fons, as fhall give the speaker an opportunity of exercising himself in each branch of elocution : all this must be the effect of attention and labour; and in all this much affiftance may certainly be derived from inftruction. What are rules or leffons for acquiring this or any other art, but the observations of others, collected into a narrow compafs, and digefted in a natural order, for the direction of the unexperienced and unpractised learner? And what is there in the art of speaking, which fhould render it incapable of receiving aid from precepts ? PRESUMING then, that the acquisition of the art of speaking, like all other practical arts, may be facilitated by rules, I proceed to lay before my readers, in a plain didactic form, fuch rules respecting elocution, as appear best adapted to form a correct and graceful speaker. RULE I. Let your Articulation be distinct and deliberate. A GOOD Articulation confifts in giving a clear and full utterance to the several fimple and complex founds. The nature of these founds, therefore, ought to be well understood; and and much pains should be taken to discover and correct those faults in articulation, which, though often afcribed to fome defect in the organs of fpeech, are generally the confequence of inattention or bad example. Many of these respect the founding of the confonants. Some cannot pronounce the letter 1, and others the fimple founds r, s, th, fh; others generally omit the afpirate h. These faults may be corre&ted, by reading sentences, fo contrived as often to repeat the faulty founds; and by guarding againft them in familiar converfation, OTHER defects in articulation regard the com plex founds, and confift in a confused and clutterring pronunciation of words. The moft effectual methods of conquering this habit, are, to read aloud, paffages chofen for that purpose (fuch for inftance as abound with long and unusual words, or in which many fhort fyllables come together) and to read, at certain ftated times, much flower than the fenfe and just speaking would require. Almost all perfons, who have not ftudied the art of speaking, have a habit of uttering their words fo rapidly, that this latter exercise ought generally to be made use of for a confiderable time at firft: for where there is a uniformly uniformly rapid utterance, it is abfolutely impoffible that there fhould be ftrong emphafis, natural tones, or any juft elocution. AIM at nothing higher, till you can read diftinctly and deliberately. LEARN to speak flow, all other graces RULE II. Let your Pronunciation be bold and forcible. AN infipid flatnefs and languor is an almost univerfal fault in reading; and even pub lic speakers often fuffer their words to drop from their lips with fuch a faint and feeble utterance, that they appear neither to understand or feel what they fay themselves, nor to have any defire that it fhould be understood or felt by their audience. This is a fundamental fault: a speaker without energy, is a lifeless statue. In order to acquire a forcible manner of pronouncing your words, inure yourself, while reading, to draw in as much air as your lungs can contain with ease, and to expel it with vehemence in uttering those founds which require an emphatical pronunciation; read aloud in the open air, and with all the exertion you can command; preserve your body in an erect attib tude tude while you are fpeaking; let all the confo nant founds be expreffed with a full impulfe or percuffion of the breath, and a forcible action of the organs employed in forming them; and let all the vowel founds have a full and bold utterance. Practise these rules with perfeverance, till you have acquired ftrength and energy of fpeech. BUT in obferving this rule, beware of running into the extreme of vociferation. We find this fault chiefly among thofe, who, in contempt and despite of all rule and propriety, are deter. mined to command the attention of the vulgar. These are the fpeakers, who, in Shakespear's phrafe," offend the judicious hearer to the foul by tearing a paffion to rags, to very tatters, to fplit the ears of the groundlings." Cicero compares fuch speakers to cripples who get on horfe-back becaufe they cannot walk they bellow, because they cannot speak. RULE III. Acquire a compafs and variety in the height of your voice. THE HE monotony fo much complained of in public fpeakers, is chiefly owing to the neglect of this rule. They generally content themselves with one certain key, which they employ employ on all occafions, and on every subject; or if they attempt variety, it is only in proportion to the number of their hearers, and the extent of the place in which they speak; imagining, that speaking in a high key is the fame thing as speaking loud; and not observing, that whether a speaker shall be heard or not, depends more upon the diftin&tnefs and force with which he utters his words, than upon the height at which he pitches his voice. BUT it is an effential qualification of a good speaker, to be able to alter the height, as well as the strength and the tone of his voice, as occafion requires. Different fpecies of speaking require different heights of voice. Nature inftructs us to relate a flory, to fupport an argument, to command a fervant, to utter exclamations of anger or rage, and to pour forth lamentations and forrows, not only with different tones, but different elevations of voice. Men at different ages of life, and in different fituations, speak in very different keys. The vagrant, when he begs; the foldier, when he gives the word of command ; the watchman, when he announces the hour of the night; the fovereign, when he issues his edict; the fenator, when he harangues; the lover, when he whif |
