or to friends in private, previously to look over the subject, so as to render themselves perfectly masters of it, or embarrassment, hesitation, and very often an entire failure of effect, will be the conseuqence. The writer would not be understood to mean, by reading as we speak, that reading should, therefore, be like flippant and common place conversation, as might erroneously be supposed; but that reading should be consonant with the subject which we utter. If the Sureme Being be addressed in an extemporary prayer, ature and good feeling will dictate a meek, solemn, nd reverential tone and manner; so should the same ubject, without the least deviation, be read. The eaning here wished to be inculcated is, that we should peak correctly and read as we speak. To prove that eading and speaking sound alike, let a competent judge lace himself in an anti-chamber where he may hear, ut not see, a person reading, and he cannot be able to etermine whether he is reading or réciting, provided le reader be a good one. Independently of the pleasure afforded to the audirs by a perfect reader, he participates in that pleasure y being enabled, from his just conceptions, to develop e frequently profound or sublime meaning of his auor, and at the same time dress it in all the fascination eloquence. Who can hear "Paradise Lost" properread, and not be a convert to this opinion? One of e chief errors in young readers or speakers proceeds om a precipitancy of utterance, which is subversive f all good elocution; to avoid that fault, the beginner hould be taught to read the observations on quantity, nd follow them. Giving proper quantity will correct oo quick utterance. ON READING RHYMING VERSE. Distinctness of utterance, and clearness of articulation, so indispensable in all kinds of oratorical exercises, must, in an especial manner, be attended to in reading verse, else that song so disgusting to good taste, and a perfect ear, will be the result. The material difference between reading prose and rhyming verse, rests in giving more time between each word and sentence in verse than in prose; reading with very little reference to the jingle, or rhyme, but with great attention to the sense; using the same infections as in prose, and rather avoiding than encouraging that measured tone, improperly called musical; for if the harmony of that author's verse to whose sense we do justice, do not distinctly speak for itself, his claims to poetry must rest on a very slight foundation indeed. ON READING BLANK VERSE. The correct delivery of blank verse, as well as of rose or rhyming verse, principally depends upon the eader's having a perfect knowledge of the subject vhich he is uttering. The mode of reading blank verse, differs only in givng more quantity and solemnity of tone, than in prose r rhyming verse. What is meant by quantity, is taking nearly double he time in utterance, and with much more proximity o the sublime in blank verse, than in prose or rhyming verse, and continually bearing in mind the slight suspensive pause, that is, keeping up the voice, until the period or full sense be arrived at. Perhaps it may here be necessary to say more upon a subject, to the judicious use of which, all perfect, forcible, and elegant reading, and speaking owe so much. In giving proper quantity, not only the accented and unaccented vowels must have their full, round, due proportion of sound, but the consonants also, and every word, syllable, and letter, should have its proper articu late sound accorded to it. The sublime passages of scripture ought to be read agreeably to the above directions. The following example will sufficiently elucidate th propriety of keeping up the voice until the sense be com pleted, and the period arrived at. "These are thy glorious works, Parent of good, Thus wond'rous fair; thyself how wond'rous then! In these thy lowest works; yet these declare SUGGESTIONS ΤΟ INSTRUCTERS OF THE ART OF ELOCUTION Those who wish to receive and impart the advantages derivable from the author's essay, the system by which he gives instruction, will please strictly to adhere to the following directions. Let the preceptor divide his classes in ten for each class, and meeting the ten, take up the first rule; or head, reading aloud the first sentence himself, and causing the first member of the class to repeat the same, and so on, until master and pupil have read the whole rule, so let him proceed with the rest of the class until the rule be gone through by all. Then let him take up the second head following the above plan. There are great advantages to be obtained by this method, which originated with the author. The first is, the pupil, without the drudgery of committing to memory, may become perfectly master of the two rules and their illustrations, before he leaves the class room. The second is, that by causing each member to read the same rule, twenty lessons are obtained in one meeting of the classs; for B. hears the errors of A. corrected; C. those of A. and B., and so on, until all derive the full advantage of the plan. The master should, from the commencement, impress upon his pupils the indispensable necessity of using quantity. It not only imparts fullness to pronunciation, but also corrects one of the worst errors in readers or |
