afarttell IttioeraUg ffiibrarg BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE ^ SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF HENRY W. SAGE 1891 Cornell University Library PN 4145.B31 Handbook of oral readin 3 1924 027 197 650 The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924027197650 A HANDBOOK OF ORAL READING BY LEE EMERSON BASSETT ASSOCIATE PBOFESSOB OF ENGLISH JJSLASO STANFORD JUNIOR UNITERSITT HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO me mxt^ttt pn^^ Cambcib0t COFYRIOHT, I9I7, BY LEB BMERSON BASSETT ALL BIGHTS RESERVED Vie J&ftiecKite 9rtM CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS V . S . A PREFACE The aim of this Handbook is to present, in as concise form as clearness permits, the principles of natural expres- sive reading aloud. The book is the outgrowth of several years of classroom instruction and practice based on the theory that effective oral expression is the result of clear thinking ; that the principles imderlying conversation, the most natural and unpremeditated form of speech, apply with equal force to the voicing of the thought of the printed page ; and that the ability to read and speak with clearness and force comes, not from a knowledge of rules of speech, but with the education of mind, imagination, and emotions, and the devotion of one's best mental and spiritual ener- gies to the task of communicating thought to other minds. The text differs from others chiefly in method of treat- ment. Technical vocal exercises, and comment on enuncia- tion and pronunciation, instead of being put at the begin- ning of the book are put at the end, on the ground that expression is concerned primarily with ideas. If technical dril] is given a prominent place in oral instruction, espe- cially at the outset, the student is pretty sure to assume that the whole problem of expression is a matter of mere mechanical expertness in the use of voice, tongue, and lips. But natural and spontaneous expression is not secured in this way, as the artificialities of elocution of the past have demonstrated. The accurate utterance of words is largely a matter of imitation and mechanical skill, but, like cor- rectness in spelling, the accomplishment is incidental to the expression of thought. This book wiU not be found dogmatic in the matter of iv PREFACE technic of vocal expression. I have endeavored throughout to demonstrate that effective speech is not gained by im- posing rules upon utterance, but by allowing the mind to express itself freely and normally through tone. In the majority of cases faulty utterance may be traced to vague, confused thinking, or to a lack of interest in what is spoken. When thought is clear the voice tends to go right. Furthermore, I have departed from the custom, usually followed, in texts on this subject, of laying first emphasis on the emotional values of selections studied. Clear under- standing is the basis of sane, convincing speech. Appreci- ation and feeling follow the thought. The attempt to force or simulate emotion about something not clearly under- stood is demoralizing to the student, and inevitably results in vain and artificial expression. Part I is devoted to a discussion of the problem of thought-getting, and of the modulations of the voice which give evidence of well-ordered thinking and serve to make the meaning clear to others. Part II is devoted to the problem of the imaginative and emotional response to thought, and to those modulations of tone which reveal feeling and render speech impressive. Part III deals with the technical problems of tone production and of forming tone into words. The task of the teacher and the problems of the class- room have been constantly held in mind in the preparation of this Handbook. I have endeavored to offer such sug- gestion and help as may serve to lighten the teacher's labor without imposing hard and fast methods of instruc- tion or procedure or encroaching upon the freedom of the individual teacher in the use of this text. At the end of the book a section has been devoted to suggestions to teachers and to a program of recitations and assignments PREFACE V covering the entire contents of the volume in a series of carefully planned lessons. Frequent references are also made to the particular principles involved in the various assignments. It is not assumed that this program wiU be suited to all classes and situations, but it is hoped that it will afford valuable assistance to the teachers in adapting the material of this book to the daily needs of the class. Adequate illustrative material is offered with each chap- ter for all ordinary needs of a course in reading aloud, so that assignments outside the book need be made only at the option of the teacher. For the most part, only selec- tions of proved literary merit have been chosen. In the experimental use of a wide range of literature in class work I have learned to rely more and more upon standard authors whose work, by reason of its truth, strength, and beauty, has stood the test of time. A course in reading aloud affords the best opportunity, and oftentimes the only op- portunity the student has, for becoming acquainted with good literature and for cultivating a taste for the best that has been written. While my aim has consistently been to provide material illustrative of the various aspects of the problem of expression, as discussed in the several chapters, I have made the selection in the hope that many passages of beauty and charm may be retained by the student long after the particular phases of the study which they illus- trate have been forgotten. Acknowledgments are due to those authors and pub- lishers who have generously granted permission for the use of copyrighted material. My obligation is noted in con- nection with the selections used. I am also indebted to Houghton Mifflin Company for the privilege of extensive quotation from [their publications of the works of Long- fellow, Lowell, Whittier, Emerson, Holmes, Harte, Sill, George Arnold, Warner (ira the Wilderness'), Crothers, vi PREFACE Muir (Our National Paries), and Peabody (Mornings in the College Chapel). I wish to express my sense of ap preciation and indebtedness to Dr. S. S. Curry, but for whose sound, keen, and stimulative instruction in my ten- tative years this book might not have been written ; to Dr. Elwood P. Cubberley for careful reading of the manuscript and assistance in preparing it for publication ; to Dr. William Herbert Carruth for criticism of the text and help in reading the proof ; and to Miss Elizabeth Lee Buck- ingham for many practical suggestions and for that en- couragement which springs from unfailing faith in the value of the work. Lee Emeeson Bassett Stanpoed Unitkesitt, Caufobnia September 1, 1916 CONTENTS PART I. CLEARNESS OF MEANING Introduction 1 I. The Relation of Thought aijd Speech .... 15 n. Grouping 30 III. Pitch Variation 61 IV. Emphasis 83 PART II. IMPRESSIVENESS V. Imfressiveness in Speech 105 VI. Vocal Energy 124 VII. Rhythm 161 Vin. Vocal Quality 203 IX. The Music of Speech 236 PART III. EASE AND CORRECTNESS X. Technical Principles 281 XI. Training the Voice 289 Xn. Enunciation and Pronunciation 305 TO TEACHERS I. General Suggestions 315 n. Suggestions regarding Chapters 321 m. Program of Recitations and Assignments . . . 330 Index 343 A HANDBOOK OF ORAL READING INTRODUCTION In setting forth a book such as this it would hardly be deemed necessary to insist at the outset on reading aloud as an essential factor in education. The steadily increasing number of well-attended courses in oral composition and public speaking offered in secondary schools and colleges, and the recent lively interest in oral composition mani- fested by teachers of English throughout the country, give evidence of the recognition of the cultural value and prac- tical usef tdness of oral training. Special emphasis has been placed on oral composition, public speaking, and similar courses, in which the student is given opportunity for prac- tice in expressing his own ideas in his own words. Indeed, so much attention has been given to this particular phase of oral expression that, at the present time, reading aloud holds a place of relatively minor importance. The author does not wish to be understood as question- ing the value of training in oral composition, public speak- ing, and the like — he does not ; but to him there seems to be grave danger that these courses which, from their very nature, appear to afford most direct and immediate practi- cal results, shall be permitted to claim our entire attention to the exclusion of a study, the practical benefits of which are perhaps less apparent but none the less real. Every student should have instruction and practice in standing before others and speaking what he knows and thinks about a subject. It is an eminently sensible, useful, and stimulating procedure. But with aU its advantages, it can- 2 ORAL READING not be considered the " be-all and the end-all " of oral ex- pression. As a special kind of mental and vocal training it merits a large place, no doubt, but that portion of the stu- dent's time which may be claimed for the study of oral expression cannot be devoted exclusively to this phase of the subject without serious loss. Oral composition, — or formal conversation, as it may be called, — pubhc speaking, and similar courses, as taught in the classroom, offer but a limited field of oral expression. Classroom conversations, narratives, discussions, and de- bates — whatever form the speaking exercise may take — are confined principally to a statement of conditions, events, facts, and opinions addressed chiefly to the understanding, and seldom to the imagination or emotions. Even the spon- taneity and spirit of everyday conversation, with its play of thought, fancy, and feeling, are seldom in evidence in a marked degree. True, spirit and freedom are urged and encouraged by the zealous teacher, but the average student finds it hard to forget the restraint of the subject and the occasion, and the conditions are not conducive to the exer- cise of the freedom of informal conversation. If he suc- ceeds in saying what he has to say so that his classmates shall understand and follow him with a reasonable degree of ease and interest, he has accomplished about all that is expected of him. The effort has helped to clarify his thought and he has gained somewhat in skiU in communi- cating his ideas to others. But the exercise has brought no great degree of training in vocal expression. No very serious demands are made on the voice in merely given out information, or uttering facts, narrating incidents, or stat- ing beliefs, unless, as sometimes happens in public address, the speaker becomes* aroused and throws all his powers of mind, imagination, and emotion into his utterances. Then the resources of voice are brought to the test. But the INTRODUCTION S classroom offers little incentive to such full and spirited utterance, and efforts at intense expression are pretty apt to savor of pretense and declamation. The style of speech appropriate to classroom practice is of a simpler, quieter sort. Yet the lack of stimulus, the routine nature of the work, the often perfunctory character of the preparation, tend to a cold, self-critical, and restrained style, with a consequent restriction of vocal action. And instead of acquiring a flexible, free, and varied utterance, the student is in danger of dropping into a hard, mechanical, and duU manner of speech. Moreover, in oral-composition and public-speaking courses, the vocal aspects of the problem can ordinarily re- ceive but a limited consideration by reason of the complex nature of the work. The attention of teacher and pupil alike is divided between subject-matter of the speech, the problems of grammar and rhetoric, and oral delivery. But no servant can serve two masters at the same time and serve both well. Certain it is that no student can attempt to accomplish three things at once and attain a very high degree of efficiency in aU or any one. Nor can the teacher give adequate criticism and instruction in all points simul- taneously. It naturally follows in such courses that atten- tion is centered more on the problems of composition than on oral expression or vice versa, or that time is divided equally between the two, with a consequent loss to each. Even under these difficulties, the work has distinct advan- tages and a practical value which no one wiU question. The contention here advanced is that, under these circum- stances, there is not reasonable ground for assuming that such courses afford sufficient training in oral expression to justify giving them precedence over courses in reading aloud. Nor does abundant practice in expressing one's own 4 ORAL READING thoughts in speech render unnecessary the training to be derived from expressive reading aloud of what others have said and have been at pains to say well. For reading affords distinctively valuable discipline in at least three respects : it brings the student into direct and vital contact with the thought and experiences which stimulate the mind, quicken the imagination and the emotional nature, and widen the range of his knowledge and interest ; it trains him to accu- racy of observation and to certainty of understanding which precludes superficial attention and " snap judgment " ; and it provides the best kind of training of the expressive pow- ers of the voice. The greater part of the literature read in schools belongs to that class of writing which De Quincey calls the litera- ture of power, as distinguished from the literature of mere knowledge. The literature of knowledge treats of facts as such ; the literature of power holds and moves and inspires men by virtue of its truth, its beauty, its imagination, and its feeling. It tells us how men think and feel and how they relate themselves to other men and to the world in which they live. Obviously one who reads with full understanding must exercise the imagination and the sympathies, and must hold them subject to the influence of what he reads. New experiences are thus made his through contact with the thought and experience of the author and, as when Keats " heard Chapman speak out loud and bold," a larger world, extending beyond the little circle of his everyday life, is opened to him. But the range and power of such literature are seldom realized by the student until he hears it read aloud, or he himself attempts to express its thought and spirit. The printed word is given reality and life when it is uttered by the living voice. Moreover, reading aloud trains the student to accurate observation and close scrutiny of what he reads. Ask the INTRODUCTION 5 student who is in the habit of " skimming over " whatever is put before him to state the thought of what he has just read, and rarely is he able to give anything better than a vague, disconnected statement of it ; but let the student be subject to the exacting study which good reading aloud re- quires, and he is prepared to give a better account of his reading. The pupil who has an idea that the only require- ment for reading aloud is to look at the book and " read it off," soon finds that he is in error. For no one can read aloud well who has not a sure grasp of the thought, and few students, untrained in reading aloud, have the ability to get from the printed page all that it has for them. Es- pecially is this true of poetry and fimer forms of literature. Now, the adequate rendering of the thought of the printed page makes demands on the voice such as oral composition and ordinary classroom speaking rarely make. For, in read- ing literature, not ideas alone are to be stated, but imagina- tion and spirit are to be revealed as well. Without these, poetry becomes dry as dust, and prose " vain bibble-babble." All the expressive powers of the voice are called into ac- tion when one reads a poem like Lowell's Vision of Sir Launfal, or a narrative like Irving's Rip Van Winkle or Dickens's Christmas Carol. Indeed, the vividness and impressiveness of such literature depend largely upon the true, unaffected voicing of it. Professor Dowden in his New Studies in Literature re- marks : " Few persons nowadays seem to feel how powerful an instrument of culture may be found in modest, intelligent and sympathetic reading aloud. A mongrel something which, ?it least with the inferior adepts, is neither good reading nor veritable acting, but which sets agape the haK-educated with the wonder of its airs and attitudinizings, its pseudo-heroics and pseudo-pathos, has usurped the place of the true art of reading aloud, and has made the word recitation a terror 6 ORAL READING to quiet folk who are content with intelligence and refine- ment." Though happily the airs and attitudinizings of the inferior adepts are seen less often than formerly, and they no longer meet with the unqualified approval of even the half-educated, it is doubtful whether we realize now, any more than when Dowden wrote, the educational and the cultural value of reading aloud. Anyhow, good reading is rarely heard in the school or the home or elsewhere. And though our students are possibly better prepared to stand before others and make a talk or give a formal address than they were ten or twenty years ago, few of them can read a page of print with clearness, ease, or naturalness. Again to quote from Professor Dowden : " The reading which we should desire to cultivate is intelligent reading, that is, it should express the meaning of each passage clearly ; sympathetic reading, that is, it should convey the feeling delicately ; musical reading, that is, it should move in accord with the melody and harmony of what is read, be it verse or prose." If this sort of reading were cidtivated wisely in our homes and schools, another generation would perhaps find good reading more generally practiced than now, and an tmderstanding and love of good literature more prevalent among young people than at the present time. It is the hope of the author that this book may be instrumen- tal, even in a slight degree, in stimulating interest in read- ing aloud and in simplifying some of the problems of teaching it. The study of reading aloud is concerned with three problems, namely : thinking, feeling, and style of speech. Of these, thinking is of prime importance and demands first consideration. While enjoyment through awakened imagination and feeling is the ultimate purpose of litera- ture, it is the author's ideas and the information he gives us which call these faculties into action. As children we INTRODUCTION 7 did not rejoice at the deliverance of Eobinson Crusoe from his island until we were told that the ship was ready for his rescue and that he was so overcome that he " was at first ready to sink down with surprise." We are not struck with horror at Macbeth's crime untU we are told that " he is about it." So, in reading aloud, the listener can derive little pleasure from what he hears unless the sense of it is made clear to him. Interest and enjoyment wait on under- standing. An attempt to arouse the emotions in reciting a piece of literature before one understands it or knows what the emotions are about, like an effort at fine writing when one has nothing to say, expresses nothing so much as vanity and poverty of thought. One suspects that a good deal of the elocutionary affectation of the past was due to this sort of perversion. But no reading is adequate which fails to express the spirit of what is read. Every thought, if it really means anything to us, arouses some kind of emotional reaction. We relate ourselves to it in some way. The thought of home awakens feelings of tenderness ; of a game of football, interest or enthusiasm ; of a hard lesson, dread or deter- mination. Abstract ideas, unrelated to our experience, con- cern us little :4x4 = 16isa matter of slight moment to us vmless it means dollars, or years of life, or miles yet to be walked. We become " absorbed " in a story when, as we read on, we adjust ourselves to its characters, and its ideas and incidents become vivid and real to us. And the sympathetic reader will not utter words merely, nor ideas alone as a series of cold statements, but thought with the feeling it awakens. The style of speech of each individual is largely a matter of mental habits, of feeling, temperament, and character. " Style is the man himself." True it is, that the man is 8 ORAL BEADING known by the manner of his speech. One can never get far away from one's self in speech, whether the speaking be limited to one's own thoughts or to the thought of a poem or piece of prose. Effort to express what one does not feel, to appear to be what one is not, deceives no one so much as the speaker. But in one respect, at least, the manner of speech has a mechanical basis, and depends upon mechanical processes, which in time, by dint of much practice and use, become automatic and habitual. The use and control of the voice as an instrument of expression is largely acquired by delib- erate effort. It is something each individual must learn, from the easy management of breath to the formation of tone into words. A bad voice, with abnormal methods of using it, while perhaps not fatal to good speech, seriously impairs its effectiveness and is a handicap to the possessor. Crudi- ties in pronunciation and faulty enunciation of consonants and vowels betray ignorance or carelessness on the part of the speaker. Pleasantness, ease, grace, and accuracy of speech result from right training, right example, good habits, and care. Fortunate is the person who, from the first, has heard careful and cultured speech and has been trained to speak the language correctly and gracefully. But however great the need may be in the matter of use of the voice, and formation of tone into words, these things should not receive first consideration in expression work. They are but incidental to the main purpose, and may appropriately receive attention as the demands of reading may indicate. In oral as well as written expression, thought, not style, is of prime consequence. We speak to get some- thing said, not to show how well we can speak. The manner of speech, though important, is, after all, secondary to the matter spoken. Nor is an effective manner of speech to be acquired from INTRODUCTION 9 without by imitation of others or by studious observation of rules. The laws of expressive speech take their rise from the nature of man. Likewise, the causes of weak, faulty, inexpressive speech are to be traced to the nature and men- tal habits of the individual. In a sense each person carries his own laws and rules of speech with him. Only untrained faculties, undisciplined latent powers, faulty habits and man- nerisms, unresponsive and uncontrolled agents of expres- sion, render expression inadequate, peculiar, ineffective. If the mind were perfectly trained to concentration and clear thinking, the imagination and emotions active, strong, and normal, and the voice perfect as an instrument and obedient to every shade of thought and feeling, there would be little need for the study of expression. But until this happy condition is attained, the study of expressive speech will remain one of the most effective means of educating all the faculties of our nature. It is to purposeful and spirited conversation, conversa- tion in its widest range of expression as exemplified by the speech of people in general, that we must look for the prin- ciples that underlie expressive reading or effective speech of any kind. It is the most common, spontaneous, tmpremedi- tated form of communication. In conversation the speaker presumably has something to say, without having given studious care to the way it is to be spoken ; the desire to speak leads the thought out, and voice and body obey the impulse as best they may. Though they are often hampered by weaknesses, wrong habits, mannerisms, and misuse, the influence of thought and feeling tends to direct their action in the right way. From conversation we may learn the vocabulary of tone by which spoken language is given its peculiar significance and force. Now, reading aloud is nothing more nor less than the application to written language of the natural laws of 10 ORAL READING vocal expression, as revealed in conversation. Good reading is not to be acquired by following rules. It would be as reasonable to dictate to a writer what words he should use in setting down his thoughts, as to lay down absolute rules of tone for expressing certain kinds of thought and emotion. The modulations of the voice are combined by different indi- viduals in infinite variety for the expression of thought. But without knowledge of what constitutes good reading and the elements of it, and without the skill to detect faults and mannerisms and weaknesses and attribute them to their causes, there can be little growth in the power to speak and read aloud. Observation and analysis have shown that certain modula- tions of the voice — such, for example, as inflection and ac- centuation — are directly related to the mind and reveal the process of thinking, while others — like tone-quality and pitch — bear an intimate relation to the imagination and emotions. Every change of the voice means something and conveys some impression to others of the thought and feel- ing of the speaker. Now, the absence or weak use of any of these modulations in reading aloud, or in any form of speaking, may be attributed to mental or emotional causes. Faulty and inadequate expression is apt to be the result of lax and inadequate thinking. Correct the thought, arouse interest, awaken the mind to clear, vigorous action, and the speech will take care of itself pretty well. A well-trained voice is a valuable asset, but it is incidental to a well-trained mind and controlled feelings. AU the examples and exer- cises found in the following pages should be practiced as exercises in thought-getting and thought-giving. In this way the study of vocal expression becomes a study, not of external mechanics of speech, but of the inner conditions of thought and life upon which all natural speech depends. The study of the principles of expressive speech will pro- INTEODUCTION 11 vide criteria for judging the student's understanding and appreciation of what he reads, and his interest in commu- nicating it to others ; it vdll help the teacher to detect and to correct lax, careless, and faulty habits of thinking ; it will make clear the intimate connection between thought, feeling, and voice ; and it wiU make obvious the truth that excellent reading is the result of excellent thinking, clear understanding, and the vigorous play and exercise of the imagination and the emotions. PART I CLEARNESS OF MEANESTG CHAPTER I THE BELATION OF THOUGHT AKD SPEECH There is no worse arrangement tlian for one to make pretensions to the spirit of a thing while the sense and letter of it are not clear to him. (Gobthb ; WU/t^lm Meiiter.) I. What reading aloud involves Ojjr first duty in reading aloud is to get a clear under- standing of the meaning of what we read. Whether we read the literature that instructs, or teUs a story, or describes a scene, or portrays a character, we must give the meaning the author intended to convey in every phrase and sentence. There can be little delight in " the vision of the sky " when the lines Slow fades the vision of the sky, The golden water pales, are read with such emphasis on " water " and dropping of the voice on " pales " as to suggest to the listener that the foreground of the picture is composed of water pails. Nor are the emotions of tenderness apt to be strongly aroused when we are told that " Silas Mamer decided to keep the child (who was frozen one evening) outside his house in the snow." Thoughtless utterance of words often results in such misstatement and misrepresentation of meaning. It never reveals the finer shades of thought nor contributes to words the significant variety of living speech. Words are not the whole of speech, nor is the utterance of them all there is to reading. The meaning conveyed through them is determined by the way they are spoken. For example, so simple an expression as " It is a beautiful day " may be uttered as an assertion of the fact that the day 16 ORAL READING is beautiful, or in concurrence with the opinion of another that the day is beautiful, or implying that, though the day is beautiful, the night was wild, or it may be so spoken as to imply the opposite of that which the words themselves assert, that the day is anything but beautiful. The sense conveyed depends on the intention of the speaker. If he have no definite intention, his speech will reveal that too, whether the words are spoken in conversation or read from the pages of a book. The reader's task is to find out what the author means, then to speak that meaning truthfidly. 2. Sight reading and preparation for utterance It is obvious that to read well one must prepare well, as well and thoroughly as time permits. Even sight reading involves preparation, though the time for it is necessarily brief. The preparation must be made during pauses and intervals of silence. When reading at sight, the reader must gather the thoughts as he goes along, hastily and piecemeal, it is true, yet words should not be spoken until their meaning is known. If the reader has nothing but words to speak, he has nothing to say. When he has thought the author's thought after him, and not tiU then, is he ready to speak. The inexperienced reader is apt to speak words one by one as they meet the eye. Not until the phrase or sentence is spoken does he know what the meaning is. But he should remember that he is not reading for himself alone, but to communicate thought to others, and this thought cannot be clearly, easily, and pleasantly communi- cated until he himself knows what he is saying. The mo- notonous and " sing-song " reading, so often heard in the classroom and elsewhere, is due largely to this heavy-eyed glimpsing and perfunctory voicing of words without definite knowledge of what they mean. In sight reading, as well as in the reading of that with THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 17 whicli one is familiar, the eye should be trained to precede the voice. During pauses between phrases, sentences, and paragraphs the reader has an opportunity to familiarize himself with what follows. This, indeed, is what pauses are for. They are the intervals in which the mind prepares itself for speech. The thoroughness of this preparation depends on the alertness of the vision and the mind. The beginner finds it difficult to grasp even a short group of words in advance of utterance. But with practice the eye becomes apt in the forward look which apprehends all that cool rea- son may comprehend. Then word reading wiU give place to thought-getting and thought-giving. Then the spoken word will mean more to others because it first means something to the reader. 3. Vocal evidence of dear thought The voice, when under the guidance of mind and eye, will tend to respond, as in spirited conversation, to the de- mands of the thought. Monotonous, hesitant, and stumbling speech indicates that the reader does not know what he is saying until he has said it, and even then he may not be sure of its meaning. Thoughtful reading is marked by the variety of utterance characteristic of conversation, and va- riety is the direct result of thinking at the time of speech. Try the following paragraph, pausing between the phrases, indicated by dashes, long enough to permit the eye to see all the words in the next phrase, and the mind to get its sense before the words are spoken. Read the passage again and again until the forward look becomes easy. When the attention is thus centered in the thought carried by the words, and not limited to the words themselves, the reading will show it by the natural emphasis and variety found in animated conversation. 18 ORAL READING There was little doubt — that the Lone Star claim was " played out." Not dug out, — worked out, — washed out, — hvX played out. For two years — its five sanguine proprietors had gone through the various stages of mining enthusiasm ; — had prospected and planned, — dug and doubted. They had borrowed money with hearty but unredeeming frankness, — established a credit with un- selfish abnegation of all responsibility, — and had borne the disap- pointment of their creditors with a cheerful resignation — which only the consciousness of some deep Compensating Future could gfive. Giving little else, however, — a singular dissatisfaction ob- tained with the traders, — and, being accompanied with a reluc- tance to make further advances, — at last touched the gentle sto- icism of the proprietors themselves. The youthful enthusiasm — which had at first lifted the most ineffectual trial, — the most use- less essay, — to the plane of actual achievement, — died out, — leaving them only the dull, prosaic record of half-finished ditches, — purposeless shafts, — untenable pits, — abandoned engines, — and meaningless disruptions of the soil upon the Lone Star claim, — and empty flour sacks and pork barrels in the Lone Star cabin. (Bret Harte : Left Out on Lone Star Mountain. From Frontier Stories.) 4. Time and study essential One should not attempt to read aloud at sight anything but simple forms of literature. Casual sight reading of poetry and the literature pregnant with meaning and feel- ing, the literature that appeals strongly to the imagination and emotions, can give at best but a vague and slight idea of its beauty and power. In preparing such literature for reading the student should endeavor to know the author's thought and experience and purpose as thoroughly as did the author himself. Only such study and analysis as will enable the reader to understand every shade of meaning, and to become imbued vrith the spirit of the piece as a whole, will suffice for the reading of our best literature. Suppose you are to read the following lines from Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage : — THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 19 Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean — roU ! Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain, Man marks the earth with ruin — his control Stops with the shore ; — upon the watery plain The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain A shadow of man's ravage, save his own, When for a moment, like a drop of rain, He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown. The first thing to do is to get the sense of the whole stanza. Unless the interrelation of the various lines and the bear- ing of each upon all is understood, the full meaning of any single line will not be made clear by well-placed and pur- poseful emphasis. If, however, you know why the poet says, " Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain," you will so speak the verse as to cause the listener to anticipate the explanation immediately following. Man marks the earth with ruin — his control Stops with the shore ; upon the watery plain The wrecks are all thy deed. It is not possible to illustrate such points adequately in writing. The voice alone can do that. But a little practice in reading the stanza aloud wiU. make it evident that the lines can be clearly and truthfully read only when the reader sees the end from the beginning. Then the thought of each line will influence the utterance of every other line ; all will be bound together in unity and singleness of pur- pose, because all are needed to convey the central idea of the stanza, that on the ocean the works of man, and even man himself, are subject to its power. Tate another example, this time from Shakespeare's Henry the Eighth. First, read the passage with emphasis as indicated, giving the speeches as direct, frank conversa- tion between friends who do not question the honesty or integrity of each other. 20 ORAL READING King Henry. Tou have said well. Wolsey. And ever may your highness yoke together, As I will lend you cause, my doing well With my well saying ! King Henry. 'T is well said again ! And 't is a kind of good deed to say well : And yet words are no deeds. Now this is such a rendering as might easily result from sight reading, A clear and definite meaning is given to the speeches, but a little scrutiny of them, even though one has no further knowledge of the situation than that gained from the lines, will make it apparent that it is not the meaning intended. Had the king, with positive emphasis on " well," expressed absolute confidence in Wolsey, the Cardinal would have been impelled to show gratitude to him for the recog- nition of his virtue of " well saying." But it is evident that the words of Henry were spoken in no complimentary tone, for Wolsey is put on the defensive and feels called to assert that his deeds, too, are worthy. But in his next speech the king reiterates his fair words in tones of double meaning. Instead of a conversation of undisguised confidence and good-will, analysis shows it to be one of sarcasm and irony in which Henry virtually charges Wolsey with dishonesty and treachery. King Henry. You have said well. Wolsey. And ever may your highness yoke together, As I will lend you cause, my doing well With my well saying I King Henry. 'T is well said again ; And 't is a hind of good deed to say well : And yet words are no deeds. The above illustrations will perhaps be sufficient to show that reading aloud is a task requiring as thorough prepara- tion and careful analysis and thought as any other study, and that good reading can only result from good prepara- THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 21 tion. When the writer means to convey a certain thought it is the reader's business to convey that thought, not an- other, and it is his duty to make sure that he understands what is written before he attempts to speak it. No doubt a good deal of the careless, inaccurate, and monotonous read- ing heard in the classroom is due to the notion, prevalent among students, that an open book and a fair ability to pronounce words are all that is necessary for reading any sort of literature. $. Thinking during speech But thorough preparation and ready familiarity with what one reads is not aU. It is possible to know a piece of prose or poetry so well, and to be so well rehearsed in it, that it may be repeated by rote, as one says the multiplica^ tion table while the mind is occupied with something else. Every one has heard lines repeated in a jingling " sing- song " way, without significant pause or emphasis or other evidence that the speaker is thinking about what he is say- ing. The words follow each other in utterance by force of habit, while the mind may be busy with any number of dif- ferent things. The boy who speaks " The curfew tolls the knell of parting day," when his mind is occupied with thoughts of his lunch, or the afternoon ball game, or his own discomfort as he stands before his fellows, is not likely to put life or reality into the line. Speech, to be convincing and genuine, must be the expression of active and present thinking. The skUled axeman uses the axe with the ease of long-practiced habit, yet every stroke must be consciously directed and delivered with energy, if it is to count and the chips made to fly. If reading is to have the convincing directness and force of living speech, the keen edge of the mind must be applied with vigor to every word and phrase and sentence when they are spoken. 22 ORAL READING 6. Conversation the basis of natural style in reading The influence of the action of the mind on the voice may be observed in all natural and unstudied utterance. In such speech every change in the tone and action of the voice means something. Speak the sentence, " Clear writers, like clear fountains, do not seem as deep as they are," and then mention as many expressive actions of the voice as you can. If you have spoken the sentence naturally, with clear knowledge of its ideas before you uttered the words, you will recall that you did not shout the words loudly, but spoke them with a moderate degree of vocal force ; that you did not speak them as rapidly as possible, but with aver- age rate of time ; that there were some pauses, and a good deal of rising and falling of the voice throughout the sen- tence. In aU these ways, and others which you may have noted, was your voice serving your mind and making known the thoughts that came to it in the words of the sentence. In conversation these significant variations of voice are unpremeditated. The speaker does not stop to consider them, nor is the listener conscious of them. The thought and the speaker's feeling are the things both are concerned about, and it is the thought that determines how the voice shall act. If the voice is disobedient, so much the worse for the thought, the speaker, and the listener. Now, if the thought of what is read aloud were as defi- nite as it is in conversation, and the desire as strong to communicate it to others, there would be no great differ- ence between the style of speech in reading and converse^ tion. The person who can speak his own thoughts clearly, naturally, and pleasantly, would be able to read with the same clear, varied, and significant utterance. All depends on whether he makes the sense of the printed page his own, and whether he thinks as vigorously when reading as THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 23 when speaking his own ideas. Rules never made an excel- lent reader or speaker, but clear thinking and earnest pur- pose have made many. To speak with " the unpretending simplicity of earnest men" is to speak what one thinks and feels, without self-consciousness or affectation or stud- ied effort for effect. An exercise in clearness of expression The following adaptation of Irving's story is a good illus- tration of the principles discussed in the foregoing pages : THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW Washington Irving In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town. Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley or rather lap of land among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose ; and the occasional whistle of a quail or tapping of a wood- pecker is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon the uni- form tranquillity. From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by the name of Sleepy Hollow. A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched by a High German doctor, during the early days of the settlement ; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching 24 OBAL READING power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, caus- ing them to walk in a continual reverie. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions. The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted re- gion, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom o£ night, as if on the wings of the wind. His haunts are not con- fined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance. In- deed, certain of the most authentic historians of those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body of the trooper having been buried in the churchyard, the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head, and that the rushing speed with which he sometimes passes along the Hollow, like a mid- night blast, is owing to his being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the churchyard before daybreak. Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, which has furnished materials for many a wild story in that re- gion of shadows ; and the spectre is known at all the country firesides, by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hol- low. In this by-place of nature there abode, in a remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane, who sojourned, or, as he expressed it, " tarried," in Sleepy Hollow, for the purpose of in- structing the children of the vicinity. The cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his person. He was tail, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weather^ cock perched upon his spindle neck to tell which way the wind blew. To see him striding along the profile of a hiU on a windy THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 25 day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield. In addition to his other vocations, he was the singing-master of the neighborhood, and picked up many bright shillings by in- structing the young folks in psalmody. It was a matter of no little vanity to him on Sundays, to take his station in front of the church gallery, with a band of chosen singers ; where, in his own mind, he completely carried away the pabu from the parson. Certain it is, his voice resounded far above all the rest of the con- gregation ; and there are peculiar quavers still to be heard in that church, and which may even be heard half a mile off, quite to the opposite side of the miU-pond, on a still Sunday morning, which are said to be legitimately descended from the nose of Ichabod Crane. Thus, by divers little makeshifts, in that ingen- ious way which is commonly denominated "by hook and by crook," the worthy pedagogue got on tolerably enough, and was thought, by all who understood nothing of the labor of headwork, to have a wonderfully easy life of it. Among the musical disciples who assembled, one evening in each week, to receive his instructions in psalmody, was Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and only child of a substantial Dutch farmer. She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen ; plump as a partridge ; ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of her fa- ther's peaches, and universally famed, not merely for her beauty, but her vast expectations. She was withal a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms. Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart towards the sex ; and it is not to be wondered at, that so tempting a morsel soon found favor in his eyes, more especially after he had visited her in her paternal mansion. Old Baltus Van Tassel was a perfect picture of a thriving, contented, liberal-hearted farmer. He sel- dom, it is true, sent either his eyes or his thoughts beyond the boundaries of his own farm; but within those everything was snug, happy and well-conditioned. He was satisfied with his wealth, but not proud of it ; and piqued himself upon the hearty abundance, rather than the style in which he lived. As the enraptured Ichabod rolled his great green eyes over the 26 ORAL READING fat meadow lands, the rich fields of wheat, of rye, of buckwheat, and Indian corn, and the orchards burdened with ruddy fruit, which surrounded the warm tenement of Van Tassel, his heart yearned after the damsel who was to inherit these domains, and his imagination expanded with the idea, how they might be read- ily turned into cash, and the money invested in immense tracts of wild land, and shingle palaces in the wilderness. Nay, his busy fancy already realized his hopes, and presented to him the bloom- ing Katrina, with a whole family of children, mounted on the top of a wagon loaded with household trumpery, with pots and ket- tles dangling beneath ; and he beheld himself bestriding a pacing mare, with a colt at her heels, setting out for Kentucky, Tennes- see, — or the Lord knows where ! From the moment Ichabod laid his eyes upon these regions of delight, the peace of his mind was at an end, and his only study was how to gain the afEections of the peerless daughter of Van Tassel. In this enterprise, however, he had more real difficulties than generally fell to the lot of a knight-errant of yore, who sel- dom bad anything but giants, enchanters, fiery dragons, and such like easily conquered adversaries, to contend with ; he had to en- counter a host of fearful adversaries of real flesh and blood, the numerous rustic admirers, who beset every portal to her heart, keeping a watchful and angry eye upon each other, but ready to fly out in the common cause against any new competitor. Among these, the most formidable was a burly, roaring, roy- stering blade, of the name of Abraham, or, according to the Dutch abbreviation, Brom Van Brunt, the hero of the country round, which rang with his feats of strength and hardihood. He was broad-shouldered and double-jointed, with short curly black hair, and a bluff but not unpleasant countenance, having a mingled air of fun and arrogance. From his Herculean frame and great powers of limb, he had received the nickname of Bbom Bones, by which he was universally known. He was famed for great knowledge and skill in horsemanship, being as dexterous on horse- back as a Tartar. He was always ready for either a fight or a frolic ; but had more mischief than ill-will in his composition ; and with all his overbearing roughness, there was a strong dash of waggish good humor at bottom. He had three or four boon companions, who regarded him as their model, and at the head THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 27 of whom he scoured the country, attending every scene of feud or merriment for miles round. The neighbors looked upon him with a mixture of awe, admiration, and good-will ; and, when any madcap prank or rustic brawl occurred in the vicinity, always shook their heads, and warranted Brom Bones was at the bottom of it. This rantipole hero had for some time singled out the bloom- ing Eatrina for the object of his uncouth gallantries, and though his amorous toyings were something like the gentle caresses and endearments of a bear, yet it was whispered that she did not alto- gether discourage his hopes. Such was the formidable rival with whom Ichabod Crane had to contend, and, considering all things, a stouter man than.he would have shrunk from the competition, and a wiser man would have despaired. He had, however, a happy mixture of pliability and perseverance in his nature ; he was in form and spirit like a sup- ple-jack — yielding, but tough ; though he bent, he never broke ; and though he bowed beneath the slightest pressure, yet, the moment it was away — jerk ! — he was as erect, and carried his head as high as ever. Brom, who had a degree of rough chivalry in his nature, would fain have carried matters to open warfare and have settled their pretensions to the lady, according to the mode of those most con- cise and simple leasoners, the knights-errant of yore, —by single combat ; but Ichabod was too conscious of the superior might of his adversary to enter the lists against him ; he had overheard a boast of Bones, that he would " double the schoolmaster up, and lay him on a shelf of his own schoolhouse " ; and he was too wary to give him an opportunity. There was something extremely pro- voking in this obstinately pacific system ; it left Brom no alter- native but to draw upon the funds of rustic waggery in his dis- position, and to play ofE boorish practical jokes upon his rival. Ichabod became the object of whimsical persecution to Bones and his gang of rough riders. They harried his hitherto peaceful domains, smoked out his singing-school by stopping up the chim- ney, broke into the schoolhouse at night, and turned everything topsy-turvy, so that the poor schoolmaster began to think all the witches in the country held their meetings there. In this way matters went on for some time, without producing 28 ORAL READING any material effect on the relative situations of the contending powers. On a fine autnmnal afternoon, Ichabod, in pensive mood, sat enthroned on the lofty stool from whence he usually watched all the concerns of his little literary realm. In his hand he swayed a ferule, that sceptre of despotic power ; the birch of justice re- posed on three nails behind the throne, a constant terror to evil doers. Apparently there had been some appalling act of justice recently inflicted, for his scholars were all busily intent upon their books, or- slyly whispering behind them with one eye kept upon the master ; and a kind of buzzing stillness reigned throughout the schoolroom. It was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a negro in tow-cloth jacket and trowsers, and mounted on the back of a ragged, wild, half-broken colt, which he managed with a rope by way of halter. He came clattering up to the school- door with an invitation to Ichabod to attend a merry-making or " quilting-frolic," to be held that evening at Mynheer Van Tassel's. All was now bustle and hubbub in the late quiet schoolroom. Books were flung aside without being put away on the shelves, inkstands were overturned, benches thrown down, and the whole school was turned loose an hour before the usual time, bursting forth like a legion of young imps, yelping and racketing about the green in joy at their early emancipation. The gallant Ichabod now spent at least an extra half hour at his toilet, brushing and furbishing up his best, and indeed only suit of rusty black, and arranging his locks by a bit of broken looking-glass that hung up in the schoolhouse. That he might make his appearance before his mistress in the true style of a cavalier, he borrowed a horse from the farmer with whom he was domiciliated, a choleric old Dutchman of the name of Hans Van Kipper, and, thus gallantly mounted, issued forth like a knight- errant in quest of adventures. But it is meet I should, in the true spirit of romantic story, give some account of the looks and equip- ments of my hero and his steed. The animal he bestrode was a broken-down plow-horse, that had outlived almost everything but its viciousness. He was gaunt and shagged, with a ewe neck, and a head like a hammer ; his rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burs ; one eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the other had the gleam of a genuine devil in THE RELATION OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH 29 it. Still he must have had fire and mettle in his day, if we may judge from the name he bore of Gunpowder. He had, in fact, been a favorite steed of his master's, the choleric Van Ripper, who was a furious rider, and had infused, very probably, some of his own spirit into the animal ; for, old and broken-down as he looked, there was more of the lurking devil in him than in any young filly in the country. Ichabod was a suitable figure for such a steed. He rode with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle ; his sharp elbows stuck out like grasshoppers' ; he carried his whip perpendicularly in his hand, like a sceptre, and as his horse jogged on, the motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings. A small wool hat rested on the top of his nose, for so his scanty strip of forehead might be called, and the skirts of his black coat fluttered out almost to the horse's tail. Such was the appearance of Ichabod and his steed as they shambled out of the gate of Hans Van Ripper, and it was alto- gether such an apparition as is seldom to be met with in broad daylight. * ^ An abridgment of the rest of this story will he found at the end of chap- ter y, where it has been placed as an exercise in the principles of that chapter. CHAPTER II GROUPING 7. The basis of grouping In purposeful speech words are combined in groups according to the ideas and images the speaker wishes to communicate. Without clear thinking there can be no ac- curate grouping, and without clear grouping no clear ex- pression of thought. Attention is limited temporarily to the thought that determines the word group. To the homeless man — who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, — there is a momentary feel- ing of something like independence and territorial consequence — when, — after a weary day's travel, — he kicks off his boots, — thrusts his feet into slippers, — - and stretches himself before an inn fire. Irving : Stratford-on^Avon. In reading the above selection aloud it will be observed that the words are combined in groups, or " thought units," and these groups are separated from each other by pause and change of pitch. Furthermore, all words within each group are usually merged and blended by uninterrupted utterance. I. Pause. Word groups are always set apart by pauses. The length of the interval of silence depends on the relative importance of the ideas, the feeling of the speaker and the conditions under which he speaks. Pauses in the utterance of profound, weighty, and solemn thought tend to be longer than in thought of a lighter and more joyous nature. The number in the audience and the size of the room also influ- ence the length of pauses. Length of pause as determined by the character of the thought is illustrated in the two GEOUPING SI following extracts. Note that in the first the pauses are longer than in the second spirited selection. We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives Who thinks the most, feels the noblest, acts the best. Philip James Bailey : Festus. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand ; And the youth, mistook by me, Pleading for a lover's fee. Shall we their fond pageant see ? Lord, what fools these mortals be ! Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, in, ii. 2. Change of pitch. With change in thought in passing from one group to another there is normally a resultant change in the pitch of the voice. The more vividly im- ages are pictured in the mind and the more definite and vigorous the thinking the more pronounced will be the change in pitch. Monotony is evidence of failure on the part of the speaker to grasp the meaning of the individual ideas or to discover their relative importance. Test the state- ments by reading aloud the following sentences : ^ — At last we cam^ and with much fatigue with no small difficulty to our journey's end. through deep roads and had weather ' It will be obserred that the nnderlined phrases in the illustrations given above caiTy the principal thought of the sentence. If the utterance is monoto- nous, read only the main part of the sentence, omitting the explanatory or qualifying phrases. When the principal thought is clearly in mind, read the sentence as a whole, adding the amplifying ideas of the phrases not read be- fore. This exercise often proves helpful in awakening a sense of the thought value of phrases and of their relation to each other. When these values are understood, the fact will be evident in change of pitch between thought groups and in the variety of utterance characteristic of conversation. The space intervals allowed between sections of the above sentences are meant merely to indicate thought divisions, not definite intervals of pitch. 32 OEAL READING If you go to-day I must stay at home. / come now to consider briefly the true ground of cow/plaint. but with proper precision Cromwell was evidently laying the foundation of an though in an irregular manner admirable system. 3. Uninterrupted utterance.^ The appearance of words in print, set apart by spaces, leads easily to the idea that they should be separated in speech. One of the most com- mon faults of the beginner is the practice of pausing after each word. In conversation and all ordinary forms of speech, the words of a phrase are bound together and merged into one continuous sound, broken only by stop consonants like t, b, p, k, the enunciation of which slightly obstructs the tone passage.^ We do not say "How — are — you?" but " Howareyou ? " The truth of this statement wiU be obvi- ous if the following sentences are spoken, first as separate words, then as one word, with all sounds merged : — 1 " No amount of stndy of the sounds only of a sentence will enable ns to recognize the indiTidual words of which it consists." Henry Sweet: Primer of Phonetics. ^ The classification of ntterance into "effusive," "expulsive," and "ex- plosive," while it has some justification in fact, has led to a good deal of elo- cutionary unnaturalnesB. It is often true that exclamations of alarm, anger, exultation, and the like, and those occasional utterances in which individual words are of great weight — as, for example, Hamlet's last speech, "The rest — is — silence 1 " — are marked by separate voicing of each word, hut it will be observed that such utterance is the result of abnormal states of feeling or of rare and exceptional conditions. The application of the expulsive and ex- plosive utterance to the delivery of orations and declamations is perhaps the cause of much of the disfavor into which elocution has fallen. One can hardly imagine Lincoln as saying, " Fourscore (!) and seven (I) years (I) ago (!) our (!) fathers (I) brought forth (!) upon this continent (!) a new (!) nation (!) " ; yet students are still being taught to declaim the speech in this way. An unas- suming, simple, conversational style suits the Gettysburg Speech. There is no rant, declamation, expulsiveness, or explosiveness about it. This may be said in general of the unpretentious utterance of all earnest men. GROUPING 33 "We — are — all — well. "Weareallwell. May — I — have — your — answer ? Maylhaveyouranswer ? I — hope — you — will — come. Ihopeyouwillcome. With — all — my — heart. Withallmyheart. Thy — shores — are — empires. Thyshoresareempires. We — are — all — free — men. Weareallfreemen. There — is ^ no — longer — any — room — for — hope. Thereisnolongeranyroomforhope. Practice the lines quoted below, applying the principles of pause, change of pitch, and uninterrupted tone in the voicing of each phrase.^ The moan of doves in immemorial elms and the murmur of innumerable bees. changed in all Thy shores are empires save thee. By Nebo's lonely mountain on this side Jordan's wave in the land of Moab In a vale there lies a lonely grave. that of all the blithe sounds he had ever heard Scrooge said often afterwards these were the blithest to his ear. 8. Causes of faulty grouping Two frequent sources of faulty grouping are (1) hap- hazard breathing, and (2) punctuation. I . Grouping and breathing. In normal speech the rhythm 1 To prove the validity of these piinciples the lines maybe read again with the omission of the modulations, first without pause, then in a monotone, and, finally, with each word spoken separately. Indeed, the valne and function of any expresBive variation of the voice may be tested by deliberately eliminat' ing it in the utterance of a particular sentence. 34 ORAL READING of breathing is controlled by the rhythmic progress of thought. When we have an idea to express, we instinct- ively take the breath and retain it in preparation for speech. The breath is naturally replenished during pauses between ideas. The thoughtless reader is prone to hasten over words, pronouncing them as fast as breathing and articulation per- mit. But the breathing of the reader who thinks clearly, and whose breath is controlled by his thinking, does not inter- rupt the utterance of word groups. Gasping and catching of breath during the utterance of phrases prevent the easy and clear rendering of thought, make listening difficult, and indicate failure on the part of the speaker to think clearly or to coordinate the action of the mind and the voice. Head the following lines aloud, taking breath only at the points indicated by dashes, and observe the peculiar and chaotic effect produced by the lack of correspondence between thinking and breathing. Then re-read the lines, allowing the breath to be governed by the thought. The dealer stooped — once more this time to replace — the glass upon the shelf his thin blond hair falling — over his eyes as he did so. — Martheim moved — a little nearer with one hand — in the pocket of his g^reat coat. The dealer stooped once more, — this time to replace the glass upon the shelf, — his thin blond hair falling over his eyes as he did so. Markheipi moved a little nearer — with one hand in the pocket of his great coat. Stevenson : Markheim} 2. Grouping and punctuation. Punctuation cannot be relied on as a guide to grouping. It often happens that pauses coincide with punctuation marks; often they do not. Punctuation helps to indicate the structure of the sentence to the eye. Grouping is not determined by gram- ^ Used with the kind peimission of the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons, GROUPING 85 matical structure, but by ideas and images. It is for the ear and the mind of the auditor. The sense of the un- punctuated passage may be clear to the eye, while the same passage, if read aloud without pauses, would be difS- cult to understand. A sentence from Tennyson's In Me- moriam illustrates this : — As dear to me as sacred wine To dying lips was aU he said. Conversational usage observes no pause in "Yes, sir," though the structure requires a comma. We write, " He said that, if the rain stopped, he would resume his jour- ney " ; but we speak the sentence thus : " He said — that if the rain stopped — he would resume his journey." " lie said " is one idea ; what he said another, in fact, tioo others. The lack of coincidence between grouping and punctuation is further illustrated in the following quota- tions : — It was felt — that the loyal element in the border states — • ought to be recognized — and, therefore it was — that, for the vice-presidency — was named a man — who began life in the lowest station. This is the very coinage of your brain : This bodiless creation — ecstasy Is very canning in. Shakespeare : Hamlet, m, iv. 3. Examples of faulty grouping. Knowledge of the author's meaning is the only guide to correct and clear grouping. The following illustrations represent actual class- room errors. Correct the grouping. Silas Marner decided to keep the child j — who was frozen one evening — outside his house in the snow. George Eliot : Silas Marner. 36 ORAL READING And then, the chasm Opening to view, I saw a crowd within Of serpents terrible, so strange of shape And hideous — that remembrance in my veins — Yet shrinks the vital current. Dante : The Inferno, Canto xxrv. The roaring camp-fire with rude humor painted — The ruddy tints of health — On haggard face and form that drooped and fainted In the fierce race for wealth. Bret Harte : Dickens in Camp. I quote as a specimen some words of a living poet himself — closely akin to Shelley in the character of his genius. And beneath from the pebbles — in passing a spark — Struck out by a steed flying — fearless and fleet. Longfellow : Paul Revere' s Side. Hounds are in their couples — yelling Hawks are whistling, horns are knelling ; Merrily, merrily, mingle they, " Waken, lords and ladies gay." Scott : Hunting Song. A frequent fault of inexperienced readers is the break- ing up of the thought of a phrase into its smallest details, setting out each particular phase of the whole idea as a distinct and important thought-unit. But one cannot em- phasize everything. The minor aspects of a thought must be combined and subordinated in such a way as to give unity and prominence to the complete image. This over- insistence upon details is illustrated in the following ex- tract. Read it aloud as phrased, then read it with such grouping as shall ^ve whole images, unbroken by pauses or hesitations. GROUPING 37 If ever — man was formed — to sit — on a log -^ it was — Old Phelps. He was essentially — a contemplative — person. Walk- ing — on a country road — or anywhere — in the " open " — was irksome — to him. He had a shambling — loose-jointed gait — not unlike — that of the bear ; his short legs — bowed out — as if — they had been more — in the habit — of climbing trees — than of walking. If ever man was formed to sit on a log, — it was Old Phelps. He was essentially a contemplative person. "Walking on a coun- try road, — or anywhere in the " open," — was irksome to him. He had a shambling, loose-jointed gait, — not unlike that of the bear ; — his short legs bowed out, — as if they had been more in the habit of climbing trees -^ than of walking. Charles Dudley "Warner : In the Wilderness. PEOBLEMS IN GROUPING 1. General Problems The various aspects of the problem of grouping are illus- trated iu the examples appended to this chapter. Practice on these problems should be continued until the habit is acquired of taking a phrase or sentence with the eye and the mind before its words are spoken, until transitions from phrase to phrase and thought to thought are marked, as in conversation, by pauses and change of pitch, until breathing is regulated by the demands of the thought and phrasing becomes smooth, rhythmical, and easy. 1. Right expression is a part of character. As somebody haS said, by learning to speak with precision, you learn to think with correctness, and the way to firm and vigorous speech lies through the cultivation of high and noble senti- ments. John Morley : On the Study of Literature. 2. The pavilion in which these personages were had, as be- came the times as well as the personal character of Rich- ard, more of a warlike than a sumptuous or royal character. Scott. 38 ORAL READING 3. I had a method of my own of wTiting half words, and leaving out gome altogether, so as to keep the substance and the language of any discourse which I had heard so much in view, that I could give it very completely soon after I had taken it down. Boswell: Life of Johnson. 4. Supper was over, and the process of digestion proceeding as favorably as, under the influence of complete tranquility and cheerful conversation, most wise men conversant with the anatomy and functions of the human frame will con- sider that it ought to have proceeded, when the three friends were startled by the noise of loud and angry threatenings below stairs. Dickens. 5. The man that once did sell the lion's skin While the beast liv'd, was kill'd with hunting him. Shakespeare : King Henry V, rv, iii. 6. This thought is as a death, which cannot choose But weep to have that which it fears to lose. Shakespeare : Sonnet 64. 7. The hiUs, Rook-ribbed, and ancient as the sun ; the vales Stretching in pensive quietness between ; The venerable woods ; rivers that move In majesty, and the complaining brooks, That make the meadows green ; and, poured round all. Old ocean's gray and melancholy waste, — Are but the solemn decorations all Of the great tomb of man ! Bryant: Thanatopsis. 8. And all the three were silent seeing, pitch'd Beside the Castle Perilous on flat field, A huge pavilion like a mountain peak Sunder the glooming crimson on the marge, GROUPING 39 Black, with black banner, and a long black horn Beside it hanging ; which Sir Gareth graspt, And so, before the two could hinder him. Sent all his heart and breath thro' all the horn. Tennyson : Gareth and Lynette. 9. The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. Shakespeare : The Tempest, iv, i 10. The shepherds on the lawn, Or ere the point of dawn. Sat simply chatting in a rustic row ; Full little thought they than That the mighty Pan Was kindly come to live with them below : Perhaps their loves, or else their sheep, Was aU that did their silly thoughts so busy keep. Milton : Hymn on the Morning of Christ's Nativity. 11. Your children and your children's children shall be taught to ponder the simplicity and deep wisdom of utterances which, in their time, passed, in party heat, as idle words. Beecher : Address on Abraham Lincoln. 12. All places that the eye of heaven visits Are to a wise man ports and happy havens. Shakespeare : King Richard II, i, iii. 13. Then, too, your Prophet from his angel brow Shall cast the Veil that hides its splendors now. And gladden'd Earth shall, through her wide expanse. Bask in the glories of this countenance. Moore : Lalla Bookh {The Veiled Prophet, 1, 179-82). 40 ORAL READING 14. I should shrink from the task, however, did I not know that, in this, your purpose is to honor again the Common- wealth of which I am the oi&cial representative. John D. Long : Memorial Day Address. 15. Many more, indeed, than may be mentioned now there are of these real benefactors and preservers of the wayside characters, times and customs of our ever-shifting history. RUey : Dialect in Literature. 16. A league beyond the wood. All in a full-fair manor and a rich. His towers, where that day a feast had been Held in high hall, and many a viand left, And many a costly cate, received the three. Tennyson : Gareth and Lynette. 17. Mr. Pickwick paused, considered, pulled off his gloves and put them in his hat : took two or three short runs, baulked himself as often, and at last took another run, and went slowly and gravely down the slide, with his feet about a yard and a quarter apart, amidst the gratified shouts of all the spectators. " Keep the pot arbilin', sir! " said Sam; and down went Wardle again, and then Mr. Pickwick, and then Sam, and then Mr. Winkle, and then Mr. Bob Sawyer, and then the fat boy, and then Mr. Snodgrass, following closely upon each other's heels, and running after each other with as much eagerness as if all their future prospects in life depended on their expedition. The sport was at its height, the sliding was the quickest, the laughter at the loudest, when a sharp smart crack was heard. There was a quick rush towards the bank, a wild scream from the ladies, and a shout from Mr. Tupman. A large mass of ice disappeared ; the water bubbled up over it ; Mr. Pickwick's hat, gloves, and handkerchief were float- ing on the surface ; and this was all of Mr. Pickwick that anybody could see. Dismay and anguish were depicted on every countenance, GROUPING 41 the males turned pale, and the females fainted, Mr. Snod- grass and Mr. Winkle grasped each other by the hand, and gazed at the spot where their leader had gone down, with frenzied eagerness: while Mr. Tupman, by way of render- ing the promptest assistance, and at the same time convey- ing to any person who might be within hearing, the clearest possible notion of the catastrophe, ran o£E across the coun- try at his topmost speed, screaming " Fire ! " with all his might. It was at this moment, when old Wardle and Sam Wel- ler were approaching the hole with cautious steps, that a face, head, and shoulders, emerged from beneath the water, and disclosed the features and spectacles of Mr. Pickwick. " Do you feel the bottom there, old fellow ? " said Wardle. "Yes, certainly," replied Mr. Pickwick, wringing the water from his head and face, and gasping for breath. " I fell upon my back. I could n't get on my feet at first." After a v£ist quantity of splashing, and cracking, and strug- gling, Mr. Pickwick was at length fairly extricated from his unpleasant position, and once more stood on dry land. Dickens : The Pickwick Papers. 18. Brutus. What, Lucius ! ho ! — I cannot, by the progress of the stars. Give guess how near to day. — Lucius, I say ! — I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly. — When, Lucius, when? Awake, I say ! What, Lucius! Lucius. Call'd you, my lord ? Brutus. Get me a taper in my study, Lucius : When it is lighted, come and call me here. Lucius, I will, my lord. Shakespeare : Julius Cmsar, n, i. 19. Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !) Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold : Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 42 ORAL READING And to tke presence in the room he said, " What writest thou ? " The vision raised its head, And with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, " The names of those who love the Lord." " And is mine one ? " said Abou. " Nay, not so," Replied the angel. — Abou spoke more low. But cheerily still ; and said, " I pray thee, then. Write me as one that loves his fellow-men." The angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great wakening light. And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And, lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest ! Leigh Hunt : Abou Ben Adhem. 20. If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore ; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown ! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible ; but all natural ob- jects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man extort her secret, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection. Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they delighted the simplicity of his childhood. Emerson: Nature. 21. It was the attic floor of the highest house in the Wahn- gasse ; and might truly be called the pinnacle of Weissnichtwo, for it rose sheer up above the contiguous roofs, themselves rising from elevated ground. It was in fact the speculum or watch-tower of Teuf elsdrSch ; wherefrom, sitting at ease, he might see the whole life-circulation of that considerable city ; the streets and lanes of which, with all their doing and driv- ing, were for the most part visible there. GROUPING 43 " Ach, mein Lieber ! " said he once, at midnight, when we had returned from the Coffee-house in rather earnest talk, " it is a true sublimity to dwell here. Oh, under that hideous coverlet of vapours, and putrefactions, and unim- aginable gases, what a Fermenting-vat lies simmering and hid ! The joyful and the sorrowful are there ; men are dying there, men are being born ; men are praying, — on the other side of a brick partition, men are cursing ; and around them all is the vast, void Night. The proud Grandee still lingers in his perfumed saloons, or reposes within damask curtains ; Wretchedness cowers into truckle-beds, or shivers hunger- stricken into its lair of straw : while Councillors of State sit plotting, and playing their high chess-game, whereof the pawns are Men. The Lover whispers his mistress that the coach is ready ; and she, full of hope and fear, glides down, to fly with him over the borders : the Thief, still more si- lently, sets-to his picklocks and crowbars, or lurks in wait tin the watchmen first snore in their boxes. Gay mansions, with supper-rooms and dancing-rooms, are full of light and music and high-swelling hearts ; but, in the Condemned Cells, the pulse of life beats tremulous and faint, and blood- shot eyes look out through the darkness, which is around and within, for the light of a stern last morning. Six men are to be hanged on the morrow : comes no hammering from the Kabenstein ? — their gallows must even now be a-building. Upwards of five-hundred-thousand two-legged animals without feathers lie round us, in horizontal posi- tions ; their heads all in nightcaps, and full of the f oolishest dreams. Riot cries aloud, and staggers and swaggers in his rank dens of shame ; and the Mother, with streaming hair, kneels over her pallid dying infant, whose cracked lips only her tears now moisten. — All these heaped and huddled to- gether, with nothing but a little carpentry and masonry be- tween them ; — crammed in, like salt fish in their barrel ; — or weltering, shall I say, like an Egyptian pitcher of tamed vipers, each struggling to get its , head above the others : such work goes on under that smoke-counter-pane ! — But I, mein Werther, sit above it all ; I am alone with the Stars." Carlyle : Sartor Eesartits, Eook i, chap. ni. 44 ORAL READING 22. It is hard without long and loving study to realize the magnitude of the work done on these mountains during the last glacial period by glaciers, which are only streams of closely compacted snow-crystals. Careful study of the phe- nomena presented goes to show that the pre-glacial condition of the range was comparatively simple : one vast wave of stone in which a thousand mountains, domes, cailons, ridges, etc., lay concealed. And in the development of these Nature chose for a tool not the earthquake or lightning to rend and split asunder, not the stormy torrent or eroding rain, but the tender snow-flowers noiselessly falling through unnum- bered centuries, the offspring of the sun and the sea. La- boring harmoniously in united strength they crushed and ground and wore away the rocks in their march, making vast beds of soil, and at the same time developed and fash- ioned the landscapes into the delightful variety of hill and dale and lordly mountain that mortals call beauty. Perhaps more than a mile in average depth has the range been thus degraded during the last glacial period, — a quantity of mechanical work almost inconceivably great. . . . The great granite domes a mile high, the canons as deep, the noble peaks, the Yosemite valleys, these, and indeed nearly all other features of the Sierra scenery, are glacier monu- ments. Contemplating the works of these flowers of the sky, one may easily fancy them endowed with life : messengers sent down to work in the mountain mines on errands of divine love. Silently flying through the darkened air, swirling, glinting, to their appointed places, they seem to have taken counsel together, saying, " Come, we are feeble ; let us help one another. We are many, and together we will be strong. Marching in close, deep ranks, let us roll away the stones from these mountain sepulchres, and set the landscapes free. Let us uncover these clustering domes. Here let us carve a lake basin ; there, a Yosemite valley ; here, a channel fov a river with fluted steps and brows for the plunge of song- ful cataracts. Yonder let us spread broad sheets of soil, that man and beasts may be fed ; and here pile trains of boul- ders for pines and giant Sequoias. Here make ground for a GROUPING 45 meadow; there, for a garden and grove, making it smooth and fine for small daisies and violets and beds of heathy biyanthus, spicing it well with crystals, garnet, feldspar, and zircon." Thus and so on it has oftentimes seemed to me sang and planned and labored the hearty snow-flower cru- saders ; and nothing I can write can possibly exaggerate the grandeur and beauty of their work. Like morning mist they have vanished in sunshine, all save the few small com- panies that still linger on the coolest mountain-sides, and, as residual glaciers, are still busily at work completing the last of the lake basins, the last beds of soil, and the sculp* ture of some of the highest peaks. John Muir : The Mountains of California, chap, i.^ 23. Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen ; Kound many western islands have I been Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne ; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold : Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken ; Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes He star'd at the Pacific — and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise — Silent, upon a peak in Darien. Keats: On first looking into Chapman's Homer. 24. Simple and brave, his faith awoke Ploughmen to struggle with their fate ; Armies won battles when he spoke, And out of Chaos sprang the State. Robert Bridges : Washington. 25. Suppose it were perfectly certain that the life and fortune of every one of us would, one day or other, depend upon his 1 Copyriglit, 1894, by The Century Company. Used with the kind pennis- Bion of the publishers. 46 ORAL READING winning or losing a game of chess. Don't you think that we should all consider it to be a primary duty to learn at least the names and the moves of the pieces ? Do you not think that we should look with a disapprobation amount- ing to scorn, upSfT the father who allowed his son, or the state which allowed its members, to grow up without know- ing a pawn from a. knight ? Yet it is a very plain and elementary truth, that the life, the fortune, and the hagpiness of every one of us, and, more or less, oFthose who are connected with ua, do depend upon our knowing something of the rules of a game infi- nitely more difficult and complicated than chess. It is a game which has been played for untold ages, every man and woman of us being one of the two players in a game of his or her own. » The chess-board is the world, the piece s are the phenomena of the vmiverse, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We/i^now that his play is always . fjiir, just, and patient. But also we know, to our cos.t , that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allow- ance for ignorance. To the man who plays well, the highest stakes are paid, with that sort of overflowing generosity with which the strong shows delight in strength. And one who plays ill is checkmated — without haste, but without remorse. . . . Well, what I mean by Education is learning the rules of this mighty game. In other words, education is the instruc- tion of the intellect in the laws of Nature, under which name I include not merely things and their forces, but men and their ways ; and the fashioning of the affections and of the will into an earnest and loving desire to move in har- mony with those laws. Huxley : A Liberal Education. 2. For general reading 26. The royal feast was done ; the King Sought some new sport to banish care, And to his jester cried : " Sir Fool, Kneel now, and make for us a prayer ! " "^EOIIPING 47 The jester doffed his cap and bells, And stood the mocking court before ; They could not see the bitter smile Behind the painted grin he wore. He bowed his head, and bent his knee Upon the monarch'» silken stool ; His pleading voice arose : " O Lord, Be merciful to me, a fool ! " No pity. Lord, could change the heart From red with wrong to white as wool ; The rod must heal the sin ; but. Lord, Be merciful to me, a fool ! " 'T is not by guilt the onward sweep Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay ; 'T is by our follies that so long We hold the earth from heaven away. " These clumsy feet, still in the mire. Go crushing blossoms without end ; These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust Among the heart-strings of a friend. " The ill-timed truth we might have kept — Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung ? The word we had not sense to say — Who knows how grandly it had rung ? " Our faults no tenderness should ask. The chastening stripes must cleanse them all ; But for our blunders — oh, in shame Before the eyes of heaven we fall. " Earth bears no balsam for mistakes ; Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool That did his will ; but Thou, Lord, Be merciful to me, a fool ! " 48 ORAL READING The room was hushed ; in silence rose The King, and sought his gardens cool, And walked apart, and murmured low, " Be merciful to me, a fool ! " Edward Rowland Sill: The Fool's Prayer. 27. Toward the end of September, when school-time was draw- ing near and the nights were already black, we would begin to sally from our respective villas, each equipped with a tin bull's-eye lantern. The thing was so well known that it had worn a rut in the commerce of Great Britain ; and the gro- cers, about the due time, began to garnish their windows with our particular brand of luminary. We wore them buckled to the waist upon a cricket belt, and over them, such was the rigour of the game, a buttoned top-coat. They smelled noisomely of blistered tin ; they never burned aright, though they would always burn our fingers ; their use was naught ; the pleasure of them merely fanciful ; and yet a boy with a bull's-eye under his top-coat asked for nothing more. The fishermen used lanterns about their boats, and it was from them, I suppose, that we bad got the hint ; but theirs were not bull's-eyes, nor did we ever play at being fishermen. The police carried them at their belts, and we had plainly copied them in that ; yet we did not pretend to be policemen. Burglars, indeed, we may have had some haunting thoughts of ; and we had certainly an eye to past ages when lanterns were more common, and to certain story-books in which we had found them to figure very largely! But take it for all in all, the pleasure of the thing was substantive ; and to be a boy with a bull's-eye under his top-coat was good enough for as. When two of these asses met, there would be an anxious "Have you got your lantern?" and a gratified "Yes!" That was the shibboleth, and very needful too ; for, as it was the rule to keep our glory contained, none could rec- ognise a lantern-bearer, unless (like the pole-cat) by the smell. Four or five would sometimes climb into tlie belly of a ten-man lugger, with nothing but the thwarts above them — for the cabin was usually locked, or choose out some hoi- GROUPING 49 low of the links where the wind might whistle overhead. There the coats would be unbuttoned and the bull's-eyes discovered ; and in the chequering glimmer, under the huge windy hall of the night, and cheered by a rich steam of toasting tinware, these fortunate young gentlemen would crouch together in the cold sand of the links or on the scaly bilges of the fishing-boat, and delight themselves with inap- propriate talk. Woe is me that I may not give some speci- mens — some of their foresights of life, or deep inquiries into the rudiments of man and nature, these were so fiery and so innocent, they were so richly silly, so romantically young. But the talk, at any rate, was but a condiment ; and these gatherings themselves only accidents in the career uf the lantern-bearer. The essence of this bliss was to walk by yourself in the black night ; the slide shut, the top-coat but- toned ; not a ray escaping, whether to conduct your foot- steps or to make your glory public : a mere pillar of dark- ness in the dark ; and all the while, deep down in the privacy of your fool's lieart, to know you had a bull's-eye at your belt, and to exult and sing over the knowledge. It is said that a poet has died young in the breast of the most stolid. It may be contended, rather, that this (some- what minor) bard in almost every case survives, and is the spice of life to his possessor. Justice is not done to the ver- satility and the unplumbed childishness of man's imagina^ tion. His life from without may seem but a rude mound of mud ; there will be some golden chamber at the heart of it, in which he dwells delighted ; and for as dark as his path- way seems to the observer, he will have some kind of a bull's-eye at his belt. And so with others, who do not live by bread alone, but by some cherished and perhaps fantastic pleasure ; who are meat salesmen to the external eye, and possibly to them- selves are Shakespeares, Napoleons, or Beethovens ; who have not one virtue to rub against another in the field of active life, and yet perhaps, in the life of contemplation, sit 50 ORAL READING with the saints. We see them on the street, and we can count their buttons ; but Heaven knows in what they pride themselves ! Heaven knows where they have set their treasure ! There is one fable that touches very near the quick of life : the fable of the monk who passed into the woods, heard a bird break into song, hearkened for a trill or two, and found himself on his return a stranger at his convent gates ; for he had been absent fifty years, and of all his comrades there survived but one to recognise him. It is not only in the woods that this enchanter carols, though per- haps he is native there. He sings in the most doleful places. The miser hears him and chuckles, and the days are mo- ments. With no more apparatus than an ill-smelling lantern I have evoked him on the naked links. AH life that is not merely mechanical is spun out of two strands : seeking for that bird and hearing him. Stevenson : The Lantern-Bearers.^ ' Copyright, 1905, by Charles Scribner's Sons. Used with the kind permis- sion of the publishers. CHAPTER III PITCH VABIATION 9. The cause of pitch variation All normal speech is characterized by variety in pitch and range of the voice. If you listen closely to one in ear- nest conversation, you wiU observe that the numerous tone changes do not come by chance, although the speaker may not be at all conscious of what the voice is doing, but that they are determined by the thought and the intention of the speaker. Every departure from monotone is significant and indicates the particular meaning the speaker attaches to the words he utters, and every change in the melody of a phrase or sentence changes its meaning to the listener. Obviously, then, a reader must make sure that he under- stands the author's thought before he ventures to speak his words. Note how the following portion of a line from Othello, as read by a student, was perverted from its seri- ous import to a meaning of ludicrous implication. The true sense may be expressed something like this : — s t 'twas r swore, faith, a She in n g e. But the line was read thus : — s ^ 't w faith, w She o In a r s strange. e(!). 52 ORAL READING 10. Inflection and change of pitch The two factors of pitch variation by which words are made to express accurately the speaker's purpose are in- flection (vocal glides), and change of pitch (vocal leaps). The rise or fall of the voice during the utterance of a word is called inflection ; the leap of the voice from one key to another during intervals of silence between words, phrases, and sentences is called change ofpitch.^ These modulations supplement each other, and are firmly allied in showing the relation of words, phrases, and sentences. Speaking gener- ally, the upward trend of the voice, whether limited to the glide on a particular word or to the melody of the whole phrase, indicates incompleteness of thought; the falling, completeness. Both are illustrated in the following sen- tence: — k shall ye n u w r f their By them. ^ If there were no consonants in our language which interrupt vocalization in the utterance of phrases, the melody of phrases would he made up largely of glides merging into each other. (See paragraph 3, page 32.) Within the phrase there would be few leaps of the voice other than those that might occur for emphasis. The phrase " We all know how well we are " may be spoken with a melody made up entirely of glides of varying length and direc- tion. Such combinations rarely occur, however. The flow of the voice is often broken by consonants, and the range between syllables and words beginning or ending with stop-consonants is efPected by vocal leaps, thus : — i„„ thick , fog den ^o „; taJ. The '* ^-^^^^ PITCH VARIATION 53 II. Word values within the phrase The particular meaning conveyed by any group of spoken words is determined largely by inflection and change of pitoh.i By means of these, attention is directed to signifi- cant words, which are lifted into prominence, while those of less importance are subordinated, as in the illustration above. Inflection and change of pitch are therefore impor- tant means of emphasis. I. Emphasis by inflection. While every word in expres- sive speech has some inflectional variation, words in which the thought is most strongly centered are set out by inflec- tions of greater range and duration, the range and duration varying according to the purpose of the speaker and the importance of the thought. Suppose, for example, that some circumstance has arisen in which one is unable to decide at once upon a course of action or to state a definite opinion. The perplexity of the mind might be expressed by some such inflectional emphasis as this : — w h know a not t do to I say. But if one is being urged unexpectedly to speak and can- not think of anything to say, the sentence might be spoken thus : — s to a what know y. not do I ^ How would yon speak the sentence " There is honor among thieves " so 54 ORAL READING 2. Emphasis by change of pitch. Significant words are often made prominent by change of pitch before or after them. Note how the word " now " is made emphatic by the upward leap of the voice in the command : — that o do must w ! You Often the change of pitch comes between the unaccented and accented syllables of the emphatic word, as in c r e dis t own i your o " Let n be your tutor." 3. Change of pitch essential to proper inflectional em- phasis. Change of pitch itself is not only a means of em- phasis, but it often helps to make inflectional emphasis possi- ble by placing the important words on such a key that the emphatic rise and fall of the voice shall be within its easy range. In the following sentence the words "animal," " unique," and " striking " receive strong rising inflections, yet it would be vocally impossible to give each of these words an equal inflectional range were it not for the down- ward leaps of the voice throughout the sentence, by which its melody is given balance and proportion. as to justify the reply, " Nonsense 1 thieves are just as bad aa other people " ? Repeat the sentence in a way to imply that even among thieves there is some sense of honor. PITCH VARIATION 55 P ap- e e g 1 u n a a q 1 m i k i n i n u r a most t "Old an a s was of and Jack 12. Ph/rase and clause relations As the pitch variation within the word-group helps to convey the exact meaning the speaker intends, so it reveals the relation between the ideas of the various phrases and clauses within the sentence. I. Completeness of thought. Notwithstanding an old and arbitrary rule that the voice should rise at a comma and fall at a period, we find that in normal speech the voice often falls at a comma, or whenever, comma or no comma, the attention is momentarily centered on a phrase, the thought of which is clear and complete in itself and of sufBcient importance to stand as an independent affirma- tion. Then one virtually " makes periods in the midst of sentences." Take, for example, the following sentence from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. Beginning with the clause, " let us finish the work we are in," it, and each sub- sequent clause, states a thought complete in itself, and, in reading, each may be given the falling inflection of com- pleteness, as indicated in the illustration : — 56 ORAL READING With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his or- phans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.^ The following sentences contain phrases which may be treated as complete in themselves : — There is the constitution, there are the laws, there is the gov- ernment. v We would speak first of the Puritans, the most remarkable body of men perhaps which the world has ever produced. 