Discipline must be preparatory and private; must consist in practice of action, in loud reading and speaking, till all the excellencies of a good elocution become part of one's nature. (Nor will it be as long as we may have supposed, before we begin to experience these results.) Then we shall, as though they were gifts of nature, carry them into general use. Our private training will bring the graces imperceptibly into our public action, and all our defects will be gradually supplanted by them. Thus may we learn to speak by principles, yet we never need be embarrassed by them.

With a competent teacher, the learner may aim directly at great excellence. Avoid bad habits and awkward restraints; thus, indirectly, the beauties and graces will ensue.

When, at last, through severe labor, and patient, assiduous toil, the powers are capable of exemplifying the sublime in oratory, the mind is so overpowered and taken such possession of that no room is left for minute details; and the more intense the man's intellectual and emotional life becomes at the same time, the more he demands those effects which call forth such harmonious energizing of the soul, and constitute the highest luxury of expression.

READING. The only difference between Reading and Speaking is in the degrees of force by which the principles are applied. Reading is necessarily more restrained than Speaking, but it is advisable to cultivate acute susceptibility in both.

Reading should have a dramatic character, which is not of necessity stage-like. Animated, earnest, expressive reading is not theatrical. It is like the conversation of an earnest person thinking to himself aloud; and if one far-fetched, over-done expression is given the charm is gone.

It will be far removed from artificial or reading tones, and, though natural, will be superior to the familiar tones of conversation.

Dr. Rush says, that to read as we talk-that is, naturally and with expression-is an excellent rule; but if our natural manner or accent be faulty, we should endeavor to correct rather than imitate it.

In this art a vulgar ear may perceive defects in the finest examples, but it takes a high degree of culture to really appreciate excellencies.

We should read slowly and distinctly, with the same pains that we take in talking; so that if another were listening he would think we were talking instead of reading. In public we simply increase the power of this same manner. Reading is merely speaking what one sees in a book, just as he would express his own ideas as they flow in conversation; and no one reads well until he does it in this natural way. Children read like parrots, for they never understand what they read; they merely pronounce the words.

Pay no attention to the voice in public, but dwell intently on the sense, trusting all the rest to nature and prior practice for tones, emphasis, and inflections.

He who understands and fully feels, who earnestly occupies his mind with the matter, and is exclusively absorbed with that feeling, will be likely to communicate the same impression to his hearers. But this cannot be the case if he is occupied with the thought of what their opinion will be of his reading, and how his voice ought to be regulated; if, in short, he is thinking of himself, and of course thus detracts his attention from that by which it should be altogether occupied.

In reading the Scriptures, or similar composition, we should use great judgment. The sentiments in such are not intended to appear as our own. In such ex

ceptions pay close attention to the meaning, and leave the utterance to nature.

As you read reason out the language particular by particular, and yet do not give a feeble catalogue of terms, for that weakens the force. Do not be too precise, and yet have everything accurate.

The sense should be studied thoroughly, by attention to the various positions of the verbs and their nominatives, especially: then to the conjunctions, relative pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions, as being the next most important parts of speech.

By these particulars learn to grasp each period, and from them pass to paragraphs, until you can master the comprehensive whole of all the matter before you, and thus give the ruling passion or prevailing sentiment. By this method the mind can be assisted in holding the periods together, as the particulars are understood, by the tones of voice, gestures, looks of the eye, and a gentle swaying of the body. After the periods are formed, it is a very simple operation to unite them into paragraphs, and finally, by a similar but iess intricate process, to combine them all together in one perfect whole. All can be summed up in a few words. At the outset, a person has so much to read; and he must present each part as belonging intimately to what may have gone before and what is to follow. The smoother and less fragmentary and disjointed the effort appears, the more agreeable will it be to both hearer and reader. It differs very essentially from the "pumping pro

cess."

Each part of a statue is carefully and accurately wrought out as belonging to a whole. In its appearance as a figure we see a perfect unity, and yet each detail will bear the closest scrutiny. In a painting we observe the same effects; all the parts form the pic

ture. Disjoint the one, or rend the other, and we have only the fragments and the pieces.

So it is with reading; each word was written with a view to some other word, each period to another period, and yet everything with an idea to a whole, and as such should all be read.

Every part of the subject, to its minutest detail, should be given, and the unity of the whole be preserved unbroken. If a man has no enthusiasm, however, all will avail him nothing, for rules will be only rules to him, and he will display the words obtrusively, coldly, and unfeelingly.

When terrible or lofty feelings are pent up in the soul, then is a proper time to look within and carefully study those emotions-to be auditor, as it were, to them, to yourself.

Habits of this kind will enable you, when you understand thoroughly the meaning, to commune with and study the appropriate expression.

POETRY should be read very nearly like prose; and whatever pauses are made as to the melody alone, especially at the end of every line, should be of the suspensive kind denoting a continuation of the sense; this prevents that abominable sing-song style so common among cultivated persons, but not correct readers.

The reader should not dwell on the rhymes, but read them smoothly, aiming at the sense, and preserving just enough of the melody to distinguish the poetry from prose. Great skill and frequent practice are required to enable a person to read blank verse correctly.

PERSONATION.

Dialogues are excellent for practice, as. in reading them, the voice must frequently be changed in its tones

to represent the different persons; and furthermore, the reading of them very nearly resembles ordinary conversation, or natural expression, and thus an interest is awakened.

In this style of reading, in public, as a general rule, the face must be turned a little aside, presenting to the audience only about a three-quarter's view, while the chest is kept directly to the front.

Each time a change of character occurs, the reader must so change his voice, his position, and direction of face, as to keep before the hearer a distinct picture of the entire group.

The face must be alternated according to circumstances, so as to show its right or left side to the audience; and also regulated as to the distance it shall

turn.

The face must not front the audience, nor be turned at exactly right angles from them, but have a direction between these extremes, in a general relationship with the characters represented.

But, above everything else, see that the chest has a full front to the auditors; never turn the side to them if it can be helped, and what is far worse, the back. The audience wish to see the face and chest, not the side and back of the reader.

It is a difficult study to represent truthfully various men and women, both old and young. The author would recommend, as a practice, first to analyze each character by itself, as regards the tones of the voice, or the peculiarities of expression that may belong to the person represented. In the meantime, the last lines of each character that directly precedes it can be giver, if desired, to assist the appearance of conversation with another.

In the recitation of poetry combining description 2*