Part Fifth.-Looks and Gestures.

I.

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES.

Modulation, Inflexion, and Vocal Expressions however perfect, fail to give delivery its full impressiveness, if the face and whole body do not sympathetically manifest the feeling which vibrates in the tones. Nothing can be more spiritless and unnatural than rigid stillness on the part of an orator. But the tendency to gesticulate is so natural, that instruction will generally be needed rather to subdue and chasten, than to create gesticulation. To a speaker of any animation, the greatest difficulty is to stand still.

2. In the natural order of passionate expression, LOOKS are first, GESTURES second, and WORDS last. "The strongfelt passion bolts into the face" before it moves the massier muscles of the trunk and limbs; and its tardiest expression is in the artificial and conventional form of articulate language. Gesture which, thus, in strong emotion precedes the words, in calmer feeling accompanies them; but it must never lag behind the utterance it illustrates. The following is a general description of the different Facial and Bodily Motions.

II. EXPRESSIVENESS OF THE DIFFERENT FACIAL

AND BODILY MOTIONS.

3. The FEATURES expand in pleasure, and contract in pain; they are elongated in melancholy; they are smooth in placidity, and variously furrowed in emotion; they grin in folly.

4. The EYEBROWS are lifted in surprise, in inquiry, and in hope; they are depressed in conviction, authority, and despair; they are knitted in sorrow, solicitude, and anger; they droop in weakness.

5. The EYES beam in love, and sparkle in mirth, they flash and roll in anger; they melt in grief; they are raised in hope; and dejected in despondency; they measure their object from head to foot in contempt; they stare in wonder; they wink in cunning; they are levelled in modesty, and cast downwards in shame; they are restless in terror, in anxiety, and in idiocy; they are fixed in confidence, boldness and energy; they look askance in suspicion and secrecy; they are "cast on vacancy" in thought.

6. The NOSTRILS are naturally relaxed in equanimity; they are rigid in violent passions; they are twitched up in disgust and contempt.

7. The LIPS are drawn back and raised in delight and laughter; they are depressed and projected in pain, sadness, and grief; the corners of the mouth are curled upwards in contempt, and downwards in disgust; the lips are loose and sprawling in mental vacuity—muscular and mobile in intellectuality; they are firm in decision and energy; relaxed in weakness and irresolution; they are pouted in boasting, and in fretfulness; they are bitten in vexation and discomfiture; they are compressed in agony.

8. The MOUTH is open in fear, in wonder, in listening, in languor, and in desire; it is shut in apathy, in pride, and sullenness. The jaw falls in melancholy; the teeth are gnashed in anger; the tongue is protuded in imbecility.

9. The HEAD is erect in courage and confidence; it is crouched in fear; it is thrown back in pride; it hangs forward in humility; it is protruded in curiosity; it lies to one side in languor, in bashfulness, or in indolence; it rolls or tosses in anger, it shakes in denial and in sadness; it is jerked backward in invitation, forward in assent, and to one side in boasting, in threatening, or in dogmatism.

10. The ARMS hang listlessly in weakness, they are

rigid in passion, they are folded across the chest, or placed a-kimbo, in self-complacence, they droop in humility; they are held forward in entreaty, they are extended in admiration, they are raised in appeal, invocation, or expectancy, they fall suddenly in disappointment; they are drawn back and bent in terror.

II. The HANDS are open and relaxed in graceful calmness, they are locked or clasped in emotion, they are wrung in anguish, they are rigid or clenched in passion; they are raised or applied in supplication, they descend slowly in blessing,—with quick vehemence in malediction and threatening; they are moved towards the body in invitation; they are pushed from the body in rejection or dismissal; they start in astonishment; they wave or clap in joy and approbation. The palms are turned upwards in candour and sincerity, downwards in concealment and cunning; they are turned outwards from the body in defence, in apprehension, or in aversion; they are turned inwards towards the body in boldness and confidence. The hand on the forehead indicates pain, confusion, or mental distress; on the crown of the head, giddiness or delirium; on the side of the head, stupor; on the eyes, shame or grief. BOTH HANDS similarly applied intensely heighten the expression. The hand supporting the cheek expresses languor or weariness; supporting the chin, meditation; the hand laid on the breast appeals to conscience, or indicates desire; the hands crossed on the breast express meekness: the hand pressed on the upper part of the chest, or beating it, expresses remorse, or acute bodily distress, difficulty of breathing, palpitation of the heart, &c.; the hand on the lower part of the chest indicates boldness, or pride; the back of one hand laid in the palm of the other, expresses determination or obduracy; the hands crossed palm to palm express resignation.

