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s to be able, with a single glance of the eye, o take in several clauses, or the whole, of a entence *.

I have only to add, that after the utmost pains have been taken to acquire a just elocution, und this with the greatest success, there is some lifficulty in carrying the art of speaking out of he school or chamber, to the bar, the senate, or the pulpit. A young man who has been accustomed to perform frequent exercises in this art, in private, cannot easily persuade himself when he appears before the public, to consider the business he has to perform, in any other light, than as a trial of skill, and a display of oratory. Hence it is, that the character of an Orator has of late often been treated with ridicule, sometimes with contempt. We are pleased with the easy and graceful movements which the true gentleman has acquired by having learned to dance; but we are offended by the coxcomb, who is always exhibiting his formal dancingbow, and minuet-step. So, we admire the manly eloquence and noble ardour of a British Legislator, rising up in defence of the rights of his country; the quick recollection, the forcible reasoning, and the ready utterance of the accomplished Barrister; and the sublime devotion, genuine dignity, and unaffected earnestness of the sacred Orator: but when a man, in either of these capacities, so far forgets the ends, and degrades the consequence of his profession, as to set himself forth to public view under the character of a Spouter, and to parade it in the ears of the vulgar with all the pomp of artificial elo

*See Dean Swift's advice on this head, in his Letter to a young Clergyman.

quence; though the unskilful may gaze and applaud, the judicious cannot but be grieved and disgusted. Avail yourself, then, of your skill in the Art of Speaking, but always employ your powers of elocution with caution and modesty; remembering, that though it be desirable to be admired as an eminent Orator, it is of much more importance to be respected as a wise Statesman, and able Lawyer, or an useful Preacher.

DIRECTIONS FOR READING.

(From the introduction to the study of Polite Literature.) I. Pronounce every syllable articulately: that is, clearly, distinctly, and fully. For this purpose, open your mouth freely.

THE acquisition of a distinct articulation is

a circumstance of infinite consequence, in reading and speaking. The young reader should be carefully instructed, as Lord Chesterfield very properly directs, « to open his teeth teeth,» and speak, as it were, ore rotundo. Milton, in his Letter on Education, observes, that « we Englishmen, being far northerly, do not open our mouths, in the cold air, wide enough to grace a southern tongue; but are observed by all other nations, to speak exceedingly close and inward. »

If this observation were duly regarded, if children were instructed to articulate every word distinctly and fully, before they are permitted to aim at any thing higher, they would soon acquire a clear, perfect, and graceful enunciation; at least, they would avoid a mumbling lisping, muttering way of speaking, which will be inevitably contracted by attempting to read on any other principle.

II. Let your voice be soft and gentle, not loud or boisterous.

A mellow voice, which may be improved, if not acquired, by exercise and habit, is pleasing, both in speaking and reading. On the contrary, violence and clamour are extreme

ly vulgar and disagreeable. They exhaust breath, and render your pronunciation indistinct and inarticulate. Quintilian speaks of certain orators, who exerted themselves so furiously, that they absolutely bellowed. And Cicero tells us, that the oratory of some of his contemporaries was more like barking, than speaking. Homer's description of the eloquence of Ulysses gives us a complete idea of that mild and graceful enunciation, which every person should endeavour to acquire.

But when he speaks, what elocution flows!
Soft as the fleeces of descending snows,
The copious accents fall, with easy art;
Melting they fall, and sink into the heart.

It may be observed, that on the stage, a sentence spoken distinctly, in a low voice, or even in a whisper, is generally as audible at a distance, as one that is pronounced with impetuosity. This circumstance should be always remembered by those who have occasion to speak in public.

III. Read slowly and deliberately, carefully observing every stop, and every emphatical word.

Children should be carefully guarded against reading too fast. This fault is the source of almost every other. No person can read properly, much less gracefully, if he reads in a hurry. His voice will be perpetually in a flutter; and he will go on from sentence to sentence with a constant hiatus, like one who has run himself out of breath.

But when he is directed to read slowly and Heliberately, it is not intended, that he should dwell upon every syllable, and pronounce his words with a drawling and inanimate languor. There is a medium to be observed; and that medium is consistent with sprightliness and energy: as there is a difference between walking with grace, and crawling along with the motion of a snail.

IV. As the whole art of reading depends on the proper management of the breath, use it with œconomy. Relieve your voice at every stop, slightly at a comma, more leisurely at a semicolon, or colon, and completely at a period. In this manner accustom yourself to breathe freely and imperceptibly, as you proceed. At the same

time support your voice steadily and firmly, and pronounce the concluding words of the period with force and vivacity.

A due attention to the former part of this rule will enable you to avoid a broken, faint, and languid tone, which is the usual fault of ignorant and vulgar readers. It will enable you to preserve the command of your voice, to pronounce the longest sentence with as much facility as the shortest; and to acquire that freedom and energy, with which a man of sense naturally expresses his perceptions, emotions, and passions, in common discourse.

Before a full stop, it has been usual in reading, to drop the voice, in a uniform manner:

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