2. Incompleteness of thought. When the thought is but partially stated in any phrase, and, in consequence, depends for its completion on others to follow, this depend- ence is shown by the rising inflection and the general up- ward trend of the voice. Attention is thus directed to what follows. I find where I thought myself poor there I was most rich. The plateau being somewhat tilted toward the west, this spot on which we had paused commanded a wide prospect on either hand. a. In expressions of doubt, entreaty, contradiction or opposition, the trend of the voice is often upward, for the reason that in such states of mind the thought is virtually 1 The inflections indicated in this sentence are not to he understood as representing: the only ones that may be nsed in reading the lines. They are intended merely to illustrate one way of expressing the thought. The first portion of the qnotation has not been marked. There is good ground for the use of either rising or falling inflection in rendering the opening phrases. PITCH VARIATION 57 incomplete. Further information is desired or ex- pected. I thought I left my hat here. (Possibly I did n't. But where . , is it?) I do not understand this. (WiU you explain ?) / Don't leave me here alone. (WOl you ?) I did not say that. (Explain or retract.) h. Direct questions frequently take the rising inflection of incomplete thought. Attention is directed to the answer .^ Is this your book ? Are you going to-morrow ? 13. Subordination. Change of pitch is an important factor in showing the relation of phrases to each other. In complex sentences in which central ideas are limited, qualified, or explained by subordinate phrases or clauses, these modifying word-groups are often spoken on a lower key and are passed over more quickly than are the clauses they support, but whether their pitch is lower or higher, their time of utterance faster or slower, depend on their importance and the judgment and purpose of the speaker. Sometimes a qualifying phrase may be given more prominence than any other in the sen- ^ Students are often led into error by assuming that an interrogation point always demands the rising inflection. In many instances it does not. For ex- ample, when the question is uttered as a command, as an exclamation, or as an assertion of an assumed fact, the falling inflection is natural. Where are you going ? (You are evidently going somewhere. Tell me.) Why did you do this ? (It is done, but not according to instruc- tions. Explain.) Is n't this a beautiful day ? (No one would deny it.) How did you enjoy the game ? (Of course you enjoyed it.) 58 ORAL READING tence, as, for example, in the last of the following quota- tions : — " Shakespeare, V ought not to have made Othello black." says Rhymer, " It was V legitimate political warfare." as the world goes however strong they may he " Monopolies and corporations A cannot enslave such a people." It often happens that the principal idea or clause is in- terrupted by a modifying subordinate phrase. In such cases the relation of the parts of the broken phrase may be made clear by speaking them with the same inflections and changes of pitch as would obtain were there no inter- ruption of the thought. To illustrate : Sead the following sentence, omitting the phrase " in his saint-like beauty," and note the inflections used in speaking. " fell " and " asleep." Then read the line entire, preserving the same inflections as in the former reading. Observe that " He " did not 'fall,' but that "He fell asleep." He fell, in his saint-like beauty. Asleep by the gates of light. AUce Gary: Pictures of Memory. Here are some other illustrations : — "Well, we, in our poetical application of this, say, that money does n't mean money. Ruskin : Use and Abuse of Wealth, Most noble lord. Sir Lancelot of the Lake, I, sometimes call'd the Maid of Astolat, Come, for you left me taking no farewell, / Hither, to take my last farewell of you. Tennyson : Lavicelot and Elaine. PITCH VARIATION 59 Cromwell was evidently laying, though in an irregular manner, the foundation of an admirable system. Macaulay. That art itself is nature, Shakespeare, who Derived his sovereign art from nature, knew. 14. Contrast and Comparison When two or more ideas are compared or contrasted, the inflections and changes of pitch are determined by the prin- ciple governing completeness or incompleteness of thought. (See section 12, pages 55-56.) Antithetic phrases may be roughly divided into two classes, namely: — 1. Those in which any member of the antithesis is con- ditional and dependent upon another for completeness and clearness of meaning. In these the trend of the voice ia naturally upward. If you ride, I must walk. " What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won." " Look here, upon this picture, and on this." 2. Those in which any member of the antithesis is com- plete in itself, or is of sufficient importance to justify the falling inflection. It is a matter of measures, not men. The prodigal robs his heir ; the miser robs himself. Antithetic ideas are often centered in one word. In such instances a little scrutiny will show that the word im- plies two ideas which may be expanded into antithetic 60 ORAL READING phrases. For example, the statement " He did it somehow" may be stated in full thus : " He did the thing; but does he know how he did it?" If the latter sentence is read with due emphasis on the thought of both its parts, it wiU be ob- served that the voice has a tendency downward on the first phrase and upward on the last. So, also, the complex thought carried in " somehow " is expressed vocally by the falling and rising inflection in speaking the word, thus : — s w. h w. He did it m h I do not know o e The turn of the voice, or circumflex inflection, by which antithetic ideas are expressed, indicates a turn in the thought. It is especially marked in equivocal speech, or when the mind wavers between two opinions.^ s not u t ; am r i do k I el not n w. of o Kules have been given for the management of the voice in rendering antitheses, but, here again, the secret of natural speech is found, not in rules, but in thinking. When the mind is uncertain, the voice will make it evident; when thought is definite and certain, speech wiU also be certain. " I know " implies no doubt. 1 Circumflexes are common in everyday life, but usually indicate abnormal mental attitudes, lack of dignity in character, or are merely colloquial with- out earnestness. Inflection should be as straight and direct as possible. Crooked inflections imply undignified conditions, lack of sincerity, playful, sarcastic, or negative attitudes of mind towards truth or towards persons. They are sometimes necessary, but should be rare in dignified discourse. (S, S. Curry: Foundations of Expression, p. 56.) PITCH VARIATION 61 IS. Monotony The most common fault in reading alond and formal speaking is monotony. Thoughtlessness and monotony go together. The- most effective remedy for the fault is clear thinking; Take, for example, the first line from Jidius Ccesar, spoken by an officer, Flavius, to a group of citizens gathered in a street in Rome. The reader, whose mind and imagination are active, will be apt to speak the line some- what as follows: — Hence I home, you idle creatures, get you home. But the thoughtless reader, indifferent to situation, citizens, officer, and what he says, will utter the words in a monotone, thus : — Hence — home — you — idle — creatures — get — you — home. Likely the " idle creatures " would not be moved by this sort of talk, though no doubt the active listener would be quite willing to betake himself hence without more urging. Such a habit of reading will not be improved much by working primarily on the manner of speaking the sentence. When the meaning of the words is understood and when they are spoken with the purpose of conveying their mean- ing to others, utterance wiU be like that of living speech. PROBLEMS IN PITCH VARIATION 1. Emphasis by change of pitch and inflection 1. God give thee the spirit of persuasion and him the ears of profiting, that what thou speakest may move, and what he hears may be believed. Shakespeare : Henry IV, I, ii. 2. The right honorable gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests and to his i/nuigination for his facts. Sheridan. 62 ORAL READING 3. What in me is dark Illumine, what is low raise and support. Milton : Paradise Lost, i. 4. Words pass away but actions remain. Napoleon. 5. 'T is not what man Does which exalts him, But what man Would do ! Browning : Savl. 6. Thurio. How likes she my discourse ? Proteus. Ill, when you speak of war. Thurio. But well, when I discourse of love and peace ? Julia (aside). But better, indeed, when you hold your peace. Thurio. What says she to my birth f Proteus. That you are well deriv'd. Julia (aside). True; from a gentleman to a fool. Shakespeare : Two Gentlemen of Verona, v, ii. 7. Talking is like playing on the harp ; there is as much in laying the hand on the strings to stop a vibration as in twanging them to bring out the music. Holmes : Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. 8. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs xxv, 11. 9. Polonius. How does my good Lord Hamlet ? Hamlet. Well, God a-mercy. Polonium. Do you know me, my lord ? Hamlet. Excellent well;. you are a fishmonger. Polonium. Not I, my lord. Hamlet. Then I would you were so honest a man. Polonium. Honest, my lord ! Hamlet. Ay, sir ; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand. Polonius. That 's very true, my lord. Shakespeare : Hamlet, ii, ii. PITCH VARIATION 63 10. Of all the heaven-descended virtues, that elevate and ennoble human nature, the highest, the sublimest, and the divinest is charity. Stephens : The Future of the South. 11. My object at this time is to give encouragement and help to the " duffers," the class of " hopeful duffers." Brilliant students have every help, but second-class students are sometimes neglected and disheartened. I have great sym- pathy with the " duffers," because I was only a second-rate student myself. The subject of my talk with you is books. Drummond : A Talk on Books. 12. I built my fortune on the dial of my watch ; seconds became pennies, minutes became dimes, hours became dollars. I gave a money value to every tick and took advantage of every- tidng that economized time. I never procrastinate ; I never wait for other people to get ahead of me. I keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities ; I look well into whatever seems good to me ; when my judgment approves I act promptly and with decision. I don't know that there is any particular rule or law of success, but I 'm pretty sure that one of the foundation principles is " Don't lose Time." Not known. 13. A street. Enter Cinita the poet, Cin. I dreamt to-night that I did feast with Geeaar, And things unluckily charge my fantasy : I have no will to wander forth of doors. Yet something leads me forth. Enter Citizens. First Cit. "What is your name ? Sec. Cit. Whither are you going ? Third Cit. Where do you dweU ? Fourth Cit. Are you a married man or a bachelor ? Seo. Cit. Answer every man directly. First Cit. Ay, and briefly. Fourth Cit. Ay, and wisely. Third Cit. Ay, and truly, you were best. 64 ORAL READING Cin. What is my name? Whither am I going ? Where do I dwell ? Am I a married man or a bachelor ? Then, to answer every man directly and briefly, wisely and truly : wisely I say, I am a bachelor. Sec. Cit. That 's as much as to say, they are fools that marry : you 'U. bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed ; directly. Cin. Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral. First. Cit. As a friend or an enemy ? Cin. As a friend. See. Cit. That matter is answered directly. Fourth Cit. For your dwelling, — briefly. Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol. Third Cit. Your name, sir, truly. Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna. First Cit. Tear him to pieces ; he 's a conspirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. Fourth Cit. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses. Cin. I am not Cinna the conspirator. Sec. Cit. It is no matter, his name 's Cinna ; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going. Third Cit. Tear him, tear him ! Come, brands, ho ! fire- brands : to Brutus', to Cassias'; burn all : some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's ; some to Ligarius' : away ! go ! [^Fxeunt. Shakespeare : Julius Cmsar, ni, iii. 2. Clauses of complete thought 14. My Lords, I have submitted to you, with the freedom and truth which I think my duty, my sentiments on your pres- ent awful situation. I have laid before you the ruin of your power, the disgrace of your reputation, the pollution of your discipline, the contamination of your morals, the com- plication of calamities, foreign and domestic, that overwhelm your sinking country. Your dearest interests, your own lib- erties, the Constitution itself, totters to the foundation. All this disgraceful danger, this multitude of misery, is the monstrous offspring of this unnatural war. Chatham : Speech on American Affairs. PITCH VARIATION 65 15. " The world," says Tertullian, " has more of cultivation every day, and is better famished than in times of old. All places are opened now ; all are familiarly known ; all are scenes of business. Smiling farms have obliterated the notorious wilderness ; tillage has tamed the forest land ; flocks have put to flight the beasts of prey. Sandy tracts are sown ; rocks are put into shape; marshes are drained. There are more cities now, than there were cottages at one time. Islands are no longer wild ; the crag is no longer frightful ; everywhere there is a home, a population, a state, and a livelihood." Newman : Downfall and Refuge of Ancient Civilization. 16. The works of the great pogts have never yet been read by mankind, for only great poets can read them. Most men have learned to read to serve a paltry convenience, as they have learned to cipher in order to keep accounts and not be cheated in trade but of reading as a noble intellectual exer- cise they know little or nothing ; yet this only is reading, in a high sense, not that which lulls us as a luxury and suffers the noble faculties to sleep the while, but what we have to stand on tiptoe to read and devote our most alert and wake- ful hours to. Thoreau : Walden {Essay on Beading). 17. A mighty duty, sir, and a mighty inspiration impels every one of us to-night to lose in patriotic consecration whatever estranges, whatever divides. We, sir, are Americans — and we fight for human liberty ! The uplifting force of the American idea is under every throne on earth. To redeem the earth from kingcraft and oppression — this is our mission ! And we shall not fail. God has sown in our soil the seed of his millennial harvest, and he will not lay the sickle to the ripening crop until his full and perfect day has come. Grady: The New South. 18. And now, Mr. President, instead of speaking of the pos- sibility or utility of secession, instead of dwelling in those caverns of darkness, instead of groping with those ideas so full of all that is horrid and horrible, let us come out into 66 ORAL READING the light of day; let us enjoy the fresh air of Liberty and Union ; let us cherish those hopes which belong to us ; let us devote ourselves to those great objects that are fit for our consideration and our action ; let us raise our conceptions to the magnitude and the importance of the duties that de- volve upon us ; let our comprehension be as broad as the country for which we act, our aspirations as high as its cer- tain destiny ; let us not be pigmies in a case that calls for men. Never did there devolve on any generation of men higher trusts than now devolve upon us, for the preservation of this Constitution and the harmony and peace of all who are destined to live under it. Let us make our generation one of the strongest and brightest links in that golden chain which is destined, I fondly believe, to grapple the people of all the States to this Constitution for ages to come. Daniel "Webster : The Constitution and the Union. 19. Go where he will, the wise man is at home, His hearth the Earth, — his hall the azure dome ; Where his clear spirit leads him, there 's his road. By God's own light illumined and foreshowed. Emerson : Woodnotes. 3. Dependent and incomplete clauses 20. Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her night-gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon 't, read it, after- wards seal it, and again return to bed ; yet all this while in a most fast sleep. Shakespeare : Macbeth, v, i. 21. The hackneyed example of moral deliberation is the case of an habitual drunkard under temptation. He has made a resolve to reform, but he is now solicited again by the bottle. His moral triumph or failure literally consists in his finding the right name for the case. If he says that it is a case of not wasting liquor already poured out, or a case of not being churlish and unsociable when in the midst of friends, or a case of learning something at last about a brand of whiskey PITCH VARIATION 67 which he never met before, or a case of celebrating a public holiday, or a case of stimulating himself to a more energetic resolve in favor of abstinence than he has ever yet made, then he is lost. His choice of the wrong name seals his doom. But if, in spite of all the plausible good names with which his thirsty fancy so copiously furnishes him, he unwaveringly clings to the truer bad name, and apperceives the case as that of " being a drunkard, being a drunkard, being a drunk- ard," his feet are planted on the road to salvation. He saves himself by thinking rightly. William James : Talks to Tecuihers?- 22. His style of speech and manner of delivery were severely simple. What Lowell called " the grand simplicities of the Bible," with which he was so familiar, were reflected in his discourse. With no attempt at ornament or rhetoric, with- out parade or pretence, he spoke straight to the point. If any came expecting the turgid eloquence or the ribaldry of the frontier, they must have been startled at the earnest and sincere purity of his utterances. It was marvellous to see how this untutored man, by mere self-discipline and the chastening of his own spirit, had outgrown all meretricious arts and found his way to the grandeur and strength of abso- lute simplicity. Joseph H. Choate : Lincoln as a Lawyer and Orator." 23. Our usual diet on the plantation was corn bread and pork, but on Sunday rooming my mother was permitted to bring down a little molasses from the " big house " for the three children, and when it was received how I did wish that every day was Sunday ! I would get my tin plate and hold it up for the sweet morsel, but I would always shut my eyes while the molasses was being poured into the plate, with the hope that when I opened them I would be surprised to see how much I had got. When I opened my eyes . I would tip the plate in one direction and another, so as to make the mo- 1 Copyright, 1900, by Henry Holt and Company. Used with the kind per- mission of the publishers. ' Used with the kind permission of the author. 68 ORAL READING lasses spread all over it, in the full belief that there would be more of it and that it would last longer if spread out in this way. My share of the syrup was usually about two tablespoonfuls, and those two spoonfuls of molasses were much more enjoyable to me than is a fourteen-course dinner after which I am to speak. Booker T. Washington : Up from Slavery} 24. And while he pray'd, the master of that ship Enoch had served in, hearing his mischance, Came, for he knew the man and valued him, Reporting of his vessel China-bound, And wanting yet a boatswain. Would he go ? There yet were many weeks before she sail'd, Sail'd from this port. Would Enoch have the place ? And Enoch all at once assented to it, Rejoicing at that answer to his prayer. Tennyson : Enoch Arden. 4. Subordination and interrupted clauses 25. £o-bo was in the utmost consternation, as you may think, not so much for the sake of the tenement, which his father and he could easily build up again with a few dry branches, and the labor of an hour or two, at any time, as for the loss of the pigs. Lamb : A Dissertation on Roast Pig. 26. To try thy eloquence, now 't is time ; dispatch. From Antony win Cleopatra; promise, And in our name, what she requires ; add more, From thine invention, offers. Shakespeare : Antony and Cleopatra, m, x. 27. But a brook hath ta'en — A little rill of scanty stream and bed — A name of blood from that day's sanguine rain. Byron : Childe Harold. (Canto rv, 65.) I Copyright, 1901, by Booker T. Washington. Used with the kind permis- sion of the publishers, Donbleday, Page and Company. PITCH VARIATION 69 28. Which blood, like sacrificing Abel's, cries, Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth, To me for justice and rough chastisement. Shakespeare : Richard II, I, i. 29. Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear ; Seeing that death, a necessary end. Will come when it will come. Shakespeare : Jvlius Cmsar, ii, ii. 30. The genius of the people, stimulated to prodigious activ- ity by freedom, by individualism, by universal education, has subjected the desert and abolished the frontier. 31. As, when from mountain-tops the dusky clouds Ascending, while the North-wind sleeps, o'erspread Heaven's cheerful face, the louring element Scowls o'er the darkened landscape snow or shower. If chance the radiant sun, with farewell sweet, Extend his evening beam, the fields revive, The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds Attest their joy, that hill and valley rings. O shame to men ! Devil with devil damned Firm concord holds ; men only disagree Of creatures rational, though under hope Of heavenly grace, and, God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife Among themselves, and levy cruel wars. Wasting the earth, each other to destroy. Milton : Paradise Lost, n, 488-502. 32. The mind of man is peopled, like some silent city, with a sleeping company of reminiscences, associations, impres- sions, attitudes, emotions, to be awakened into fierce activ- ity at the touch of words. By one way or another, with a fanfaronnade of the marching trumpets, or stealthily, by 70 ORAL READING noiseless passages and dark posterns, the troop of saggest- ers enters the citadel to do its work within. The procession of beautiful sounds that is a poem passes in through the main gate, and forthwith the by-ways resound to the hurry of ghostly feet, until the small company of adventurers is well-nigh lost and overwhelmed in that throng of insurgent spirits. Raleigh: Style. 33. And Ardennes waves above them her green leaves, Dewy with nature's tear-drops as they pass, Grieving, if aught inanimate e'er grieves, Over the unreturning biave, — alas ! Ere evening to be trodden like the grass Which now beneath them, but above shall grow In its next verdure, when this fiery mass Of living valor, rolling on the foe And burning with high hope shall moulder cold and low. Byron : Childe Harold. (Canto ni, 27.) 34. But, though forsaken by the fickle and the selfish, a sol- emn enthusiasm, a stern and determined depth of principle, a confidence in the sincerity of their own motives, and the manly English pride which inclined them to cling to their former opinions, like the traveller in the fable to his cloak, the more strongly that the tempest blew around them, de- tained in the ranks of the Puritans many, who, if no longer formidable from numbers, were still so from their character. Scott : Peveril of the Peak, chap. rv. 5. Contrast and comparison 35. Think not the king did banish thee, But thou the king. Shakespeare : RicJiard II, i, iii. 36. Does not the South need peace ? And, since free labor is inevitable, will you have it in its worst forms or in its best ? Shall it be ignorant, impertinent, indolent, or shall it be educated, self-respecting, moral, and self-supporting ? Will you have men as drudges, or will you have them as citizens ? Beecher : Raising the Flag over Fort Sumter. PITCH VARIATION 71 37. As gold Outvalues dross, light darkness, Abel Cain, The soul the body, and the Church the Throne, I charge thee, upon pain of mine anathema, That thou obey, not me, but God in me. Bather than Henry. Tennyson : Beoket, i, iii. 38. What is the rule of honor to be observed by a Power so strong and so advantageously situated as this Republic is ? Of course, I do not expect it meekly to pocket real insults if they should be ofEered to it. But surely, it should not, as our boyish jingoes wish it to do, swagger about among the nations of the world, with a chip on its shoulder, and shak- ing its fist in everybody's face. Of course, it should not tamely submit to real encroachments upon its rights. But, surely, it should not, whenever its own notions of right or interest collide with the notions of others, fall into hysterics and act as if it really feared for its own security and its very independence. As a true gentleman, conscious of his strength and his dignity, it should be slow to take o£fense. In its dealings with other nations it should have scrupulous regard, not only for their rights, but also for their self- respect. "With all its latent resources for war, it should be the great peace Power of the world. It should never forget what a proud privilege and what an inestimable blessing it is not to need and not to have big armies or navies to sup- port. It should seek to influence mankind, not by heavy artillery, but by good example and wise counsel. It should see its highest glory, not in battles won, but in wars pre- vented. It should be so invariably just and fair, so trust- worthy, so good tempered, so conciliatory that other nations would instinctively turn to it as their mutual friend and the natural adjuster of their differences, thus making it the greatest preserver of the world's peace. Schurz; The Venezuelan Question. (Speech before the New York Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 2, 1896.)' 1 Copyright, 1913, by Schurz Memorial Committee. Used vrith the kind permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 72 ORAL READING 39. And what sort of business do we mean ? Surely the larger sorts of legitimate and honorable business ; that business which is of advantage both to buyer and seller, and to pro- ducer, distributor and consumer alike, whether individuals or nations, which makes common some useful thing which has been rare, or makes accessible to the masses good things which have been within reach only of a few. Eliot : Uses of Education for Business. 40. Look, as I blow this feather from my face, And as the air blows it to me again. Obeying with my wind when I do blow, And yielding to another when it blows. Commanded always by the greater gust ; Such is the lightness of you common men. Shakespeare : Henry VI, Part III, m, i. 41. I presume That as my hand has open'd bounty to you. My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more On you than any ; so your hand and heart. Your brain, and every function of your power. Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty, As 't were in love's particular, be more To me, your friend, than any. Shakespeare : Henry VIII, m, ii. 42. Therefore doth heaven divide The state of man in divers functions. Setting endeavour in continual motion ; To which is fixed, as an aim or butt. Obedience : for so work the honey-bees. Creatures that by a rule in nature teach The act of order to a peopled kingdom. They have a king and officers of sorts ; Where some, like magistrates, correct at home, Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad. Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings. Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds. PITCH VARIATION 73 Which pillage they with merry march bring home To the tent-royal of their emperor ; "Who, busied in his majesty, surveys The singing masons building roofs of gold, The civil citizens kneading up the honey, The poor mechanic porters crowding in Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate, The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum. Delivering o'er to executors pale The lazy yawning drone. I this infer, That many things, having full reference To one consent, may work contrariously : As many arrows, loosed several ways. Come to one mark ; as many ways meet in one town ; As many fresh streams meet in one salt sea ; As many lines close in the dial's centre ; So may a thousand actions, once afoot. End in one purpose, and be all well borne Without defeat. Shakespeare : Henry V, i, ii. 6. For general reading THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY Edward Everett Hale 43. Philip Nolan was as fine a young officer as there was in the " Legion of the West," as the Western division of our army was then called. When Aaron Burr made his first dashing expedition down to New Orleans in 1805, at Fort Massac, or somewhere above on the river, he met, as the Devil would have it; this gay, dashing, bright young fel- low ; at some dinner-party, I think. Burr marked him, talked to him, walked with him, took him a day or two's voyage in his flat-boat, and, in short, fascinated him. For the next year, barrack-life was very tame to poor Nolan. He occasionally availed himself of the permission the great man had given him to write to him. Long, high-worded, stilted letters the poor boy wrote and rewrote and copied. But never a line did he have in reply from the gay de- ceiver. The other boys in the garrison sneered at him, be- 74 ORAL READING cause lie lost the fun which they found in shooting or row- ing while he was working away on these grand letters to his grand friend. They could not understand why Nolan kept by himself while they were playing high-low jack. But before long the young fellow had his revenge. For this time His Excellency, Honorable Aaron Burr, appeared again under a very difBerent aspect. There were rumors that he had an army behind him and everybody supposed that he had an empire before him. At that time the young- sters all envied him. Burr had not been talking twenty minutes with the commander before he asked him to send for Lieutenant Nolan. Then after a little talk he asked Nolan if he could show him something of the great river and the plans for the new post. He asked Nolan to take him out in his skifE to show him a canebrake or a cotton- wood tree, as he said, — really to seduce him ; and by the time the sail was over, Nolan was enlisted body and souL From that time, though he did not yet know it, he lived as A MAST WITHOUT A COUNTKT. "What Burr meant to do I know no more than you, dear reader. It is none of our business just now. Only, when the grand catastrophe came, and JefEerson and the House of Virginia of that day undertook to break on the wheel all the possible Clarences of the then House of York, by the great treason trial at Richmond, some of the lesser fry in that distant Mississippi Valley, which was farther from us than Puget's Sound is to-day, introduced the like novelty on their provincial stage ; and, to while away the monotony of the summer at Fort Adams, got up, for spectacles, a string of court-martials on the officers there. One and an- other of the colonels and majors were tried, and, to fill out the list, little Nolan, against whom. Heaven knows, there was evidence enough, — that he was sick of the service, had been willing to be false to it, and would have obeyed any order to march any-whither with any one who would follow him had the order been signed, " By command of His Exc. A. Burr." The courts dragged on. The big flies escaped, — rightly for all I know. Nolan was proved guilty enough, as I say ; yet you and I would never have heard of him PITCH VARIATION 75 but that, when the president of the court asked him at the close whether he wished to say anything to show that he had always been faithful to the United States, he cried out, in a fit of frenzy, — " Damn the United States ! I wish I may never hear of the United States again ! " I suppose he did not know how the words shocked old Colonel Morgan, who was holding the court. Half the o£S- cers who sat in it had served through the Revolution, and their lives, not to say their necks, had been risked for the very idea which he so cavalierly cursed in his madness. He, on his part, had grown up in the West of those days in the midst of " Spanish plot," " Orleans plot," and all the rest. He had spent half his youth with an older brother, hunting horses in Texas; and, in a word, to him "United States " was scarcely a reality. Yet he had been fed by " United States " for all the years since he had been in the army. He had sworn on his faith as a Christian to be true to " United States." It was " United States " which gave him the uniform he wore, and the sword by his side. Nay, my poor Nolan, it was only because " United States " had picked you out first as one of her own confidential men of honor that " A. Burr " cared for you a straw more than for the flat-boat men who sailed his ark for him. I do not excuse Nolan ; I only explain to the reader why he damned his country, and wished he might never hear her name again. He never did hear her name but once again. From that moment, September 23, 1807, till the day he died, May 11, 1863, he never heard her name again. For that half-century and more he was a man without a country. Old Morgan, as I said, was terribly shocked. If Nolan had compared George Washington to Benedict Arnold, or had cried, " God save King George," Morgan would not have felt worse. He called the court Into his private room, and returned in fifteen minutes, with a face like a sheet, to say, — "Prisoner, hear the sentence of the Court! The Court decides, subject to the approval of the President, that you never hear the name of the United States again." 76 ORAL READING Nolan laaghed. But nobody else laughed. Old Morgan was too solemn, and the whole room was hushed dead as night for a minute. Even Nolan lost his swagger in a moment. Then Morgan added, — " Mr. Marshal, take the prisoner to Orleans in an armed boat, and deliver him to the naval commander there." The marshal gave his orders and the prisoner was taken out of court. "Mr. Marshal," continued old Morgan, "see that no one mentions the United States to the prisoner. Mr. Marshal, make my respects to Lieutenant Mitchell at Orleans, and request him to order that no one shall mention the United States to the prisoner while he is on board ship. You will receive your written orders from the officer on duty here this evening. The Court is adjourned without day." I have always supposed that Colonel Morgan himself took the proceedings of the court to Washington city, and ex- plained them to Mr. Jefferson. Certain it is that the Presi- dent approved them, — certain, that is, if I may believe the men who say they have seen his signature. Before the Nau- tilus got round from New Orleans to the Northern Atlantic coast with the prisoner on board, the sentence had been approved, and he was a man without a country. The plan then adopted was substantially the same which was necessarily followed ever after. The Secretary of the Navy was requested to put Nolan on board a government vessel bound on a long cruise, and to direct that he should be only so far confined there as to make it certain that he never saw or heard of the country. We had few long cruises then, and the navy was very much out of favor. But the commander to whom he was intrusted regulated the etiquette and the precautions of the affair, and according to his scheme they were carried out, I suppose, till Nolan died. The rule adopted on board the ship was, I think, trans- mitted from the beginning. No mess liked to have him per- manently, because his presence cut off all talk of home or of the prospect of return, of politics or letters, of peace or of war, — cut off more than half the talk men liked to have at sea. He was not permitted to talk with the men, unless an PITCH VARIATION 77 officer was by. With officers he had unrestrained intercourse, as far as they and he chose. Then the captain always asked him to dinner on Monday. His breakfast he ate in his own stateroom, — he always had a stateroom, — which was where a sentinel or somebody on the watch could see the door. And whatever else he ate or drank, he ate or drank alone. Sometimes, when the marines or sailors had any special jollification, they were permitted to invite " Plain-Buttons," as they called him. Then Nolan was sent with some officer, and the men were forbidden to speak of home while he was there. I believe the theory was that the sight of his punish- ment did them good. They called him "Plain-Buttons," because, while he always chose to wear a regulation army- uniform, he was not permitted to wear the army-button, for the reason that it bore either the initials or the insignia of the country he had disowned. As he was almost never permitted to go on shore, even though the vessel lay in port for months, his time at the best hung heavy ; and everybody was permitted to lend him books, if they were not published in America and made no allusion to it. He had almost all the foreign papers that came into the ship, sooner or later ; only somebody must go over them first, and cut out any advertisement or stray paragraph that alluded to America. Bight in the midst of one of Napoleon's battles, or one of Canning's speeches, poor Nolan would find a great hole, because on the back of the page of that paper there had been an advertisement of a packet for New York, or a scrap from the President's message. They had touched at the Cape, and had done the civil thing with the English Admiral and the fleet, and then, leaving for a long cruise up the Indian Ocean, Phillips had borrowed a lot of English books from an officer, which, in those days, as indeed in these, was quite a windfall. Among them, as the Devil would order, was the Lay of the Last Minstrel, which they had all of them heard of, but which most of them had never seen. Well, nobody thought there could be any risk of any- thing national in that, though Phillips swore old Shaw had cut out the Tempest from Shakespeare before he let Nolan have it, because he said " the Bermudas ought to be ours, 78 ORAL BEADING and, by Jove, should be one day." So Nolan was permitted to join the circle one afternoon when a lot of them sat on deck smoking and reading aloud. Well, so it happened that in his turn Nolan took the book and read to the others ; and he read very well, as I know. Nobody in the circle knew a line of the poem, only it was all magic and Border chiv- alry, and was ten thousand years ago. Poor Nolan read steadily through the fifth canto and then began, without a thought of what was coming, — Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, — It seems impossible to us that anybody ever heard this for the first time ; but all these fellows did then, and poor Nolan himself went on, still unconsciously or mechanically, — This is my own, my native land I Then they all saw that something was to pay ; but he ex- pected to get through, I suppose, turned a little pale, but plunged on, — Whose heart hath ne'er within him hnmed. As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering: on a foreign strand ? — If such there breathe, go, mark him well, — By this time the men were all beside themselves, wishing there was any way to make him turn over two pages ; but he had not quite presence of mind for that ; he gagged a little, colored crimson, and staggered on, — For him no minstrel raptures swell ; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, Despite these titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self, — and here the poor fellow choked, could not go on, but started up, swung the book into the sea, vanished into his stateroom, "And by Jove," said Phillips, "we did not see him for two months again." He never read aloud again, unless it was the Bible or Shakespeare, or something else he was sure of. But it was not that merely. He never entered in with the other young men exactly as a companion again. He was always shy after- wards, very seldom spoke, unless he was spoken to, except PITCH VARIATION 79 to a very few friends. He lighted up occasionally, but gen- erally he had the nervous, tired look of a heart-wounded man. Till he grew very old, he went aloft a great deal. He always kept up his exercise ; and I never heard that he was ill. If any other man was iU, he was the kindest nurse in the world ; and he knew more than half the surgeons do. Then if anybody was sick or died, or if the captain wanted him to, on any other occasion, he was always ready to read prayers. I have said that he read beautifully. My own acquaintance with Philip Nolan began six or eight years after the English war, on my first voyage after I was appointed a midshipman. It was in the first days after our Slave-Trade treaty, while the Reigning House, which was still the House of Virginia, had stiU a sort of sentimentalism about the suppression of the horrors of the Middle Passage, and something was sometimes done that way. We were in the South Atlantic on that business. I first came to understand anjrthing about "the man without a country " one day when we overhauled a dirty little schooner which had slaves on board. An officer was sent to take charge of her, and, after a few minutes, he sent back his boat to ask that some one might be sent him who could speak Portuguese. Nolan stepped out and said he should be glad to interpret, if the captain wished, as he understood the language. The captain thanked him, fitted out another boat with him, and in this boat it was my luck to go. When we got there, it was such a scene as you seldom see and never want to. Nastiness beyond account, and chaos run loose in the midst of the nastiness. There were not a great many of the negroes ; but by way of making what there were understand that they were free, Vaughan had had their hand-cuffs and ankle-cufEs knocked off, and, for con- venience' sake, was putting them upon the rascals of the schooner's crew. As we came on deck, Vaughan looked down from a hogrs- head, on which he had mounted in desperation, and said : — " For God's love, is there anybody who can make these wretches understand something ? " 80 ORAL READING Nolan said he could speak Portuguese, and one or two fine-looking Kroomen were dragged out, who, as it had been found already, had worked for the Portuguese on the coast at Fernando Po. " Tell them they are free," said Vaughan ; " and tell them that these rascals are to be hanged as soon as we can get rope enough." Nolan " put that into Spanish," — that is, he explained it in such Portuguese as the Kroomen could understand, and they in turn to such of the negroes as could understand them. Then there was a yell of delight, clinching of fists, leaping and dancing, kissing of Nolan's feet, and a general rush made to the hogshead by way of spontaneous worship of Vaughan. " Tell them," said Vaughan, well pleased, " that I will take them all to Cape Pahnas." This did not answer so well. Cape Palmas was prac- tically as far from the homes of most of them as New Orleans or Rio Janeiro was ; that is, they would be eter- nally separated from home there. And their intei^reters, as we could understand, instantly said, " Ah, non Palmas." The drops stood on poor Nolan's white forehead, as he hushed the men down, and said : — " He says, ' Not Palmas.' He says, * Take us home, take us to our own country, take us to our own house, take us to our own pickaninnies and our own women.' He says he has an old father and mother who will die if they do not see him. And this one says he left his people all sick, and paddled down to Fernando to beg the white doctor to come and help them, and that these devils caught him in the bay just in sight of home, and that he has never seen anybody from home since then. And this one says," choked out Nolan, " that he has not heard a word from his home in six months, while he has been locked up in an infernal bar- racoon." Vaughan always said he grew gray himself while Nolan struggled through this interpretation. I, who did not under- stand anything of the passion involved in it, saw that the very elements were melting with fervent heat, and that PITCH VARIATION 81 something was to pay somewhere. Even the negroes them- selves stopped howling, as they saw Nolan's agony, and Vaughan's almost equal agony of sympathy. As quick as he could get words, he said : — " Tell them yes, yes, yes ; tell them they shall go to the Mountains of the Moon, if they will. If I saU the schooner through the Great White Desert, they shall go home ! " And after some fashion Nolan said so. And then they all fell to kissing him again, and wanted to ruh his nose with theirs. But he could not stand it long ; and getting Yaughan to say he might go hack, he heckoned me down into our boat. As we lay back in the stern-sheets and the men gave way, he said to me : " Youngster, let that show you what it is to be without a family, without a home, and without a coun- try. And if you are ever tempted to say a word or to do a thing that shall put a bar between you and your family, your home, and your country, pray God in his mercy to take you that instant home to His own heaven. Stick by your family, boy; forget you have a self, while you do everything for them. Think of your home, boy ; write and send, and talk about it. Let it be nearer and nearer to your thought, the farther you have to travel from it ; and rush back to it when you are free, as that poor black slave is doing now. And for your country, boy," and the words rattled in his throat, " and for that flag," and he pointed to the ship, " never dream a dream but of serving her as she bids you, though the service carry you through a thousand hells. No matter what happens to you, no matter who flat- ters you or who abuses you, never look at another flag, never let a night pass but you pray God to bless that flag. Remember, boy, that behind all these men you have to do with, behind officers, and government, and people even, there is the Country Herself, your Country, and that you belong to Her as you belong to your own mother. Stand by Her, boy, as you would stand by your mother, if those devils there had got hold of her to-day ! " After this cruise I never saw Nolan again. The other men told me that in those fifteen years he aged very fast, as well 82 ORAL READING he might indeed, but that he was still the same gentle, un- complaining, silent sufferer that be ever was, bearing as best he could his self-appointed punishment. And now it seems the dear old fellow is dead. He has found a home at last, and a country. Since writing this, and while considering whether or no I would print it, as a warning to the young Nolans and Val- landighams and Tatnalls of to-day of what it is to throw away a country, I have received a letter which gives an ac- count of Nolan's last hours. It removes all my doubts about telling this story. Here is the conclusion of the letter : — But in an hour, when the doctov vent in gently, he found Kolan had breathed his life away with a smile. He had something pressed close to his lips. It was his father's hadge of the Order of the Cincinnati. We looked in his Bible, and there was a slip of paper at the place where he had marked the text : — "They desire a country, even a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God : for He hath prepsired for them a city." On this slip of paper he had written : — " Bury me in the sea ; it has been my home, and I love it. But will not some one set up a stone for my memory at Fort Adams or at Orleans, that my disgrace may not be more than I ought to bear ? Say on it : — " In Memory of "PHILIP NOLAN, " iieutenoni in the Army of the Urtited States. " He loved his country as no other man has loved her ; but no man deserved less at her hands." ^ ' Used with the kind permission of the publishers, Little, Brown and Company. CHAPTER IV EMPHASIS 16. The cause of emphasis As grouping and pitch variation are the result of thought, so thinking determines emphasis. Words are given prominence according as they serve to reveal the precise meaning the speaker wishes them to convey. Observe the different meanings brought out by shifting the emphasis in the following sentence : — / told you 80, (It was I, not another, who told you.) I told you so. (You did n't tell me.) I told you so ! (It 's happened just as I expected, but you would n't believe me.) 17. Methods of emphasis The term " emphasis " is often thought of in a limited sense as referring merely to the added vocal force applied to a word to give it prominence; but there are several means of emphasis, of which vocal force, or loudness, is perhaps the least important. The setting out of particular words is effected in several ways, namely : by Inflection, Change of Pitch,i Pause, Force, and Prolongation of Ac- cented Vowels." ' See pagres 52-55, sections 10 and 11, for discussion of Inflection and Change of Pitch as means of emphasis. ^ In ordinary, spirited utterance all these forms of emphasis frequently occur together on one word, and rarely is emphasis of a word confined to one form only. But in reading: aloud and formal speaking there is a strong; tend- ency to limit emphasis to one or two oft-repeated forms. This is one of the reasons why reading and public speaking often seem unnatural, stilted, or monotonous. In this chapter the different means of emphasis are considered separately in order to demonstrate that we do emphasize words in other ways than by force alone, and to offer exercise in each that may help to extend the use of all conversational means of emphasis to the expression of thought in reading aloud and formal public speaking. 