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stood by all who hear him; and next, to speak with grace and force, so as to please and to move his audi

ence.

620. In order to be fully and easily understood, the four chief requisites are, a due degree of loudness of voice; distinctness; slowness; and propriety of pronunciation,

621. The first attention of every public speaker, doubtless, must be to make himself be heard by all those to whom he speaks. He must endeavour to fill with his voice the space occupied by the assembly.

Obs. 1. This power of voice, it may he thought, is wholly a natural talent. It is so in a good measure; but, however, it may receive considerable assistance from art. Much depends for this purpose on the proper pitch, and management of the voice.

Every man has three pitches in his voice; the high, the middle, and the low one. The high, is that which he uses in calling aloud to some one at a distance. The low is when he approaches to a whisper. The middle is that which he employs in common conversation, and which he should generally use in public discourse.

622. In the next place, to being well heard, and clearly understood, distinctness of articulation contributes more, perhaps, than mere loudness of sound.

Obs. The quantity of sound necessary to fill even a large space, is smaller than is commonly imagined: and with distinct articulation, a man of a weak voice will make it reach farther than the strongest voice can reach without distinct articulation.

Corol. To this, therefore, every public speaker ought to pay great attention. He must give every sound which he utters, its due proportion, and make every syllable, and even every letter in the word which he pronounces, be heard distinctly; without slurring, wispering, or suppressing any of the proper sounds.

623. In the third place, in order to articulate distinctly, moderation is requisite with regard to the speed of pronouncing. Precipitancy of speech confounds all articulation, and all meaning.

Obs. We need scarcely observe, that there may be also an extreme on the opposite side. It is obvious, that a lifeless, drawling pronunciation, which allows the minds of the hearers to be always outrunning the speaker, must render every discourse insipid and fatiguing. But the extreme of speaking too fast is much more com

mon, and requires the more to be guarded against, because, when it is grown up into a habit, few errors are more difficult to be corrected.

624. After these fundamental attentions to the pitch and management of the voice, to distinct articulation, and to a proper degree of slowness of speech, what a public speaker must, in the fourth place, study, is propriety of pronunciation; or the giving to every word which he utters, that sound, which the most polite usage of the language appropriates to it; in opposition to broad, vulgar, or provincial pronunciation.

Obs. This is requisite, both for speaking intelligibly, and for speaking with grace or beauty. Instructions concerning this article, can be given by the living voice only.

625. Emphasis, pauses, tones, and gestures:

626. By emphasis, is meant a stronger and fuller sound of voice by which we distinguish the accented syllable of some word, on which we design to lay particular stress, and to show how it affects the rest of the sentence.

Obs. 1. Sometimes the emphatic word must be distinguished by a particular tone of voice, as well as by a stronger accent. On the right management of the emphasis, depend the whole life and spirit of every discourse.

2. If no emphasis be placed on any words, not only is discourse rendered heavy and lifeless, but the meaning left often ambiguous. If the emphasis be placed wrong, we prevent and confound the meaning wholly.

Example. "Do you ride to town to-day?" is capable of no fewer than four different acceptations, according as the emphasis is dif ferently placed on the words. If it be pronounced thus: Do you ride to town to-day? the answer may naturally be, No; I send my servant in my stead. If thus, do you ride to town to-day? No, I intend to walk. Do you ride to town to-day? No; I ride out into the fields. Do you ride to town to-day? No; but I shall to-morrow.

Obs. 3. In like manner, in solemn discourse, the whole force and beauty of an expression often depend on the accented word; and we may present to the hearers quite different views of the same sentiment, by placing the emphasis differently.

Example. In the following words of our Saviour, observe in what different lights the thought is placed, according as the words are pronounced: "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Betrayest thou-makes the reproach turn on the infamy of treachesry. Betrayest thou-makes it rest, upon Juda's connection with his master. Betrayest thou the Son of Man-rests it, upon the Son of Man's personal character and eminence. Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss ?-turns it, upon his prostituting the signal of peace and friendship, to the purpose of a mark of distruction.

627. Next to emphasis, the pauses in speaking demand attention. These are of two kinds; first, emphatical pauses; and next, such as mark the distinctions of sense.

Illus. 1. An emphatical pause is made, after something has been said of peculiar moment, and on which we want to fix the hearer's attention. Sometimes before such a thing has been said, we usher it in with an emphatical pause. Such pauses have the same effect as a strong emphasis; and are subject to the same rules; especially to the caution just now given, of not repeating them too frequently. For as they excite uncommon attention, and of course raise expectation, if the importance of the matter be not fully answerable to such expectation, they occasion disappointment and disgust.

2. But the most frequent and the principal use of pauses, is to mark the divisions of the sense, and at the same time to allow the speaker to draw his breath; and the proper and graceful adjustment of such pauses is one of the most nice and difficult articles in delivery.

