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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

562572

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN SUNCATIONG

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE favourable reception of the large Volume of ELEGANT EXTRACTS in PROSE, has fufficiently expressed the public opinion respecting the utility of fuch Compilations. It has, however, been fuggefted to the Proprietors, that the fize to which the Work was extended, rendered it inconvenient, to several descriptions of purchasers; and that an abridgement of it, adapted to the pocket, was much wished for by many Conductors of School Education. The fame obfervation was applied to the ELEGANT EXTRACTS in POETRY. On this account the PROSE EPITOME, and the POETICAL EPITOME, have been published; that it may be in the option of Mafters, or Scholars, to provide themselves either with thefe fmaller Works, or with the LARGE OCTAVO Volumes, as shall beft fuit their own convenience.

iv

INTRODUCTION.

ON

PRONUNCIATION, OR DELIVERY

FROM DR. BLAIR'S LECTURES.

1.

end of all public speaking, Perfuafion; an

much refs the fudy of the moft

and serious speakers, as much as of thef whofe only aim is to please.

For, let it be confidered, whenever we ad drefs ourfelves to others by words, our inter tion certainly is to make fome impreffion o thofe to whom we fpeak; it is to conve to them our own ideas and emotions. N the tone of our voice, our looks and gefture interpret our ideas and emotions no lefs tha words do; nay, the impreffion they make o others, is frequently much stronger than an that words can make. We often see that a expreffive look, or a paffionate cry, unaccom

nunciation, or Delivery, by the most eloquent of all orators, Demofthenes, appears from a noted faying of his, related both by Cicero and Quinctilian; when being asked, What was the first point in oratory? he anfwered Delivery; and being afked, What was the fecond? and afterwards, What was the third he still anfwered Delivery. There is no wonder, that he should have rated this fo | high, and that for improving himself in it, he fhould have employed thofe affiduous and painful labours, which all the Ancients take fo much notice of; for, beyond doubt, nothing is of more importance. Tofuperficial think-panied by words, conveys to others mor ers, the management of the voice and gefture, in public fpeaking, may appear to relate to decoration only, and to be one of the inferior arts of catching an audience. But this is far from being the cafe. It is intimately connected with what is, or ought to be, the

forcible ideas, and roufes within them stronge paffions, than can be communicated by th moft eloquent difcourfe. The fignificatio of our fentiments, made by tones and ge tures, has this advantage above the mad by words, that it is the language of na

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obfervations as appear to me most useful to be made on this head.

The great objects which every public speakwill naturally have in his eye in forming his Delivery, are, firft, to speak fo as to be fully and eafily underfood by all who hear him; and next, to fpeak with grace and force, fo as to please and to move his audience. Let us confider what is most important with refpect to each of these ̈*.

In order to be fully and easily understood, the four chief requifites are, A due degree of loudnefs of voice; Diftinétnefs; Slowness; and Propriery of Pronunciation.

tire. It is that method of interpreting our mind, which nature has dictated to all, and which is understood by all; whereas, words are only arbitrary, conventional fym-er bols of our ideas; and, by confequence, muft make a more feeble impreffion. So true is this, that to render words fully fignificant, hey muft, almoft in every cafe, receive fome ad from the manner of Pronunciation and Delivery; and he who, in fpeaking, fhould ploy bare words, without enforcing them proper tones and accents, would leave us with a faint and indiftinct impreffion, often Rith a doubtful and ambiguous conception of what he had delivered. Nay, fo clofe is the connection between certain fentiments and the proper manner of pronouncing them, that be who does not pronounce them after that nanner, can never perfuade us, that he beHeves, or feels, the fentiments themselves. His delivery may be fuch, as to give the lie to all that he afferts. When Marcus Callidios accufed one of an attempt to poifon him, but enforced his accufation in a languid manBr, and without any warmth or carneftnefs of delivery, Cicero, who pleaded for the acfed perfon, improved this into an argument of the falfity of the charge, "An tu, M. Callidi nifi fingeres, fic ageres" In Shakefpeare's Richard II. the Duchefs of York thus impeaches the fincerity of her husband: Pleads be in earnest ?-Look upon his face, His eyes do drop no tears; his prayers are jeft; His words come from his mouth; ours, from

our breaft:

He pray but faintly, and would be denied ;
We pray with heart and foul.