84 ORAL READING I. Emphasis by pause. A word or phrase is often made emphatic by a pause, which pause may occur either before or after the word it sets out. Bead aloud the lines quoted below from Longfellow's King Robert of Sicily, in which is described the action of the king when he finds himself imprisoned at night in the deserted church. First read the lines without pauses or very strict attention to their sig- nificance ; then picture the situation, imagine the state of mind of the king as you describe his acts, read the sen- tence with definite pauses, as indicated by the dashes, and note how the pauses add emphasis and make the thought and situation clear and vivid. He groped towards the door, — but it was locked ; — He cried aloud, — then listened, — and then knocked. In reading aloud, the value of pause is often ignored, chiefly because the thought value of words is ignored. When the thought of the printed page becomes the clear, vivid thought of the reader, and when the desire to com- municate it is definite and strong, pauses are frequent and natural. Time given to words is one way of measuring the ideas they stand for. It also gives the speaker and the lis- tener opportunity to consider what is spoken. The quotations below offer good illustrations of emphatic pause. And yet Scrooge, having his key in the lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any immediate process of change, not — a knocker, but — Marley's face. Dickens : Christmas Carol. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith — virtue ; and to virtue — knowledge ; and to knowledge — tem- perance ; and to temperance — patience ; and to patience — god- liness ; and to godliness — brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness — charity." II Peter, I. EMPHASIS 85 2. Emphasis by vocal force.i While the emphasis by pause seems to be more usually confined to particular words and phrases, vocal force, in conjunction with inflections, not only helps to make individual words emphatic, but it is also instrumental in showing the logical relation of inter- dependent ideas.'' Thus : — Whoever hath meant good work with his whole heart hath done good work, whether he lived to siffn it or not. Emphasis by a slight increase of vocal force, in conjunc- tion with pronounced inflection and change of pitch, is illustrated in the lines from the Merchant of Venice (v, i) quoted below : — Portia. Music/ Hark/ Nerissa. It is your music, madam, of the house. Portia. Nothing is good, I see, without respect ; Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day. Nerissa. Silence bestows that virtue on it, madam. Portia. The crow doth sing as sweetly as the larlc When neither is attended ; and I think The nightingale, if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. Sometimes in excited commands, exclamations and the like, the emphasis is largely that of vocal force : — ^ Emphasis "by vocal force and hj inflection often go together, and what is sometimes taken for emphasis hy added force is chiefly that of inflection. Little drill on emphasis by Imidnexs is needed. The important thing is to rec- ognize the relative values of words and the relation of ideas to each other, ^ The added vocal force usually falls on the accented syllable of the em- phatic word, the vowel of that syllable receiving the chief stress. An excep- tion to this is found when words, differing but slightly in appearance and form, are used antithetically. The emphasis in such cases falls not on the similar but on the What 's the matter ? Lennox. ) 150 ORAL READING Macduff. Confusion now hath made his naasterpiece. Most sacrilegioas murder hath broke ope The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence The life o' the building ! Macbeth. What is 't you say ? the life ? Lennox. Mean you his majesty ? Macduff. Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight With a new Gorgon. Do not bid me speak ; See, and then speak yourselves. (Eoceunt Macbeth and Lennox.) Awake, awake ! Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason ! Banquo and Donalbain ! Malcolm ! awake ! Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit, And look on death itself ! up, up, and see The great doom's image ! Malcolm I Banquo ! As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites, To countenance this horror ! Ring the bell. (Bell rings.) Shakespeare : Macbeth, n, iii. 17. English Herald. Rejoice, you men of Anglers, ring your bells! King John, your king and England's, doth approach. Our colors do return in those same hands That did display them when we first march'd forth ; Open your gates and give the victors way ! Shakespeare : King John, n, L 18. Cateshy. Rescue, my Lord of Norfolk ! rescue, rescue ! The king enacts more wonders than a man. Daring an opposite to every danger. His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights, Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death. Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost ! Alarum. Enter King Richard King Richard. A horse ! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse ! Catesby. Withdraw, my lord ; I '11 help you to a horse. VOCAL ENERGY 151 King Richard. Slave ! I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die. I think there be six Bichmonds in the field ; Five have I slain to-day instead of him. — A horse ! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse ! (Exeunt.') Shakespeare : Richard III, y, iv. 19. Blow trumpet, for the world is white with May ! Blow trumpet, the long night hath roll'd away ! Blow thro' the living world — " Let the King reign ! " Shall Borne or Heathen rule in Arthur's realm ? Flash brand and lance, fall battle-axe upon helm, Fall battle-axe, and flash brand ! Let the King reign ! Strike for the King and live ! his knights have heard That Gk)d hath told the King a secret word. Fall battle-axe, and flash brand ! Let the King reign ! Blow trumpet ! he wiU lift us from the dust. Blow trumpet ! live the strength and die the lust ! Clang battle-axe, and clash brand ! Let the King reign I Strike for the King and die ! and if thou diest, The King is king, and ever wills the highest. Clang battle-axe, and clash brand ! Let the King reign ! Blow, for our Sun is mighty in his May ! Blow, for our Sun is mightier day by day ! Clang battle-axe, and clash brand ! Let the King reign ! The King will follow Christ, and we the King, In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing. FaJl battle-axe, and clash brand ! Let the King reign ! Tennyson: The Coming of Arthur. 6. Radical Stress 20. Polonius. Yet here, Laertes ! aboard, aboard, for shame ! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, And you are stay'd for. There, my blessing with thee ! 152 ORAL READING And these few precepts in thy memory Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion'd thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar ; The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel ; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in. Bear 't that th' opposed may beware of thee. Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice ; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express'd in fancy ; rich, not gaudy ; For the apparel oft proclaims the man. And they in EVance of the best rank and station Are most select and generous, chief in that. Neither a borrower, nor a lender be ; For loan oft loses both itself and friend. And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all : to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell ; my blessing season this in thee ! Shakespeare : Samlet, i, iii. 21. But justice is not this halt and miserable object ! It is not the portentous phantom of despair ; it is not like any fabled mons- ter, formed in the eclipse of reason, and found in some unhal- lowed grove of superstitious darkness and political dismay ! No, my lords ! In the happy reverse of all this, I turn from the disgusting caricature to the real image ! Justice I now have before me, august and pure ! the abstract idea of all that would be perfect in the spirits and the aspirings of men ! — where the mind rises ; where the heart expands ; where the countenance is ever placid and benign ; where her favorite attitude is to stoop to the unfortunate ; to hear their cry and to help them ; to rescue and relieve, to succor and save ; ma- jestic, from its mercy ; venerable, from its utility ; uplifted. VOCAL ENERGY 153 without pride ; firm, without obduracy ; beneficent in each pref- erence ; lovely, though in her frown ! On that justice I rely ; deliberate and sure, abstracted from all party purpose and political speculations ; not on words, but on facts ! You, my lords, who hear me, I conjure^ by those rights it is your privilege to preserve ; by that fame it is your best pleasure to inherit ; by all those feelings which refer to the first term in the series of existence, the original compact of our nature, our controlling rank in the creation. This is the call on all, to administer to truth and equity, as they would satisfy the laws and satisfy themselves, with the most exalted bliss possible or conceivable for our nature ; the self-ap- proving consciousness of virtue, when the condemnation we look for will be one of the most ample mercies accomplished for mankind since the creation of the world ! Sheridan : Speech at the Trial of Warren Hastings. 22. They pass me by like shadows, crowds on crowds. Dim ghosts of men, that hover to and fro. Hugging their bodies round them like thin shrouds Wherein their souls were buried long ago : They trampled on their youth, and faith, and love, They cast their hope of human-kind away, "With Heaven's clear messages they madly strove, And conquered, — and their spirits turned to clay : Lo ! how they wander round the world, their grave, Whose ever-gaping maw by such is fed, Gibbering at living men, and idly rave, " We only truly live, but ye are dead." Alas ! poor fools, the anointed eye may trace A dead soul's epitaph in every face ! Lowell: The Street. 7. Median Stress 23. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain : 154 ORAL READING In the day when the keepers of the hoase shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened. And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low ; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fear shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail : because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets : Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was : and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes, xii, 1-7. 24. And slowly answer'd Arthur from the barge : " The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world. Comfort thyself ; what comfort is in me ? I have lived my life, and that which I have done May He vnthin himself make pure ! but thou, If thou shouldst never see my face again. Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain. If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend ? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. But now farewell. I am going a long way "With these thou seest — if indeed I go — For all my mind is clouded with a doubt — VOCAL ENERGY 155 To the island-valley of Avilion ; Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, Nor ever wind blows loudly ; but it lies Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns And bowery hoUows crown'd with summer sea, Where I will heal me of my grievous wound." Tennyson: The Passing of Arthur. 8. Final Stress 25. The train from out the castle drew ; But Marmion stopped to bid adieu : — " Though something I might plain," he said, " Of cold respect to stranger guest. Sent hither by your king's behest, While in Tantallon's towers I stayed, Part we in friendship from, your land. And, noble Earl, receive my hand." — But Douglas round him drew his cloak. Folded his arms, and thus he spoke : — " My manors, halls, and bowers, shall still Be open at my sovereign's will. To each one whom he lists, howe'er Unmeet to be the owner's peer, My castles are my king's alone. From turret to foundation-stone — The hand of Douglas is his own. And never shall in friendly grasp The hand of such as Marmion clasp." — Burned Marmion's swarthy cheek like fire, And shook his very frame for ire. And — " This to me ! " he said, — " An 't were not for thy hoary beard. Such hand as Marmion's had not spared To cleave the Douglas' head ! And, first, I teU. thee, haughty Peer, He who does England's message here. Although the meanest in her state. May well, proud Angus, be thy mate : 156 ORAL READING And, Douglas, more I tell thee here, Even in thy pitch of pride. Here in thy hold, thy vassals near, (Nay, never look upon your lord, And lay your hands upon your sword,) I tell thee, thou 'rt defied ! And if thou saidst, I am not peer To any lord in Scotland here. Lowland or Highland, far or near, Lord Angus, thou hast lied ! " — On the Earl's cheek the flush of rage O'ercame the asheu hue of age : Fierce he broke forth : — " And darest thou then To beard the lion in his den, The Douglas in his hall ? And hopest thou hence unscathed to go ? — No, by Saint Bride of BothweU, no ! — Up drawbridge, grooms — what. Warder, ho ! Let the portcuUis fall." Scott : Marndon, vi, sdii, xiv. 26. Petruohio. Come on, i' God's name ; once more toward our father's. Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon ! Katharina. The moon ! the sun : it is not moonlight now. Pet. I say it is the moon that shines so bright. Kath. I know it is the sun that shines so bright. Pet. Now, by my mother's son, and that 'a myself, It shall be moon, or star, or what I list, Or ere I journey to your father's house. Go one and fetch our horses back again. Evermore cross'd and cross'd ; nothing but cross'd ! Hortensio. Say as he says, or we shall never go. Kath. Forward, I pray, since we have come so far, And be it moon, or sun, or what you please. And if you please to call it a rush-candle, Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me. Pet. I say it is the moon. VOCAL ENERGY 157 Kath. I know it is the moon. Pet. Nay, then you lie ; it is the blessed sun. Kath. Then God be bless'd, it is the blessed sun : But sun it is not when you say it is not, And the moon changes even as your mind. What you will have it nam'd, even that it is ; And so, it shall be so for Katharine. Hor. Petruchio, go thy ways ; the field is won. Pet. Well, forward, forward ! thus the bowl should run, And not unluckily against the bias. Shakespeare : The Taming of the Shrew, rv, v. 9. For general reading 27. " A merry Christmas, uncle ! God save you ! " cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach. " Bah ! " said Scrooge. " Humbug! " " Christmas a humbug, uncle ! " said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure? " " I do," said Scrooge. " Merry Christmas ! What right have you to be merry ? What reason have you to be merry ? You 're poor enough." " Come, then," returned the nephew gayly. " What right have you to be dismal ? What reason have you to be morose ? You 're rich enough." Scrooge, having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said " Bah ! " again ; and followed it up with " Humbug ! " " Don't be cross, uncle ! " said the nephew. " What else can I be," returned the uncle, " when I live in such a world of fools as this ? Merry Christmas ! Out upon merry Christmas ! What 's Christmas-time to you but a time for paying bills without money ; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer ; a time for balancing your books, and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you ? If I could work my vnll," said Scrooge indignantly, " every idiot who goes about with ' Merry Christmas ' on his lips should be boiled with 158 ORAL READING his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should ! " " Uncle ! " pleaded the nephew. "Nephew!" returned the uncle sternly, "keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine." " Keep it ! " repeated Scrooge's nephew. " But you don't keep it." "Let me leave it alone, then," said Scrooge. "Much good may it do you ! Much good it has ever done you ! " " There are many things from which I might have derived good by which I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew, " Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round, — apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that, — as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time ; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were feUow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good ; and I say, God bless it ! " The clerk in the tank involuntarily applauded. Becoming immediately sensible of the impropriety, he poked the fire, and extinguished the last frail spark forever. " Let me hear another sound from you" said Scrooge, " and you '11 keep your Christmas by losing your situation ! You 're quite a powerful speaker, sir," he added, turning to his nephew. " I wonder you don't go into Parliament." "Don't be angry, uncle. Come! dine with us to-morrow." Scrooge said that he would see hiui Yes, indeed, he did. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in that extremity first. " But why ? " cried Scrooge's nephew. " "Why ? " " Why did you get married ? " said Scrooge. " Because I fell in love." " Because you fell in love ! " growled Scrooge, as if that VOCAL ENERGY 159 were the only one thing in the world more ridiculous than a merry Christmas. " Good-afternoon ! " " Nay, uncle, but you never came to see me before that happened. Why give it as a reason for not coming now ? " " Good-afternoon," said Scrooge. *' I want nothing from you ; I ask nothing of you ; why cannot we be friends ? " " Good-afternoon ! " said Scrooge. " I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and I '11 keep my Christmas humor to the last. So A Merry Christ- mas, uncle ! " " Good-afternoon," said Scrooge. " And A Happy New Year ! " " Good-afternoon ! " said Scrooge. His nephew left the room without an angry word, notwith- standing. He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greet- ings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge, for he returned them cordially. " There 's another fellow," muttered Scrooge, who over- heard him ; " my clerk, with fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family, talking about a merry Christmas. I 'U retire to Bedlam," Dickens : A Christmas Carol. 28. There is no escape by the river, There is no flight left by the fen ; We are compassed about by the shiver Of the might of their marching men. Give a cheer ! For our hearts shall not give way. Here 's to a dark to-morrow And here 's to a brave to-day ! The tale of their hosts is countless. And the tale of ours a score ; But the palm is naught to the dauntless, And the cause is more and more. 160 ORAL READING Give a cheer ! We may die, but not give way. Here 's to a silent to-morrow, And here 's to a stout to-day ! God has said, " Te shall fail and perish ; But the thrill ye have felt to-night I shall keep in my heart and cherish When the worlds have passed in night." Give a cheer ! For the soul shall not give way. Here 's to a greater to-morrow That is born of a great to-day ! Now shame on the craven truckler And the puling things that mope ! We 've a rapture for our buckler That outwears the wings of hope. Give a cheer ! For our joy shall not give way. Here 's in the teeth of to-morrow To the glory of to-day ! Richard Hovey : At the End of the Day.''- 1 From More Songs from Vagabondia. Used with the kind penuisraon of the publishers, Sm^, Maynaid & Company, CHAPTER VII KHYTHM 29. Mhythm in speech Broadly speaking, all earnest and purposeful utterance is rhythmical. In reading poetry or prose aloud, or in speak- ing your own thoughts, you will observe that the progress of your thought and feeling is expressed in vocal beats, or pulsations, recurring with more or less regularity in time. 30. The function of rhythm The peculiar function of rhythm is the expression of emotion, though all well ordered thought and action is, in a sense, rhythmical. There is rhythm in the multiplication table, rhythm in one's walk, rhythm in the alternation of day and night, and in the sequence of the seasons of the year. But in vocal and written expression, sustained and strongly marked rhythm is the result of sustained, strong, and controlled feeling. "The deeper the feeling," said John Stuart MiU, "the more characteristic and decided the rhythm." Poetry, the most perfectly rhythmic form of language, is essentially emotional. When read merely for its ideas, and without regard to its rhythm, or its emotion and spirit, it is no longer poetry, and its power, as poetry, is lost. When speech becomes strongly emotional, as in highly-wrought passages of oratory, or narrative and de- scriptive prose, it tends to drop into regular rhythmic order of equal, metrical time intervals. 168 ORAL BEADING 31. The rhythm of prose (V) In the thoughtful and earnest utterance of prose, one feels the undulation of vocal energy adjusting itself in intervals of time to the demands of thought and feeling. Read aloud the following examples, and observe how the feeling they carry finds expression in sustained and decided rhythm of utterance. Let us resolve to crown the miracle of the past with the spec- / / / / / tacle of a republic, compact, united, indissoluble in the bonds of f f f / / f love — loving from the Lakes to the Gulf — the wounds of war / / / / / healed in every heart as on every hill — serene and resplendent / / / / / at the summit of human achievement and earthly glory — blaz- / / / / f / _ ing out the path and making clear the way up which all nations / f f / / of the earth must come in God's appointed time ! Grady : The New South. The little voice, familiar and dearly loved, awakened some show of consciousness, even at that ebb. For a moment the closed eyelids trembled, and the nostrils quivered, and the familiar / / / / f shadow of a smile was seen. The Doctor gently brushed the scat- tered ringlets of the child aside from the face and mouth of the / / / / / mother. Alas, how calm they lay there, how little breath there f f / f * , ' . . was to stir them ! Thus clinging fast to that slight spar within / / f / f her arms, the mother drifted out upon the dark and unknown / / / / sea that rolls round all the world. Dickens : Dombey and Son, chap. i. (2) Though prose of pronounced emotional significance, such as the above, tends to somewhat regular rhythmic form, the rhythm of ordinary prose is determined largely RHYTHM 163 by the reader's understanding and interpretation of the thought. Since there is no set arrangement of strong and light syllables, as in poetry, prose rhythm is adaptable to the speaker's thinking. A change in his understanding of the meaning of a passage causes a corresponding change in the rhythmic accents of his utterance, these being adjusted in conformity with the sense emphasis ; and though prose is not marked by that regularity of rhythmical beat which characterizes poetry^ the excellent rendering of it gives the sense of rhythmical order and progress consistent with pur- poseful thinking. As an illustration of this, read aloud the following examples, giving emphasis only to the words un- derlined, allowing the voice to pass lightly over intervening ones, and observe the various shades of meaning brought out by the different readings and rhythms. Will you go with me to-morrow ? Will you go with me to-morrow ? Will you go with me to-morrow ? Which of the following readings best expresses the thought of the sentence ? Which has the more regular and decided rhythm ? I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, i, ii. 32. The rhythm of poetry Since poetry is metrical in form, with accented and un- accented syllables alternating with more or less regularity, the rhythmical stresses may not be placed wholly at the op- tion of the reader, as in prose, but they must conform to the 164 ORAL READING metrical plan of the poem. Observance of metrical fonn alone will not, of course, insure good reading. A poem may be spoken with strictest attention to its structure and metre and yet be but " a dull, mechanic exercise." Emotional re- sponse to thought is vital in the reading of poetry. The more strong and true this response, the more readily wiU the utterance adapt itself to the metre and rhythm of the verse, for these are means by which the feeling of the poem is communicated. This being true, careful attention to the metrical form in reading aloud helps to a fuller and truer appreciation of the spirit of the poem. Metre and rhythm are addressed to the ear. They must be heard, if the emo- tion from which they spring is to be felt and communicated to others. The reading of verse with little regard for its metre, line-length, or rhythmic movement, betokens lack of understanding and appreciation and a feeble response to its spirit. Sympathetic adjustment to the thought of a poem, then, is an aid to better metrical rendering, and, on the other hand, accurate rendering is essential to the appre- ciation and enjoyment of it. I. Logical emphasis and metrical accent, a. In normal verse forms, logical emphasis, that is, emphasis required by the sense of the line, does not clash with the regular metri- cal accent.^ / ' ' , ' The western waves of ebbing day / / f f Rolled o'er the glen their level way ; / / f / Each purple peak, each flinty spire, Was bathed in floods of living fire. Scott : The Lady of the Lake, Canto i. 1 The temptation in reading yerse, wherein correspondence of metrical and sense accent is pretty consistently carried ont, is to sacrifice the sense of the line to the metrical beat. This results in " sing-song " reading. The stndent should remember that each line adds some new idea or image, and that when we are thinking well we do not express all thoughts in the same way, — on the same pitch, or with the same melody of ntterance. RHYTHM 165 f f / The charge of the gallant, three hundred, The Heavy Brigade ! / / / / Down the bill, down the hill, thousands of Russians, / / / / / Thousands of horsemen, drew to the valley and stay'd. Tennyson : The, Charge of the Heavy Brigade. b. When the logical emphasis falls upon a word not metrically accented, both emphasis and accent should be placed as thought and metre demand, the important words being given prominence without undue violence to the reg- ular metrical beat. In this connection it should again be observed that sense emphasis may be effected, not alone by vocal force, but by change of pitch, pause, or the length- ening of the emphatic vowel. Read aloud the lines quoted below, first without regard to the sense emphasis and with attention only to the metrical accent ; then read them, giv- ing both metrical accent and logical emphasis as indicated. How are the important words emphasized ? By added force, higher pitch, or lengthened vowel quantity ? / / / / / / On the pallet before her was stretched the form of an old man. Longfellow : Evangeliim. / / / / / The lost days of my life until to-day. Rossetti : Lost Days (Sonnet). The quality of mercy is not strained ; / / / / / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / / / / / Upon the place beneath : it is twioe bless'd. Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice. 166 ORAL READING f / / / I pass, like night, from land to land ; / / / I have strange power of speech ; / / / / The moment that his face I see, / / / / I know the man that must hear me : / / f To him my tale I teach. Coleridge : The Ancient Mariner. f / ■ / / / I could be well Tnov'd if I were as you ; If I could pray to move, prayers would move me. Shakespeare : Julius CcBsar, m, i. c. It occasionally happens that the metrical beat does not fall upon a syllable normally accented in prose, and, to preserve the metre, it becomes necessary to shift the accent to an otherwise unaccented syllable. Thus, in the speech of Shylock (^Merchant of Venice, iv, i), — I have a daughter ; "Would any of the stock of Barrabas Had been her husband rather than a Christian, — the usual prose pronunciation, " BarraSas," is sacrificed to metrical need, and the stress is made to fall upon the first and last syllables instead of on the second. Sometimes, when the prose accent and the metrical beat do not coincide, the stress is distributed between the two conflicting syllables and a compromise is thus brought about which satisfies, in a measure, both the metrical and the etymological requirements. This sentence from Camlet, i, iv, affords a good illustration. What may this mean, That thou, dead corse, again in complete steel Revisit'st thus the glimpses of the moon, Making night hideous. RHYTHM 167 Here the usual pronunciation, " complete," is modified by a division of the stress between the two syllables of the word, the first syllable receiving the greater stress, the last some- what less than in prose utterance.' d. Not only should the metre of verse be observed be- cause poetic form demands it, but it will be found that the problem of rendering the meaning of difficult lines will often be simplified by giving due regard to metrical accent. A good example of this is found in the opening lines of Shakespeare's Hamlet : — Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo Bernardo. Who 's there ? Francisco. Nay, answer me ; stand and unfold yourself. Bernardo. Long live the king ! Francisco, Bernardo? Bernardo. He. Many students, reading Francisco's first speech, will give emphasis to " answer," and little or none to " me." But analysis of the situation will make it apparent that such reading fails to give the significance that the line is in- tended to convey. Bernardo, suddenly coming upon Fran- cisco, who is standing guard before the king's castle at midnight, exclaims: " Who 's there ? " But it is not for him to challenge the guard. Why does he do it ? The truth is that Bernardo knows of the appearance of the ghost of the dead king on two previous occasions and on this very plat- form where the men now face each other, and he half ex- pects to encounter the apparition again. His hasty excla- mation upon seeing the guard, and Francisco's prompt 1 It should be explained here that, in conformingr to the metrical stress re- quired by the lines quoted from Shakespeare above, we are pronouncing the words as they were commonly spoken by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The point is that, though words may undergo change in accent and pro- nunciation, we are not justified in ignoring metrical form. 168 ORAL READING counter-challenge, "Nay, answer me; stand and unfold yourself " in which he reminds Bernardo that he, not Ber- nardo, is on duty, makes it clear that the latter has allowed his apprehension and excitement to get the better of his judgment. Even though the lines are being read for the first time, and the reader is ignorant of the situation, which is explained in the subsequent conversation, the accurate rendering of Francisco's speech wUl make him aware of the fact that, for some reason, both men are strangely alert and apprehensive of some ominous event. And this ac- curate rendering depends upon observing the metrical construction. It will be observed also that the effect of excitement is heightened by the short speeches of the two men. Note how attention to the metrical beat in the following quotations helps to an accurate and forceful rendering of the lines. Were the sentences read as prose, more or less hastily, the importance of the words metrically emphasized in the verses might easily be overlooked. O that a man might know / / / / / The end of this day's business ere it eoTne ! Bat it sufficeth that the day wUl end, And then the end is known. Shakespeare : Julius Ccesar, v, i. For Brutus only, overcame himself, / / / / / And no man dse hath honor by his death. Ibid., V, V. / / / . ' ' You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case. Ibid., rv, iii. RHYTHM 169 / / / / /_ He Jvates our sacred nation ; and he raMs, / / / / / Even there where merchants most do congregate, / f f / / On me, my bargains, and my well-worn thrift. Which Ae calls interest. Cursbd be my Hawthorne might have inspired. The painter calls it, " How / f / f f they met themselves." A man and a woman, haggard and / / f / / / / weary, wandering lost in a sombre wood, suddenly meet the / / / / / /_ shadowy figures of a youth and a maid. Some mysterious fascination fixes the gaze and stills the hearts of the wan' / f f derers, and their amazement deepens into awe, as they gradually recognize themselves as once they were ; the soft f f f f / bloom of youth upon their rounded cheeks, the dewy light / / t / / of hope in their trusting eyes, exulting confidence in their / / / / / / springing step, themselves blithe and radiant with the glory of the dawn. To-day and here we meet ourselves. Not to / / / / / / these familiar scenes alone — yonder college-green with its reverend traditions ; the historic bay beating forever with the / / / / / / muffled oars of Barton and of Abraham Whipple; here, / / f f f f the humming city of the living ; there, the peaceful city of / / / / / / / the dead ; — not to these only or chiefly do we return, but / / / to ourselves as we once were. . . . / / / f / / Happy the worn and weary man and woman in the pic- f / f / f ture, could they have felt their older eyes still glisteniiig with that earlier light, and their hearts yet beating with undiminished sympathy and aspiration. Happy we, brethren, / t / t / whatever may have been achieved, whatever left undone, if, RHYTHM 177 returning to the home of our earlier years, we bring with us the Uliinitable hope, the unchilled resolution, the inex- tinguishable faith of youth. It was as scholars that you were ' . ' . .' ' ' here ; it is to the feeling and life of scholars that you return. George William Curtis: The Leadership of Educated Men.^ 3. It may be easy to prove that the ascent of Apollo in his ' . i . ' . ! . ' ' chariot signifies nothing but the rising of the sun. But what does the sunrise itself signify to us ? . . . If, for us also, as / / / _ / / for the Greek, the sunrise means daily restoration to the sense of passionate gladness and of perfect life, — if it means / / / the thrilling of new strength through every nerve, — the / / / / f / shedding over us of a better peace than the peace of night, in the power of the dawn ; — if the sun itself is an influence, to / / / / / / us also, of spiritual good — and becomes thus in reality, not in imagination, to us also, a spiritual power, — we may then soon over-pass the narrow limit of conception which / / / _/ _ / kept that power impersonal, and rise with the Greek to the thought of an angel who rejoiced as a strong man to run his course, whose voice, calling to life and to labor, rang round the earth, and whose going forth was to the ends of heaven. Buskin : The Queen of the Air. 4. Moreover, I saw in my dream, that as they went on. Faithful, as he chanced to look on one side, saw a man whose name was Talkative, walking at a distance beside them ; for in this place there was room enough for them all to walk. 1 From Orations and Addresses. Copjrright, 1893, by Harper & Brothers. Used with the kind permission of the publishers. 178 ORAL READING He was a tall man, and something more comely at a dis- tance than at hand. To this man Faithful addressed himself in this manner : Faithful. Friend, whither away ? Are you going to the heavenly country ? Talkative. I am going to the same place. Faithful. That is well ; then I hope we may have your good company ? Talkative. With a very good wUl will I be your com- panion. Faithful. Come on, then, let us go together, and let us spend our time in discoursing of things that are profitable. Talkative. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with you or with any other ; and I am glad that I have met with those that incline to so good a work ; for, to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time as they are in their travels, but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit ; and this hath been a trouble to me. . . . Faithful. Well, then, what is that one thing that we shall at this time found our discourse upon ? Talkative. What you will. I wUl talk of things heavenly, or things earthly ; things moral, or things evangelical ; things sacred, or things profane ; things past, or things to come ; things foreign, or things at home ; things more essential, or things circumstantial ; provided that all be done to our profit. Now did Faithful begin to wonder ; and stepping to Chris- tian (for he walked all this while by himself), he said to him, but softly, What a brave companion have we got! Surely this man will make a very excellent pilgrim. At this Christian modestly smiled, and said, This man with whom you are so taken, will beguile with this tongue of of his, twenty of them that know him not. Faithful. Do you know him, then ? Christian. Know him! Yes, better than he knows himself . Faithful. Pray, what is he ? Christian. His name is Talkative : he dwelleth in our town. I wonder that you should be a stranger to him, only I consider that our town is large. RHYTHM 179 Faithful. Whose son Is he? And whereabout doth he dweU? Christian. He is the son of one Saywell. He dwelt in Prating Bow ; and he is known of all that are acquainted with him by the name of Talkative of Prating Bow ; and notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow. Faithful. Well, he seems to be a very pretty man. Christian. That is, to them that have not a thorough ac- quaintance with him, for he is best abroad ; near home he is ngly enough. ... I will give you a further discovery of him. This man is for any company, and for any talk ; as he talketh now with you, so wiU he talk when he is on the ale- bench ; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the more of these things he hath in his mouth. Religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation ; all he hath lieth in his tongue, and his religion is to make a noise therewith. Faithful, Say you so ! Then am I in this man greatly deceived. Christian. Deceived ! You may be sure of it. Remem- ber the proverb, " They say, and do not ; " but " the king- dom of God is not in word, but in power." Bunyan; Pilgrim's Progress (Fifth Stage). 2. Normal, regular verse In men whom men denounce as ill I find so much of goodness still, In men whom men pronounce divine I find so much of sin and blot ; I hesitate to draw a line Between the two, where God has not. Joaquin Miller : Mankind. Thou, too, sail on, Ship of State ! Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! > Humanity with all its fears. With all its hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! We know what Master laid thy keel. What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel. 180 ORAL READING Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, What anvils rang, what hammers beat. In what a forge and what a heat Were shaped the anchors of thy hope ! Fear not each sudden sound and shock, 'T is of the wave and not the rock ; 'T is but the flapping of the sail. And not a rent made by the gale ! In spite of rock and tempest's roar, In spite of false lights on the shore, Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea ! Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee. Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears. Our faith triumphant o'er our fears. Are all with thee, — are all with thee ! Longfellow : The Building of the Ship. 7. Some hae meat and canna eat. And some wad eat that want it ; But we hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit. Burns : The Selkirk Grace. 8. Grow old along with me ! The best is yet to be. The last of life, for which the first was made : Our times are in His hand Who saith, " A whole I planned. Youth shows but half ; trust God : see all, nor be afraid ! ' Browning : Rabbi Ben Ezra, Stanza 1. 9. First of Novemhe/r, — the Earthquake day There are traces of age in the one-hoss shay, A general flavor of mild decay, But nothing local, as one may say. There could n't be, — for the Deacon's art Had made it so like in every part That there was n't a chance for one to start. RHYTHM 181 For the wheels were just as strong as the thills, And the floor was just as strong as the sills, And the panels just as strong as the floor. And the whipple-tree neither less nor more, And the hack crosshar as strong as the fore, And spring and axle and hub encore. And yet, as a whole, it is past a doubt In another hour it will be worn out ! First of November, 'Fifty-five ! This morning the parson takes a drive. Now, small boys, get out of the way ! Here comes the wonderful one-hoss shay, Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay. " Huddup ! " said the parson. — OfE went they. The parson was working his Sunday's text, — Had got io fifthly, and stopped perplexed At what the — Moses — was coming next. All at once the horse stood still. Close by the meet'n'-house on the hill. — First a shiver, and then a thrill, Then something decidedly like a spill, — And the parson was sitting upon a rock, At haH-past nine by the meet'n'-house clock, — Just the hour of the Earthquake shock ! — What do you think the parson found. When he got up and stared around ? The poor old chaise in a heap or mound, As if it had been to the mill and ground ! You see, of course, if you 're not a dunce. How it went to pieces all at once, — All at once, and nothing first, — Just as bubbles do when they burst. End of the wonderful one-hoss shay. Logic is logic. That 's all I say. Holmes : The One-Hoss Shay. 182 ORAL READING 3. Irregular verse 10. There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune ; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. Shakespeare : Julius CcBsar, iv, iii. 11. Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immortality. And the vast aU that is caU'd Evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead. Whitman. 12. Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies, I hold you here, root and all, in my hand, Little flower — but if I could understand What yon are, root and aU, and all in all, I should know what God and man is. Tennyson. 13. Breathes there the man, with soul so dead. Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land ? Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand ? If such there breathe, go, mark him well ; For him no minstrel raptures swell ; High though his titles, proud his name. Boundless his wealth as wish can claim ; Despite those titles, power, and pelf. The wretch, concentred all in self. Living, shall forfeit fair renown. And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust from whence he sprung. Unwept, unhonor'd and imsung. Scott: The Lay of the Last Minstrel, vi, i. RHYTHM 183 14. I met a traveller from an antique land Who said : ' Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sank, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear — " My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings : Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair ! " Nothing beside remains. Bound the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.' Shelley: Ozymandias. 4. Buriron lines 15. My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky : So was it when my life began ; So is it now I am a man ; So be it when I shall grow old. Or let me die ! The Child is father to the Man ; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. Wordsworth : The Rainbow. \ 16. They are slaves who fear to speak For the fallen and the weak ; They are slaves who will not choose Hatred, scoffing and abuse, Bather than in silence shrink From the truth they needs must think ; They are slaves who dare not be In tiie right with two or three. LoweU : Stanzas on Freedom,. 184 ORAL READING 17. Heed how thou livest. Do no act hy day Which from the night shall drive thy peace away. In months of sun so live that months of rain Shall still be happy. Evermore restrain Evil and cherish good, so shall there be Another and a happier life for thee. Whittier: Conduct. 18. I made them lay their hands in mine and swear To reverence the King, as if he were Their conscience, and their conscience as their King, To break the heathen and uphold the Christ, To ride abroad redressing human wrongs, To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it, To honor his own word as if his God's, To lead sweet lives in purest chastity. Tennyson: Guinevere. 19. But who can paint Like Nature ? Can imagination boast, Amid its gay creation, hues like hers ? Or can it mix them with that matchless skill, And lose them in each other, as appears In every bud that blows ? If fancy then. Unequal, fails beneath the pleasing task, Ah, what shall language do ? Thomson : The Seasons. 20. I stood within the Coliseum's walls, 'Midst the chief relics of almighty Rome ; The trees which grew along the broken arches Waved darkly in the blue midnight, and the stars Shone through the rents of ruin ; from afar The watch-dog bay'd beyond the Tiber ; and More near from out the Caesars' palace came The owl's long cry, and, interruptedly. Of distant sentinels the fitful song Begun and died upon the gentle wind. Some cypresses beyond the time-worn breach RHYTHM 185 Appear'd to skirt the horizon, yet they stood Within a bowshot. Where the Caesars dwelt, And dwell the toneless birds of night, amidst A grove which springs through levell'd battlements, And twines its roots with the imperial hearths. Ivy usurps the laurel's place of growth ; But the gladiators' bloody Circus stands, A noble wreck in ruinous perfection ! While Caesar's chambers, and the Augustan halls. Grovel on earth in indistinct decay. And thou didst shine, thou rolling moon, upon All this, and cast a wide and tender light, Which soften'd down the hoar austerity Of rugged desolation, and flU'd up, As 't were anew, the gaps of centuries ; Leaving that beautiful which still, was so. And making that which was not, till the place Became religion, and the heart ran o'er With silent worship of the great of old, — The dead, but sceptred sovereigns, who still rule Our spirits from their urns. Byron : Manfred, ni, iv. 21. {A Song, the whilst Bassanio comments on the caskets to himself) Tell me where is fancy bred, Or in the heart or in the head? How begot, how nourished ? Reply, reply. It is engender'd in the eyes. With gazing fed ; and fancy dies In the cradle where it lies. Let us all ring fancy's knell : I '11 begfin it, — Ding, dong, beU. All. Ding, dong, bell. Bassanio. So may the outward shows be least them- selves : The world is still deceiv'd with ornament. In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, 186 ORAL BEADING But, being season'd with a gracious voice, Obscures the show of evil ? In religion, What damned error but some sober brow Will bless it and approve it with a text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament ? There is no vice so simple but assumes Some mark of virtue on his outward parts. How many cowards, whose hearts are all as false As stairs of sand, wear yet upon their chins The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars, Who, inward search'd, have livers white as milk ; And these assume but valour's excrement To render them redoubted ! Look on beauty. And you shall see 't is purchas'd by the weight ; Which therein works a miracle in nature, Making them lightest that wear most of it : So are those crisped snaky golden locks, Which make such wanton gambols with the wind, Upon supposed fairness, often known To be the dowry of a second head, The skull that bred them in the sepulchre. Thus ornament is but the guil^d shore To a most dangerous sea ; the beauteous scarf Veiling an Indian beauty ; in a word, The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. Therefore, thou gaudy gold. Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee ; Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge 'Tween man and man : but thou, thou meagre lead, Which rather threat'nest than dost promise aught. Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence ; And here choose I : joy be the consequence ! Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, rn, ii. 5. Slow time 22. Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, As his corse to the rampart we hurried ; Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot O'er the grave where our hero we buried. RHYTHM 187 We buried him darkly at dead of bight, The sods with our bayonets turning, By the struggling moonbeam's misty light And the lantern dimly burning. Slowly and sadly we laid him down, From the field of his fame fresh and gory ; We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone, But we left him alone with his glory. Wolfe : The Burial of Sir John Moore. 23. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power. And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Await alike the inevitable hour : The paths of glory lead but to the g^ave. Gray : Elegy in a Country Churchyard. 