DESIGNED AS A PRACTICAL TREATISE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN Vocal Training Articulation, Physical Culture AND Gesture BY MRS. J. W. SHOEMAKER Principal of The National School of Elocution and Oratory AIDED BY GEORGE B. HYNSON AND JOHN H. BECHTEL "Art does not pervert, but refines and exalts Nature, and it is only by a combination Philadelphia The Penn Publishing Company 1898 PREFACE 895 55592 adv In these latter days much interest has been manifested in the subject of Elocution. To know what is the natural as well as the artistic way of expressing one's self, either by the voice or in gesture, is rapidly becoming a demand of the American people. This interest is seen and felt in colleges, in schools, and even in society. It is greater than any which has pertained to delivery since the days of Grecian and Roman oratory and acting. Truly it may be said that this is the Renaissance period in the history of Elocution, and the outlook is hopeful and encouraging. It is evident also that teachers, however their methods may differ, are to-day centralizing about this objective point-the enlargement and elevation of human personality through the proper cultivation of the power of expression. This book is not intended to introduce any new system, but simply to present in a more modern form, thoughts that are believed to be in touch with all that has proved to be of value in things both new and old. In some degree it is a synthetization of the inheritance of the past and of the wealth of thought of the present, the latter crystallized from such writers and philosophers as Austin, Rush, Darwin, Delsarte, Engel, Brown, and others. Upon such a foundation, aided by an experience obtained in schoolroom and platform work, as well as in the everyday walks of life, has been framed a system or method which has proved to be helpful to the many pupils who have been under our special training. It is believed that M594968 |