appeal, (6) deny, (7) reveal, (8) surrender, (9) conceal. Practise with each hand until gesture is as natural with one as with the other. Numbers 2 to 9 may be practised with both hands together. Finally, practise these actions from the elbow-that is, moving the forearm as well as the hand. Be careful to observe the proper order of movement, namely, the forearm moves first, then the hand. The hand is surrendered until the forearm is nearly in its place, then the hand acts as before. EXAMPLES FOR PRACTICE. Oh! then, I see, Queen Mab hath been with you. She comes, In shape no bigger than an agate-stone On the forefinger of an alderman, Made by the joiner, Squirrel, or old Grub, The collars, of the moonshine's watery beams; And then dreams he of smelling out a suit; Can storied urn or animated bust Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust, Or Flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of Death? The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark, unfathom'd caves of ocean bear; Some village Hampden, that with dauntless breast Th' applause of list'ning senates to command, To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land, And read their history in a nation's eyes, Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined, Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne, And shut the gates of mercy on mankind.—Gray. Up, up! my friend, and quit your books, Up, up! my friend, and clear your looks; The sun, above the mountain's head, Through all the long green fields has spread, His first sweet evening yellow. Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife; Come, hear the woodland linnet; How sweet his music! on my life, There's more of wisdom in it.-Wordsworth. LESSON XXIV. Pitch, Movement, and Volume. All light, unconstrained feelings manifest themselves by high pitch and more or less rapid movement. Merrily swinging on briar and weed, Near to the nest of his little dame; Over the mountain-side or mead Robert of Lincoln is telling his name.-Bryant. Serious, dignified expression, on the other hand, calls for self-restraint; therefore, the movement will be slower, the pitch lower, and the pauses more frequent and longer in proportion to the degree of seriousness or dignity. Very solemn or sad expression would have low tone and very slow movement, How long, O Catiline, wilt thou abuse our patience? To be or not to be-that is the question.-Shakespeare. Break, break, break, At the foot of the crags, O sea! But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me.-Tennyson. In excitement the movement is abrupt with frequent Jauses. And lo!-as he looks-on the belfry's height A glimmer—and then a gleam of light! A hurry of hoofs in a village street— A shape in the moonlight-a bulk in the dark And beneath-from the pebbles in passing-a spark- In unemotional reading we have medium pitch and rate, that is, the pitch and rate of ordinary conversation. There is one accomplishment, in particular, which I would earnestly recommend to you. Cultivate assiduously the ability to read well. Where one person is really interested by music, twenty are pleased by good reading. Where one person is capable of becoming a skilful musician, twenty may become good readers.—Hart. With regard to the volume or loudness of the voice, it may be said that, in general, the ordinary speakingvoice is sufficient. In shrieking, calling, shouting, cheering, and the expression of unrestrained anger or defiance, the volume may be very great, but even here do not try to stun your hearers. Never mistake noise or bluster for intensity. True feeling does not manifest itself by explosive utterance. In gentle, subdued emotions, the voice is soft and musical, whilst in awe, secrecy, and fear, it sinks almost and sometimes quite to a whisper. Remember that in speaking in a large hall, it is necessary to allow time for the voice to reach every person in the audience, so we should speak more slowly than when at home, or in the school-room. If we are careful to do this, we need not shout nor strain the voice, but we can use our every-day conversational tone and be perfectly at ease. Do not speak in a measured and stilted manner at any time, but keep the same proportion between important and unimportant words as in ordinary conversation. It is best to talk, for the most part, to that portion of the audience that is farthest from you. In that way you will learn to "project" the tone so that the words are carried distinctly everywhere. If there is an echo, speak more softly and slowly than usual. Always begin quietly, so that you feel a sense of reserve power. Carefully avoid diminishing the volume of the voice in any phrase after the emphatic word has been reached. To give the remaining words with less than the previous degree of strength gives an impression of physical weakness, as if the breath had given out. Of course, this rule does not apply to instances where that especial effect is desired. Do not interpret what has been said here to mean that the volume of the voice is never to vary. In all |