24, What next befell me then and there I know not well — I never knew ; First came the loss of light, and air, And then of darkness too : I had no thought, no feeling — none — Among the stones I stood a stone. And was, scarce conscious what I wist, As shnibless crags within the mist ; For all was blank, and bleak, and grey ; It was not night, it was not day ; It was not even the dungeon-light, So hateful to my heavy sights But vacancy absorbing space. And fixedness without a place; There were no stars, no earth, no time. No check, no change, no good, no crime. But silence, and a stirless breath Which neither was of life nor death ; A sea of stagnant idleness, Blind, boundless, mute, and motionless. Byron : The Prisoner of Chilian. 188 ORAL READING 25. Yet, after all, it may be best, just in the happiest, sonni- est hour of all the voyage, while eager winds are kissing every sail, to dash against the unseen rock, and in an in- stant hear the billows roar above a sunken ship. For whether in mid-sea or 'mong the breakers of the farther shore, a wreck at last must mark the end of each and all. And every life, no matter if its every hour is rich with love and every moment jeweled with a joy, will, at its close, become a tragedy as sad and deep and dark as can be woven of the warp and woof of mystery and death. . . . Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry al(fad, and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry. From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes no word ; but in the night of death hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of the wing. Ingersoll : Address at his Brother's McneraZ.^ 26. God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle-line, Beneath whose awful hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine — Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget — lest we forget ! The tumult and the shouting dies ; The captains and the kings depart : Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget — lest we forget ! Far-called, our navies melt away ; On dune and headline sinks the fire : Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre ! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet. Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 1 From vol. xn of the Collected Works of Bobert G. Ingersoll. Used with the kind permission of the publisher, C. P. Farrell. EHYTHM 189 If, drank with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe, Such hoastings as the Gentiles use. Or lesser breeds without the Law — Lord God of Hosts, he with us yet. Lest we forget — lest we forget ! For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard, AH valiant dust that builds on dust. And guarding, calls not Thee to guard, For frantic boast and foolish word — Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord ! Amen. Kipling: Recessional. 6. Average time 27. Every one must have observed the strange language cur- rent during the late discussions as to the possible failure of our supplies of coal. Our coal, thousands of people were saying, is the real basis of our national greatness ; if our coal runs short, there is the end of the greatness of England. But what is greatness ? — culture makes us ask. Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration. If England were swallowed up by the sea to- morrow, which of the two, a hundred years hence, would most excite the love, interest, and admiration of mankind, — would most, therefore, show the evidences of having possessed greatness, — the England of the last twenty years, or the England of Elizabeth, of a time of splendid spiritual effort, but when our coal, and our industrial operations depending on coal, were very little developed ? Matthew Arnold : Sweetness and Light. 28. 'T was June on the face of the earth, June with the rose's breath, When life is a gladsome thing, and a distant dream is death ; 190 ORAL READING There was gossip of birds in the air, and the lowing of herds by the wood, And a sunset gleam in the sky that the heart of a man holds good; Then the nun-like Twilight came, violet-vestured and stiU, And the night's first star outshone afar on the eve of Bunker HiU. Clinton Scollard : On the Eve of Bunker jffill.^ 29. General Lee was never known to betray on any battlefield a sign, either of exultation or disappointment. Aa he wit- nessed the last grand effort of his men, and saw it fail, he was seen for a moment to place his finger thoughtfully between his lips. Presently he rode quietly in front of the woods, rallying and encouraging the broken troops, uttering words of cheer and encouragment. To a foreign military officer of rank, who had come to witness the battle, he said very simply : " This has been a sad day for us. Colonel, — a sad day ; but we can't expect always to gain victories." Pollard : Ths Lost Came (The Battle of Gettysburg).' 30. Talking of locks reminds me of an accident Greorge and I very nearly had one summer's morning at Hampton Court. It was a glorious day, and the lock was crowded ; and, as is a common practice up the river, a speculative photog' rapher was taking a picture of us aU as we lay upon the rising waters. I did not catch what was going on at first, and was, there- fore, extremely surprised at noticing George hurriedly smooth out his trousers, ruffle up his hair, and stick his cap on in a rakish manner at the back of his head, and then, assuming an expression of mingled affability and sadness, sit down in a graceful attitude, and try to hide his feet. My first idea was that he had suddenly caught sight of some girl he knew, and I looked about to see who it was. 1 From Ballads of Valor and Victory, Flemingr H. Bevell and Company. Used with the kind permission of the author. ^ Used with the kind permission of the puhlishers, E. B. Treat and Com- pany, RHYTHM 191 Everybody in the lock seemed to have been suddenly struck wooden. They were all standing or sitting about in the most quaint and carious attitudes I have ever seen ofp a Japanese fan. All the girls were smiling. Oh, they did look so sweet ! And aU the fellows were frowning, and looking stem and noble. And then, at last, the truth flashed across me, and I won- dered if I should be in time. Ours was the first boat, and it would be unkind of me to spoil the man's picture, I thought. So I faced round quickly, and took up a position in the prow, where I leant with careless grace upon the hitcher, in an attitude suggestive of agility and strength. I arranged my hair with a curl over the forehead, and threw an air of tender wistfulness into my expression, mingled with a touch of cynicism, which I am told suits me. As we stood waiting for the eventful moment, I heard some one behind call out : " Hi ! look at your nose." I could not turn round to see what was the matter, and whose nose it was that was to be looked at. I stole a side glance at George's nose ! It was all right — at aU events, there was nothing wrong with it that could be altered. I squinted down at my own, and that seemed all that could be expected also. " Look at your nose, you stupid ass ! " came the same voice again, louder. And then another voice cried : " Push your nose out, can't you — you two with the dog!" Neither George nor I dared to turn round. The man's hand was on the cap, and the picture might be taken any moment. Was it us they were calling to? "What was the matter with our noses ? "Why were they to be pushed out ! But now the whole lock started yelling, and a stentorian voice from the back shouted : " Look at your boat, sir : you in the red and black caps. It 's your two corpses that wiU get taken in that photo, if you ain't quick." 192 ORAL READING We looked then, and saw that the nose of our boat had got fixed under the woodwork of the lock, while the incom- ing water was rising aU round it, and tilting it up. In another moment we should be over. Quick as thought, we each seized an oar, and a vigorous blow against the side of the lock with the butt-ends released the boat, and sent us sprawling on our backs. We did not come out well in that photograph, George and I. Of course, as was to be expected, our luck ordained it that the man should set his wretched machine in motion at the precise moment that we were both lying on our backs with a wild expression of " Where am I ? and what is it ? " on our faces, and our four feet waving madly in the air. Our feet werfe undoubtedly the leading article in that photograph. Indeed, very little else was to be seen. They filled up the foreground entirely. Behind them, you caught glimpses of the other boats, and bits of the surrounding scen- ery ; but everything and everybody else in the lock looked so utterly insignificant and paltry compared with our feet, that all the other people felt quite ashamed of themselves, and refused to subscribe to the picture. The owner of one steam launch, who had bespoke six copies, rescinded the order on seeing the negative. He said he would take them if anybody could show him his launch, but nobody could. It was somewhere behind George's right foot. There was a good deal of unpleasantness over the busi- ness. The photographer thought we ought to take a dozen copies each, seeing that the photo was about nine-tenths us, but we declined. We said we had no objection to being photo 'd full-length, but we preferred being taken the right way up. Jerome : Three Men in a Boat} 31. A fire-mist and a planet, ^ A crystal and a cell, — A jelly-fish and a saurian, Aoid caves where the cave-men dwell ; 1 Used with the kind pennission of the publishers, Henry Holt and Company. RHYTHM 193 Then a sense of law and beauty And a face turned from the clod, Some call it Evolution, And others call it God. A haze on the far horizon, — The infinite, fender sky, — The ripe, rich tint of the corn-fields. And the wild geese sailing high, — And all over upland and lowland The charm of the golden-rod, — Some of us call it Autumn, And others call it God. Like tides on a crescent searbeach When the moon is new and thin, Into our hearts high yearnings Come welling and surging in, — Come from the mystic ocean, Whose rim no foot has trod, — Some of us call it Longing, And others call it God. A picket frozen on duty, — A mother starved for her brood, — Socrates drinking the hemlock. And Jesus on the rood ; And millions who, humble and nameless. The straight, hard pathway plod, — Some call it Consecration, And others call it God. William Herbert Carruth : Each in His Own Tongxie.^ 7. Spirited utterance; fast time 32. The year 's at the spring And day 's at the morn ; Morning's at seven; The hUl-side 's dew-pearled ; 1 From Each in His Own Tongue and Other Poems, Q. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. Used with the kind permission of the author. 194 ORAL READING The lark 's on the wing ; The snail 's on the thorn : God 's in His heaven — AU 's right with the world ! Browning : Pippa Passes (Pippa's Song). 33. Gallant and gay in their doublets gray, All at a flash like the darting of flame, Chattering Arabic, African, Indian — Certain of springtime, the swallows came ! Doublets of gray sUk and surcoats of purple, And ruffs of russet round each little throat. Wearing such garb they had crossed the waters, Mariners sailing with never a boat. Edwin Arnold : The Swallows. 34. How in Heaven's name did Columbus get over Is a pure wonder to me, I protest ; Cabot, and Raleigh too, that well-read rover, Frobisher, Dampier, Drake, and the rest. Bad enough all the same. For them that after came. But, in. great Heaven's name, How he should ever think That on the other brink Of this wild waste, terra firma should be, Is a pure wonder, I must say, to me. What if wise men had, as far back as Ptolemy, Judged that the earth like an orange was roimd, None of them ever said, " Come along, follow me, Sail to the West, and the East will be found." Many a day before Ever they 'd come ashore. Sadder and wiser men. They 'd have turned back again ; And that he did not, but did cross the sea. Is a pure wonder, I must say, to me. Clough : Columbus. RHYTHM 195 35. They went to sea in a sieve, they did ; In a sieve they went to sea : In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter's morn, on a stormy day. In a sieve they went to sea. And when the sieve tamed round and round, And every one cried, " Tou 'U aU be drowned ! " They called aloud, " Our sieve ain't big ; But we don't care a button, we don't care a fig ; In a sieve we '11 go to sea ! " Far and few, far and few Are the lands where the Jumblies live ; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a sieve. The water it soon came in, it did ; The water it soon came in ; So, to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet In a pinky paper aU folded neat ; And they fastened it down with a pin. And they passed the night in a crockery jar ; And each of them said, " How wise we are ! Though the sky be dark, and the voyage be long, Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong, While round in our sieve we spin." Far and few, far and few Are the lands where the Jumblies live ; Their heads are green, and their hands' are blue. And they went to sea in a sieve. And in twenty years they all came back, — In twenty years or more ; And every one said, " How tall they 've grown ! For they 've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone, And the hills of the Chankly Bore." And they drank their health, and gave them a feast Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast ; And every one said, " If we only live. We, too, will go to sea in a sieve. To the hills of the Chankly Bore." 196 ORAL READING Far and few, far and few- Are the lands where the Jumblies live ; Their heads are g^een, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a sieve. Edward Lear : The Jumblies. 86. A wind came up out of the sea, And said, " O mists, make room for me." It hailed the ships, and cried, " Sail on, Ye mariners, the night is gone." And hurried landward far away, Crying, " Awake ! it is the day." It said unto the forest, " Shout ! Hang all your leafy banners out ! " It touched the wood-bird's folded wing, And said, " O bird, awake and sing." And o'er the farms, " O chanticleer, Your clarion blow ; the day is near." It whispered to the fields of com, " Bow down, and hail the coming mom." It shouted through the belfry tower, " Awake, O bell ! proclaim the hour ! " It crossed the churchyard with a sigh, And said, " Not yet — in quiet lie." Longfellow: Daybreak. 8. For general reading THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELINi A child's stobt Mobert Browning I 37. Hamelin Town 's in Brunswick, By famous Hanover city ; The river Weser, deep and wide. Washes its wall on the southern side ; A pleasanter spot you never spied ; ' In abridging The Pied Piper of Hamelin the author has been helped by the cutting of the poem found in Charles Wesley Emerson's Evolution of Ex- pression, volume i. RHYTHM 197 But when begins my ditty, Almost five hundred years ago, To see the townsfolk suffer so From vermin was a pity. n Bats! They fought the dogs and killed the cats, And bit the babies in the cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles. Split open the kegs of salted sprats. Made nests inside men's Sunday hats. And even spoiled the women's chats By drowning their speaking With shrieking and squeaking In fifty di£Eerent sharps and flats. in At last the people in a body To the Town Hall came flocking : " 'T is clear," cried they, " our Mayor 's a noddy ; And as for our Corporation — shocking To think we buy gowns lined with ermine For dolts that can't or won't determine "What 's best to rid us of our vermin ! Rouse up, sirs ! Give your brains a racking To find the remedy we 're lacking, Or, sure as fate, we '11 send you packing ! " At this the Mayor and Corporation Quaked with a mighty consternation. IV An hour they sat in council ; At length the Mayor broke silence : " For a guilder I 'd my ermine gown sell, I wish I were a mile hence ! It 's easy to bid one rack one's brain — I 'm sure my poor head aches again, I 've scratched it so, and all in vain. 198 ORAL READING Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap ! " Just as he said this, what should hap At the chamber-door but a gentle tap ? " Bless us," cried the Mayor, " what 's that ? " " Only a scraping of shoes on the mat ? Anything like the sound of a rat Makes my heart go pit-a-pat ! " V " Come in ! " the Mayor cried, looking bigger : And in did come the strangest figure ! His queer long coat from heel to bead Was half of yellow and half of red. And he hunself was tall and thin. With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin, And light loose hair, yet swarthy skin, No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin. But lips where smUes went out and in ; There was no guessing his kith and kin : And nobody could enough admire The tall man and his quaint attire. Quoth one : " It 's as my great-grandsire. Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone. Had walked this way from his painted tombstone ! " VI He advanced to the council-table : And, " Please your honors," said he, " I 'm able, By means of a secret charm, to draw All creatures living beneath the sun, That creep or swim or fly or run, After me so as you never saw ! And I chiefly use my charm On creatures that do people harm, The mole and toad and newt and viper ; And people call me the Pied Piper. Yet," said he, " poor piper as I am. In Tartary I freed the Cham, Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats ; RHYTHM 199 I eased in Asia the Nizam Of a monstrous brood of vampire-bats : And as for what your brain bewilders, If I can rid your town of rats Will you give me a thousand guilders ? " " One ? fifty thousand ! " — was the exclamation Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation. VII Into the street the Piper stept, Smiling first a little smile, As if he knew what magic slept In his quiet pipe the while ; Then, like a musical adept, To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled, And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled, Like a candle-flame where salt is sprinkled ; And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered. You heard as if an army muttered ; And the muttering grew to a gi-umbling ; And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling ; And out of the houses the rats came tumbling. Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats. Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats. Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins. Cocking tails and pricking whiskers. Families by ten and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives — Followed the Piper for their lives. From street to street he piped advancing, And step for step they followed dancing, Until they came to the river Weser, Wherein all plunged and perished ! vin You should have heard the Hamelin people Hinging the bells till they rocked the steeple. " Go," cried the Mayor, " and get long poles, Poke out the nests and block up the holes ! 200 ORAL READING Consult with carpenters and builders, And leave in our town not even a trace Of the rats ! " — when suddenly, up the face Of the Piper perked in the market-place, With a, " First, if you please, my thousand guilders ! " A thousand guilders ! The Mayor looked blue ; So did the Corporation too. To pay this sum to a wandering fellow With a gypsy coat of red and yellow ! "Beside," quoth the Mayor, with a knowing wink, " Our business was done at the river's brink ; We saw with our eyes the vermin sink, And what 's dead can't come to life, I think. So, friend, we 're not the folks to shrink From the duty of giving you something for drink, And a matter of money to put in your poke ; But as for the guilders, what we spoke Of them, as you very well know, was in joke. Beside, our losses have made us thrifty. A thousand guilders ! Come, take fifty ! " The Piper's face fell, and he cried, " No trifling ! I can't wait, beside ! And folks who put me in a passion May find me pipe after another fashion." xn Once more he stept into the street, And to his lips again Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane ; And ere he blew three notes (such sweet Soft notes as yet musician's cunning Never gave the enraptured air) There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling ; Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering, RHYTHM 201 Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering, And, like fowls in a farm-yard when barley is scattering, Out came the children running. All the little boys and girls. With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls. And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls, Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after The wonderful music with shouting and laughter. xin The Mayor was dumb, and the Council stood As if they were changed into blocks of wood, Unable to move a step, or cry To the children merrily skipping by, ' — Could only follow with the eye That joyous crowd at the Piper's back. But how the Mayor was on the rack, And the wretched Council's bosoms beat, As the Piper turned from the High Street To where the Weser rolled its waters Bight in the way of their sons and daughters ! However, he turned from South to West, And to Eoppelberg Hill his steps addressed. And after him the children pressed ; Great was the joy in every breast. " He never can cross that mighty top ! He 's forced to let the piping drop. And we shall see our children stop ! " When, lo, as they reached the mountain-side, A wondrous portal opened wide. As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed ; And the Piper advanced and the children followed. And when all were in to the very last. The door in the mountain-side shut fast. XIV Alas, alas ! for Hamelin ! There came into many a burgher's pate A text which says that heaven's gate Opes to the rich at as easy rate 202 ORAL READING As the needle's eye takes a camel in ! The Mayor sent East, West, North, and South, To offer the Piper, hy word of month, Wherever it was men's lot to find him, Silver and gold to his heart's content, K he 'd only return the way he went, And hring the children behind him. But when they saw 't was a lost endeavor, And Piper and dancers were gone forever. They made a decree that lawyers never Should think their records dated duly If, after the day of the month and year, These words did not as well appear, " And so long after what happened here On the Twenty-second of July, Thirteen hundred and seventy-six: : " And the better in memory to fix The pla«e of the children's last retreat. They call it the Pied Piper's Street — Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern To shock with mirth a street so solemn ; But opposite the place of the cavern They wrote the story on a column. And on the great church-window painted The same, to make the world acquainted How their children were stolen away, And there it stands to this very day. And I must not omit to say That in Transylvania there 's a tribe Of alien people who ascribe The outlandish ways and dress On which their neighbors lay such stress. To their fathers and mothers having risen Out of some subterraneous prison Into which they were trepanned Long time ago in a mighty band Out of Hamelin town in Brunswick land, But how or why, they don't understand. CHAPTER VIII VOOAL QUALITY 34. Definition of vocal quality. The term vocal quality is applicable to two conditions of voice. It denotes (1) that distinctive and relatively per- manent character, or timbre, by which the voice of one person is distinguished from that of another, and (2) the modulations of tone of an individual voice by which emo- tional states, such as joy, sorrow, fear, doubt, or affection, are expressed.^ 35. What determines vocal quality The difference in the quality of voices is due to differ- ence in the form of vibrations. The tone produced by the vibration of the vocal bands alone, if these could be set out from the rest of the vocal instrument, would be thin and characterless, but when it is reinforced by the secondary vibrations of the resonant spaces of throat, nasal cham- bers, and mouth, the tone assumes definite character and quality. As the sound of the flute differs from that of the violin because of difference in the material, texture, shape, and construction of the two instruments, so the quality of voices is determined by the texture of the vocal bands and ^ The voice of every hnman being has a quality of tone pecnliar to it and different from that of any other voice. We recognize onr friends and the in- dividual members of the family by their voices, even after long periods of separation and though we do not see them when they speak. Tet, each voice, while preserving its distinctive character, is susceptible of marked change of quality through the influence of imagination and emotion. The child knows by the tone of the mother's voice whether she is sympathetic or impatient; the voice of a friend tells us whether he is happy, sad, calm, or excited. 204 ORAL READING all parts concerned in the making of tone, and by the size, shape, and condition of the vocal cavities of chest, throat, nose, and mouth, — wherever, indeed, the tone vibrates. But while the quality of a particular instrument is more or less stable, that of the voice is subject to notable modi- fication. A change in the condition of any part of the vocal apparatus will change the quality of the tone. A cold is at once perceptible in the voice. Emotions, affecting as they do the muscular texture of the entire body, exert a marked influence over the delicate muscles controlling the voice, and consequently they modify the tone according to the character and intensity of the emotion. Joy brings a sense of firmness throughout the whole body — the tone of joy is clear, firm, and strong. Grief relaxes, — the tone of grief is dull, monotonous, and sometimes not voluntarily con- trollable. Anger hardens and tightens the muscles, — the tone of anger is high, strident, tense. Affection, tenderness, love, soften the muscular texture, — of these the tone is low, tender, soothing. 36. Control of tone quality It is obvious that the quality of the voice is partly within the control of the will, partly beyond it. In so far as the char- acter of the tone is predetermined by the size, the shape, and the texture of certain firm and fixed parts of the vocal organs, such as the roof of the mouth and the nasal cham- bers, it cannot be changed at will. To these fixed parts of the instrument the distinctive, individual quality of voices is attributable, while the emotional qualities are the result of adjustments of the flexible and adaptable muscles and tissues of throat, soft palate, and tongue, these being sub- ject to the influence of the will and the emotions. It fol- lows that the expressive qualities of the voice may be ex- tended, improved, and brought under control. This may be VOCAL QUALITY 205 accomplislied by tee/snical vocal exercises ^ and by bringing the voice into intimate and responsive relation to mind, imagination, and feeling through the sympathetic vocal ren- dering of aU forms of poetry and imaginative literature. 37. The sympathetic rendering of literature The most effective way of improving the quality of the voice and of making it obedient and responsive to the de- mauds of the mind and the emotions, is found in the sym- pathetic voicing of selections from literature embracing all varieties and shades of thought and feeling. As modula- tions in tone quality are the result of the direct influence of thought, imagination, and emotion on the voice, it fol- lows that the training of the voice in quality depends on educating and strengthening these faculties through an awakened appreciation of various types of literature. Eead aloud the lines quoted below and observe that, as the spirit of each is understood and felt, the quality of the voice un- dergoes a distinct change in passing from one to the other. Shylock. Who is he comes here ? Enter Antonio Bassanio. This is Signior Antonio. Shylock {aside) . How like a fawning publican he looks ! I hate him for he is a Christian ; But more, for that in low simplicity He lends out money gratis, and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice. 1 The discussion of the technique of tone production does not come within 'the province of this chapter. However, it should be remarked in passing that technical vocal exercises, when wisely used, are highly important and bene- ficial means of securing voluntary control of tone and of overcoming weak- nesses and faults in the speaking voice. Thus, certain exercises may be effectively used in removing nasality, huskiness, thinness of tone, and the like. But mechanical exercises do not suffice for the training of the voice in qualities of sympathy and in spontaneous responsiveness to thought and feeling. These qualities cannot be secured by mechanical devices, and a de- liberate attempt to simulate sympathy of tone when sympathy is not felt results in obvious insincerity and artificiality. 206 ORAL READING If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails. Even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains, and my -well-won thrift, Which he calls interest. Cursed be my tribe, If I forgive him ! Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, I, iii. The day is cold, and dark, and dreary ; It rains, and the wind is never weary ; The vine still clings to the mouldering wall. But at every gust the dead leaves fall, And the day is dark and dreary. My life is cold, and dark, and dreary ; It rains, and the wind is never weary ; My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past, But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast, And the days are dark and dreary. Be still, sad heart ! and cease repining ; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining ; Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life some rain must fall. Some days must be dark and dreary. Longfellow : The Rainy Day. 38. Kinds of vocal quality The possible changes and shades of quality of the culti- Tated and obedient voice are limited only by the capacity and range of the imagination and the emotional nature of the individual. According to the character of the impulse governing the voice, tone quality may be considered as (1) Normal, or Pure, and (2) Abnormal, or Impure. I. Normal, or pure tone. Pure tone is that clear, rich, resonant quality of voice resulting from the harmonious action of all parts of the vocal instrument in obedience VOCAL QUALITY 207 to the normal, controlled action of mind, imagination, and feeling. Whatever is worthy, noble, and beautiful in thought and spirit, whether related to the common affairs of every day or to the idealistic conceptions of literature, finds expression in pure tone.-' But, as there are many aspects of human experience and many states of mind and emotion which may be considered normal, there are many modulations of pure tone indicative of varying thoughts and moods of the individual. A minute classification of modulations of pure tone, even were it possible, is not necessary for the purposes of our study, but for the sake of suggestions for training in vocal expression and of affording criteria by which appreciation and emotional response may be judged, certain typical conditions of thought and feeling finding normal expression in tones of pure quality, may be considered in this connection. Quali- ties of pure tone are heard in (1) common conversation, (2) the expression of strong and elevated feelings, (3) somber and reflective moods, and (4) genial, glad, exultant emotions. (1) Common conversation. Under ordinary conditions of everyday conversation the mind is calm, and the voice, if properly used, is pure and pleasing. This is also true of most of the reading aloud done in the home. As the greater part of our speech is of this quieter sort, the cultivation of an easy, normal use of the speaking voice is highly impor- tant. Bead the following extract in a simple, clear, pure tone, suited to the genial character of the conversation : — There are sweet voices among us, we all know, and voices not musical, it may be, to those who hear them for the first time, yet 1 A voice misused cannot give consistent and adequate expression to genial, fine thoughts and impulses. Tenderness is not expressed in a harsh guttural, nor strong confidence and hope in a high falsetto, nor happiness in a hoarse whisper. A clear voice of resonant and sympathetic quality is one of the most valuable attainments of the student of vocal expression. 208 ORAL BEADING sweeter to us than any we shall hear until we listen to some warbling angel in the overture to that eternity of blissful har- monies we hope to enjoy. . . . " I wish you could hear my sister's voice," said the school- mistress. " If it is like yours, it must be a pleasant one," said I. " I never thought mine was anything," said the schoolmistress. " How should you know ? " said I. " People never hear their own voices any more than they see their own faces. There is not even a looking-glass for the voice. Of course, there is something audible to us when we speak, but that something is not our own voice as it is known to all our acquaintances. I think, if an image spoke to us in our own tones, we should not know them in the least." Holmes : The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. (2) Strong and elevated feeling. When feeling is in- tense, or when the spirit is uplifted in contemplation of that which is noble, sublime, and awe-inspiring, the tone naturally becomes strong, full, round, and open. This tone of enlarged volume and resonance, as distinguished from the voice of ordinary speech, has been called " oro- tund." But it differs from the usual voice of conversa- tion merely in the strength and fullness of resonance. It is the same tone, produced in the same way, but intensified and enlarged in response to stronger and deeper feeling. Under the stimulus of intense emotions and with the in- spiration of exalted thought, the breathing becomes more energetic, the chest expands, the throat opens, and the full resonant power of the voice is heard. The public speaker may begin his address in a conversational tone, but as his thought reaches higher levels, and as his feelings grow more intense and exalted, his voice becomes full, strong, and more resonant, and his style of speech is elevated above that of ordinary, everyday talk. But his expression is none the less natural. Under such conditions the usual colloquial style would be unnatural. Adequate expression of the fol- VOCAL QUALITY 209 lowing lines of intense excitement cannot be given in a conversational manner. " Who dares ? " — this was the patriot's cry, As striding from the desk he came, — " Gome out with me, in Freedom's name, For her to live, for her to die ? " Read : The Rising, The alert reader will not speak these words in a break- fast-table, "Pass the butter, please," manner of utterance, but in the strong, firm, resonant tone consistent with their heroic spirit. Imagine in your mind the scene described in the lines taken from Coleridge's Hymn to Mont Blanc, put your- self in the place of the author, and holding the vision be- fore you, breathe deeply, open the throat and give voice to the feelings of admiration, wonder, awe, and worship which the scene awakens within you. Thou too, hoar Mount ! with thy sky-pointing peaks, Oft from whose feet the avalanche, unheard, Shoots downward, glittering through the pure serene, Into the depth of clouds that veil thy breast — Thou, too, again, stupendous Mountain ! thou That as I raise ray head, awhile bowed low In adoration, upward from thy base Slow traveling with dim eyes sufPased with tears. Solemnly seemest, like a vapory cloud, To rise before me — Rise, O ever rise ! Rise like a cloud of incense, from the earth ! Thou kingly Spirit throned among the hills, Thou dread ambassador from earth to heaven, Great Hierarch ! tell thou the silent sky. And tell the stars, and tell yon rising sun, Earth, with her thousand voices, praises God. (3) Somber and reflective moods. When the mind is oppressed with sorrow or gloom, or is "clouded with a 210 ORAL READING doubt," the voice, while usually pure, has not the bright, clear, ringing tone of more usual states of feeling, — of cheerfulness, hope, or gayety, — but its tone is dull, cov- ered, somber. Picture the conditions described in the first verses taken from Byron's poem Darkness, and in voicing the lines take time to realize vividly the meaning of every image. I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars Did wander darkling in the eternal space, Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air ; Morn came and went — and came, and brought no day, And men forgot their passions in the dread Of this their desolation ; and aU hearts Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light : And they did live by watchfires — and the thrones. The palaces of crowned kings — the huts. The habitations of aU things which dwell, Were burnt for beacons ; cities were consumed, And men were gather'd round their blazing homes To look once more into each other's face. A fearful hope was all the world contain'd. (4) Genial emotions. Feelings of gladness, elation, ex- ultation in healthful action, all genial and fanciful emo- tions, find their true expression in tones of clear, bright quality. Oh, our manhood's prime vigor ! No spirit feels waste, Not a muscle is stopped in its playing nor sinew unbraced. Oh, the wild joys of living ! the leaping from rock up to rock. The strong rending of boughs from the fir-tree, the cool silver shock Of the plunge in a pool's living water, the hunt of the bear, And the sultriness showing the Hon is couched in his lair. And the meal, the rich dates yellowed over with gold dust divine. And the locust-flesh steeped in the pitcher, the full draught of wine, VOCAL QUALITY 211 And the sleep in the dried river-channel where bulrushes tell That the -water was wont to go warbling so softly and well. How good is man's Ufe, the mere living ! how fit to employ All the heart and the sold and the senses forever in joy ! Browning: Savl. 2. Abnormal, or impure tone. By abnormal or impure tone we mean those qualities of voice resulting from unu- sual physical conditions, or from abnormal, excited states of mind and emotion. Thus weakness, alarm, anger, fear, hate, excessive joy or grief — all feeling, in fact, which passes beyond the bound of absolute control — disturb the conditions of tone-production and affect the voice in strange ways. In training the voice for ordinary speech these con- ditions need little emphasis. Pure, normal tone is the es- sential thing. But, since in literature we find recorded all experiences and emotions of men, the ability to recognize and adjust oneself to them and the education of the voice to express all kinds and shades of feeling are necessary for interpretative reading. The selfish, unyielding charac- ter and sinister motives of Shylock cannot be suggested by pure tone. His nature is harsh and his dark thoughts express themselves in harsh, guttural sounds. Try reading aloud the speech of Shylock quoted below in a clear, pleas- ant, affable voice. The inconsistency of thought and ex- pression will be obvious. Eead the lines again, letting the antagonistic and revengeful spirit of the character control the tone. In the latter reading the tone can hardly be called pure in quality. Salarino. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh : what 's that good for ? Shylock. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hinder'd me half a million ; laugh'd at my losses, mock'd at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine 212 ORAL READING enemies ; and what 's his reason ? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes ? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affec- tions, passions ? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Chris- tian is ? If you prick us, do we not bleed ? if you tickle us, do we not laugh ? if you poison us, do we not die ? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge ? if we are like you in the rest, we will re- semble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility ? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example ? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, in, i. Moreover, alarm, fear, intense hatred, secrecy, and, in fact, almost all emotions when carried to an extreme and beyond the control and restraint of the will, tend to breathy, or aspirated, tone. An example of this is found in the apprehension, fear, and horror of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after the murder of the sleeping Duncan. Macbeth {within). Who 's there ? what, ho ! Lady Macbeth. Alack ! I am afraid they have awak'd, And 't is not done ; the attempt and not the deed Confounds us. Hark ! I laid their daggers ready ; He could not miss them. Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done't. My husband! Enter Macbeth Macbeth. I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise ? Lady Macbeth. I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak ? Macbeth. When ? Lady Macbeth. Now. Macbeth. As I descended ? Lady Macbeth. Ay. VOCAL QUALITY 213 Macbeth. Hark ! Who lies i' the second chamber ? Lady Macbeth. Donalbain. Macbeth (looking on his hands). This is a sorry sight. Lady Macbeth. A foolish thought to say a sorry sight. Macbeth. There 's one did laugh in 's sleep, and one cried " Murder ! " That they did wake each other : I stood and heard them ; But they did say their prayers, and address'd them Again to sleep. Shakespeare : Macbeth, ii, ii. 39. Faults in vocal quality Faults in the quality of voice are of two classes ; namely, (1) those caused by malformation of some part of the vocal apparatus or by obstruction of the resonance chambers, such as lack of the soft palate, ill-formed upper or lower jaw, enlarged tonsils, inflammation of the throat or larynx, and similar disorders, all of which come within the province of the physician; and (2) those due to misadjustment and misuse of an otherwise normal vocal instrument, or to a lack of responsiveness of the muscles and the tissues con- cerned in vocalization to the stimulus of thought and feeling. One occasionally meets an individual whose voice under- goes no shade of change in quality, whether the utterance be of joy, sorrow, fear, or hope. Bad qualities of tone arising from misadjustment or bad use may be modified to a considerable extent, and oftentimes entirely removed, by assiduous practice under the direction of a skilled teacher of voice. But no more effective means of bringing the in- flexible and unresponsive voice into obedient relation to mind, imagination, and emotion is to be found than by the education of these faculties through the study of all forms of art and literature, and by such vocal practice as this chapter suggests. 214 ORAL READING FKOBLEMS IN VOCAL QUALITY 1. Conversational 1. So live that your afterself — the man you ought to he — may in his time he possible and actual. Far away in the twenties, the thirties of the Twentieth Century, he is await- ing his turn. His body, his brain, his soul are in your boyish hands. He cannot help himself . What will you leave for him? Will it be a brain unspoiled by lust or dissipation, a mind trained to think and act, a nervous system true as a dial in its response to the truth about you? WiU you, boy of the Twentieth Century, let him come as a man among men in his time, or will you throw away his inheritance before he has had the chance to touch it ? Will you let him come, taking your place, gaining through your experience, hallowed through your joys, building on them his own, or will you fling his hope away, decreeing, wanton-like, that the man you might have been shall never be ? Jordan : The Call of the Twentieth Century.^ 2. We may have but a few thousands of days to spend, perhaps hundreds only — perhaps tens ; nay, the longest of our time and best, looked back on, will be but as a moment, as the twinkling of an eye ; still, we are men, not insects ; we are living spirits, not passing clouds. " He maketh the winds His messengers ; the momentary fire. His minister ; " and shall we do less than these ? Let us do the work of men whUe we bear the form of them. Ruskin: The Mystery of Life. 3. Li closing, let me mention, by way of illustration, a most touching and instructive scene which I once witnessed at the annual meeting in the great hall of the Sorbonne in Paris for the purpose of awarding medals of honor to those who had performed acts of conspicuous bravery in saving human life at sea. A bright-eyed boy of scarcely fourteen summers was called to the platform. The story was recounted of how one winter's night when a fierce tempest was raging on the rude Normandy coast, he saw signals of distress at sea and started ^ Used with the kind permission of the anthor. VOCAL QUALITY • 215 with Ms father, the captain of a small vessel, and the mate to attempt a rescue. By dint of almost superhuman effort the crew of a sinking ship was safely taken aboard. A wave washed the father from the deck. The boy plunged into the seething waves to save him, but the attempt was in vain, and the father perished. The lad struggled back to the vessel, to find that the mate had also been washed overboard. Then lashing himself fast,, he took the wheel and guided the boat, with its precious cargo of human souls, through the howling storm safely into port. The minister of public instruction, after paying a touching tribute to the boy's courage in a voice broken with emotion, pinned the medal on his breast, placed in his hands a diploma of honor, and then, seizing the brave lad in his arms, imprinted a kiss on each cheek. For a mo- ment the boy seemed dazed, not knowing which way to turn, as he stood there with the tears streaming down his bronzed cheeks while every one in that vast hall wept in sympathy. Suddenly his eyes turned toward his old peasant mother, she to whom he owed his birth and his training, as she sat at the back of the platform with bended form and wearing her wid- ow's cap. He rushed to her, took the medal from his breast, and, casting it and his diploma into her lap, threw himself on his knees at her feet. Porter : TAe Soldier's Creed.^ 2. Strong and elevated feeling 4. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust imburnish'd, not to shine in use ! As tho' to breathe were life ! Life piled on life Were all too little, and of one to me Little remains ; but every hour is saved From that eternal silence, something more, A bringer of new things ; and vile it were For some three suns to store and hoard myself. And this gray spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge like a sinking star. Beyond the utmost bound of human thought. 1 Used -vith the kind permission of the author. 216 ORAL READING There lies the port ; the vessel puffs her sail ; There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners, Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me, — That ever with a frolic welcome took The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed Free hearts, free foreheads, — you and I are old; Old age hath yet his honour and his toil ; Death closes all ; but something ere the end. Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks ; The long day wanes ; the slow moon climbs ; the deep Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 'T is not too late to seek a newer world. Push o£E, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows ; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of aU the western stars, until I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us down ; It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great AchiUes, whom we knew. Tho' much is taken, much abides ; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven ; that which we are, we are, — One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Tennyson : Ulysses. 