But, I believe it is needlefs to fay any
ore, in order to fhew the high importance of
good Delivery. I proceed, therefore to fuch

The first attention of every public fpeaker, doubtlefs, muft be, to make himself be heard by all thofe to whom he speaks. He muft endeavour to fill with his voice the space occupied by the affembly. This power of voice, it may be thought, is wholly a natural talent. It is fo in a good meafure; but, however, may receive confiderable afliftance from art. Much depends for this purpofe on the proper pitch, and management of the voice. Every man has three pitches in his voice; the high, the middle, and the low one. The high, is that which he ufes in calling aloud to fome one at a distance. The low is, when he approaches to a whifper. The middle is, that which he employs in common converfation, and which he thould generally ufe in public difcourfe. For it is a great mittake, to imagine that one must take the highest pitch of his voice, in order to be well heard by a great affembly. This is confounding two things which are different, loudness, or

On this whole fubje&t, Mr. Sheridan's Lectures on Elocution are very worthy of being confulted; and feveral hints are here taken from them. A 3

ftrength

ftrength of found, with the key, or note on | appearance of one who endeavours to compe which we speak. A fpeaker may render his affent, by mere vehemence and force of found voice louder, without altering the key; and In the next place, to boing well heard, and we fhall always be able to give moft body, clearly underfood, diftinctnefs of articulation moft perfevering force of found, to that pitch contributes more, than mere loudness of found of voice, to which in confervation we are ac- The quantity of found neceffary to fill even a cuftomed. Whereas, by fetting out on our large space, is fmaller than is commonly imahighest pitch or key, we certainly allow our-gined; and with diftinct articulation, a man felves lefs compafs, and are likely to ftrain of a weak voice will make it reach farther our voice before we have done. We fhall fa- than the strongest voice can reach without ir tigue ourselves, and fpeak with pain; and To this, therefore, every public fpeaker ough whenever a man speak's with pain to himself, to pay great attention. He must give every he is always heard with pain by his audience. found which he utters its due proportion, and Give the voice therefore full ftrength and make every fyllable, and even every letter in fwell of found; but always pitch it on your the word which he pronounces, be heard dif ordinary speaking key. Make it a conftant tinctly; without flurring, whispering, or fup rule never to utter a greater quantity of voice, preffing any of the proper founds. than you can afford without pain to yourfelves, and without any extraordinary effort. As long as you keep within thefe bounds, the other organs of fpeech will be at liberty to difcharge their feveral offices with eafe; and you will always have your voice under command. But whenever you tranfgrefs thefe bounds you give up the reins, and have no longer any management of it. It is an ufeful rule too, in order to be well heard, to fix our eye on fome of the most diftant perfons in the affembly, and to confider ourselves as fpeak ing to them. We naturally and mechanically utter our words with fuch a degree of ftrength, as to make ourselves be heard by one to whom we addrefs ourselves, provided he be within the reach of our voice. As this is the cafe in common converfation, it will hold alfo in public speaking. But remember, that in public as well as in converfation, it is poffible to offend by speaking too loud. This extreme hurts the car, by making the voice come upon it in rumbling indiftinct maffes; belides its giving the fpeaker the difagreeable

In the third place, in order to articulate dif tinctly, moderation is requilite with regard to the fpeed of pronouncing. Precipitancy o fpeech confounds all articulation, and al meaning. I need fcarcely obferve, that there may be alfo an extreme on the oppofite fide It is obvious, that a lifelefs, drawling pro nunciation, which allows the minds of the hearers to be always outrunning the fpeaker must render every difcourfe infipid and fa tiguing. But the extreme of speaking too fa is much more common, and requires the more to be guarded against, because when it ha grown up into a habit, few errors are mor difficult to be corrected. To pronounce with a proper degree of flowness, and with full and clear articulation, is the first thing to be ftu died by all who begin to fpeak in public; and cannot be too much recommended to them Such a pronunciation gives weight and dig nity to their difcourfe. It is a great affiftanc to the voice, by the paufes and refts which i allows it more easily to make; and it enable the fpeaker to fwell all his founds, both with

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