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monotone usually requires a low tone of the voice, loud or prolonged force, and a slow rate of utterance.

EXERCISES.

1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to ever lasting, Thou art God.

2. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations, also, of the hills moved, and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. He bowed the heavens, also, and came down, and darkness was under his feet; and he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

3. Man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up, so man lieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

4.

5.

6.

High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus or of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous east, with richest hand,
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted sat!

How reverend is the face of this tall pile,
Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads,
To bear aloft its arch'd and ponderous roof,
By its own weight made steadfast and immovable,
Looking tranquillity! It strikes an awe
And terror on my aching sight: the tombs
And monumental caves of death look cold,
And shoot a chillness to my trembling heart.
Sky, mountains, river, winds, lake, lightnings! ye,
With night, and clouds, and thunder, and a soul
To make these felt and feeling, well may be
Things that have made me watchful: the far roll
Of your departing voices is the knell

Of what in me is sleepless,-if I rest.

7.

But where, of ye, O tempests! is the goal?
Are ye like those within the human breast?
Or do ye find, at length, like eagles, some high nest!
O thou Eternal One! whose presence bright

All space doth occupy, all motion guide;
Unchanged through time's all-devastating flight;
Thou only God! There is no God beside!
Being above all beings! Mighty One!
Whom none can comprehend and none explore;
Who fill'st existence with Thyself alone,-
Embracing all,-supporting,-ruling o'er :

Being whom we call God--and know no more.

8. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face: the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes: there was silence, and I heard a voice saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his

Maker?

SECTION VI.PERSONATION.

PERSONATION Consists of those modulations or changes of the voice necessary to represent two or more persons as speaking.

This principle of expression, upon the correct application of which much of the beauty and efficiency of delivery depends, is employed in reading dialogues and other pieces of a conversational nature. The student should exercise his discrimination and ingenuity in studying the characters of persons to be represented, fully informing himself with regard to their temperament, condition, and feelings,—and so modulate his voice as best to personate them.

EXERCISE.

He. Dost thou love wandering? Whither wouldst thou go! Dream'st thou, sweet daughter, of a land more fair!

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Dost thou not love these aye-blue streams that flow?
These spicy forests? and this golden air?

She. Oh, yes, I love the woods, and streams, so gay;
And more than all, O father, I love thee;
Yet would I fain be wandering-far away,

Where such things never were, nor e'er shall be.
He. Speak, mine own daughter with the sun-bright locks!
To what pale, banish'd region wouldst thou roam?
She. O father, let us find our frozen rocks!

Let's seek that country of all countries-Home! He. Seest thou these orange flowers? this palm that rears Its head up toward heaven's blue and cloudless dome! She. I dream, I dream; mine eyes are hid in tears;

My heart is wandering round our ancient home. He. Why, then, we'll go. Farewell, ye tender skies,

Who shelter'd us, when we were forced to roam!

She. On, on! Let's pass the swallow as he flies!

Farewell, kind land! Now, father, now-for Home!

SECTION VII.-PAUSES.

PAUSES are suspensions of the voice in reading and speaking, used to mark expectation and uncertainty, and to give effect to expression. They are often more eloquent than words.

Pauses differ greatly in their frequency and their length, according to the nature of the subject. In lively conversation, and rapid argument, they are comparatively few and short. In serious, dignified, and pathetic speaking, they are far more numerous and more prolonged.

The pause is marked thus, in the following illustrations and

exercises.

RULES FOR THE USE OF PAUSES.

1. A pause is required after a compound nominative, in all cases; and after a nominative consisting of a single

word, when it is either emphatic, or is the leading subject of discourse; as,

Joy and sorrow move him not. No people can claim him. ▾ No country can appropriate him.

2. A pause is required after words which are in apposition with, or opposition to, each other; as,

Solomon ཡ the son of David was king of Israel. False del icacy is affectation not politeness.

3. A pause is required after but, hence, and other words denoting a marked transition, when they stand at the beginning of a sentence; as,

But it was reserved for Arnold to blend all these bad qualities into one. Hence Solomon calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom.

4. A pause is required before that, when a conjunction or relative, and the relatives who, which, what; together with when, whence, and other adverbs of time and place, which involve the idea of a relative; as,

He went to school that he might become wise. This is the man that loves me. We were present when La Fayette embarked at Havre for New York.

5. A pause is required before the infinitive mood, when governed by another verb, or when separated by an intervening clause from the word which governs it; as,

He has gone to convey the news. He smote me with a rod to please my enemy.

6. In cases of ellipsis, a pause is required where one or more words are omitted; as,

So goes the world; if wealthy, you may call this friend, that

brother.-A poor fellow room. He walked on this side

witty and wise, entered the and then on that he tried formally and freezingly

to introduce a social chat; but some replied and some said by their silence,

better stay at home.

7. Pauses are used to set off qualifying clauses by themselves; to separate qualifying terms from each other, when a number of them refer to the same word; and when an adjective follows its noun; as,

The rivulet sends forth glad sounds, and

tripping o'er its bed of pebbly sands, or leaping down the rocks seems with to rejoice in its own being. He had a

continuous laughter

mind deep active

well stored with knowledge.

These rules, though important, if properly applied, are by no means complete; nor can any be invented which shall meet all the cases that arise in the complicated relations of thought. A good reader or speaker pauses, on an average, at every fifth or sixth word, and in many cases much more frequently. His only guide, in many instances, is a discriminating taste in grouping ideas, and separating by pauses those which are less intimately allied. In doing this, he will often use what may be called

SUSPENSIVE QUANTITY.

SUSPENSIVE QUANTITY means prolonging the end of a word, without actually pausing after it; and thus suspending, without wholly interrupting the progress of

sound.

The prolongation on the last syllable of a word, or Suspensive Quantity, is indicated thus, in the following examples. It is used chiefly for three purposes:

1st. To prevent too frequent a recurrence of pauses; as, Her lover sinks-she sheds no ill-timed tear;

Her chief is slain-she fills his fatal post;
Her fellows flee-she checks their base career;
The foe retires-she heads the rallying host.

2d. To produce a slighter disjunction than would be made by a pause; and thus at once to separate and unite; as,

Would you

Would you kill your friend and benefactor? practice hypocrisy and smile in his face, while your conspiracy is ripening?

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