5. That so much of Scripture should be written in the lan- guage of poetry has excited some surprise and created some inquiry ; and yet in nothing do we perceive more clearly than in this, the genuineness, power, and divinity of the oracles of our faith. As the language of poetry is that into which all earnest natures are insensibly betrayed, so it is the only speech which has in it the power of permanent impression. The language of the imagination is the native language of man. It is the language of his excited intellect, of his aroused passions, of his devotion, of aU the higher moods and tempersr VOCAL QUALITY 217 ments of his mind. It was meet, therefore, that it should he the language of his revelation from God. The language of poetry is thus the language of the inspired volume. The Bible is a mass of beautiful figures ; its words and its thoughts are alike poetical ; it has gathered around its central truths all natural beauty and interest ; it is a Temple with one altar and one God, but illuminated by a thousand varied lights, and studded with a thousand ornaments. It has substantially but one declaration to make, but it utters that in the voices of the creation. It has pressed into its service the animals of the forest, the flowers of the field, the stars of heaven, all the elements of nature. The lion spurning the sands of the desert, the wild roe leaping over the mountains, the lamb led in silence to the slaughter, the goat speeding to the wilderness ; the rose blossoming in Sharon, the lily droop- ing in the valley, the apple-tree bowing under its fruit ; the great rock shadowing a weary land, the river gladdening the dry place ; the moon and the morning star ; Garmel by the sea, and Tabor among the mountains ; the dew from the womb of the morning, the rain upon the mown grass, the rainbow encompassing the landscape ; the light, God's shadow ; the thunder. His voice ; the wind and the earthquake, His footsteps : — all such varied objects are made, as if natu- rally so designed from their creation, to represent Him to whom the Book and all its emblems point. Thus the quick spirit of the Book has ransacked creation to lay its treasures on Jehovah's altar, united the innumerable rays of a far- streaming glory on the little hill of Calvary, and woven a garland for the bleeding brow of Immanuel, the flowers of which have been culled from the gardens of a universe. George Gilfillan : Bards of the Bible.^ Behind him lay the gray Azores, Behind the Gates of Hercules ; Before hipi not the ghost of shores, Before him only shoreless seas. The good mate said : " Now must we pray. For lo ! the very stars are gone. 1 Taken from Espenshade's Forensic Declamations, pp. 59-60. 218 ORAL READING Speak, Admiral, what shall I say ? " " Why say, ' Sail on ! sail on ! and on ! ' " " My men grow mutinous day by day ; My men grow ghastly wan and weak." The stout mate thought of home ; a spray Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek. " What shall I say, brave Admiral, say, If we sight naught but seas at dawn ? " " Why, you shall say at break of day, ' Sail on ! sail on ! sail on ! and on ! ' " They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow, Until at last the blanched mate said : " Why, now not even God would know Should I and all my men fall dead. These very winds forget their way, For God from these dread seas is gone. Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say — " He said : " Sail on ! sail on ! and on ! " They sailed. They sailed. Then spoke the mate : " This mad sea shows its teeth to-night. He curls his lip, he lies in wait. With lifted teeth, as if to bite ! Brave Admiral, say but one good word : What shall we do when hope is gone ? " The words leapt as a leaping sword : " Sail on ! sail on ! sail on ! and on ! " Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck, And peered through darkness. Ah, that night Of all dark nights ! And then a speck — A light ! A Hght ! A light ! A Ught ! It grew, a starlit flag unfurled ! It grew to be Time's burst of dawn. He gained a world ; he gave that world Its grandest lesson : " On and on ! " Joaquin Miller : Columbus. VOCAL QUALITY 219 3. Somber and reflective 7. The lost days of my life until to-day, What were they, could I see them on the street Lie as they fell ? Would they be ears of wheat Sown once for food but trodden into clay ? Or golden coins squandered and still to pay ? Or drops of blood dabbling the guilty feet ? Or such spilt water as in dreams must cheat The undying throats of Hell, athirst alway ? I do not see them here ; but after death God knows I know the faces I shall see, Each one a murdered self, with low last breath. " I am thyself, — what hast thou done to me ? " " And I — and I — thyself," (lo ! each one saith,) " And thou thyself to all eternity ! " Bossetti : Lost Days. 8. It was night, and the rain fell ; and, falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood. And I stood in the morass among the tall lilies, and the rain fell upon my head -r- and the lilies sighed one unto the other in the solemnity of their desolation. And, all at once, the moon arose through the thin ghastly mist, and was crimson in color. And mine eyes fell upon a huge gray rock which stood by the shore of the river, and was lighted by the light of the moon. And the rock was gray, and ghastly, and tall — and the rock was gray. Upon its front were characters engraven in the stone ; and I walked through the morass of water-lilies, until I came close unto' the shore, that I might read the characters upon the stone. But I could not decipher them. And I was going back into the morass, when the moon shone with a fuller red, and I turned and looked again upon the rock, and upon the characters, and the characters were desolation. And I looked upward, and there stood a man upon the summit of the rock ; and I hid myself among the water-lilies that I might discover the actions of the man. And the man 220 ORAL READING was tall and stately in form, and was wrapped up from his shoulders to his feet in the toga of old Rome. And the out- lines of his figure were indistinct — but his features were the features of a deity ; for the mantle of the night, and of the mist, and of the moon, and of the dew, had left uncovered the features of his face. And his brow was lofty with thought, and his eye wild with care ; and, in the few furrows upon his cheek I read the fables of sorrow, and weariness, and dis- gust with mankind, and a longing after solitude. And the man sat upon the rock, and leaned his head upon his hand, and looked out upon the desolation. He looked down into the low, unquiet shrubbery, and up into the tall primeval trees, and up higher at the rustling heaven, and into the crim- son moon. And I lay close within shelter of the lilies, and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude ; — but the night waned, and he sat upon the rock. Poe : Silence — A Fable. 9. Aumerle. Where is the duke my father with his power ? King Richard. No matter where; of comfort no man speak : Let 's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs ; Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth. Let 's choose executors, and talk of wills ; And yet not so, — for what can we bequeath, Save our deposed bodies to the ground ? Our lands, our lives, and all are Bolingbroke's, And nothing can we call our own but death. And that small model of the barren earth Which serves as paste and cover to our bones. For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings : How some have been depos'd, some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have depos'd. Some poison'd by their wives, some sleeping kill'd ; All murder'd : for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king VOCAL QUALITY 221 Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp. Allowing him a breath, a little scene. To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks. Infusing him with self and vain conceit. As if this flesh which walls about our life Were brass impregnable ; and humour'd thus Comes at the last, and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall, and — farewell king ! Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood With solemn reverence ; throw away respect, Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty ; For you have but mistook me all this while : I live with bread like you, feel want. Taste grief, need friends : subjected thus. How can you say to me I am a king ? Shakespeare : Richard II, ni, ii. 4. Genial and exultant 10. Old Fezziwig laid down his pen, and looked up at the clock, which pointed to the hour of seven. He rubbed his hands ; adjusted his capacious waistcoat ; laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence ; and called out, in a comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice : — " Yo ho, there ! Ebenezer ! Dick ! " Scrooge's former self, now grown a young man, came briskly in, accompanied by his fellow-'prentice. " Dick Wilkins, to be sure ! " said Scrooge to the Ghost. " Bless me, yes. There he is. He was very much attached to me, was Dick. Poor Dick ! Dear, dear ! " " Yo ho, my boys ! " said Fezziwig. " No more work to- night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer ! Let 's have the shutters up," cried old Fezziwig, with a sharp clap of his hands, " before a man can say Jack Robinson ! " You would n't believe how those two fellows went at it ! They charged into the street with the shutters — one, two, three — had 'em up in their places — four, five, six — barred 'em and pinned 'em — seven, eight, nine — and came back 222 ORAL READING before yon could have got to twelve, panting like race- horses. " Hilli-ho ! " cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from the high desk with wonderful agility. " Clear away, my lads, and let 's have lots of room here ! " Clear away ! There was nothing they would n't have cleared away, or could n't have cleared away, with old Fezzi- wig looking on. It was done in a minute. Every movable was packed off, as if it were dismissed from public life forever- more ; the floor was swept and watered, the lamps were trimmed, fuel was heaped upon the fire ; and the warehouse was as snug, and warm, and dry, and bright a ball-room as you would desire to see upon a winter's night. In came a fiddler with a music-book, and went up to the lofty desk, and made an orchestra of it, and tuned like fifty stomach-aches. In came Mrs. Fezziwig, one vast, substantial smile. In came the three Miss Fezziwigs, beaming and lova- ble. In came the six young followers whose hearts they broke. In came all the young men and women employed in the busi- ness. In came the housemaid, with her cousin, the baker. In came the cook, with her brother's particular friend, the milk- man. In came the boy from over the way, who was suspected of not having board enough from his master ; trying to hide himself behind the girl from next door but one, who was proved to have had her ears pulled by her mistress. In they all came, one after another; some shyly, some boldly, some grace- fully, some awkwardly, some pushing, some pulling ; in they all came, anyhow and everyhow. Away they all went, twenty couple at once ; hands half round and back again the other way ; down the middle and up again ; round and round in various stages of affectionate grouping; old top couple always turning up in the wrong place ; new top couple start- ing off again, as soon as they got there ; all top couples at last, and not a bottom one to help them ! "When this result was brought about, old Fezziwig, clapping his hands to stop the dance, cried out, " Well done ! " and the fiddler plunged his hot face into a pot of porter, especially provided for that purpose. But, scorning rest, upon his reappearance he in- stantly began again, though there were no dancers yet, as VOCAL QUALITY 223 if the other fiddler had been carried home, exhausted, on a shutter, and he were a brand-new man resolved to beat him out of sight, or perish. There were more dances, and there were forfeits, and more dances, and there was cake, and there was negus, and there was a great piece of cold roast, and there was a great piece of cold boiled, and there were mince-pies, and plenty of beer. But the great efEect of the evening came after the roast and boiled, when the fiddler (an artful dog, mind ! the sort of man who knew his business better than you or I could have told it him !) struck up " Sir Roger de Coverley." Then old Fez- ziwig stood out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple^ too ; with a good stLfif piece of work cut out for them ; three or four and twenty pair of partners ; people who were not to be trifled with ; people who would dance, and had no notion of walking. But if they had been twice as many — ah, four times — old Fezziwig would have been a match for them, and so would Mrs. Fezziwig. As to her, she was worthy to be his partner in every sense of the term. If that 's not high praise, tell me higher, and I '11 use it. A positive light appeared to issue from Fezziwig's calves. They shone in every part of the dance like moons. You could n't have predicted, at any given time, what would become of them next. And when old Fezziwig and Mrs. Fezziwig had gone all through the dance ; advance and retire, both hands to your partner, bow and courtesy, corkscrew, thread-the-needle, and back again to your place ; Fezziwig " cut " — cut so deftly, that he ap- peared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger. When the clock struck eleven, this domestic ball broke up. Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig took their stations, one on either side the door, and shaking hands with every person individu- ally as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christ- mas. When everybody had retired but the two 'prentices, they did the same to them ; and thus the cheerful voices died away, and the lads were left to their beds, which were under a counter in the back shop. Dickens: A Christmas Carol. 224 ORAL READING 11. Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light : The year is dying in the night ; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow ; The year is going, let him go ; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the times ; Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, £ut ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood. The civic slander and the spite ; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold ; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free. The larger heart, the kindlier hand ; Ring out the darknesi of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be. Tennyson : In MeTnoriam, CTI. 12. Duke Senior. Now, my co-mates and brothers in esile, Hath not old custom made this life more sweet Than that of painted pomp ? Are not these woods More free from peril than the envious court ? Here feel we not the penalty of Adam, The seasons' difference, — as the icy fang And churlish chiding of the winter's wind. Which, when it bites and blows upon my body. Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say, VOCAL QUALITY 225 " This is no flattery : these are counsellors That feelingly persuade me what I am." Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head ; And this our life, exempt from puhlic haunt, Finds tongfues in trees, hooks in the running hrooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything. Shakespeare : As You Like It, n, i. 13. 'T was a jolly old pedagogue, long ago. Tall and slender, and sallow and dry ; His form was hent, and his gait was slow. His long, thin hair was as white as snow, But a wonderful twinkle shone in his eye ; And he sang every night as he went to bed, " Let us be happy down here below ; The living should Uve, though the dead be dead," Said the jolly old pedagogue, long ago. He taught his scholars the rule of three. Writing, and reading, and history, too ; He took the little ones up on his knee, For a kind old heart in his breast had he. And the wants of the littlest chUd he knew. " Learn while you 're young," he often said, " There is much to enjoy, down here below ; Life for the living, and rest for the dead ! " Said the joUy old pedagogue, long ago. He lived in the house by the hawthorn lane, With roses and woodbine over the door ; His rooms were quiet, and neat, and plain, But a spirit of comfort there held reign, And made him forget he was old and poor ; " I need so little," he often said ; " And my friends and relatives here below Won't litigate over me when I am dead," Said the jolly old pedagogue, long ago. 226 ORAL READING He smoked his pipe in the balmy air, Every night when the sun went down, While the soft wind played in his silvery hair, Leaving its tenderest kisses there, On the jolly old pedagogue's jolly old crown : And, feeling the kisses, he smiled, and said, 'T was a glorious world, down here below ; " Why wait for happiness till we are dead ? " Said the jolly old pedagogue, long ago. George Arnold : The Jolly Old Pedagogue. 5. Abnormal qualities 14. When the coffee was done, the Jew drew the saucepan to the hob. Standing, then, in an irresolute attitude for a few minutes, as if he did not well know how to employ himself, he turned round and looked at Oliver, and called him by his name. He did not answer, and was to all appearance asleep. After satisfying himself upon this head, the Jew stepped gently to the door : which he fastened. He then drew forth, as it seemed to Oliver, from some trap in the floor, a small box, which he placed carefully on the table. His eyes glis- tened as he raised the lid, and looked in. Dragging an old chair to the table, he sat down ; and took from it a magnifi- cent gold watch, sparkling with jewels. " Aha ! " said the Jew, shrugging up his shoulders, and distorting every feature with a hideous grin. " Clever dogs ! Clever dogs ! Staunch to the last ! Never told the old parson where they were. Never peached upon old Fagin ! And why should they ? It would n't have loosened the knot, or kept the drop up, a minute longer. No, no, no ! Fine fellows ! Fine fellows ! " At least half a dozen more were severally drawn forth from the same box, and surveyed with equal pleasure ; be- sides rings, brooches, bracelets, and other articles of jewel- lery, of such magnificent materials, and costly workmanship, that Oliver had no idea, even of their names. " What a fine thing capital punishment is ! Dead men never repent; dead men never bring awkward stories to light. Ah, it 's a fine thing for the trade ! Five of 'em strung VOCAL QUALITY 227 up in a row, and none left to play booty, or turn white-liv- ered ! " As the Jew uttered these words, his bright dark eyes fell on Oliver's face ; the boy's eyes were fixed on his in mute curiosity ; and although the recognition was only for an in- stant — it was enough to show the old man that he had been observed. He closed the lid of the box with a loud crash ; and, laying his hand on a bread knife which was on the table, started furiously up. . . . " What 's that ? " said the Jew. " What do you watch me for? Why are you awake ? What have you seen ? Speak out, boy ! Quick — quick ! for your life ! " " I was n't able to sleep any longer, sir," replied Oliver, meekly. " I am very sorry if I have disturbed you, sir." " You were not awake an hour ago ? " said the Jew, scowl- ing fiercely on the boy. "No ! No, indeed ! " replied Oliver. " Are you sure ? " cried the Jew, with a still fiercer look than before, and a threatening attitude. " Upon my word I was not, sir," replied Oliver, earnestly. " I was not, indeed, sir." " Tush, tush, my dear ! " said the Jew, abruptly resuming his old manner, and playing with the knife a little, before he laid it down ; as if to induce the belief that he had caught it up in mere sport. " Of course I know that, my dear. I only tried to frighten you. You 're a brave boy. Ha ! ha ! you 're a brave boy, Oliver ! " . . . " Did you see any of these pretty things, my dear ? " " Yes, sir," replied Oliver. " Ah ! " said the Jew, turning rather pale. " They — they 're mine, Oliver ; my little property. All I have to live upon, in my old age. The folks call me a miser, my dear. Only a miser ; that 's all." Oliver thought the old gentleman must be a decided miser to live in such a dirty place, with so many watches ; bat he only cast a deferential look at the Jew, and asked if he might get up. " Certainly, my dear, certainly," replied the old gentleman. " Stay. There 'a a pitcher of water in the corner by the door. 228 ORAL READING Bring it here ; and I '11 give you a basin to wash in, my dear." Oliver got up ; walked across the room ; and stooped for an instant to raise the pitcher. When he turned his head, the box was gone. Dickens : Oliver Twist, chap. rx. 15. {Thunder and lightning.) Enter Three Witches First Witch. When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain ? Second Witch. When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won. Third Witch. That will be ere the set of sun. First Witch. Where the place ? Second Witch. Upon the heath. Third Witch. There to meet with Macbeth. First Witch. I come, Graymalkin ! Second Witch. Paddock calls. Third Witch. Anon. All. Fair is foul, and foul is fair : Hover through the fog and filthy air. Shakespeare : Macbeth, i, i. 16. Doctor. I have two nights watched with you, but can per- ceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked ? Gentlewoman. Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her night-gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon 't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed ; yet all this while in a most fast sleep. Doctor. A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching ! In this slumbery agitation, besides her walking and other actual per- formances, what, at any time, have yon heard her say ? Gentlewoman. That, sir, which I will not report after her. Doctor. You may to me, and 't is most meet yon should. Gentlewoman. Neither to you nor any one, having no wit- ness to confirm my speech. VOCAL QUALITY 299 JEJnter Lady Macbeth, with a taper Lo you ! here she comes. This is her very guise ; and, upon my life, fast asleep. Observe her ; stand close. Doctor. How came she by that light ? Gentlewoman. Why, it stood by her : she has light by her continually ; 't is her command. Doctor. You see, her eyes are open. Gentlewoman. Ay, but their sense is shut. Doctor. What is it she- does now ? Look, how she rubs her hands. Gentlewoman. It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour. Lady Macbeth. Yet here 's a spot. Doctor. Hark ! she speaks. I wiU set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly. Lady Macbeth. Out, damned spot ! out, I say ! One ; two : why, then, 't is time to do 't. Hell is murky ! Fie, my lord, fie ! a soldier, and af eard ? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account ? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him ? Doctor. Do you mark that ? Lady Macbeth. The Thane of Fife had a wife : where is she now ? What ! will these hands ne'er be clean ? No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that : you mar all with this starting. Doctor. Go to, go to ; you have known what you should not. Gentlewoman. She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that ; Heaven knows what she has known. Lady Macbeth. Here 's the smell of the blood still : all the per- fumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh! oh! Doctor. What a sigh is there ! The heart is sorely charged. Gentlewoman. I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity otthe whole body. Doctor. Well, well, well. Gentlewoman. Pray God it be, sir. Doctor. This disease is beyond my practice : yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep who have died holily in their beds. 230 ORAL READING Lady Macbeth. Wash your hands, put on your night-gown ; look not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banqno 's buried ; he cannot come out on 's grave. Doctor. Even so? Lady Macbeth. To bed, to bed ! there 's knocking at the gate. Come,, come, come, come, gfive me your hand. What 's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed ! Doctor. Will she go now to bed ? Gentlewoman. Directly. Doctor. Foul whisperings are abroad. Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles ; infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets. More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all ! Look after her ; Remove from her the means of all annoyance. And stiU keep eyes upon her. So, good-night : My mind she has mated, and amaz'd my sight. I think, but dare not speak. Gentlewoman. Good-night, good doctor. (Exeunt.) Shakespeare : Macbeth, v, L 6. For general reading SCENE FROM THE RIVALS (Act u, Scene i) Sichard Brinsley Sheridan Enter Fag 17. Fag. Sir, there is a gentleman below desires to see you. — Shall I show him into the parlour ? Captain Absolute. A.j — you may. Stay ; who is it, Fag ? Fag. Your father, sir. Ahs. You puppy, why did n't you show him up directly ? lExit Fag. Now for a parental lecture — I hope he has heard noth- ing of the business that has brought me here — I wish the gout had held him fast in Devonshire, with all my soul ! VOCAL QUALITY 231 Unter Sir Anthony Absolute Sir, I am delighted to see you here ; looking so well ! your sudden arrival at Bath made me apprehensive for your health. Sir Anth. Very apprehensive, I dare say, Jack. — What, you are recruiting here, hey ? Ahs. Yes, sir, I am on duty. Sir Anth. Well, Jack, I am glad to see you, though I did not expect it, for I was going to write to you on a little matter of business. — Jack, I have been considering that I grow old and infirm, and shall probably not trouble you long. Ahs. Pardon me, sir, I never saw you look more strong and hearty ; and I pray frequently that you may continue so. Sir Anth. I hope your prayers may be heard, with all my heart. Well then. Jack, I have been considering that I am so strong and hearty I may continue to plague you a long time. Now, Jack, I am sensible that the income of your com- mission, and what I have hitherto allowed you, is but a small pittance for a lad of your spirit. Ahs. Sir, you are very good. Sir Anth. And it is my wish, while yet I live, to hav,e my boy make some figure in the world. I have resolved, there- fore, to fix you at once in a noble independence. Ahs. Sir, your kindness overpowers me — such generosity makes the gratitude of reason more Uvely than the sensations even of filial affection. Sir Anth. I am glad you are so sensible of my atten- tion — and you shall be master of a large estate in a few weeks. Ahs. Let my future life, sir, speak my gratitude ; I cannot express the sense I have of your munificence. — Yet, sir, I presume you would not wish me to quit the army ? Sir Anth. Oh, that shall be as your wife chooses. Ahs. My wife, sir! Sir Anth. Ay, ay, settle that between you — settle that be- tween you. 232 ORAL READING Abs. A wife, sir, did you say ? Sir Anth. Ay, a wife — why, did not I mention her be- fore ? Abs. Not a word of her, sir. Sir Anth. Odd so ! — I must n't forget her though. — Yes, Jack, the independence I was talking of is by a marriage — the fortune is saddled with a wife — but I suppose that makes no difference. Abs. Sir ! sir ! — you amaze me ! Sir Anth. Why, what the devil 's the matter with the fool ? Just now you were aU gratitude and duty. Abs. I was, sir — you talked to me of independence and a fortune, but not a word of a wife. Sir Anth. Why — what difference does that make ? Odds life, sir ! if you have the estate, you must take it with the live stock on it, as it stands. Abs. If my happiness is to be the price, I must beg leave to decline the purchase. — Pray, sir, who is the lady ? * Sir Anth. What 's that to you, sir ? — Come, give me your promise to love, and to marry her directly. Abs. Sure, sir, this is not very reasonable, to summon my affections for a lady I know nothing of ! Sir Anth. I am sure, sir, 't is more unreasonable in you to object to a lady you know nothing of. Abs. Then, sir, I must tell you plainly that my inclina- tions are fixed on another — my heart is engaged to an angel. Sir Anth. Then pray let it send an excuse. It is very sorry — but business prevents its waiting on her. Abs. But my vows are pledged to her. Sir Anth. Let her foreclose. Jack ; let her foreclose ; they are not worth redeeming ; besides, you have the angel's vows in exchange, I suppose ; so there can be no loss there. Abs. You must excuse me, sir, if I tell you, once for all, that in this point I cannot obey you. Sir Anth. Hark'ee, Jack; — I have heard you for some time with patience — I have been cool — quite cool ; but take 1 It chances that the lady trhom Sir Anthony proposes for his sou is the one to whom Captain Absolute is already engaged. VOCAL QUALITY 233 care — you know I am compliance itself — when I am not thwarted ; — no one more easily led — when I have my own way ; — hut don't put me in a frenzy. Abs, Sir, I must repeat it — in this I cannot ohey you. Sir Anth. Now damn me ! if ever I call you Jack again while I live ! Ahs. Nay, sir, hut hear me. Sir Anth. Sir, I won't hear a word — not a word ! not one word ! so give me your promise by a nod — and I '11 tell you what. Jack — I mean, you dog — if you don't, by — Abs. What, sir, promise to link myself to some mass of ugliness ! to — Sir Anth. Zounds ! sirrah ! the lady shall be as ugly as I choose : she shall have a hump on each shoulder ; she shall be as crooked as the crescent ; her one eye shall roll like the bull's in Cox's Museum ; she shall have a skin like a mummy, and the beard of a Jew — she shall be all this, sirrah ! — yet I will make you ogle her all day, and sit up all night to write sonnets on her beauty. Abs. This is reason and moderation indeed ! Sir Anth. None of your sneering, puppy ! no grinning, jackanapes ! Abs. Indeed, sir, I never was in a worse humour for mirth in my life. Sir Anth. 'T is false, sir, I know you are laughing in your sleeve ; I know you 'U grin when I am gone, sirrah ! Abs. Sir, I hope I know my duty better. Sir Anth. None of your passion, sir ! none of your vio- lence, if you please ! — It won't do with me, I promise you. Abs. Indeed, sir, I never was cooler in my life. Sir Anth. 'T is a confounded lie ! — I know you are in a passion in your heart ; I know you are, you hypocritical young dog ! but it won't do. Abs. Nay, sir, upon my word — Sir Anth. So you will fly out ! can't you be cool like me ? What the devil good can passion do ? — Passion is of no serv- ice, you impudent, insolent, overbearing reprobate ! — There, you sneer again ! don't provoke me ! — but you rely upon the mildness of my temper — you do, you dog ! you play upon the 234 ORAL READING meekness of my disposition ! — Yet take care — the patience of a saint may be overcome at last ! — but mark ! I give you six hours and a half to consider of this : if you then agree, with- out any condition, to do everything on earth that I choose, why — confound you ! I may in time forgive you. — If not, zounds ! don't enter the same hemisphere with me ! don't dare to breathe the same air, or use the same light with me ; but get an atmosphere and a sun of your own ! I 'U strip you of your commission ; I 'U lodge a five-and-threepence in the hands of trustees, and you shall live on the interest. — I '11 disown you, I 'U disinherit you, I '11 unget you ! and damn me ! if ever I call you Jack again ! \_Exit. Abs. Mild, gentle, considerate father — I kiss your hands! — What a tender method of giving his opinion in these mat- ters Sir Anthony has ! I dare not trust him with the truth. — I wonder what old wealthy hag it is that he wants to be- stow on me ! — Yet he married himself for love ! and was in his youth a bold intriguer, and a gay companion ! Re-enter Fag Fag. Assuredly, sir, your father is wroth to a degree ; he comes down stairs eight or ten steps at a time — muttering, growling, and thumping the banisters all the way : I and the cook's dog stand bowing at the door — rap ! he gives me a stroke on the head with his cane ; bids me carry that to my mas- ter ; then kicking the poor turnspit into the area, damns us all, for a puppy triumvirate ! — Upon my credit, sir, were I in your place, and found my father such very bad company, J should certainly drop his acquaintance. Abs. Cease your impertinence, sir, at present. — Did yon come in for nothing more ? — Stand out of the way ! [Pibshes him aside, and exit. Fag. So ! Sir Anthony trims my master ; he is afraid to reply to his father — then vents his spleen on poor Fag ! When one is vexed by one person, to revenge one's self on another, who happens to come in the way, is the vilest in- justice ! Ah ! it shows the worst temper — the basest — VOCAL QUALITY 285 Enter Boy Boy. Mr. Fag ! Mr. Fag ! your master calls you. Fag. Well, you little dirty puppy, you need not bawl so ! — The meanest disposition ! the — B The Philosoiahij nf flhil- TECHNICAL PRINCIPLES 287 It behooves the reader or speaker, then, if he would com- mand the best attention and arouse the liveliest interest, to speak in a manner that shall render listening easy and pleasing. 4S. Distinctness of speech Every person, not hampered by physical defects which interfere with the formation of the sounds of the language, can acquire distinctness of speech. Enunciation, articula- tion, and pronunciation are mechanical processes, which become second nature and habitual through practice. It sometimes happens that inaudible speech is due to insuffi- cient volume of tone, but more often the fault is traceable to enunciation. Fine, clear diction is the reward of dili- gence and patient endeavor ; it is a distinctive token of self-control, seK respect, and culture. Closely akin to the enunciation of sounds that make up words is the pronunciation of words themselves. Correct pronunciation is to speech what right spelling is to writing and printed language. Like spelling it is conventional and mechanical. The English of Chancer and Shakespeare has undergone marked changes in spelling since their day, and were it to be spoken now as they heard it, few would un- derstand. A speaker is judged by his pronunciation even more critically, by the average listener, than he is by his choice of words. A poorly-managed voice may be tolerated, but the speaker who mispronounces his words is discredited and is classed with the careless and illiterate. It is only the part of wisdom, therefore, for the speaker to seek correct- ness of pronunciation and to speak no word about which he is in doubt — and the doubtful word should be hunted up at the first opportunity. Eternal vigilance is the price of right pronunciation. Voice, enunciation, articulation, and pronunciation are 288 ORAL READING the principal factors in the mechanical processes of speech. Proficiency in these is the result of observation, exercise, and carefully formed habits, habits at once pleasing, dis- tinct, and graceful without self-consciousness or affectation. But back of mastery of the mechanics of speech is the more fundamental thing — the mastery of self. Fine speech pro- ceeds out of fine character. Superficiality and insincerity reveal themselves in habits of enunciation and pronuncia- tion as truly as in tones of the voice. A man is known by his manner of utterance. The individual cannot long con- ceal himself under external niceties of diction. Clear, sim- ple, agreeable speech is the outgrowth of a well-ordered and disciplined mind, and of genuineness, grace, and strength of character. In the last analysis it is not fine speech it- self that exerts the helpful and wholesome influence, but the mind and spirit of the individual made evident and potential in these outward forms. Good speech, like good language, tends to perpetuate itself, not merely through imitation of the speaker's manner, but because, through these visible and audible signs, something of the virtue and character of the man makes itself felt and passes to others. " Surely, whoever speaks to me in the right voice, him or her I shall follow, As the water follows the moon, silently, with fluid steps, any- where aroand the globe. All waits for the right voices ; Where is the practie'd and perfect organ ? Where is the devel- op'd soul ? For I see every word ntter'd thence, has deeper, sweeter new sounds, impossible on less terms. I see brains and lips closed — tympans and temples unstrucfe, Until that comes which has the quality to strike and unclose, Until that comes which has the quality to bring forth what lies slumbering, forever ready, in all words." Whitman : Voices. CHAPTER XI TRAINING THE VOICE 46. Characteristics of a good voice The first questions which present themselves in taking up the study of the voice are : " What, after all, do we mean by a good speaking voice ? " " What are some of its char- acteristics ? " " How may one acquire these ? " If we study the voices of different individuals we shall observe that, though the voices of no two persons sound the same, though each voice has qualities peculiar to itself, all pleasing and effective voices have certain characteristics in common. We shall find, among other things, that every person who knows how to use the voice uses it with ease. No matter how strong or how light the tone, it is easily made. A voice so used does not become husky or hoarse, nor does it tire or wear out with use. On the contrary, use tends to improve and strengthen it. Another thing peculiar to the good voice is clearness, or purity. The tone is not husky, harsh, shnll, or nasal. Again, the well-managed voice is Jull and resonant, not piping, thin, flat, or hard. Fur- thermore, we note that the effective speaking voice is fleay- ible, that it has good range and variety of pitch, and, more- over, throughout its range the character of the tone remains the same, that is, it does not thin out or break over into another kind or quality of sound in passing from lower to higher notes, but everywhere it retains its rich, round, and full resonance. Lastly, the controlled and expressive voice is sympathetic. It is not hard, metallic, and unfeeling, but responsive to the moods and emotions of the possessor. These are some of the more notable characteristics of the 290 ORAL READING good speaking voice which are sought in vocal training.^ The following suggestions and exercises, if carefully ob- served and assiduously practiced, will do much, it is be- lieved, toward securing these conditions of voice for the individual student. While good results may be attained by the student who must teach himself, the aid of a skilled teacher is highly desirable.^ 47. How to gain ease in tone, production Much of the prevalent misuse of the voice is, without doubt, attributable to a misconception, held especially by those who have given little or no thought to the matter, that since tone is produced in the throat the muscles of the throat must consequently do the work. In the case of a good many speakers these muscles, assisted by the muscles of the face, actually do the work, and hard work it is, too. No better illustration of this sort of voice use is needed than that afforded by a group of students shouting at a football game or field contest. Nor is better evidence needed of the ill effect of such practice. The hoarseness, and often the temporary loss of voice experienced by students after a game, is sufficient proof of the unnatural strain put upon the voice. Many persons who use the voice much, either in public speaking or reading aloud, or even in conversation, suffer similar, though perhaps not such extreme, conse- quences from unnecessary muscular tension. 1 In the program here given no teohnical exercises for quality or color of voice are offered for the reason that snch exercises are of slight value. A B3mipathetic voice is an accompaniment of a sympathetic nature, and techni- cal drills make no great demand on the sympathies and emotions. Litera- ture which makes a strong appeal to the imagination and the spirit affords the hest means of developing the sympathetic qualities of the voice. (See footnote, p. 205.) * The author wishes to acknowledge his ohligation to Dr. S. S. Curry, whose method of voice training, tested through a period of years in college classes, has proved sound, safe, and ef&cacions. Many of the exercises in this chapter have been drawn from the instruction received from Dr. Curry. For the modification of some and the addition of several others, the author alone is responsible. TRAINING THE VOICE 291 Now, tone is contingent upon the breath. Without it there can be no voice. Breath is the motive power of tone. And in speaking and singing the greater part of the energy required should be used in controlling the breath. The en- ergy is in the boiler, not in the whistle. It is to the action of the strong muscles governing breath that we must look for relief from the needless tension of the delicate muscles of larynx and throat. If the voice tires easily, or is hard, rasping, or otherwise faulty, first aid should be given to the breathing. I. Management of the breath. The first thing every human being does in this world is to breathe, and he does it without knowing why or how. Breathing to sustain life is instinctive. It does itself. But, since speech is an acquired thing, we are obliged to learn how to manage the breath for speaking. With certain modifications the muscular ac- tion in breathing to promote life and to produce tone is the same. Breathing for life purposes is easy and so natural and automatic that we seldom think of it, and the control of the breath for speech should become as easy and automatic, The breath for speech should be taken in and given out in the same way as it is in the life breathing of the normal person who is vmhampered by bad habits or tight clothing. If you observe the breathing of a child, you will detect very little movement of the chest but a good deal of action at the center of the body. The diaphragm is doing most of the work. When the breath is taken in, the diaphragm con- tracts and draws down and there is a resultant expansion all round the middle of the body below the ribs. At the same time the short ribs low down at the sides are pushed out. When the breath is expelled, the diaphragm relaxes and the parts at the middle of the body return to their normal posi- tion. This is the case when people breathe as nature intended tiiey should. But, unfortunately, the majority of adults 292 ORAL READING leave off breathing as they should, and manage to get along with a little shallow breathing at the top of the lungs. Perhaps this habit of superficial breathing begins in the schoolroom, where pupils are required to sit several hours a day. The sitting position, especially when one leans for- ward over desk or table, is not conducive to deep and nor- mal breathing. Moreover, tight clothing, which limits action at the middle of the body, necessitates high chest breathing. When one forms the habit of shallow breathing the dia- phragm becomes inactive and correspondingly weak, and, if allowed to remain idle long enough, it is reluctant to act at all when required to do so. But, possibly just for exercise and to keep itself from becoming altogether dormant, and taking advantage of times when it will not have to work very hard, it wakes up when we lie down to rest or sleep and assumes its normal action. But whatever the cause may be, almost every one breathes normally when lying at ease on the back. And everybody should breathe in the same way, that is, with the use of the diaphragm, when standing or sitting or walking. Practice the following exer- cises until the action of breathing when lying down is made habitual under aU. conditions. Exercises in hrewbhing 1. Lie flat on your back on the floor or a couch, place one hand at the middle of the body just below the ribs and the other on the chest, and observe the action when you inhale and exhale. If you breathe naturally, you will notice a good deal of movement at the diaphragm, and relatively little at the chest. 2. While Ijong flat, take your breath, hold it and mentally count five ; then let the breath go. Take the breath again, hold it while silently counting ten, then exhale. Repeat the exercise, counting to fifteen. Give about one second for each count. You will note that whatever effort is made in breathing is TRAINING THE VOICE 293 made when the breath is being taken in, and that with ex- halation there is relaxation and a sense of relief. 3. Now stand erect, and with hands in the same position as in exercises 1 and 2, breathe as before. If the action is not the same as when you were lying down, repeat 1 and 2, then try the standing exercise again. "When you are lying down watch what the actions and muscular sensations are, how easy the movements are ; then in the standing position let yourself breathe just as easily and in the same way as when lying down. Continue these exercises until you breathe as normally when in a standing position as when lying flat. This may be accomplished with the first attempt, or it may take a week. In any event, keep trying until you breathe as you should, which means, with the action of the diaphragm. 4. After you are able to breathe well when standing, take an easy, not too full, breath, holding it for five counts ; ten counts ; fifteen counts ; twenty counts. Be sure to relax well after each attempt. When you take breath for the higher numbers, see to it that you do not return to the high chest breathing and in so doing permit the diaphragm to quit work. 5. Take deep breathing exercises in the open air, or in a well- yentUated room, two or three times a day. Here are some. (a) With body held erect and arms hanging loosely at the sides, throw out all the breath, then inhale deeply through the nostrils and, as you do so, raise your arms at the sides, stretching them out as far as you can, and bring them well up over your head. When the hands are over your head see that the palms are up. Hold the position while you mentally count five. Drop the arms slowly, exhaling as you do so. Repeat and hold while you count ten ; fifteen ; twenty. (b) Manage the breath as before and bring the arms up in front, extending them Well out and up. Hold and count as in the preceding exercise. (c) Place the hands at the chest with elbows held up, throw out the breath, inhale slowly, unfold the arms, and ex* tend them out and back as far as you can. Repeat, counting silently as in (a) and (J) above. 294 ORAL READING (d) With hands hanging at the sides, take a deep breaXh, hold it firmly, bring up the hands and strike the cheat rapidly and lightly. Strike well up and down and around to the sides. In taking this exercise do not hold the breath more than five or ten seconds and, if you are not used to it, do not repeat the exercises more than twice at any given time. Exercises for ease at the throat After you are able to control the action of the diaphragm with considerable ease, begin the following exercises. 6. Stand erect, with head easily poised, open the mouth as you do for saying " ha," take an easy breath through the mouth ' and, without moving the jaw or tongue or throat, exhale through the mouth rather slowly, allowing a second or two for it. Repeat this three or four times to make sure that there is no action of the jaw, lips, or tongue. 7. Now take the breath, as in exercise 6, begin to exhale as before, but after the breath is well started, merge it grad- ually into the easiest possible tone, " ha," prolonging the sound a second. Make this tone so easily that yoa are not aware of any effort whatever in the throat. Do not move the tongue or jaw, but leave aU muscles completely relaxed. If the tone has a hard, metallic, or rasping sound, it is not being made easily enough. Try again and again, using plenty of breath, until the tone is soft and smooth. Place the fin- gers on the larynx, or Adam's apple, and see that there is no tightening or lifting just as the tone begins. Repeat this exercise until you are able to blend the breath into tone without perceptible effort or action above the diaphragm. 8. Take the same exercise (number 7), but, instead of allow- ing breath to pass out before the tone is started, initiate the ^ When one is speaking, most of the breathing is done throngh the month. In the act of speaking one finds it awkward to close the lips or to raise the tongue at the hack to keep the air from passing throngh the month. If yon wish to demonstrate this, try reading aloud or speaking several sentences, taking pains to inhale each new breath throngh the nostrils, and notice how unusual the action is. Many Tocal exercises require mouth breathing, but let it not be understood that such breathing is encouraged when the voice is not being used. Always breathe through the nostrils when not speaking. TRAINING THE VOICE 295 tone at once, keeping the same open, soft quality. Try the exercise on different pitches, beginning with the pitch you have been holding; then sound the first note above; the second above ; and so on for four or five notes. Descend the scale to the original pitch. Prolong these tones two or three seconds, using a good deal of breath with free action of the diaphragm. 9. Repeat exercise 8, and, as the tone is held, gradually in- crease the volume. Prolong the sound five or six seconds. Try the exercise on various pitches. Do not allow the quality of the tone to change with the increasing loudness. Avoid hard or rasping sounds. 