628. When we are reading or reciting verse, there is a peculiar difficulty in making the pauses justly. The difficulty arises from the melody of verse, which dictates to the ear pauses or rests of its own; and to adjust and compound these properly with the pauses of the sense, so as neither to hurt the ear, nor offend the understanding, is so very nice a matter, that it is no wonder we so seldom meet with good readers of poetry.

Illus. 1. There are two kinds of pauses that belong to the music of verse; one is, the pause at the end of the line; and the other, the cæsural pause in the middle of it. With regard to the pause at the end of the line; which marks that strain or verse to be finished, rhyme renders this always sensible, and in some measure compels us to observe it in our pronunciation.

2. In blank verse, where there is a greater liberty permitted of running the lines into one another, sometimes without any suspension in the sense, it has been made a question, Whether, in reading

such verse with propriety, any regard at all should be paid to the close of a line?

3. We ought, therefore, certainly to read blank verse so as to make every line sensible to the ear. At the same time, in doing so, every appearance of sing-song and tone must be carefully guarded against. The close of the line, where it makes no pause in the meaning, ought to be marked, not by such a tone as is used in finishing a sentence; but without either letting the voice fall, or elevating it, it should be remarked only by such a slight suspension of sound, as may distinguish the passage from one line to another without injuring the meaning.

4. The other kind of musical pause, is that which falls somewhere about the middle of the verse, and divides it into two hemistichs; a pause, not so great as that which belongs to the close of the line, but still sensible to an ordinary ear. (See Art. 569.)

629. The rule of proper pronunciation here is, tot regard only the pause which the sense forms; and to read the line accordingly. The neglect of the cæsural pause may make the line sound somewhat unharmoniously; but the effect would be much worse, if the sense were sacrificed to the sound.

630. Tones in pronunciation are different both from emphasis and pauses; they consist in the modulation of the voice, and the notes or variations of sound which we employ in speaking.

Illus. 1. How much of the propriety, the force and grace of discourse, must depend on these, will appear from this single consideration; that to almost every sentiment we utter, more especially to every strong emotion, nature hath adapted some peculiar tone of voice; insomuch, that he who should tell another that he was very angry, or much grieved, in a tone which did not suit such emotions, instead of being believed, would be laughed at.

2. Sympathy is one of the most powerful principles by which persuasive discourse works upon the mind. The speaker endeavours to transfuse into his hearers his own sentiments and emotions; which he can never be successful in doing, unless he utters them in such a manner as to convince the hearers that he feels them. The proper expression of tones, therefore, deserves to be attentively studied by every one who would be a successful orator.

3. Follow nature; consider how she teaches you to utter any sentiment or feeling of your heart. Imagine a subject of debate started in conversation among grave and wise men, and yourself bearing a share in it. Think after what manner, with what tones and inflexions of voice, you would on such an occasion express yourself, when you were most in earnest, and sought most to be listened to. These are the tones which the advocate carries with him to the

bar, the clergyman, to the pulpit, and the patriot and demagogue, to any public assembly. Let then these be the foundation of your manner of pronouncing, and you will take the surest method of rendering your delivery both agreeable and persuasive.

631. Of GESTURE, or what is called action in public discourse.

632. The fundamental rule as to propriety of action, is undoubtedly the same with what hath been given as to propriety of tone. Attend to the looks and jestures; in which earnestness, indignation, compassion, or any other emotion, discovers itself to most advantage in the common intercourse of men; and let these be your models.

Illus. 1. Some of these looks and gestures are common to all men; and there are also certain peculiariites of manner which distinguish every individual. A public speaker must take that manner which is most natural to himself. For it is here, just as in

tones.

2. It is not the business of a speaker to form to himself a certain set of motions and gestures, which he thinks most becoming and agreeable, and to practice these in public, without their having any correspondence to the manner which is natural to him in private. His gestures and motions ought all to carry that kind of expression which nature has dictated to him; and unless this be the case, it is impossible, by means of any study, to avoid their appearing stiff and forced.

3. The study of action in public speaking, consists chiefly in guarding against awkward and disagreeable motions, and in learning to perform such as are natural to the speaker, in the most becoming manner. For this end it has been advised by writers on this subject, to practice before a mirror, where one may see and judge of his own gestures.

Scholium. To succeed well in delivery, nothing is more necessary than for a speaker to guard against a certain flutter of spirits, which is peculiarly incident to those who begin to speak in public. He must endeavour, above all things, to be collected, and master of himself. For this end, he will find nothing of more use to him, than to study to become wholly engaged in his subject; to be possessed with a sense of its importance or seriousness; to be concerned much more to persuade than to please. He will generally please most, when pleasing is not his sole nor chief aim. This is the only rational and proper method of raising one's self above that timid and bashful regard to an audience, which is so ready to disconcert a speaker, both as to what he is to say, and as to his manner of saying it. Finally. Guard against all affectation, which is the certain ruin of good delivery. Let your manner, whatever it is, be your own;

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