sixth,

guests, bursts, lands, accounts, torment, receptacle,

tempests, beasts, blindfold, chapel, water,

bands, thousand, rebel,

peremptorily,

warmth,

acceptableness,

The sophist's subtle argument.

III. Another fault of articulation, is the running of words into one another, in such a manner, that the termination of the one, and the beginning of the next, cannot be distinguished by the ear.

The culprits ought to make The culprit sought to make

IV. A bad articulation sometimes confounds the vowel sounds. Thus, event, uvvent, correct, currect, wholly, hully, peaceably, peaceubbly, opinion, uppinion, popular, popelar, omnipotent, omnipetent, educate, edecate, and, und, wicked, wickud, gospel, gospul.

V. In aiming at distinctness of articulation, some persons fall into the opposite error of protracting, and giving prominence to, the unaccented vowels and syllables. This gives an air of stiffness and pedantry to their enunciation. The fault alluded to, divides off the several syllables in the

* The letter r, is often pronounced indistinctly, especially when it occurs in unaccented syllables; thus, instead of stormy we sometimes hear stawmy.

+ Hundreds of other words might be selected. These are designed merely as examples.

manner of a spelling-book, making a sensible pause at each division: thus, mul-ti-pli-ca-tion, an-ni-ver-sa-ry, dis-tinguish, lan-guage, lan-guish, sug-ges-tion.

Particles, and unaccented syllables, should at once be spoken distinctly, and "trippingly on the tongue;" which, with a little pains and practice, may be done by any one, who has not some defect in the organs of speech.

By making a list of such words as are found most difficult of utterance, and practising upon them frequently, any person may, in a short time, acquire a correct and graceful articulation.

LESSON II.

MODIFICATIONS OF THE VOICE.

The Monotone.

WHEN the voice proceeds through a succession of words in the same key or pitch, this unvaried sameness of sound is called the Monotone. A repetition of strokes on a bell, or of touches on the same key of a piano, will exemplify it. Although irksome and disagreeable to the ear in ordinary reading and speaking, the monotone is both natural and impressive, when employed in passages of sublime description, or expressing deep reverence and awe.

(m)

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.

(m) And the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

(m) 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?

General Pitch.

Every person, in animated conversation, or in public speaking, assumes a certain pitch of voice, or general keynote, varying from low to high with the distance of his auditors, and affected likewise by the degree of earnestness with which he speaks. If we wish to make ourselves heard by one at a considerable distance, the voice instinctively strikes a high pitch; whereas, in addressing a person near at hand, it takes a lower one. Although this general key-note predominates, yet, if we observe persons while speaking, we shall perceive-if our ear is discriminatingconstant variations or undulations of the voice, above and below the general key-note. An accomplished speaker, possessing a well-trained and well-modulated voice, will, in the progress of a discourse, shift the key-note, in the transition from one division to another, and in accordance with the greater or less degree of animation in his subject.

But, besides the general current of sound running through a discourse, and rising or sinking as above described, there are many minor, and sudden turnings of the voice upward and downward, to which writers on this subject have given the name of slides or inflections. These inflections are the life and spirit of elocution, and it is essential to know them well, in order to read or speak with taste or effect.

Rising Inflection.

I. "The Rising Inflection turns the voice upward, or ends higher than it begins." It is indicated by the acute accent (-) placed above the inflected syllable

II. Questions requiring the direct answer, yes or no, gen

erally take the rising slide: as,

Am I ungrateful?

Did he prevaricáte?

Was that Henrý?
Lord, is it I'?

Am I not right? said hé.*

This slide ranges through a greater or less interval, according to the degree of earnestness and feeling in the speaker. In highly impassioned language, the voice rises to the octave ;f but ordinarily, not more than a third. The rising slide may be represented to the eye thus:

Are you going?

If this be uttered as a mere inquiry, without any emotion, the voice rises through a small interval on the last word. If, however, it express strong surprise, the slide will become intensive, and rise perceptibly higher, thus:

Are you going!

III. The direct question does not invariably take the rising slide.

Is not that a beautiful flower?

So, in Hamlet, Bernardo, seeing the ghost of the murdered king, says:

"Bernardo. In the same figure like the king that's dead. "Marcellus. Thou art a scholar, speak to it, Horatio. "Bernardo. Looks it not like the king? Mark it, Horatio."

Oh, full of all subtlety, and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ?

So, likewise, when a question is an appeal to a person, as Did I strike William?

Is he not ungrateful?

Have I told a wrong story ?

Again, when a question is repeated in a louder voice, the slide is changed:

Are you going to Salém? Are you going to Salèm?

LESSON III.

Falling Inflection.

In calling to one at a distance by name, I say, in a moderate pitch and with the rising slide, William! If I am -not heard, I raise the pitch, and change the slide as I repeat, William! This turning of the voice downward, generally heard in the answer to a question, is called the falling inflection. It is marked by the grave accent (-). A few examples will exhibit the difference between it, and the rising inflection.

Are you going to Trenton?

Ans. I am going to Princeton
Where did you say?

Ans. To Princeton.

Did he say flower-or flowers?

Study not for amusement---but for improvement.

I. By the foregoing examples it will be perceived, that the rising slide ends higher, and the falling slide ends lower than it begins.

This may be represented to the eye by a diagram.