10. Observe the same conditions as in exercise 9, but, instead of making the sound " ha," begin with " ho," holding the tone as before and increasing the volume gradually, but as the volume increases slowly merge " ho " into *' a " (as in arm) thus, " ho-a." Hold the sound six or eight seconds. Practice the exercise on various notes of the scale, but do not try extreme pitches. With the transition from " ho " to " a " see that the action of the jaw, tongue, and lips is very simple and easy. Let the tongue lie quiet in the bottom of the mouth out of the way, the tip of it resting against the lower front gums, as it lies after speaking " la." 11. Sing the scale from low to high notes, and back again, using the vowels but beginning the series each time with " a," thus, a a e I o u. Sing them as one continuous sound, blending one into the other without interruption of the tone. In this, as in all the above exercises, see that the tone is produced with as much ease at the throat as when you were merging the breath into tone (exercise 7). The action of the tongue and jaw in forming the different vowels should be very easy and free. 2. Clearness of tone. In the foregoing set of exercises you will have noticed that the tones of your voice were not altogether clear or pure or sweet, but were somewhat breathy. Though they were easily made, too much breath was used for the production of the best kind of tone, and not all the breath which passed through the latynx was vocalized. The 296 OEAL READING purpose of this, as has been made evident, was to secure complete ease and freedom of the throat, by taking the ten- sion away from the muscles there and putting it at the dia- phragm and waist muscle where it belongs. But in the production of the best tone comparatively little breath is allowed to pass out during vocalization. Clearness and pu- rity of voice is determined largely by the amount of breath held in reserve to support, or back up, the tone. When you are able to breathe with free action of the diaphragm, and to produce tone through a well relaxed throat, the fol- lowing exercises may be undertaken : — 12. Stand in an easy upright position, with sbonlders and arms relaxed and head easily poised ; take a fairly full breath, hold firmly at the diaphragm, and proloDg the vowel " 6 " on a note of middle pitch. Hold the tone ten seconds ; fif- teen seconds ; twenty seconds ; and so on, emptying the lungs and taking a good breath after each trial. Hold the back of the hand close to the mouth when making the tone, and allow no breath to be felt blowing against it. 13. Sit, and, holding a f uU breath, speak " po-pa " on a mono- tone, merging the first syllable into the second without in- terrupting the tone. Use about two seconds for the sounds. Hold back all the breath you can, and be sure that none escapes before tone is initiated. Relax and take a fresh breath after each couplet. Try the exercise on various notes of the scale. Now fill the lungs to their full capacity, have a sense of holding all yon have taken, and repeat the coup- let three times without replenishing the breath. Repeat on different pitches. When filling the lungs to their capacity, see to it that the shoulders are not raised or lowered. The shoulders should be held normally, never thrown back with an effort, and never allowed to rise and fall with inhalation and exhalation. Test yourseU in this by repeating exercises and speaking before a mirror. 14. Hold the vowel " o " (or " a ") as long as you can on one note. Practice the sound on all notes of the scale within your easy range. If you are not accustomed to holding the TRAINING THE VOICE 297 breath, you may be unable to hold the tone more than ten or fifteen seconds, at fi.rst. Try each day to increase the time. As you gain skill in reserving breath yon will be able to hold the sound much longer, perhaps for thirty or forty seconds, or even a minute, but the e£Eort should never be carried to a point of physical discomfort. 15. Bead the following stanza, making clear, pure, mellow tones, wholly free from the sound of escaping breath. Belax and replenish the breath at the end of the first and second lines, and after " beyond " in the third. Repeat the lines several times, endeavoring each time to hold the breath better than before and to make the tones purer and clearer. Above the pines the moon was slowly drifting, The river sang below ; The dim Sierras, far beyond, uplifting Their minarets of snow. Bret Harte : Dickens in Camp. 16. Read the appended extract, sustaining the breath through- out each line. Speak the lines with spirit, making the tone clear, buoyant, and joyous. Joy, joy, joy in the height and the deep ; Joy like the joy of a leaf that unfolds to the sun ; Joy like the joy of a child in the borders of sleep ; Joy like the joy of a multitude thrilled into one ; Joy, joy, joy in the deep and the height ; Joy in the holiest, joy evermore, evermore. Richard Hovey : The Taliesin. 3. Resonance and fullness of tone, Voice does not issue from the krynx full-formed and complete, but, as explained in a preceding chapter (pp. 203-04), quality^JuUness, and richness of tone are largely determined in the resonance chambers of the throat, the mouth, and the nasal cavities. The best tone can be produced only when all resonance chambers of throat and head are roomy and free from ob- struction. An attack of tonsillitis, or a cold in the head, interferes seriously with the voice. Much of the thinness, 298 ORAL READING flatness, shrillness, and nasality, so common in our speech, is attributable to constriction and narrowness of the phar- ynx and the mouth. The adjustment and action of the flexible muscles and tissues of these parts are within the control of the will. The following exercises have been found useful in establishing conditions favorable to normal resonance : — 17. Hold a mirror before you, draw in a full breath through the well-opened mouth, and see whether the uvula, or pen- dant portion of the soft palate, is visible. Can you see the walls of the throat back of this lobe of the palate when you exhale the breath in sounding the vowel " a " ? If not, try saying " ga " two or three times with the mouth wide open. Repeat " a," prolonging the tone, several times, or until you are able to lift easily the uvula from the back of the tongue, and until you can see the back of the throat plainly. 18. Prolong the sound "koo," making the tone reverberate strongly in the upper part of the throat and the back of the mouth. Have a sense of enlarging the throat to its full ca- pacity in sounding the tone. Sing the exercise up and down the scale, holding the tone three or four seconds. 19. Stand firmly on both feet, relax the shoulders, and let the arms hang at the sides ; bend forward from the waist as far as you can, relax the muscles of the neck, and allow the head to hang down easily as far as it will go. While in this po- sition, sound a prolonged "oo" (as in "boom"), making the tone fall and round. While holding the sound raise the body to an upright position, and, as you do so, relax the jaw, open the mouth, and merge the " oo " into a strong «a."> See that the mouth is opened enough to permit you to place two fingers, one 'above the other, between the teeth. Repeat 1 TUb is a good exercise for oTeTComing nasality, which is cansed by allow- ing too nmch Tibration in the nasal carities, and not enough in the mouth and upper part oi the throat. For remedying this fault try, also, the following : (1) hold the nose and speak the vowel sounds ; (2) hold the nose and speak words or combinations of words not containing n or m. Continue such exer- cises until the resonance of your ordinary speech becomes more rich and normal. TRAINING THE VOICE 299 the exercise slowly two or three times. Do not continue the exercise at any one time to the point of discomfort. 20. Speak " f o-f a," relaxing the jaw for the latter half of the couplet so that two fingers may be placed, one above the other, between the teeth. Repeat the exercise many times and frequently until the muscles of the jaw are easily re- laxed and become flexible.^ 21. Sound the vowels a e i o u, and open the mouth for each of them sufficiently to permit the placing of one finger between the teeth. Practice the scale in this way. 22. The tongue is sometimes an unruly and obstructive mem- ber, drawing itself back and ridging up, preventing the free, open utterance of the vowels. In forming the vowels, with possibly the exception of " e," which is not made in the same way by all persons, the tongue should lie flat in the mouth, with the tip touching the gums of the lower front teeth, as it lies after speaking "la." Try repeating "la-la- 15 " with continuous tone, using the tongue quickly and eas- ily and allowing it to Ue lightly in the bottom of the mouth for each vowel. Speak the following lines slowly, opening the mouth well and keeping the tongue low and well for- ward for the vowels. " Over the rolling waters go." " So all day long the noise of battle rolled Among the mountains by the winter sea." " I played a soft and doleful air, I sang an old and moving story — An old rude song, that suited well That ruin wild and hoary." 4. Range and flezibilily. Variety is the life of speech as truly as it is the spice of life. A voice of good range and flexibility, capable of responding to every shade of thought, ^The month may be thonght of as the natural megaphone of the voice, magnifying and reinforcing the tone as it opens. To test this 'dose the teeth and say " a " londly ; then, without interrupting the sonnd, open the month BO that two fingers may be placed between the teeth and 'note how the vol- ume of tone is increased. Form the habit of opening the month well when you speak. 300 ORAL READING is essential to pleasing and effective speech of any kind. It is often found that the monotonous voice is associated with an unmusical ear. In such cases training of the ear should accompany training of the voice. With practice and per- severance the ear of persons who cannot distinguish Yan- kee Doodle from the Old Hundred may be educated to a considerable degree of accuracy in recognizing the pitch of tones, and at the same time the voice may be made flex- ible and responsive and its range notably extended. 23. If the ear is not quick to catch the pitch of a tone, sound a note on the piano or other instrument, close the eyes, shut out all other impressions, and listen attentively. When the sound possesses the ear and the mind, sing " o " and approx- imate as closely as you can the pitch of the voice to that of the instrument. After this tone is secured, sound the one above, then the next above that, and so on. A teacher or friend may render valuable assistance here by indicating when the voice does or does not strike the tone sounded by the instrument. This practice should be continned, at fre- quent intervals, over a long period of time. Concentration and perseverance in practice will do much to render the ear sensitive and true to pitch. 24. Speak the vowels in unbroken utterance, beginning low on the scale, and allowing the voice to rise through its whole range in speaking the series ; begin high and descend the scale to the lowest tones. 25. Speak the vowels as before, beginning on a low note, giving the first vowel a long upward inflection and continuing the others on successive higher tones, as if asking a question, thus: — ? ^/ TRAINING THE VOICE 301 Bevene the process, beginning high and giving a long fall- ing inflection to the first vowel, then to the second, and so on, allowing the others to drop away to the lowest tones, as in answering a question, thus : — e\ i\ o\ 26. Inflect the voice repeatedly upward from the lowest to the highest tones easily reached on the vowel " a," thus : — / Reverse the inflection. 27. Speak words with a long, strong inflection of question, sur- prise and assertion, thus : — Oh? No? Yes? Away? V \ V v \ Oh! No! Yes! Away! Ahoy! 28. Read aloud, with as much variety and range of inflection as you can command, the scene from JiUius Ccesar, in, iii, problem 13, pp. 63-64. EXERCISE IN VOICE TRAINING The following poem affords excellent opportunity for ap- plying in actual speech all the principles set forth in the above program of exercises. Study it carefully and read it often, endeavoring always to command that control of breath, clear tone, fullness, and resonance of voice which its thought and spirit demand. 302 ORAL READING THE RISING 1 T. Buchanan Bead Out of the North the wild news came, Far flashing on its wings of flame, Swift as the boreal light which flies At midnight through the startled skiea. And there was tumult in the air, The fife's shriU note, the drum's loud beat. And through the wide land everywhere The answering tread of hurrying feet ; While the first oath of Freedom's gun Came on the blast from Lexington ; And Concord, roused, no longer tame, Forgot her old baptismal name. Made bare her patriot arm of power. And swelled the discord of the hour. Within its shade of elm and oak The church of Berkley Manor stood ; There Sunday found the rural folk, And some esteemed of gentle blood. In vain their feet with loitering tread Fass'd 'mid the graves where rank is naught ; All could not read the lesson taught In that republic of the dead. How sweet the hour of Sabbath talk. The vale with peace and sunshine full. Where all the happy people walk. Decked in their homespun flax and wool ! Where youths' gay hats with blossoms bloom, And every maid, with simple art, Wears on her breast, like her own heart, A bud whose depths are all perfume ; While every garment's gentle stir Is breathing rose and lavender. 1 From The Wagoner of the AUeghanies. Copyrighted by J. B. Lippincott Company. Used with the kind permission of the publishers. TRAINING THE VOICE The pastor came: his snowy locks Hallowed his brow of thought and care ; And, calmly as shepherds lead their flocks, He led into the house of prayer. ■ ■••■■"* The pastor rose : the prayer was strong ; The psalm was warrior David's song ; The t^Et, aiew short words of might, — " The Lord of hosts shall arm the right ! " He spoke of wrongs too long endured, Of sacred rights to be secured ; Then from his patriot tongue of flame The startling words for Freedom came. The stirring sentences he spake Compelled the heart to glow or quake, And, rising on his theme's broad wing, And grasping in his nervous hand The imaginary battle-brand, In face of death he dared to fling Defiance to a tyrant king- Even as he>spoke, his frame, renewed In eloquence of attitude, Hose, as it seemed, a shoulder higher ; Then swept his kindling glance of fire From startled pew to breathless choir ; When suddenly his mantle wide His hands impatient flung aside, And, lo ! he met their wondering eyes Complete in all a warrior's g^se. A moment there was awful pause, — When Berkley cried, " Cease, traitor 1 cease ! God's temple is the house of peace ! " The other shouted, " Nay, not so, When -God is with our righteous cause ; His holiest places then are ours. His temples are our forts and towers 304 ORAL READING That frown upon the tyrant foe ; In this, the dawn of Freedom's day, There is a time to fight and pray ! " And now hefore the open door — The warrior-priest had ordered so — The enlisting trumpet's sudden roar Bang through the chapel, o'er and o'er. Its long reverberating blow, So loud and clear, it seemed the ear Of dusty Death must wake and hear. And there the startling drum and fife Fired the living with fiercer life ; While overhead, with wild increase. Forgetting its ancient toll of peace, The great bell swung as ne'er before : It seemed as it would never cease ; And every word its ardor flung From off its jubilant iron tongue Was, "Wab! Wab! Wab!" " Who dares " — this was the patriot's cry. As striding from the desk he came — " Come out with me, in Freedom's name, For her to live, for her to die ? " A hundred hands flung up reply, A hundred voices answered " I! " CHAPTER Xn ENUNCIATION AND PRONUNCIATION 48. The elements of speech Speech is made up of vowel and consonant sounds com- bined to form words. Distinctness and accuracy depend, therefore, on the clear and correct enunciation of these elements. I. The vowels. Vowels are the more open sounds of language. They are made by the vibration of the vocal chords, and differentiated by modification in the shape of the oral cavity, effected chiefly by the tongue and the jaw. When the vowels are well sounded there is little constric- tion of the tongue or jaw, their action is free and easy, and the mouth is held as far open as the character of the vowel permits. (In speaking " a," for example, the jaw is dropped farther than for sounding "e," but for both vowels the mouth is fairly well opened.) For the correct utterance of vowels two things are essen- tial. First, the speech organs must be properly placed for forming the sounds; second, the sound must he made. Since the ability to make the sounds of our language is acquired mainly through the sense of hearing, written in- struction in this matter, when instruction is needed, is of doubtful value. Incorrect formation of these sounds can best be remedied by the aid of a teacher. But it is worth while here to call attention to the necessity of sounding the vowels and to suggest certain methods of improving speech in this respect. Much of indistinctness in speech is due to carelessness 306 ORAL READING iu enunciating the vowels. Often they are spoken with slight regard for their quantity, either of vocality or of time, and frequently they are not spoken at aU. Every vowel, having a share in the sound of a word, should receive a definite stroke of the voice, sometimes slight, to be sure, but nevertheless audible. If all syllables were accented, it is likely that we should have little cause for saying much about the utterance of vowels. The unaccented vowels are the ones neglected. When one speaks to a single individual, most of one's attention is given to that person, but, if others gather about to listen, the attention is directed to them also. While one member of the group may receive more atten- tion than the rest, none is ignored. To turn one's back on one of the number would be rude and discourteous. Now, attention in the utterance of words is analogous in some respects to that given to a small group of people one is addressing. A word of one syllable, when standing alone, is usually treated with due respect, but when several syl- lables are combined to form a word, the less important ones receive relatively slight attention and sometimes, be- cause of haste or thoughtlessness, none at all. No special effort to give the vowels their proper quantity is necessary in speaking such words as call fall arm note lay couut balm tow prove pose But when an unaccented syllable is prefixed to the word, some effort may be necessary, and the speech of many per- sons would be more distinct and intelligible if the effort were consistently made. Speak this next list of words with attention to the unaccented syllables, as well as to the accented. recall' befall' disarm' connote' delay' account' embalm' avow' improve' oppose' ENUNCIATION AND PRONUNCIATION 307 Try the following words, in which two unaccented syl- lables precede the accented. Be careful to sound all the vowels. disavow' misconstrue' disapprove' disappear' contradicf intervene' Unaccented syllables following an accented are no less subject to neglect. Sound both syllables in voice'less rightly for'ty low'ly cit'y need'y count'ing in'fant need'ed conn'ty cop'ied slight'ed ar'my fan'cied con'scious Unstressed syllables preceding and following the ac- cented syllable afford a good test of one's accuracy and habits of enunciation. impor'ted deject'ed discours'ing insip'id impor'tant arbitra'rily volunta'rily unques'tionable reeoncilia'tion intelligibil'ity intellectual'ity fortitu'dinous Practice the following list of words, being careful to sound all the vowels and to give to each its normal quan- tity. Go over the list often, until careful and accurate habits of enunciation are formed. dis-own' dis-solve' di-vert' dis-course' in-tro-duoe' vol-un-teer' cir-cum-vent' cur'-rent du'-ty beau'-ty ab-stract' a-bridge' ad-here' re-source' in-dis-creet' mag-a-zine' op-por-tune' in'-stant con'-stant liq'-uor al-low* ad-vance' a-dult' fl-nance' re-pre-sent' dis-con-necf dis-con-tent' hon'-or hope'-fnl hood'-lum at-tract' di-rect' al-ly' pre-tense' dis-a-gree' dis-ap-point' dis-be-lieve' mu-sic mo'-tion hap'-py mis'-chie-vous chas'-tise-ment ef'-fi-gy nu'-mer-al ohar'-ac-ter mem'-o-ry ob'-vi-ous-ly rep'-a-rarble bean'-ti-fy im'-pi-ous im'-po-tent des'-ti-tute maz'-i-mun gov'-ern-ment com'-par-ra-ble rev'-o-oa-ble 308 ORAL READING in-ci'-sion dra-mat'-ic con-duc'-tor di-dac'-tic de-ci'-sion con-di'-tion de-jec'-tion di-lem'-ma in-cul'-cate in-cen'tire pro-mo'-tion re-lin'-quish ar-bi-tra'-ri-ly in-com'-par-ra-ble ir-rep'-a-ra-bly ig-no-min'-i-ous-ly ir-rev'-o-oa-bly sub-sid'-i-a-ry ir-re-press'-i-bly con-ven'-tion-al-ly vo-cab'-u-la-ry in-di-vid'-u-al-ly tri-an'-gu-lar-ly nu-mer'-io-al-ly o-le-o-mar'-ga-rin im-ppao-ti-oa-bil'-i-ty en-thu-si-as'-tic-al-ly con-sti-tu-tion-al'-i-ty nn-in-tel-li-gi-bil'-i-ty im-marte-ri-al'-i-ty mis-rep-re-sen-ta'-tion ir-re-spon-si-bil'-i-ty mal-ad-min-is-tra'-tioii 2. The consonants. Consonants are the more closed ele- ments of spoken language. The tone, instead of being al- lowed to pass out freely and with considerable resonance, as in making the vowels, is more or less obstructed or tem- porarily held in check by the action of tongue, teeth, or lips. The position of these organs in forming the different consonants need not be explained here. Such instruction is available in the best dictionaries. Clear, accurate, and distinct utterance of the consonants requires free and nimble action of tongue and lips. Any one may acquire this, as the pianist, by long practice, gains agile, responsive action of fingers and hands. Dis- tiactness of speech is a matter of diligence and patient effort. While a good deal of benefit may be derived, no doubt, from the repetition of difficult and more or less artificial, tongue-twisting combinations of consonants, such as " The- ophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter," such practice is apt to result in labored and conscious effort. Since con- sonants are combined with vowels to form syllables, the realization of the importance of uttering all syllables, ENUNCIATION AND PRONUNCIATION 309 whether stressed or unstressed, as illustrated in the list of words given above, will do much toward removing careless habits of enunciation. Tongue, teeth, and lips vnll be more ready to do their work when their duty is clear. Combinations of different consonants and vowels, like ka-ta, ga-ga-ga, va-la, ta-la, fa-la, po-pa, practiced rapidly and with nimble action of tongue and lips, will be found helpful as exercises for control and agility of the organs of enunciation. 3. Pronunciation. In closing this brief consideration of some of the technical problems of speech, a word about pronimciation is not inappropriate. While the pronuncia- tion of our language is continually undergoing change, there is, nevertheless, a certain usage or standard of utter- ance in accent, and sound, and quantity of the vowels, which passes as current and cultured speech everywhere. It is hardly necessary here to urge the importance of con- forming to the accepted manner of pronouncing the words of our language. That is seK evident to all who have ears to hear. But it may not be amiss to offer a suggestion or two which, it may be, will prove helpful to the reader. Persons accustomed to much silent reading are some- times embarrassed to find, when called on to read aloud, that they are unable to pronounce certain words, familiar to their vision and clear to their understanding, but un- familiar to the tongue or the ear. Those whose sight knowledge of language is more accurate than their ear and speech knowledge, may increase the latter and gain accu- racy of pronimciation by following the practice of fre- quently reading aloud, and, while doing so, of taking note of all words about which doubt is felt. It is also helpful to carry a notebook in which unfamiliar words met in one's reading, as well as those pronunciations one hears during the day and is uncertain about, may be jotted down. The 310 ORAL READING pronunciation of words so listed should be looked up in the dictionary. Though authorities do not agree on the pronun- ciation of many common words, the dictionaries are the reliable records of current usages and should be freely con- sulted. About the best advice one can ofEer is, give atten- tion to the language and pronunciation of agreeable speak- ers, watch your own speech, and when in doubt consult the dictionary.! EXERCISES IN ENUNCIATION AND PKONUNCIATION The following selections offer good general practice for distinct and correct enunciation and pronunciation : — 1. Nor ever yet had Arthur foaght a fight Like this last, dim, weird battle of the west. A death-white mist slept over sand and sea. Whereof the chill, to him who breathed it, drew Down with his blood, tiU all his heart was cold With formless fear ; and even on Arthur f eU Confusion, since he saw not whom he fought. For friend and foe were shadows in the mist, And friend slew friend not knowing whom he slew; And some had visions out of golden youth. And some beheld the faces of old ghosts Look in upon the battle ; and in the mist Was many a noble deed, many a base. And chance and craft and strength in single fights, And ever and anon with host to host Shocks, and the splintering spear, the hard mail hewn, Shield-breakings, and the clash of brands, the crash Of battle-axes on shatter'd helms, and shrieks After the Christ, of those who falling down Look'd up for heaven, and only saw the mist ; And shouts of heathen and the traitor knights, Oaths, insult, filth, and monstrous blasphemies, 1 A useful and handy volume for reference in this connection is W. H, P. Phyfe's IS, 000 Words Often Mispronounced, published by Q, P. Putnam's Sons, New York, ENUNCIATION AND PRONUNCIATION 311 Sweat, writhings, anguish, laboring of the lungs In that close mist, and cryings for the light, Moans of the dying, and voices of the dead. Tennyson: The Passing of Arthur. Hamlet. Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue : but if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus ; but use all gently : for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must ac- quire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig- pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise : I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termai- gant ; it out-herods Herod : pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor : suit the action to the word, the word to the action ; with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature : for anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as 't were, the mirror up to nature ; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now this overdone or come tardy off, though it make the unskil- ful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve ; the censure of the which one must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. O, there be players that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that neither having the accent of Christians nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed, that I have thought some of nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well, they imitated hu- manity 80 abominably. Shakespeare : Hamlet, m, ii. TO TEACHERS I. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS BXBEOISBS m EXTBMPOBANEOUS AND IMPBOMPTU SPEAKING ExTEMPOBANEOns and impromptu speaking will add much to the interest and effectiveness of a course in oral reading and, whenever practicable, it should be introduced as a part of the regular work. Occasional short talks will provide a pleasant change from the regular reading lesson ; they will give the student the ability to think on his feet without thinking too much about them, and they will help him to relate himself easily and directly to others. " Con- versation," said Emerson, " is the laboratory and work-shop of the student. The affection and sympathy help. The wish to speak to another mind assists to clear your own. Every time we say a thing in conversation we get a mechanical advantage in detaching it welL" The talks may be on subjects relating to the text assign- ments, such, for example, as those suggested in lessons of the program, or on topics of local or general public con- cern, or they may be drawn from the student's own expe- rience. Whatever the subject, it should be one in which the student's interest is keen and fresh. So far as possible, the principles of the chapter under discussion, or last assigned, should be observed in the speeches. Thus, the first round of talks mentioned in the program, and relating to Irving and his work, may be crit- icized principally for clearness of thought and expression, the second round, for principles of grouping, the third for conversational variety and directness, and so on. Outlines of extemporaneous speeches should be carefully 816 ORAL READING prepared and handed in for criticism in matters of clear- ness and logical arrangement. These should be returned with suggestions for needed improvement or revision. Stu- dents should become thoroughly familiar with the revised outline, should follow it in speaking, and should speak without notes. To write out a speech in full often helps the student to clarify his thought and to acquire a vocabulary suited to the subject, but speeches so written out should not be mem- orized. The student should have practice in choosing his words when standing before others. The style of speech may not be altogether elegant or smooth, but at least it will have the virtues, — which memorized speeches rarely have, — of directness, naturalness, and spontaneity. Occasionally, at the beginning of the recitation period, the teacher may announce some subject for general im- promptu discussion. The subject should be simple, of course, and one with which all members of the class are familiar. Topics relating to student affairs or to events of current local interest afford good material for such impromptu speeches. Subjects for impromptu talks may be assigned now and then to individual students. These topics should be written on cards or slips of paper of uniform size and placed on a desk or table in front of the class. Each member of the class, when called, may draw a slip and speak for a minute or two on the subject drawn. This is a profitable exercise and never fails to arouse interest. In the study of oral expression it should be remembered that extemporaneous speaking and reading aloud involve the same mental processes. When reading aloud is tedious and dull, a comparison between the style of speech in direct conversation and that which obtains in the reading, will result in material improvement in the reading, provided GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 317 the difference in the two styles is recognized as being the result of difference in directness and clearness of thinking. Any advantage gained in expressing one's own thought is gained for expressing the thought of the printed page when that thought is made one's own. Notes on Problems The problems in this Handbook should not be considered merely as illustrations of certain technical principles, but as means by which certain principles of expressive speech become evident when thought is clear and its significance is strongly felt. Accuracy of thought analysis of the prob- lems win be apparent in the vocal analysis shown in the reading. The problems should not be treated as exercises for mere mechanical expertness. Each set of problems should be studied not alone as il- lustrations of the principles of the particular chapter they stand under, but also as exercises in the principles of all chapters previously studied. Thus, the adequate rendering of problems in rhythm involves, as well, correct grouping, emphasis, and significant pitch variation. The Meaning of Preparation All illustrations and problems are to be prepared orally. Students should understand at the outset that preparation means thorough analysis of the thought of every phrase and line and such vocal preparation of every passage as shall enable the reader to render its meaning and spirit accu- rately and truthfully. Every assignment involves definite problems in thought and speech, and not until these prob- lems are understood and mastered is the lesson prepared. Cursory, slip-shod reading, reading done with " the mouth open and the mind shut," should not be allowed to pass unchallenged. 318 ORAL READING Emotional Response The most difficult problem with which the teacher of expression has to deal is how to elicit a response of imagi- nation and emotion from the student and to get him to put life into the thought of the printed page. There is little danger that students in the classroom will overdo emo- tional expression. The task is to get any expression of feel- ing at all. The familiar direction : " Feel what you say" is simple and valid ; but to secure clear thought and a just ratio between thought and emotional expression, a con- trolled, ready, and full response of feeling, without apathy on the one hand or exaggeration on the other, is no incon- siderable part of the teacher's work. A good deal depends on the enthusiasm of the teacher. Smowledge of Principles Knowledge of the principles of expressive speech, and skill in detecting the cause of faults, mannerisms, and in- effective speech, are absolutely essential for the teacher of expression. In reading aloud one often feels the inade- quacy of the expression and the insufficiency of vocal powers to render all that the passage means. Every teacher has heard the explanation and apology : " I know what the line means ; I feel it, but I can't say it right." But why not ? There must be some reason for the difficulty. Is the mean- ing clear ? Do you know what it means ? Do you really appreciate it and feel its truth, beauty and power? Is your desire to speak the thought to others strong? Have you confidence in your ability to speak ? Are you willing to speak it as well as you can? Or, is the voice unresponsive, weak, unable to meet the requirements of tiie passage? These, and numerous other questions, rise in the teacher's mind with every unsuccessful or not wholly satisfactory GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 319 effort of a pupil to express the meaning of a passage. And the development and progress of the pupil depends upon the skill vdth which the teacher solves the problems, dis- covers the difficulty, and suggests the remedy. Sometimes the discovery of the obstacle or fault is sufficient, but more often difficulties are overcome only after diligent work and long-continued practice. A knowledge of the significance of the expressive modulations of the voice is invaluable to the teacher in helping the student to overcome his faults, and to develop his expressive powers to their best capacity. I^e Use of Selections '•'■For General Reading" The longer selections "For General Beading" found at the end of each chapter are to be read not primarily as illustrations of particular principles but for whatever mes- sage or interest they may have for the student. They should be read for themselves and with little criticism or comment on any technical matters involved. The thoughtful, spon- taneous, and appreciative reading of these selections will afford opportunity for the teacher to observe what progress has been made in natural, expressive reading aloud. TTie Use of Class Time A class in oral expression should be one in which the students do most of the talking. The skillful teacher wOl avoid extended, time-consuming explanations and remarks. By occasional questions, and brief, pointed suggestions and criticisms, the members of the class may be kept alert and be made aware of the purposes for which they read or speak, without serious encroachment on the time of the recitation period. Four fifths of the time of the class hour should be available for actual oral work of the students themselves. 3«0 ORAL READING Criticism Criticisms should rarely be made while the student is re- citing. It is usually better to reserve comments until he has finished his recitation. After suggestions have been offered the recitation may be repeated at once, or the stu- dent may be given time to ponder over the criticism until his turn comes to recite again. Occasionally it may be best to interrupt a student during his reading or speech to offer some needed suggestion, but when it is evident that such interruption confuses or irritates him, the criticisms had better be left until he has finished his immediate task. The sympathetic teacher will not err in this respect. Criticisms should be frank, fair, temperate, and kindly. The critic should endeavor to view the student's problem from theistndent's standpoint. Sarcasm and severe denun- ciation seldom avail much. n. SUGGESTIONS REGAEDING CHAPTERS Chapter II Crrouping Of the various expressive modulations of the voice found in conversation, change of pitch seems to be the most diffi- cult to secure in reading aloud. Whenever reading is a mechanical rather than a thoughtful exercise, this will be the case. The student whose reading is without variety may be aided to clear thought and natural speech by clos- ing the book and telling in his own words the gist of what he has just read. It is likely that the monotonous reader will be unable to make a very clear statement at first. Let him read the passage as many times as necessary to get its thought, and converse about it until the style of his read- ing approximates that of his conversation. Chapter in Pitch Variation The teacher should make it clear to the student that the illustrations used in this chapter, marked or spaced to rep- xesent to the eye something of the pitch variation of the voice when it acts under the stimulus of thought, are not meant to be practiced as mechanical exercises in voice manipulation. Little good will come from an effort to make the voice follow the inflections and leaps indicated unless the idea to be expressed is held in the mind when the words are spoken. The illustrations have been given in the hope that they may help to make clear the truth that 322 ORAL READING thinking controls the action of the voice and that the voice, in turn, is an important factor in determining the meaning which the listener gains from the words he hears. Questions so put as to make answers possible in the words of a sentence umder consideration, are often helpful in bringing out the sense of the text. In the case of the line from Julius CoBsar (quoted on p. 61) some such questions as these may be asked : Who speaks the words ? Is he one whose command the citizens would be likely to respect ? What is the first thing he orders them to do ? Go " hence ! " Where does he teU them to go ? " Home." What does he call the citizens? "Idle creatures." Not men or citizens, but " creatures ! " What command does he repeat ? " Get you home." Now let the student read the line as it stands. If the reading is still monotonous and mechanical, repeat the questions, and such others as suggest themselves, until the reading gives evidence that the situation and the sense of the line are understood. The question method will be found helpful in many instances when thinking is lax or the meaning of lines is not grasped. In dealing with the immature pupil especially, much de- pends upon the patience, sympathy, and tact of the teacher in so presenting the questions as to aroiise his interest. He should not be made to feel that he is being quizzed and questioned in order to betray his ignorance, but rather that the questions are being asked of the text and that the text has the answer ready in its own words, which are there for him to use. Chapter IV Emphasis The sentence quoted from Hamlet (p. 88) may be brought close to conversation in style of utterance when SUGGESTIONS REGAEDING CHAPTERS 323 the ideas of it are simplified and given purpose by such questions as these, which tiie student can answer in the words of the sentence : What are you urging some one to do ? " Speak the speech." ^ Sow is it to be spoken ? " As 1 pronounced it to you." How did you pronounce it? " Trippingly on the tongue." Chapteb V Tmpressiveness in Speech (a) Students often ask: "How shall I say this line?" The wise teacher will say, in substance at least, "As your understanding instructs you and as your honesty puts it to ]itterance." The teacher may instruct a student in the meaning of a piece of literature and by question, explana- tion, illustration, and example open his mind to it, but the student gains nothing in being relieved of the burden of doing his own thinking and analysis or by imitating an- other's reading of a line or stanza which he does not under- stand. Imitation is a doubtful way of imparting the thought or spirit of any piece of literature. The result may be curi- ous, but it cannot be convincing. No doubt, much of our knowledge of how to do things comes through imitation. Children learn how to form words by imitating others, but what they speak is determined by their own minds. There is a distinct difference between instructing a pupil in the use and control of his mind and voice and body and in showing him how to speak that which he does not understand, and the purpose of which is not clear to him. A pupil may profitably imitate another when necessary, in acquiring the use and control of his voice and body, the means by which he becomes able to act and ex- press himself ; but he gains nothing when another does his thinking and work for him. ^ Why does not *' speech " need emphasis ? 324 ORAL READING (6) Poetry offers a greater range for the play of the im- agination and emotions than most orations do, and when selections are carefully chosen it makes a more direct ap- peal to the interests and experience of the student, with the result that expression is more apt to be spontaneous and spirited. The occasion of the delivery of notable orations and the conditions that prompted them may be outside of the student's ken, as in the case of Burke's Conciliation Speech, for example, or Webster's Reply to Hayne. The situation and the spirit of the occasion are to be realized only by dint of considerable reading or explanation, and, even with this, rarely does a student come into a very full realization of them. Nevertheless, well chosen passages from modern orations may be effectively used, and should not be ignored. But the vocal rendering of poetry is of vital im- portance in training the voice for speaking. Chapter VI Vocal Energy In the study of vocal energy the student should be re- minded that none of the modulations, which in this chapter are considered separately, occurs by itself. Every tone has some degree of intensity, duration, and kind of stress. The analysis has been made for the purpose of offering such suggestions for practice in vocal energy as might help in acquiring control of the voice in its full range of expressive power, and in overcoming mannerisms and faulty habits of speech. Lifelessness, drawling, uniform loudness and speed, habitually abrupt and insistent stress, are all faults which practice in rendering various types of thought and emo- tions will help to remove. Careful study of the different problems will bring the student to a realization of the ex- pressive significance of the modulations of vocal energy, SUGGESTIONS REGARDING CHAPTERS 325 and Ms mannerisms will eventually give place to a freer, more normal expression. If speech is lifeless and drawling, let the student render thoughts that find true expression in spirited utterance ; if unvaried in loudness and speed, let him practice calm and reverential selections ; if habitually abrupt, insistent, and dictatorial, he shoidd practice on lines requiring full, sustained median stress. Adaptability of mind, spirit, and voice will come by exercise in rendering thoughts and feelings quite contrary in their normal style of expression to those which are habitually voiced in man- neristic utterance. Chapteb VII Rhythm The teacher will find many students whose habitual and characteristic rate of speech is slow or rapid, according to temperament and habit. When these peculiarities interfere with true expression, when they override the influence of the thought and spirit of what is read, they are to be treated as mannerisms. In general, such cases are most effectively handled, not by insisting that speech should be slower or more rapid, but by directing the attention of the student to the significance of the words spoken, by awakening his interest in the thought and his imagination to a vivid real- ization of the scene pictured or action described, and by helping him to understand, by reference to his own experi- ence, if possible, the emotional value of what he is reading. Furthermore, he should be impressed with the fact that he ireads or speaks for the purpose of conveying ideas, pictures, and feelings to others. The student will be helped in this if he is permitted to give in his own words the content of what is being read, and to describe the scene, the mood of the writer, the condition of mind and the state of feelings 326 ORAL BEADING of characters who speak, or who are described, or who have a place in the poem or story. Literature, of whatever form it may be, should be thought of and presented as a record of the thought and experience of living men, and not as a mere conventional arrangement of words. Chapter VIII Vocal Quality In the chapter on " Vocal Quality " a brief consideration of abnormal qualities of tone has been offered rather for the purpose of explaining peculiar action and use of the voice than to encourage students in an extended practice of impure qualities as such. The student's first effort should be given to the acquisition of a free, natural use of the vocal instrument. Whenever, in the oral rendering of liter- ature, it becomes necessary to express such thoughts and emotions as demand extraordinary use of the voice, the student will do well to give his attention to the sense and spirit of the lines rather than to a conscious effort to ac- quire a peculiar style of utterance. This suggestion applies with equal force to the study of all phases of reading aloud. The reader is not an actor. It is the reader's duty to sug- gest rather than portray character. If the voice is obedient, extreme and abnormal emotions, when they are understood and felt, will be intimated in tone quality and that is all that should be attempted. The harshness of Shylock's char- acter will make itself evident in the voice. The demands made upon the actor, however, are more severe. He must be and live the character before the audience. For him the command of all abnormal qualities of voice is necessary. If, for example, he enact Adam, in As You Like It, he must assume a voice suited to that aged character, a voice thin, tremulous, weak. In the portrayal of such eccentric SUGGESTIONS REGARDING CHAPTERS 327 individuals as the Gobbos of the Merchant of Venice, he may seek humorous effects in a voice which breaks from an ordinary key and pitch into high falsetto and piping tones. The reader may give a hint of these peculiarities, but no more than that. The acquisition of a voice suited to the realistic portrayal of eccentric characters, or to the occa- sional intense and abnormal emotions of normal men, such as Macbeth and Brutus, is partly a matter of imitation and experiment and partly of sympathetic adaptation to the attitude of mind and mood of the individual under certain conditions. One who has witnessed a good actor in the scene where the ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus in his tent at night will readily understand this. The sympathetic reader may suggest the surprise, bewilderment, and alarm of Brutus; the actor must do more. He must give full utterance and action to these emotions. For the time he must live Brutus. Since this phase of expression is con- cerned more with the art of the actor than with that of the reader, it has not been deemed desirable to devote more space than has already been given in the text to a discus- sion of abnormal qualities of voice. Chapter IX The Music of Speech The difficulty of teaching the melody of speech is obvi- ous. Indeed, strictly speaking, it cannot be taught. Only as taste, appreciation, and musical sense are educated, wiU musical qualities appear in speech. The teacher may do much toward educating spiritual responsiveness and train- ing the inner ear in the natural melody of speech by sym- pathetic vocal rendering of musical verse and prose. The need of such education is as great as are the difficulties it presents. 