12. The FINGERS are relaxed, and slightly separated in placidity; they are rigidly separated in fear; they are bent in anger; the forefinger directs attention to any object, by pointing; with a falling motion of the hand it reproves or warns; applied successively to the finger tips of the other hand, it enumerates; laid in the palm

of the other hand, it specifies dogmatically; the fingers of both hands loosely applied tip to tip, express accumulation or adjustment.

13. The BODY held stiffly erect, or thrown back, indicates pride, haughtiness, or the assumption of dignity; held easily erect, expresses courage and resolution; stooping forward, condescension, compassion, humility, or bashfulness; bending, reverence, respect, and salutation; prostrated, moral degradation and self-loathing. 14. The LOWER LIMBS, held straight and rigid, indicate self-conceit or obstinacy; relaxed and bent, timidity, awkwardness, or tottering frailty; one limb relaxed and the other straight, graceful ease; they shake in terror; they kneel in prayer.

15. The FEET, placed so as to point directly forwards, indicate boorishness; turned inwards, deformity; close together, timidity, or awkwardness; a few inches apart, with ONE HEEL IN ADVANCE OF, and POINTING TOWARDS the other heel, graceful ease; the weight of the body supported on the RETIRED foot, dignity, dislike, or carelessness; on the ADVANCED foot, familiarity, attention, or sympathy; the feet considerably separated, with the weight of the body on the advanced foot, eagerness, earnest appeal, listening, attack, &c.; on the retired foot, disgust, horror, defence, &c.; considerably apart, with the weight of the body supported equally on both feet, pomposity and bluster: frequent change indicates mental disturbance; starting, sudden apprehension, or violent surprise; stamping, harsh authority, or angry impatience; advancing, energy and boldness; retiring, alarm and fearfulness; short, light, tip-toe steps, express caution, or secret intrusion; long, heavy, striding steps, boasting and bravado.

III. SUMMARY OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES of GesTICULATIVE EXPRESSION.

16. Motions towards the body indicate self-esteem, egotism, or invitation; from the body, command or repulsion; expanding gestures express liberality, distribution, acquiescence or candour; contracting gestures, frugality, reserve, or collection; rising motions express

suspension, climax, or appeal; falling motions, completion, declaration, or response: a sudden stop in gesture expresses doubt, meditation, or listening; a sudden movement, decision, or discovery: a broad and sweeping range of gesture illustrates a GENERAL statement, or expresses boldness, freedom, and self-possession; a limited range denotes diffidence or constraint, or illustates a SUBORDINATE point; rigidity of muscles denotes firmness, strength, or effort; laxity, languor or weakness; slow motions are expressive of gentleness, caution, and deliberation; and quick motions, of harshness and temerity.

IV. PRINCIPLES OF GRACE.

17. The eye should generally accompany the motions of the hand; but, in directing attention to any object, the eye will first merely glance towards it, and then fix itself on the person addressed, while the finger continues to point.

18. The head must not lean from side to side, as the gesture points; nor must it rise and fall with the inflexions of the voice; it should be kept moderately, but not rigidly, erect.

19. The motions of the arm must commence at the shoulder, not at the elbow; the upper part of the arm should never rest in contact with the side.

20. The motions of the arms should not be accompanied by any action of the shoulders, or swaying of the body. Thus, in projecting forward one arm, the opposite shoulder must not retire; or in raising one arm, the opposite shoulder must not be depressed. The shoulders should be kept square to the eye of the auditor, or to the centre of the auditors. The habit of shrugging the shoulders is ungraceful, and should be avoided.

21. A harmonious ACCOMPANIMENT of ARM TO ARM, is essential to graceful motion. When only one arm is used in the gesture, the other should be brought into action less prominently, and at a lower elevation. When the gesticulating arm comes in front of, or across the body, the retired arm falls a little behind; and when the gesture is backwards, the subordinate arm advances. When the gesture is under the horizontal elevation, the other arm may hang laxly by the side.