that both of my initial perceptions were accurate. The document that emerged represents a sig­ nificant contribution to our understanding of the origin and evolution of an academic discipline and carries the stamp of a distinguished scholar whose vision and dedication in bringing the work to fruition will enlarge the perspective of all who consult it. Upon entering the profession in 1968, I was struck by what appeared to be an identity crisis among representatives of the field--and which to some extent continues to this day. Do we have a subject matter of our own? Is orali ty the defining characteristic of the discipline? Is the study of communication most profitably viewed as an art or a science? What is the scope of subject matter appropriate to inquiry? These questions were being discussed-often quite contentiously, if not acrimoniously. Being concerned with identity is not a bad thing. More problematic in the search for identity, have been the quality of the dialogue and the manner in which it all too frequently has been conducted. What appeared to be lacking among many of the more outspoken participants in the "identity" debate at the time I entered the field was much sense of perspective. To a novitiate, a history such as the one Professor Cohen has produced, would have been most helpful. It would have perhaps been even more helpful to those involved in disputes by better informing the judgments and pronoun­ cements toward which many of them were inclined. As uninformed as some of the controversies and disputants of the late 1960s and early 1970s were, debate at least reflected an effort to explore the merits of competing positions on issues. My perception is thatin the 1990s, while some of the same kinds of issues persist, the reflective posture of those who take positions on them has eroded. I am not sure that most of the participants are even interested in debate. They are more inclined to identify withcertain schools of thoughtand proponents of them on grounds that are largely irrelevant to the merits of ideas. Excessive emphasis on the instrumen­ tal value of higher education in the last quarter of the current century has promoted a tendency to endorse or identify with those points of view that appear to have the greatest prospects for one's personal and professional gain. In light of such motives, Page viii Foreword arguments relating to what the discipline is, is becoming, and should be are not advanced, but merely echoed. Professor Cohen's excursion through the early history of the discipline and his sustained effort to call our attention to what was intellectually at stake in its emergence can do much to provide a context for renewed and more meaningful examination of matters that influence inquiry, what we teach, and how we view ourselves both now and in the future. To that end, this book is an important addition to the scholarly literature of our field. Dennis S. Gouran The Pennsylvania State University _ INTRODUCTION This book was motivated by a realization that the field that has evolved into the discipline of Speech Communication is lacking not only a formal history but any real historical sense. In contrast to almost every other academic field, we seem ignorant (sometimes blissfully) of how the discipline reached its present stage. The names of scholars and teachers who were important in the development of the discipline have been forgotten. It sometimes seems that figures in Speech Communication have a shelf life of less than a generation. The lack of historical consciousness has had serious consequences for the profession. To borrow a term from anthropology, we are a deracinated people who are unaware of our roots. Like deracinated peoples we periodically reinvent our histories, and each time they are different. Our lack of awareness of our past has allowed us to raise questions and engage in disputes which are really part of our heritage. Our ignorance has allowed us to engage in colloquies and disputes, without understanding that the same matters were the subjects of discussions years earlier. For example, with almost monotonous frequency, discussions, sometimes acrimonious, take place between so­ cial scientists and rhetoricians. Almost never do they know that there is a deep context for such discussions. They do not know that these questions were raised in the first year of the life of the speech association and that a spirited debate took place among Everett Hunt, Charles Woolbert, James Winans and others as early as 1915.

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