sorted to as a substitute for the dumb bells during ordinary short intervals of relaxation from study. Those however, who wish to acquire a powerful voice, smoothly pleasant in its tone, can only succeed by occasionally resorting for exercise to a walk and declaiming in the open air. In this kind of practice it will be useful to spend from a quarter of an hour, to two or three hours at a time.

Finally, for the sake of lightening the instructor's labor it will be well to state, that the plan of the following course is diametrically opposite to that alluded to in the well known lines of Pope,

"True grace in writing comes from art, not chance,

As those move easiest, who have learned to dance.”

In this maxim it is assumed that natural ease and grace of carriage, are best cultivated by practising the artificial movements of dancing. Whether such doctrines be true or false we shall not attempt to discuss-nor consider to what extent and in what mode this principle may be applied in education. It will be sufficient to mention, that in the following course not a precept or lesson is founded on any such doctrine. On the contrary, it will be an invariable rule, to require nothing that shall not be natural, practical, and, to a sensible person, agreeable.

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PART I.

GENERAL HABITS IN DELIVERY.

THE chapters in this part of the work, contain that information which the author, in his daily labors, finds necessary to give at one time or another, to nearly every one whom he instructs. Having entered upon an independent investigation of the actual conditions of the mind, and of the nervous and muscular systems of the body, in all the varieties of delivery, he has been in the habit of treasuring in his memory, and making use in instruction, of every fact which he has observed. Incessant employment of these facts has kept them fresh in his mind, and enabled him to state them in conversation with pupils, with sufficient precision to enable them to appreciate their value. Whether he shall succeed in making them equally clear in print, is doubtful. When giving instruction, however, his habit is to state them briefly, and then immediately to exemplify them by speaking a few words himself. The student is directed never directly to imitate his instructor, but to notice the sort of exertion that he makes in order to attain such a quality in delivery as is under consideration. The student then makes the same sort of exertion himself. In this way his delivery remains as original and natural as if he had received no instruction. This is a great point to gain. Though the writer has no natural turn for mimicry, and has never cultivated the elocution required for the theatre, yet he finds no difficulty in imitating a pupil in a sufficient degree to exemplify a fault, without causing him any mortification. Such imitations are not of the nature of mimicry. They are effected by means of intense sympathy

with the person imitated, and by putting one's self into the same state of mind and feeling. It should never be forgotten, that every good or bad quality of delivery results in its ultimate cause, from some habitual or accidental state of mind. Often, however, the immediate cause is some unfortunate bodily habit, which prevents the inward impulses of the mind from producing a natural outward expression through the medium of voice and gesture. On this account it would be not inappropriate to call this first part of the present work, the physical part of elocution.

The requisites of delivery treated in this part of the volume, should be habitual. When the habits are once formed, the student should give himself no further concern about them, but in all his subsequent progress, yield himself fearlessly to the appropriate impulses of his subject, and of the time, place and occasion. In fact when they are established, the student is from that time during the rest of his life, a speaker. They are never lost, even when not called into use by the practice of speaking. Indeed, most persons will even improve in them, simply in consequence of that continued development of mind which results from the influences of society.

CHAPTER I.

ATTITUDE AND GESTURE.

THE purposes of this work require that attitude and gesture be treated of very briefly. A teacher can insure good habits in these respects, in but one of two ways. First, he may devote a very large amount of time to the subject, and not only patiently watch and correct every fault that he observes, but also drill those whom he instructs in a long series of exercises

for the purpose. Secondly, he may explain and illustrate the general principles of both, and then leave good habits to be formed by the influence of the natural impulses which prompt the various attitudes and gestures, at times when the mind is in a felicitous state of excitement from the delivery of eloquent composition.

The latter is the mode adopted in this institution. The learner is advised never to practice speaking without at the same time standing in an easy and yet spirited and manly attitude, and likewise indulging his natural propensity to make those gestures which assist the voice in being earnest and expressive.

Instead of being, as some suppose, the most difficult, these are the easiest parts of delivery. The directions which will presently be given, are all that are found necessary for young men who have passed the period of school instruction, and who feel a natural interest in appearing manly and graceful.

If a few unimportant faults in attitude or gesture accompany the first efforts in speaking, while at the same time the speaker is in general correct in these respects, they commonly proceed from the want of that perfect self-possession and ease, which continued practice will be sufficient to secure. In this case if the speaker's voice is constantly growing more natural and expressive, his attitudes and gestures will generally be found to improve with equal rapidity, so that it will be unnecessary for the teacher to make any corrections.

When a speaker is satisfied that he has undesirable faults of awkwardness or formality of gesture, it is better for him to drill himself privately in correcting them, than to ask an instructor to do it for him. He can thus not only escape from the awkwardness of being drilled in such things by another, but will be able to improve more rapidly. When entirely alone, he can with ease and pleasure watch his internal feelings of spirit, enthusiasm and grace, in respect to these things. Such feelings are not only the true cause of excellence in attitude and gesture, but likewise are our only true guide and authority for them.

It will neither be necessary nor useful to practice before a mirror. The cultivation of feelings of grace, freedom and unrestrained earnestness, such as are easily indulged when practising entirely alone, may be made use of to far better purpose.

One fundamental principle, however, must never be neglected, that attitude and gesture are inseparably connected with respiration and the expression of the voice. Those who study them separately, will be liable to become theatrically awkward.

ATTITUDE.

As the varieties of attitude spring from the feelings that accompany the words that are spoken, and if no bad habits intervene, are always correct when the speaker's voice is sufficiently natural and expressive, it will be unnecessary to study them systematically. All that needs to be done is to correct or prevent any important faults in the general habit of standing.

When the speaker is first commencing, let the attitude express a composed and collected state of mind, and a natural ease. The only effectual mode of securing this, is by taking care to have a feeling of ease, steadiness and composure.

The feet must be so near each other, that the body shall not lean to the one side or the other.

The weight of the body must rest on one leg, with a slight settling at the hip.

The knee of the limb on which the body is not resting, must be suffered to relax and bend.

4 The breast is to be thrown forward, and the shoulders drawn backward.

The head should be held erect and easy.