There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats.

What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,

In the icy air of night!

While the stars, that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight.

Away, away! through the wide, wide sky,-
The fair blue fields that before us lie,-

Each sun with the worlds that round him roll,
Each planet, poised on her turning pole,

With her isles of green, and her clouds of white, And her waters that lie like fluid light!

LOW PITCH.

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day;
The lowing nerd winds slowly o'er the lea;
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Full knee-deep lies the winter snow,

And the winter winds are wearily sighing:
Toll ye the church-bells, sad and slow,
For the Old Year lies a-dying.

Roll on, thou deep and dark, blue ocean, roll!

IV. INFLECTIONS, OR SLIDES.

Inflections are slides of the voice at the close of syllables or words.

The slide is a gliding of the voice from one note to another in the scale of speaking tones.

Inflections are of two kinds, Simple and Compound. A simple inflection consists of a single slide of the voice in either an upward or a downward direction. There are two simple inflections, the rising inflection and the falling inflection.

The rising inflection (marked) is a gliding of the voice upward; the falling inflection (marked) is a gliding of the voice downward.

If we ask a question to which we expect the answer "Yes" or "No,"-as "Will he go?"-the voice slides or glides upwards on the word "go." In the answer, as No', the voice slides or glides downwards.

In the falling inflection the voice starts above the general pitch of the words in the sentence, and comes down to it: as,

DRILL ON THE SIMPLE INFLECTIONS. Teacher.-One of the best methods of breaking up a monotonous delivery on the part of pupils is to practice them, say five minutes, at the beginning of the reading lesson, on a drill column of words. Arrange vertically on the blackboard, and mark with the falling inflection, such words as Yes, No, Why', How`, Where', 1, 2, 3`.

Then substitute the rising inflection, - Yes', No', Why', etc. Again alternate, as

Finally, for mere drill purposes, both inflections may be marked, and the sounds given: viz., 'Yes', 'No', 'Why', etc.

These examples of inflection may be practiced first in concert and afterwards individually.

** In giving the downward slide, there is a tendency on the part of pupils to drop the voice below the general pitch of the sentence in cases where it should merely come down to that pitch; that is (in exact language) to give the "full cadence" where the "partial cadence" should be used, to say "I said no” in place of "I said no." In drilling on the falling inflection, in the examples given above, this matter should be carefully watched.

The compound inflection, or circumflex, is the union of two simple inflections. The rising may be continued into the falling, or the falling into the rising; and these inflections are named rising circumflex or falling circumflex, according to the termination of the slide.

The last part of the circumflex is generally the longer; so that the rising circumflex is a slight downward slide followed by a long upward slide; and the falling circumflex is a slight upward slide followed by a long downward slide.

The rising circumflex (marked V) begins with the falling and ends with the rising slide; the falling circumflex (marked) begins with the rising and ends with the falling slide.

Rising: Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?

Falling: I'm to be queen of the Mây, mother;
I'm to be queen of the Mây!

Monotone. When no inflection is used, a monotone, or sameness of tone, is produced. This is suited to sublime or solemn passages, but is out of place in ordinary pieces. MONOTONE improperly used becomes monotony.

"The unmeaning style so often and justly complained of in school reading is, to a great extent, owing to want of perception in regard to the nature and effect of the inflections. The ability to read aright the plainest passage of narrative or descriptive writing is wholly dependent on the just and discriminating use of the slide." - Russell.

Exercise.

Will they do it'? Dare they do it'?
Who is speaking'? What's the news'?
What of Adams'? What of Sherman'?
God grant they won't refuse'!

If you have tears', prepare to shed them now'.
What constitutes a state'?

I come to bury' Cæsar, not to praise' him.
Were you ever at sea in a storm'?

On', ye brave,

Who rush to glory or the grave!

Should not merchants be prompt in paying their debts'?

Has the gentleman done'? Has he completely

done'?

No doubt yě are the pêople, and wisdom will die with yoû.

Then the forms of the departed'

Enter at the open door-
The belovéd', the true-hearted',

Come to visit' me once more'.

Can the dôve live with the hawk?

Charge, Chester, charge'! On', Stanley, on'!

They will give us pêace, - yes, such pêace as the wolf gives to the lâmb!

V. QUALITY.

Quality of voice is the kind of tones produced by the vocal organs.

The two chief tones are:

1. Pure tones, when all the breath used is vocalized. 2. Aspirated, when only part of the breath is vocalized.

I. Orotund. - What is called the OROTUND quality is simply pure tone used in impassioned utterance, by means of volume and energy of voice, combined with ample resonance. This quality of voice is mentioned by Dr. Rush as the highest perfection of the cultivated utterance of the public speaker. It is also regarded by him as the natural language of the highest species of emotion. It characterizes the vivid utterance of children, in their tones of love, and joy, and ecstasy. It belongs to the audible expression of masculine courage, energy, delight, admiration; and to the deliberate language of vengeance, as distinguished from the aspirated and suffocated voice of anger and rage.