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GENERAL DIRECTIONS

FOR READING

AND SPEAKING;

EXTRACTED FROM BLAIR'S LECTURES.

THE first object of a reader or a speaker, is,

to be clearly understood by his hearers. In order for this, it is neceffary that he fhould pronounce his words diftinct. ly, and deliberately; that he fhould carefully avoid the two extremes of uttering either too faft, or too flow; and that his tone of voice fhould be perfectly natural.

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2. A reader or speaker should endeavour to acquire a perfect command of his voice; fo as neither to stun his hearers by pitching it upon too high a key; nor tire their patience by obliging them to liften to founds which are fcarcely audible. It is not the loudest speaker, who is al ways the best understood; but he who pronounces upon that key which fills the fpace occupied by the audience. That pitch of voice, which is ufed in ordinary converfation, is ufually the best for a public speaker.

3. Early attention ought to be paid to the paufes; but the rules for these are fo indefinite and arbitrary, and fo difficult to be comprehended, that long experience is neceffary in order to acquire a perfect knowledge of their use. With regard to the length of the feveral paules, no precife rules can be given. This, together with the variety of tones which accompany them, depends much upon the nature of the fubject.

4. Perhaps nothing is of more importance to a reader or speaker, than a proper attention to accent, emphasis, and cadence. Every word in our language, of more than one fyllable, has, at least, one accented fyllable. This fyl lable ought to be rightly known, and the word fhould be pronounced by the reader or speaker in the fame mapner as he would pronounce it in ordinary conversation.

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5. By emphafis, we diftinguish those words in a sentence which we esteem the most important, by laying a greater refs of voice upon them than we do upon the others. And it is furprifing to obferve how the fenfe of a phrase may be altered by varying the emphasis. The following example will ferve as an illustration.

6. This fhort queftion, "Will you ride to town today?" may be understood in four different ways, and, confequently, may receive four different answers, according to the placing of the emphasis.

7. If it be pronounced thus; Will you ride to town today? the answer may properly be, no; I fhall fend my fon. If thus; Will you ride to town to-day? Answer, no; I intend to walk. Will you ride to town to-day? No; I fhall ride into the country. Will you ride to town to-day ? No; but I fhall to-morrow.

8. This fhows how neceffary it is that a reader or fpeaker fhould know where to place his emphafis. And the only rule for this is, that he study to attain a juft conception of the force and spirit of the fentiments which he delivers. There is as great a difference between one who lays his emphasis properly, and one who pays no regard to it, or places it wrong, as there is between one who plays on an instrument with a masterly hand, and the most bungling . performer.

9. Cadence is the reverfe of emphafis. It is a depreffion or lowering of the voice; and commonly falls upon the laft fyllable in a fentence. It is varied, however, according to the fenfe. When a question is asked, it seldom falls upon the laft word; and many fentences require no cadence at all.

10. In addition to what has been faid, it is of great importance to attend particularly to tones and geftures. To almost every fentiment we utter, more especially, to every ftrong emotion, nature has adapted fome peculiar tone of voice. And we may observe, that every man, when he is much in earnest in common difcourfe, when he is speaking on fome fubject which interests him nearly, has an eloquent or perfuafive tone and manner.

II. If one were to tell another that he was very angry, er very much grieved, in a tone which did not suit such emo

tions, instead of being believed, he would be laughed at. The best direction which can be given, is, to copy the proper tones for expreffing every fentiment from thofe which nature dictates to us in converfation with others.

12. With refpect to gefture, the few following hints may be of fome fervice. When fpeaking in public, one fhould endeavour to preferve as much dignity as poffible in the whole attitude of the body. An erect posture is generally to be chofen; ftanding firm fo as to have the fulleft command of all his motions. Any inclination, which is used, should be forwards towards the hearers, which is a natural expreffion of earneftness.

13. As for the countenance, the chief rule is, that it fhould correfpond with the nature of the difcourfe; and when no particular emotion is expressed, a serious and manly look is always the beft. The eyes fhould never be fixed clofe on any one object, but move easily round upon the whole audience.

14. In the motions made with the hands confifts the chief part of gefture in fpeaking. The right hand fhould be used more frequently than the left. Warm emotions demand the motion of both hands correfponding together. All the geftures fhould be free and eafy. Perpendicular movements with the hands, that is, in a straight line up and down, are feldom good. Oblique motions are, in general, the most graceful.

15. Motions made with the hands fhould proceed rather from the fhoulders than from the elbows; for they appear much more eafy. Too fudden and nimble motions fhould be avoided. Earneftnefs can be fully expreffed without them. Above all things, a fpeaker fhould guard against affectation, which is always disgustful.

SELECT SENTENCES.

TIME is more valuable to young people than to any others. They fhould not lofe an hour in forming their taste, their manners, and their minds; for whatever they are to a certain degree, at eighteen, they will be more lefs fo all the rest of their lives.

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2. Nothing can be of greater service to a young man who has any degree of derftanding, than an intimate converfation with one of riper years, who is not only able to advise, but who knows the manner of advifing. By this mean, youth can enjoy the benefit of the experience of age; and that, at a time of life when fuch experience will be of more service to a man, than when he has lived long enough to acquire it of himself.

3. The kindneffes, which moft men receive from others, are like traces drawn in the fand. The breath of every paffion fweeps them away, and they are remembered no more. But injuries are like infcriptions on monuments of brafs or pillars of marble, which endure, unimpaired, the revolutions of time.

4. View the groves in autumn, and obferve the conftant fucceffion of falling leaves; in like manner the generations of men filostly drop from the ftage of life, and are blended with the dust from whence they sprang.

5. Perfect happiness is not the growth of a terrestrial foil; it buds in the gardens of the virtuous on earth, but blooms with unfading verdure only in the celestial regions.

6. He who would pass the latter part of his life with honor and decency, muft, when he is young, confider that he fhall one day be old; and remember, when he is old, that he has once been young.

7. He who governs his paffions does more than he who commands armies. Socrates, being one day offended with his fervant, faid, "I would beat you if I were not angry.”

8. We too often judge of men by the fplendor, and not by the merit of their actions." Alexander demanded of a pirate whom he had taken, by what right he infested the feas? By the fame right, replied he boldly, that you enflave the world. I am called a robber, because I have only one fmall veffel; but you are ftyled a conqueror, because you command great fleets and armies.

9. Beauty, as the flowery bloffom, foon fades; but the divine excellencies of the mind, like the medicinal virtues of the plant, remain in it when all those charms are withered.

IQ. There are two confiderations which always em. bitter the heart of an avaricious man: the one is a perpetual thirst after more riches; the other, the profpect of leaving what he hath already acquired. 1.1. There

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