328 ORAL READING Chaptee X Technical Principles of Speech That so little attention is paid to the use of the voice, in either our homes or our schools, is a deplorable deficiency in our education. Our children may speak in piping, shrill, rasping tones, and may go on speaking that way until they reach maturity, and little is said or done about it. A lar mentable feature is that there appears to be little likelihood of improvement with the next generation. The young are inheritors of our vocal delinquencies. They learn to pitch and manage their voices largely by imitating their elders and their associates, and we are passing on to them, not only our bad habits, but also our indifference to the value and charm of well modulated speech. Were our children to hear better voices in home and school, the next genera- tion would not incur the censure of cultured people of other nations who value excellent speech more than we do. Though it may not be possible, under existing condi- tions in our schools, to carry out any very extended pro- gram of voice work, something at least should be done in connection with reading lessons, and possibly with certain classes in English, to help the student to a better knowl- edge of the use of his own voice, and to render him more sensitive to the difference between well-used and badly-used voices. Chaptee XI Training the Voice Whenever practicable, a few minutes should be devoted to vocal and breathing exercises throughout the course, pre- ferably at the beginning of the recitation period. If five or ten minutes are spent on vocal drill in alternate class hours, SUGGESTIONS REGAKDING CHAPTERS 329 the interest may be sustained better than when the drills are insisted on at every recitation. The various breathing exercises and vocal drills should be reviewed at frequent intervals. Good use of voice does not depend on a great number of exercises but on a few thoroughly mastered and persistently practiced. The teacher should take the exercises with the students and should have them so well in mind that no reference to the text is necessary. Chapter XII Enunciation and Pronunciation Even though the classroom may afford but a limited op- portunity for vocal training, this objection does not hold against practice for the attainment of clear and pleasing euimciation. Every recitation and reading lesson offers occasion for some kind of discipline in careful speech. In- stead of the familiar admonition, " Speak a little louder, please," the student, whose speech is faulty and indistinct, should have the difficulty and the remedy pointed out to him. If vowels or consonants are inaccurately formed, the aid of a teacher is more valuable than printed directions. Showing the student how the organs of speech are placed for making certain sounds, like I or r, when this instruction is coupled with practice in making the sounds, is usually productive of good results. Habits of correct and distinct speech are acquired only by persistent effort. , III. PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS In offering the foUowing program the author does not as- sume that it is adapted to all circumstances and conditions. Perhaps few teachers will find strict adherence to the plan here outlined practicable. The time devoted to the subject, the size and character of the class, the teacher's own views and purposes, are all factors in determining the method of conducting the work and the nature and the length of assignments. The program has been prepared in the hope that it may afford suggestions and help the teacher in plan- ning the work of a class in oral reading meeting twice a week throughout the year. Possibly the program will prove valuable chiefly in showing that lessons in expressive reading and speech may be assigned with as much definiteness as in any other sub- ject and that the Handbook contains plenty of material for a full year's course. Some assignments may prove to be too long for certain classes. If the assignment is concerned with problems in reading and involves too much work, time may be saved and better preparation insured by apportioning certain problems to different members or sections of the class. Whenever the program does not seem to be suited to a par- ticular case or class, the teacher should foUow the needs and best interest of the students, not the program. Occasional papers in which problems and selections are analyzed, paraphrased, or criticized, and certain principles and chapters are discussed, may be found worth while. Such assignments have been sparingly made in the pro- PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 331 gram, since the need of them and their character and fre- quency, wlU depend largely on the conditions under which the work is carried on. No mention of conferences has been made for the reason that provision for them is wholly optional with the teacher. But whenever possible, personal conferences with students should be arranged for as frequently as conditions and time permit. Such conferences should be devoted principally to breathing and voice, especially in the early part of the course, and to such problems and exercises in reading aloud as, in the judgment of the teacher, are suited to the needs of the individual and will best serve to strengthen him at his weak points and help him to overcome faults and man- nerisms. Breathing and vocal exercises should also form a part of the class work whenever practicable. Assignments, cover- ing Part III of the Handbook, have been included in the program. Five or ten minutes should be given to vocal ex- ercises in concert, preferably at the beginning of the reci- tation period of alternate meetings. Principles involved in the assignment of problems in the program are referred to by sections. Introduction 1. Recitation: The instrnctor explains briefly the nature and purpose of the work. An interesting narrative, not too difficult for sight reading, may be provided for reading aloud, each student being called on to read twenty lines or more at sight. Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow (pp. 23- 29) afEords good material for such exercise. If preferred, the instructor may occupy the hour in reading to the class. Assignment: Study the Introduction (pp. 1-11) and write a brief synopsis of it to be handed in at the next meeting. Prepare one or two minute talks on some topic relating to oral expression suggested by the Introduction. 333 ORAL READING 2. Beoitation: Brief talks on Introdaction, followed by general discussion. Continue sight reading. Assignment : Twenty-five or thirty lines, selected by the student from a favorite story, to be read aloud before the class, the reading to be preceded by a brief account of the author, the story, and such explanation as may be necessary to make the reading clear and interesting. See sections 2, 3 (PP.1&-17). 3. Recitation : Readings with introductory comments. Stu- dents should stand before the class for this work. Assignment: Study Chapter I (pp. 15-23) and be pre- pared to discuss in brief talks any of the sections of the chapter. Bring sentences illustrating change in meaning brought about by change in the manner of speaking sen- tences (section i, pp. 15-16). Also bring sentences showing how the intended meaning may be perverted by wrong utter- ance (section 4, pp. 18-21). Chapter I 4. Meditation : Brief talks on Chapter I, and general discus- sion. Read sentences Ulustrating effect of utterance on their meaning. Assignment: Certain members of class to prepare short talks on topics relating to life and work of Irving: e.g. (1) an account of his life ; (S) the time in which he lived ; (3) his interests ; (4) his publications ; (5) a personal de- scription of him. Members to whom no topics are assigned prepare orally the adaptation of the Legend of Sleepy Hol- low (pp. 23-29) for class reading. 6. Recitation : Talks on Irving. Reading from the Legend. In the reading the student may assume that the story is his own and that he is telling it to a group of friends. Assignment : Review sections 3, 4, 5, 6 (pp. 17-23) and apply the suggestions to the further oral study of the Legend. (Preparation should be so thorough as to enable the stu- dents to read the lines with conversational naturalness and directness and with eyes frequently lifted from the book.) Study Chapter X, sections 42, 43 (pp. 281-85) and write a brief summary of it to hand in. PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 333 6. Becitation : Ten-minute discussion of Chapter X, section 42, 43. Finish reading the Legend. Impromptu discussion of the story for elements of interest, style, humor, imagery, characters. Assignment: Study Chapter II (pp. 30-37). Practice aloud all illustrations and be prepared to explain the phases of the subject they illustrate. Study Chapter XI, sections 46, 47, I, (pp. 289-92). Practice at home breathing ezer* cises 1, 2, 3 (pp. 292-93). Chapter II 7. Recitation: Five minutes for breathing exercises 6, a, b (p. 293). Discussion of Chapter II followed by reading of ilcastrations. Assignment : Bring passages from prose or poetry illus- trating lack of correspondence between punctuation and grouping. These should be written out to hand in. Prepare problems 1-16 (pp. 37-40), guarding against the danger of being misled by punctuation marks or the lack of them. ^Section 8, 2, 3, pp. 33-37.) S. Becitation: Five minutes for breathing exercise 4 (p. 293). Reading of passages illustrating lack of coincidence of punctuation and pauses for thought, followed by reading and discussion of problems 1-16. Assignment : Prepare problems 17-21 with special atten- tion to change of pitch between ideas and images (section 7, 2, p. 31). Memorize problems 19 and 20. 9. Becitation : Five minutes for deep breathing exercises, 5, (pp. 293-94). Reading and discussion of problems 17- 21, with particular emphasis on change of pitch and conver- sational variety. Assignment: Prepare problems 22-25. Give attention to smoothness of utterance of words within groups (section 7, 3, pp. 32-33) and to regular, easy taking of breath at pauses. (Section 8, i, pp. 33-34.) 10. Becitation : Five minutes for general breathing exercises. Reading and discussion of problems 22-25, with particular attention to coordination of thinking and breathing. Assignment : Prepare problems 26-27 for clear, spirited 334 ORAL READING utterance of the thought. Memorize The Fool's Prayer (problem 26) . 11. Eecitation : Read problems 26-27 with little or no ref- erence to principles of grouping mentioned in text but with entire attention given to expression of the thought of the selections. Assignment: Study Chapter III (pp. 51-61). Practice aloud all examples until the principle they illustrate is re- vealed in the reading. Be prepared to explain the different sections of the chapter. Chapter III 12. Recitation : Five minutes for deep breathing exercises. Recitation on Chapter III with reading of illustrations given in text. Assignment : Prepare orally problems 1-13. Students to bring in sentences of their own choosing, to illustrate rela- tive word values. (Section ii, pp. 53-55.) These may be written out to be handed in, with change of pitch and inflec- tion indicated as in text. Study vocal exercises 6, 7, 8, (pp. 294-95). 13. Recitation: Ten minutes for vocal exercises (6, 7, 8). Reading and discussion of problems 1—13, followed by read- ing of illustrations selected by students. Assignment : Prepare orally problems 14-24. Bring sentences, written out, to illustrate phrase and clause rela- tions (section 12, pp. 55-57). Study vocal exercises 9, 10 (p. 295). 14. Recitation : Ten minutes for deep breathing and exercises 9, 10. Reading and discussion of problems 14-24, followed by reading of illustrations selected by students. Assignment : Prepare orally problems 25-34. Bring sen- tences, written out to hand in, illustrating subordination ; also examples of clauses interrupted by subordinate or ex- planatory phrases (section 13, pp. 57-69). Practice vocal exercise 11 (p. 295). 15. Recitation: Five to ten minutes for vocal exercise 11. Reading of problems 25-34 with discussion, followed by illustrations selected by students. PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 335 Assiffnmenf : Prepare orally problems 35-42. Bring in sentences illustrating contrast and comparison. (Section 14, pp. 59-60.) 16. Recitation : Five to ten minutes in review of vocal exer- cises for ease of the throat (pp. 294-95). Reading of prob- lems 35-42 and of illustrations selected by students. Assignment : Prepare orally the adaptation of The Man Without a Country (problem 43,) for general class reading. Read paragraph on clearness of tone and practice vocal exercises 12 and 13 (pp. 295-96). 17. Reoitwtion : Five to ten minutes for deep breathing and vocal exercises 12 and 13. Reading of The Man Without a Country. This to be read, not as an example of any prin- ciple explained in the chapter, but with attention wholly to the thought. Assignment: Study Chapter IV (pp. 83-88). Practice the illustrations and be prepared to explain the principles they illustrate. Prepare outline of five-minute talks on subjects of local or current public interest, — these to be handed in at the next meeting. Chapter IV 18. Recitation : Discussion of Chapter IV, with reading of illustrations given in text. Speech outlines to be returned with criticisms on subject-matter and organization. Assignm,ent : Speech outlines to be revised if necessary, and speeches to be prepared for next meeting. 19. Recitation : Five-minute talks without notes, particular attention being given to pitch variation and conversational directness. Assignment : Write a paper on the relation of conversa- tion and reading aloud. 20. Recitation : Five-minute talks continued. Assignment: Prepare problems 1—20 with special atten- tion to the clear expression of meaning by well centered emphasis. First, read the problems aloud and note how ideas are made clear by inflection and change of pitch ; read them again and observe prolongation of emphatic vowels ; read them once more for examples of emphasis by pause. 336 ORAL READING Bring sentences, written out, illustrating empliasis by pause (section 17, i, p. 84). Practice vocal exercises 14, 15, 16 (pp. 296-97). 21. Ten minutes for vocal exercises 14, 15, 16. Reading and discussion of problems 1-20. Bead also sentences cbosen by students to illustrate emphatic pause. Assignmervt : Prepare problems 21—27 as in previous as- signment. 22. Seoitation : Ten minutes for all vocal exercises for clear- ness of tone (pp. 296-97). Reading and discussion of prob- lems 21-27. Assignment : Prepare The Gift of the Magi (problem 28) for general class reading. 23. Beeitation : Ten minutes for general vocal exercises. Reading of The Gift of the Magi for naturalness and en- joyment and with no reference to technical problems in- volved. Assigrument : Review Chapters I-IV and prepare a paper on the influence of thought on utterance. Prepare to relate in your own words an incident regarding an inappropriate Christmas gift. 24. Recitation : Talks on Christmas gifts. Assignment : Study Chapter V, and be prepared to speak briefly on any section of it. Bring ten or fifteen lines from some stirring poem, story, or oration, and a few lines from some matter-of-fact exposition, to read to the class. Explain differences in the style of reading the two selections. Chapter V 25. Recitation : Brief talks on Chapter V followed by gen- eral discussion and the reading of selections made by stu- dents to illustrate emotional and unemotional utterance. Assignment : Select and prepare orally some short, strong poem, or stirring portion of an oration or story, for class reading. Study paragraph on resonance and fullness of tone (pp. 297-98) and try vocal exercises 17-18. 26. Recitation : Discussion of resonance and practice of vocal exercises 18. Reading of spirited selections. Assignment : Prepare orally the Legend of Sleepy Hollow PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 337 (pp. 116-23). Write a paper showing the difference in spirit between this part of the story and that given in Chapter I, and explain any difference in the reading of the two parts. 27. Recitation : Exercises in deep breathing; repeat 18. Read- ing of the Legend for vividness, atmosphere, and mood. Assignment : Prepare to recount some narrow escape or some exciting or amusing personal experience. Study and practice vocal exercises 19-20 (pp. 298-99). 28. Recitation : Vocal exercises 19-20. Short talks on per- sonal experiences. Assignment : Study Chapter VT and prepare the exam- ples so that the reading of them illustrates the principles they represent Chapter FI 29. Recitation: Discussion of Chapter VI and reading of illustrative selections. Assignment : Study problems 1-6 and be ready to explain why the tone varies in intensity in reading the different se- lections. (Section 28, pp. 124-29.) Begin memorizing prob- lems 2, 3, 7, 9. Practice vocal exercises 21-22 (p. 299). 30. Recitation: Vocal exercises 21-22. Reading aloud and discussion of problems 1-6, for vocal energy and intensity without undue loudness. Assignment: Study problems 7-9. Finish memorizing 2, 3, 7, 9. 31. Recitation: Reading of problem 8 and recitation of mem- orized selections for intensity and impressiveness of utter- ance. Assignment: Study problems 10-12 (section 28, i, b, p. 127). Memorize problem 10. 32. Recitation: Review exercises for resonance (pp. 298-99). Beading of problems 10—12 for quiet, resonant and feeling utterance. Assignmmi: Study problem 13 for conversational ex- pression. (Section 28, i, e, pp. 127-28.) Prepare a short talk telling how some machine is made, or some particular kind of work is done. Study paragraph on range and flexibility and practice exercise 23 (pp. 299-300). 338 OKAL READING 33. Reoitation : Discussion of flexibility of voice, and testing of sensitiveness of ear to pitch changes. Beading of problem 13 for conversational naturalness and energy, followed by short expository talks. Assignment: Study problems 14-19 (section 28, i, d, p. 128). Begin memorizing 19. Practice vocal exercises 24-25 (pp. 300-01). Spend ten minutes on them. 34. Recitation: Vocal exercises 24r-25. Finish short talks and read problems 14^19. Write out 19 from memory. Assignment : Study problems 20-24 (section 28, 3, a, b, pp. 131-33). Memorize problem 20. Tiy vocal exercises 26-27 (p. 301). 35. Recitation : Vocal exercises 26-27. Beading of problems 20-24. Write out 20 from memory. Assignment : Study problems 25-26 (section 28, 3, c, pp. 133-34). Underline words in which the stress is par- ticularly marked. Bring illustrations, chosen outside the text, and written out, of median and final stress. Underline words on which the stress is most noticeable. 36. Reoitation : Reading of problems 25-26, and of exam- ples of median and final stress brought in by students. Assignment : Study selection from The Christmas Carol (problem 27). Begin memorizing At the End of the Day (problem 28) . Practice vocal exercise 28. (See problem 13, p. 63.) 37. Recitation: Practice vocal exercise 28 (problem 13, p. 63). Reading of selection from The Christmas Carol for enjoyment and spontaneous expression with little or no ref- erence to any technical matters involved. Assignment: Continue study of selection from The Christmas Carol and finish memorizing At the End of the 38. Recitation: Review vocal exercises for flexibility (pp. 300-01). Finish reading problem 27. Class write At the End of the Day from memory, after which several members may recite the poem to the class. Assignment: Study Chapter VII to section 33 (pp. 161-71). Prepare orally all examples so that the point of the section they stand under will be illustrated in the reading. PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 339 Chapter VII 39. Recitation : Discussion of portion of Chapter VII as- signed and reading of examples. Assignment : Finish Chapter VII, prepare the examples given in the text, and hring written illustrations, chosen out- side the text, of fast, medium, and slow time. 40. Recitation: Practice in concert the first two stanzas of The Rising (p. 302) for rhythmic breathing, purity, reso- nance, and fullness of tone. Continue discussion of Chap- ter VII. Reading of examples in text and of illustrations brought by students. Assignment: Study problems 1—4 (section 31, i, p. 162.) Prepare a short paper explaining the difference be- tween rhythmic beat and emphasis, in reading prose and poetry. 41. Recitation : Reading of problems 1-4. Assignment: Study problems 5-14 (section 32, pp. 163— 69). Bring illustrations, written out to hand in, of regular and irregular verse. Memorize problems 10, 12, 13, 14. 42. Recitation: Practice in concert stanzas three and four of The Rising (p. 302) for pure tone and quiet, resonant utterance. Reading of problems 5-14. Assignment: Prepare problems 15-21 (section 32, 2, pp. 169-71). Bring in illustrations, written out, of "run on " lines, and explain briefly in the same paper how the reading of " run on " lines differs from that of " end stopt," or regular, lines. 43. Recitation : Reading of problems 15-21. Recitation by certain members of the class of problems 10, 12, 13, 14. Assignment : Prepare problems 22-26 (section 33, i, p. 173). Memorize the Recessional (problem 26). 44. Recitation : Practice in concert stanzas five and six of The Rising, (p. 303) for sustained tone, variety in pitch, and time. Reading of problems 22-26. Continue recitation of problems 10, 12, 13, 14. Assignment: Study problems 27-36 (section 33, 2, 3, pp. 174-75). 45. Recitation : Reading of problems 27-36. Write out the 340 ORAL READING Recessional from memory; follow with recitation of the poem by certain members of the class. , Assignment: Study The Pied Piper of Hamelin (prob- lem 37). 46. Recitation : Reading of The Pied Piper of Hamelin for enjoyment and spirited utterance of the poem and with little or no discussion of rhythm or of technical problems in- volved. Assignment: Each student to prepare a short talk on some legend, such, for example, as The Pied Piper is bas$d upon. 47. Recitation : Finish reading The Pied Piper and begin talks on legends. Assignment : Review orally all memorized problems in Chapter VII. 48. Recitation : Finish talks on legends. Recitation of mem- orized problems of chapter. Assignment: Study Chapter VIII. Prepare all exam- ples and be ready to explain the principles they illustrate. Chapter Fill 49. Recitation : Practice in concert stanzas seven and eight of The Rising for breath control, energy, rhythm, and vocal quality. Discussion of Chapter VIII with reading of exam- ples. The recitation may take the form of short extempora- neous talks on the various sections and topics of the chapter. Assignment: Prepare problems 1-5 (sections 38, i, 1, 2, pp. 206-09). Begin memorizing Colurnbus (problem 6). 50. Recitation : Practice in concert the last three stanzas of The Rising. Reading of problems 1-5. Assignment: Prepare problems 7-9 (section 38, 1, 3, pp. 209-10). Finish memorizing Cplumlms. 51. Recitation : Reading of problems 7-9. Columbus written out from memory. Several members of class called to recite the poem. Assignment: Prepare problems 10-13 (section 38, i, 4, p. 210). Study sections 44, 45 (pp. 285-88) and 48 (p. 305). 52. Recitation : Discussion of sections 44, 45, 48. Beading of problems 10-13. PROGRAM OF RECITATIONS 341 Assignment: Prepare problems 14-16 (section 38, 2, pp. 211-13). Students not familiar with Macbeth should read the play in preparation for the scenes from it. Practice pro- nouncing the words listed under section 48, I. 53. Recitation : Practice, in concert, the words listed under 48, I. Reading of problems 14-16. Parts may be assigned for problems 15 and 16. Assignment : Prepare the scene from The Rivals (prob- lem 17). Several members of the class may prepare five- minute talks on subjects relating to Sheridan, e.g. (1) a brief account of his life; (2) his plays; (3) his other activities; (4) characters in The Rivals. 54. Recitation: Short talks on Sheridan and his work. Reading of scene from The Rivals. Parts may be assigned, if practicable, and the scene enacted several times by differ- ent members of the class. Assignment: Study Chapter IX, prepare examples so that the principles they illustrate will be evident in the read- ing. Bring list of words, written out to hand in, offering some difficulty and requiring care in enunciation. Chapter IX 55. Recitation: Discussion of lists of words submitted as exercises in enunciation. Recitation on Chapter IX with reading of examples and discussion of them in relation to the principles they illustrate. Assignment: Prepare problems 1-3 (section 40, 2, 3, pp. 241—48). "Write a synopsis of some poem and be pre- pared to read the synopsis and the poem to illustrate the difference between unemotional and emotional speech. 56. Recitation : Reading of problems 1-3 and illustrations brought by members of the class. Assignment : Prepare problems 4-6 (section 40, 1, 0, p. 239). Bring prose selection of about ten lines as an exercise in enunciation, giving particular attention to section 48, 2, p. 308.) 57. Recitation : Exercises in action of tongue and Kps, with reading of lines brought by individual students as exercises in enunciation. Reading of problems 4-6. Parts for scene 342 ORAL READING from Henry IV (problem 6) may be assigned. If practica- ble the scene may be repeated by different members of the class. Assignment: Study problems 7-11. Memorize lines from Thti Merchant of Venice (problem 10). Read section 48, 3, and bring list of words commonly mispronounced with incorrect and correct pronunciation indicated. 58. Recitation : Read, in concert, the lines from The Passing of Arthur (pp. 310-11). Reading of problems 7-11. Prob- lem 10 to be written out in class from memory. Several members called on to recite the lines to the class. Assignment: Prepare problems 12-13. Memorize The Burial of Moses (problem 13). 59. Recitation : Discussion of lists of words commonly mis- pronounced. Reading of problems 12-13, with special attention to grandeur of imagery and the expression of it in tone and time. Members of class called on to recite from memory different stanzas of The Burial of Moses. Assignment: Prepare problems 14^16 (section 40, 2, pp. 241-44). Bring, written out to hand in, a list of words heard mispronounced within the last twenty-four hours. 60. Recitation : Reading of problems 14-16. Assignment : Prepare problems 17-19 (section 40, 3, pp. 244-48). Memorize For A' That (problem 19). 61. Recitation : Read in concert the lines from Hamlet (p. 311) for distinctness and correctness. Reading of problems 17-19, with particular attention to sustained tone and firm, dignified, inflectional emphasis. Members of class called on to recite from memory different stanzas of For A' That. Assignment : Prepare The Legend Beautiful (problem 20). 62. Enunciation : Review of essential principles of good tone and clear speech. Reading of The Legend Beautiful. Assignment : Prepare for recitation before class some selection memorized during the course. 63. Recitation : Recitation of memorized selections. Assignment : Review of text. 64. Recitation : Examination. INDEX INDEX A' That and A' That, For. 274-75. Abou Ben Adhem, 41-42. Addison, Joseph, Hymn, 138-39. Address at His Brother's Funeral (Ingersoll), 188. Address on Abraham Lincoln, 39. Affectation, cause of, in elocution, 7; ineffectiveness of, 107-08. Alexander, Mrs. C. F., The Burial of Moses, 264-66. American Flag, The, 135. Analysis, illustrations of, for clear- ness, 19-20; importance of, 20-21. Antithesis, how expressed, 59. Antony and Cleopatra, 68. Arnold, Edwin, The Swallows, 194. Arnold, George, The Jolly Old Peda- gogue, 224-26. Arnold, Matthew, Sweetness and Light, 189. Assignments, program of, 330-42. As You Like It, 94; 224-25. At the End of the Day, 159-60. Attention, necessity of, in reading, 21; and force, 106. Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, The, 62; 96-96; 207-08; 283-84. Baedeker, Switzerland, 252; 254. Bailey, Philip James, Festus, 31. Ballad of the Revenge, The, 243. Bards of the Bible, 216-17. Becket, 71. Beecher, Hem-y Ward, Address on Abraham Idnooln. 39; Raising the Flag Over Fort Sumter, 70. Benson, Arthur C, From a College Window, 240. Bible, I Corinthians, 91; Ecclesiastes, 153-54; Genesis, 133; // Peter, 84; Proverbs, 62; Psalms, 141. Blaine, James G., Funeral Oration on OarfiM, 236. BosweU, James, lAfe of Samuel Johnson, 88. Breath, management of, 291-92; exercises for control of, 292-94. Breathes there the man, 182. Breathing, and grouping, 33-34. Bridges, Robert, Washington, 45. Browne, Thomas, Religio Medici, 260. Browning, Robert, How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix, 131; Cavalier Tunes, 149; Rabbi Ben Ezra, 180; Pippa Passes, 193-94; The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 196-202; Saul, 210- 11. Bryant, William CuUen, Thanatop- sis, 38; The Gladness of Nature, 128. Building of the Ship, The, 179-80. Bunyan, John, Pilgrim's Progress, The, 177-79. Burial of Moses, The, 264-66. Burial of Sir John Moore, The, 187. Burns, Robert, For A' Thai and A' That, 274-75. Byron, George Gordon, Childe Har- old's Pilgrimage, 19; 68; 70; 89; 93; Manfred, 85; The Prisoner of Chilian, 187; Darkness, 210; Son- net on Chilton, 252-53. < Cadence, minor, to be avoided, 250- 51. Call of the Twentieth Century, The, 214. Carlyle, Thomas, Sartor Resartus, 43; Essay on Biography, 91; Rous- seau, 94-95. Carruth, William Herbert, Each in His Own Tongue, 192-93. Catiline, 94. Cavalier Tunes, 149. Change of pitch, and grouping, 31- 32; definition of, 52; as a means of emphasis, 54; in relation to inflec- tion, 54. 346 INDEX Character, revealed in speech, 7-8; 288. Charge of the Heavy Brigade, The, 165. Chatham, Earl of. Speech on Ameri- can Affairs, 64; 91. Childe Ha/rold'a Pilgrimage, 19; 68; 70; 89; 93. Chilian, Sonnet on, 252-53. Choate, Joseph H., Lincoln as a Lawyer and Orator, 67. Christmas Carol, A, 84; 86; 157-69; 221-23; 255-57. Clauses, relation of, how shown, 66. Clearness in speech, result of think- ing, 15; 17. Clough, Arthur Hugh, Colwmius, 194. Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Hymn to Mont Blanc, 209; 254-65. Columbus (Clough), 194. Colwmims (Miller), 217-18. Coming of Arthur, The (song from), 151. Community of Humorists, A, 128. Completeness of thought, how shown, 52; 56. Condvjit, 184. Consonants, effect of, on melody of speech, 62; how formed, 308; clear enunciation of, 308; exercises in enunciation of, 309. Constitution and the Union, The, 66- 66. Contrast and Comparison, 59. Control, strength in self , 107-08. ' Conversation, principles of reading and speech derived from, 9-10; the basis of naturalness in reading, 22; vocal characteristics of, illus- trated, 22; prevalent faults in, 127; qualities of voice in. 207-08. Corinthians, 91. Criticism, 320. Crossing the Bar, 251. Crothers, Samuel McChord, A Com- munity of Humorists, 128. Curtis, George William, The Leader- ship of Educated Men, 176-77. Dante, Alighieri, The Inferno, 36. Darkness, 210. Daybreak, 196. Dialect in Literature, 40. Diaphragm, action of, in speech, 291 -92. Dickens, Charles, quotation from, 38; A Christmas Carol, 84; 86; 157-69; 221-«3; 266-57; Dombey andSm, 162; OUver Twist, 226- 28; The Pickwich Papers, 40-41; The Uncommercial Traveler, 93. Dickens in Camp, 36. Dissertation on Roast Pig, 68. Dombey and Son, 162. Dowden, Edward, quotation from New Studies in Literatwe, 5-8. Downfall and Refuge of Ancient Civ- ilization, 66. Drake, Joseph Rodman, The Ameri- can Flag, 136. Drifting, 269-71. Dnimmond, Henry, A Talk on Books, 63. Each in His Own Tongue, 192-93. Eeclesiastes, 163-64. Elegy in a Country Churchyard, 90; 187. Eliot, Charles William, Uses of Edu- cation for BuMnesa, 72. Eliot, George, Silas Mamer, 35. Elocution, affectation in, 7; preju- dice against, 108. Eloquence, relation of, to jjoetry, 113-14. Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Nature, 42; Woodnotes, 66. Emotion, relation of thought to, 6- 7; in literature, 106; the source of impressive speech, 106; assumed, 107; hesitancy to express, 110-11; honest expression of, commands respect, 111; expressed in rhythm, 161 ; response to, in reading poetry, 164; influence of, on inflection, 244-48; response to, 318. Emphasis, by inflection, 53; by change of pitch> 54; cause and me- thods of, 8S; pause as a means of, 84; vocal force as a means of, 86- 86; prolongation of vowels as a means of, 86; faults in, and value of study of, 87-88; problems in. INDEX 347 89-101; metrical accent in relation to, 164-69. Energy, note on vocal, 324-85. Enoch Arden, 68. Enunciation, distinctness depends on dear, 285; 287; indistinctness due to careless, 305-06; exercises in, 309-11; general ez&rcdses in, 310-11; note on, 329. Essay on Biography, 91. Eternal Goodness, The, 127. Eulogy on Lafayette, 134-35. Evangeline, 89; 272-73. Everett, Edward, Eulogy on Lafay- ette, 134-35. Exercises, purpose and use of, 10-11. Experience, reader must understand author's, 105. Expression, mental and emotional causes of faulty, 10; individuality in, 108-09. Falcon, The, 92. Feeling, qualities of voice in strong and elevated, 208-09; in somber, 209-10; in genial, 210-11. Festus, 31. Finis, 91. Fitzgerald, Edward, Rubdiydt of Omar Khayydm, 89. Flower in the crannied wall, 182. Fool's Prayer, The, 46-^8. Force, vocal, as a means of emphasis, 85; depends on speaker's emotion- al attitude, 106; and attention of the audience, 106. From a College Window, 240. Funeral Oration on Garfield, 286. Future of the South, The, 63. Gareth and Lynetle, 39. Genesis, 133. Gift of the Magi, The, 96-101. Gilfillan, George, Bards of the Bible, 216-17. Gladness of Nature, The, 128. Croethe, Johann Wolfgang von, quo- tations from, 15; 89. Grady, Henry W., The New South, 65; 162. Gray, Thomas, Elegy in a Country Churchyard, 90; 187. Grouping, the basis of, 30; and pause, 30; and change of pitch, 31-32; and interrupted utterance, 32-33; causes of faulty, 33-34; and breathing, 33-34; aind punc- tuation of, 34-35; examples of faulty, 35-36; emphasis of details in, 36-37; problems in, 37-50; note on, 321. Hale, Edward Everett, The Man Without a Country, 73-82. Hamkt, 35; 62; 90; 151-^2. Harte, Bret, Frontier Stories, 18; Dickens in Camp, 36; 297. Henry, O., The Gift of the Magi, 96- 101. Holmes, Oliver Wendell, The Aula- crat of the Breakfast'TaMe, 62; 95-96; 207-08; 283-84; The One- Eoss Shay, 180-81. Hood, Thomas, The Bridge of Sighs, 241-42. House and the Road, The, 91. Hovey, Richard, At the End erf the Day, 159-60; The Taliesin, 297. How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix, 131. Howitt, William, The Wind in a Frolic, 148-19. Hunt, Leigh, Abou Ben Adhem, 41- 42. Hunting Song, 36. Huxley, Thomas, A Liberal Educor tion, 45-46; On a Piece of Chalk, 146-47. Bymn (Addison), 138-89. Hymn on the Morning of Christ's Na- tivity, 39. Hymn to Mont Blanc, 209; 254-55. Imitation, effective speech not ac- quired by, 8; 9; power not gained by, 110. tmpressivenesa, and emotion, 105- 133. In Memmiam, 86; 224; 240-41. In the Wilderness, 37. Incomplete thought, how shown, 52; 56; types of, 56-57. Inferno, The, 86. Ii]^ection, definition of, 52; and 348 INDEX change of pitch, 62-64; as a means of emphasis, 63; in musical verse, 242-43; effect of emotion on, 236; 244-48. Ingersoll, Robert G., Address at His Brother's Funeral, 188; A Vision of War, 242. Intensity, principles of, in speech, 125-29. Interest, depends on knowledge, 7. Intonation, a fault in melody, 249- 50. Irving, Washington, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 23-29; 116-23; Stratfordnm^Avon, 30. Jackson, Helen Hunt, Spinning, 144-46. James, William, Talks to Teachers, 66-67. Jerome, Jerome K., Three Men in a Boat, 190-92; 262-63. Johnson, Samuel, sentence from, 89. Jolly Old Pedagogue, The, 226-26. Jonson, Ben, Catiline, 94. Jordan, David Starr, The Call of the Twentieth Century, 214; Men Told Me, Lord, 271-72. Julius Ccesar, 41; 63-64; 69; 90; 182; 238. Jumblier, The, 196. Keats, John, On first looking into Chapman's Homer, 45. Bey, defined, 236; effect of thought "and emotion on, 237; 238-41; effect of temperament and con- stitution on, 237; influence of size of room on, 238. King Henry the Eighth, 20; 72; 139- 41. King Henry the Fifth, 38; 72-73; 239. King Henry the FouHh, 61; 72; 257- 59. King Richard the Second, 39; 69; 70; 220-21. King Richard the Third, 150-51. King Robert of Sicily, 84. Kipling, Rudyard, Recessional, 188- 89. Knowles, James Sheridan, William Tell, 267. Lady of the Lake, The, 164. Lalla Rookh, 39. Lamb, Charles, Dissertation on Roast Pig, 68. LandoT, Walter Savage, Finis, 91. Lanier, Sidney, The Marshes of Glynn, 267-69. Lantern-Bearers, The, 48-50. Last Fight of the Revenge, The, 243. Laus Deo, 136-37. Leadership of Educated Men, The, 176-77. Lear, Edward, The Jumblies, 195-96. Left Out on Lone Star Mountain, 19. Legend Beautiful, The, 275-78. Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The, 23- 29; 116-23. Liberal Education, A, 45-46. Life (Sill), 246-48. Life, Webster's definition of, 253. lAfe of Samuel Johnson, 38. Lincoln, Abraham, Second Inaugural Address, 56; reference to his Adr dress at Get^sburg, W^. Lincoln as a Lawyer and Orator, 67. Lines, length of, should be observed in poetry, 169-70; "run on," 169. Literary History of(America, A, lines from introduction to, 253. Literature, of power and of knowl- edge, 4; power of, realized through oral reading, 4; defined, 106; sym- pathetic rendering of, improves voice, 206; 213. Long, John D., Memorial Day Adr dress, 40. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, Paul Revere' s Ride, 36; King Robert of Sicily, 84; Evangeline, 89; 272-73; The Building of the Ship, 179-80; Daybreak, 196; The Rainy Day, 206-06; A Psalm of Life, 246; The Legend Beautiful, 276-78. Lost Cause, The, 190. Lost Days, 219. Lotos-Eaters, The, 266-67. Loudness, not evidence of power, 126-26. Lowell, James Russell, The Street, 163; Stanzas on Freedom, 183. Lubbock, Sir John, The Pleasures of Life, 91. INDEX Macbeth, 66; 91; 137-38; 149-50; 212-13; 228-30; 245. Man Without a Cowniry, The, 73-82. Manfred, 185. Mankind, 179. Manner, incidental to matter, 8. Marmion, 155-56; 176. Marmontel, Jean F., quoted, 105. Marshes of Glynn, The, 267-69. Melody, in relation to meaning, 51; influence of emotion on vocal, 236- 37; faults in, 248. Memorial Day Address, 40. Men Told Me, Lord, 271-72. Merchant of Venice, The, 86; 185- 86; 205-06; 211-12; 261-62. Metre, logical emphasis in relation to, 164-69; effect of, on pronunci- ation, 166-67; assistance of, in rendering meaning, 167-69; and rhythm, 173. Midsummer Night's Dream, A, 131. Miller, Joaquin, Mankind, 179; Columbus, 217-18. Milton, John, Hymn on the Morning of Christ's Nativity, 39; Paradise Lost, 62; 69; 90. Monotony, how to overcome fault of, 61. Moore, Thomas, Lalla Bookh, 39. Morley, John, On the Study of Liter- ature, 37. Mountains of California, The, 44- 45. Muir, John, The Mountains of Cali- fornia, 44-45; Our National Parks^ 142-44. Music, elements of, in poetry, 237. Mystery of Life, The, 214. Nature, 42. New South, The, 65; 162. Newman, John Henry, Downfall and Refuge of Arwient Civilization, 65. Night (sonnet), 263-64. Ode (O'Shaughnessy), 261. Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wel- lington, 130. Ode on the Intimations of Immortality, 173. Oliver Tteist, 226-28. On a Piece of Chalk, 146-47. On A^airs in America, 64; 91. On jifst looking into Chapman's Homer, 45. On the Eve of Bunker Hill, 189-90. On the Study of Literature, 37. One-Hoss Shay, The, 180-81. Opportunity, 135. Oral composition, value and limita- tions of, 1-3. Oral reading, place of, in education, 1; value of training in, 4-6; prob- lems involved in, 6-8; principles of, derived from conversation, 9- 10; what it involves, 15; meaning perverted by thoughtless, 15; at sight, 16-17; purpose of, 16; "sing-song," 16; compared with conversation, 22; rate of utterance in, 130. Orations, declamatory style in de- livery of, 114. O'Shaughnessy, Ode, 261. Our National Parks, 142-44. Ozymandias, 183. Paradise Lost, 62; 69; 90. Passing of Arthur, The, 154-56. Paul Revere' s Ride, 36. Pause, for preparation, 16-17; and word groups, 30; length of, 30-31; as a means of emphasis, 84. Peabody, Francis Greenwood, The Rhythm of Life, 131. Peabody, Josephine Preston, The House and the Road, 91. Peter, 84. Peveril of the Peak, 70. Phrases, relation of; how shown, 55. Pickwick Papers, The, 40-41. Pied Piper of Hamelin, The, 196- 202. Pilgrim's Progress, The, 177-79. Pippa Passes, 193-94. Pitch intervals, effect of emotion on, 236; influence of thought and feel- ing on, 241-44; in musical verse, 242-43. Pitch variation, cause of, 51; prob- lems in, 61-82; note on, 221-22. Pleasures of Life, The, 91. 350 INDEX Poe, Edgar Allan, Silence — a Fable, 219-20. Poetry, as a source of power, 113- 14; Wordsworth's definition of, 113; voice training in, 114-15; relation of, to eloquence, 113-14; rhythm in reading, 164; elements of music in, 237. Pollard, Edward Albert, The Lost Cause, 190. Porter, Horace, The Soldier's Creed, 214-15. Preparation, meaning of, 317. Pretense, emotional, 107. Princess, The (song from), 244. Principles, knowledge of, essential in study of expression, 10-11; 318-19. Prisoner of ChiUon, The, 187. Problems, notes on, 317. Pronunciation, importance of cor- rect, 287; standard of, 309-10; suggestions for improving, 309- 10; general exercises in, 310-11; note on, 329. Prose, rhythm of, depends on under- standing of speaker, 162-63. Proverbs, 62. Psalm xxiv, 141. Psalm of Life, A, 245. Public speaking, value and limita- tions of, in class work, 2-3. Punctuation, and grouping, 34-35; in relation to inflection, 55. Quality, definition of vocal, 203 ; what determines vocal, 203; control of vocal, 204-05; of voice improved by rendering literature, 205; kinds of vocal, 206-07; relation of usual tone to "orotund," 208; abnor- mal, 211-12; faults in vocal, 213; problems in vocal, 214-35; note on vocal. 326-27. i Queen of the Air, The, 177. Rabbi Ben Esra, 180. Rainbow, The, 183. Rainy Day, The, 206. Raising the Flag over Fort Sumter, 70. Raleigh, Walter, The Last Fight of the Revenge, 243. Raleigh, Walter, Style, 69-70. Range, exercises for increasing, 300. Rate. See Time. Read, Thomas Buchanan, Drifting, 269-71; The Rising, 302-04. Reading. See Oral Reading. Recessional, 188-89. Recitations, program of, 330-42. Religio Medici, The, 260. Reply to Hayne, 126-27. Repression, sometimes desirable, 107. Resonance, quality of voice deter- mined by, 203-04; in "orotund" tone, 208; what determines, 297- 98; exercises for securing, 298- 99. Rhythm, in speech, 161 ; function of, 161; in prose, 162-63; conforms to sense emphasis in prose, 163; of poetry, 163; to be observed in reading poetry, 164; in relation to time, 172; in relation to metre, 173; problems in, 175-202; note on, 325-26. Rhythm of Life, The, 131. Riley, James Whitcomb, Dialect in Literature, 40; The South Wind and the Sun, 174. Rising, The, 302-04. Rivals, The, 230-35. Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, Lost Days, 219. Rousseau, 94-95. Rubdiydt of Omar Khayydm, 89. Rules, ineffective in expression, 10. Ruskin, John, Work, 90; The Qtieen of the Air, 177; The Mystery of Life, 214. Sartor Resartus, 42-43. Saul, 210-11. Schurz, Carl, The Venezuelan Ques- tion, 71. Scollard, Clinton, On the Eve of Bunker Hill, 189-90. Scott, Walter, Bunting Song, 36; quotation from, 37; Peveril of the Peak, 70; Marmion, 155-56; 176; The Lady of the Lake, 164; Breathes there the man, 182. Seasons, The, 184. INDEX 351 Selections, aim in practice of, 115; use of, for "General Reading," 319. Shakespeare, William, ArUony and Cleopatra, 68; As You Like It, 94; 224-25; Hamlet, 35; 62; 90; 151- 52; Julius Ccesar, 41; 63-64; 69; 90; 182; 238; King Henry the Eighth, 20; 72; 139-41; King Henry the Fifth, 38; 72-73; 239; King Henry the Fourth, 61; 72; 267-59; King Richard the Second, 39; 69; 70; 220-21; King Richard the Third, 150-51; Macbeth, 66; 91; 137-38; 149-60; 212-13; 228- 30; 245; The Merchant of Venice, 86; 185-86; 205-06; 211-12; 261- 62; A Midsummer Night's Dream, 31; 131; Sonnet (64), 38; The Taming of the Shrew, 156-67; The Tempest, 39; Twelfth Night. 90; The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 62. Shelley, Percy Bysshe, Ozymandias, 183. Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, sentence from, 61; Speech at the Trial of Warren Hastings, 152-53; The _ Rivals, 230-36. Sight Reading, preparation for, 16- 17; and simple forms of literature, 18. Silas Marner, 15; 36. Silence — a Fable, 219-20. Sill, Edward Rowland, The Fool's Prayer, 46-48; Opportunity, 135; Life, 246-48. "Sing-song," evidence of thought- lessness, 21; how to correct, 248- 49. Soldier's Creed, The, 214-16. Sonnet (Shakespeare), 38. Sonnet composed upon Westminster Bridge, 141-42. Speaking, extemporaneous and im- promptu, 315-17. Speech, mechanical aspects of, 8; nature of man determines laws of, 9; monotonous and hesitant, 17; music of, 236; problems in music of, 252-77; training physical agents of, 281-83; mastering me- chanical processes of, 281 ; acquired by imitation, 282; overcoming bad habits of, 283; attention and dis- tinct, 286; distinctness of, ac- quired by practice, 287; reveals character, 288; good, tends to perpetuate itself, 288; elements of, 305; notes on impressive, 323-24; note on music of, 327; note on technical principles of, 328. Speech at the Trial of Warren Hast- ings, 152-53. Speech on American Afairs, 64; 91. Spencer, Herbert, quoted, 286. Spinning, 144-45. Stanzas on Freedom, 183. Stephens, Alexander H., The Future of the South, 63. Stevenson, Robert Louis, Mark- heim,3i; The Lantern Bearers, 48- 50; The Truth of Intercourse, 91- 92; quoted, 105. StratfordH)n^Avon, 30. Street, The (sonnet), 163. Stress, explained, 131; kinds of, 132- 34. Study, necessary for reading, 18. Style, reveals character of the indi- vidual, 7-8; incidental to thought, 8. Style, 69-70. Subordination, 67-68. Swallows, The, 194. Sweet, Henry, quoted, 32. Sweetness and Light, 189. Switzerland (Baedeker), 252; 264. Syllables, suppressed, in reading verse, 170-71. Talk on Books, A, 63. Talks to Teachers, 66-67. Taming of the Shrew, The, 166-67. Tempest, The, 39. Tennyson, Alfred, Oareth and Lyn- ette, 39; Enoch Arden, 68; Becket, 71; The Falcon, 92; Ode on the Death of Wellington, 130; song from The Coming of Arthur, 151; The Passing of Arthur, 164-55; The Charge of the Heavy Brigade, 165; Flower in the crannied wall, 182; Ulysses, 215-16; In Me- moriam. ^36; 224; 240-41; The 352 INDEX Ballad of the Revenge, 243; song from The Princess, 244; Crossing the Bar, 251; The Lotos-Eaters, 266-67. Thanatopsis, 38. Thinking, during speech, 21. Thomson, James, The Seasons, 184. Thoreau, Henry David, W olden, 65; 175-76. Thought, relation of emotion to, 6-7; clearness of, in speech, 17. Three Men in a Boat, 190-92; 262-63. Throat, misuse of, in producing tone, 290; exercises for ease of, 294-95. Time, necessary for preparation, 18; a means of measuring thought value, 84; significance of, 129-31; rhythm in relation to, 172-75; relation of metre to, 172-73; de- pends on speaker, 172; evidence of speaker's understanding, 173; slow, 173; medium, 174; fast, 174-75; use of, in class, 319. Tone, intensity of, 125; making, 283-84; how to gain ease in pro- ducing, 290; misuse of throat in producing, 290 ; clearness of, in rela- tion to breathing, 295-96; exercises for clearness of, 296-97 ; what deter- mihes resonance of, 297-98; exer- cises for resonance of, 298-99. Truth of Intercourse, The, 91-92. Twelfth Night, 90. Two Gentlemen of Verona, The, 62. Ulysses, 214-15. Uncommercial Traveller, The, 93. Understanding, enjoyment and in- terest depend on, 7. Up from Slavery, 67-68; 136. Uses of Education for Business, 72. Utterance, grouping and interrupted, 32-33; "effusive," "expulsive," and "explosive" (footnote), 32. Venezuelan Question, The, 71. Vision of War, A, 242. Vocal energy, modulations of, 124- 34; cause of uniform, 124; control of all degrees of, 128-29; duration of, 129-31; problems in, 134-60. Voice, demands made by literature on, 5; use of, acquired by effort, 8; thought and feeUng determine modulations of, 10; variations of, unpremeditated in conversation, 22; poetry as a means of training, 113-15; resonance of, 203-04; ef- fect of emotion on, 204; projection of , 238 ; value of training, not recog- nized, 282; variety of good, 283; reason for neglect of, 284; im- proved by training, 285; character of good, 289; range and flexibility of, 299-300; exercises for increas- ing range of, 300-01; general ex- ercbe for training, 302-04; note on training, 328-29. Voices, 288. Vowels, prolongation of, a means of emphasis, 86; how formed, 305; essentials of correct utterance of, 305; exercises in enunciation of, 306-08. Walden, 65; 175-76. Warner, Charles Dudley, In the Wilderness, 37. Washington, 45. Washington, Booker T., Up from, Slavery, 67-68; 136. Webster, Daniel, The Constitution and the Union, 65-66; Reply to Hayne, 126-27. Webster's New International Dic- tionary, definition of Life, 253. Wendell, Barrett, quoted, 106; A Literary History of America, 253. White, Joseph Blanco, Night, 263- 64. Whitman, Walt, lines from, 182; Voices, 288. Whittier, John Greenleaf, The Eter- nal Goodness, 127; Laus Deo, 136- 37; Conduct, 184. William Tell, 257. Wind in a Frolic, The, 148-49. Wolfe, Charles, The Burial of Sir John Moore, 187. Woodnotes, 66. Words, meaning of, influenced by utterance, 15-16; misconception of, in reading, 21; mechanical rep- INDEX 353 etition of, 21; value of, in phrases, how shown, 53; accurate utter- ance of, comes by training, 285; distinct utterance of, an aid to attention, 286. Wordsworth, William, Sonnet, 141- 42; Ode ou the Intimations of Immortality, 178; The Rainbow, 183. Wmk. 90.