.

fidence and other such states of feeling. It will be found on trial, that a sneaking or sniveling, or an extremely embarrassed tone, begins otherwise.

As this quality of the speaking voice ought to be habitually exhibited in all delivery whatever, no especial example is required for its cultivation. Yet as the following extract from an address of Mr. Burke, on declining to stand a candidate for reëlection from Bristol, exhibits so strikingly that great orator's characteristic union of dignity and grace, it may be well to subjoin it.

but I have taken such a view of it as satisfies my own mind,

that your choice will not ultimately

fall upon me.\

Your city, gentlemen, is in a state of miserable distraction;\

From the bottom of my heart

I thank you for what you have done for me.\

You have given me a long term,

I have performed the conditions

and enjoyed all the profits

to the full;\

and I now

which is now expired.\

surrender your estate into your hands

without being in a single tile or a single stone

The above extract will also be found one of the best in the language, for practising the student in those grave yet polite attitudes and bendings of the body, which are required in an address so formal and yet so sincere. In the gestures, the hand will often require to be brought quite low, to correspond with the inflexions of the body and the low pitch of the cadences.

KEYS OF THE SPEAKING VOICE.

For practical purposes, it is best to recognize the old distinction of three keys in every person's speaking voice. These correspond somewhat to the registers, as they are called, of the singing voice. If we make the supposition that an absolutely perfect male voice for singing, would have three registers, one for the bass, one for the tenor, and one for the soprano, these would be analogous to the three keys of the speaking voice.

These keys are the lower, the middle and the upper. The middle is the most important, and is that which

should generally be used. The other two however, ought to be carefully cultivated, since in varied and animated addresses, all three are used, though the middle occurs in the largest proportion.

Students of elocution who are also musicians, should bear carefully in mind the fact, that the range of pitch in speaking is lower and less extensive than in singing. The pitch of the middle key in most male voices is not much above the middle of the bass in singing. The higher notes of the air are never used in speaking, except occasionally in dramatic elocution. On the other hand, the voice descends lower in the cadences of speech than it ever does in music. Indeed, many good speakers sometimes descend in their cadences into a whisper. But this is a habit which is liable to appear affected, and is never necessary or expedient.

The upper key of the voice is that which we instinctively use in calling to a person at a great distance-and upon this fact is founded a natural and easy mode of cultivating the voice in the different keys.

To cultivate the upper key, we may employ as one mode of practice, the instinctive effort to make ourselves audible when declaiming to persons at a very considerable distance.

Then by imagining the hearers at no greater distance than the length of a large church, our voices will naturally fall into the middle key.

Finally, if we speak with a tone of deep earnestness of feeling to persons very near, the voice proceeds in the lower key.

It is highly important to cultivate power and a pure tone throughout the whole range of each one's voice. In general, there are two classes of voices in respect to range of pitch.

Some have their middle key on a high pitch and cannot readily be made to descend to a low pitch, while others have their middle range very low and cannot readily strike into high and spiritstirring notes. Popular audiences generally prefer to hear voices of high pitch. A majority of the most celebrated speakers have had such. Pitt and Fox are instances. Still the very best voices are capable of descending, with strength of tone, to a very low pitch, and at other times rising very high without loss of fullness and dignity. Each one should endeavor to improve his voice most in that part of its range in which it is naturally most inferior.

It will be impossible to acquire a practical command over a particular key, merely by practising passages whose appropriate expression compels us to use it. On the contrary, we must discipline ourselves in the power of speaking the same passage in each of the keys. For this reason we furnish no examples for the especial cultivation of the keys. Any extract or table of words may be used for this purpose.

CHAPTER III.

ANIMATED AND IMPRESSIVE UTTERANCE.

In the previous chapter we treated of those qualities of the voice which are required in all speaking, whatever may be the particular expression demanded by the passage. The present will be devoted to two modes of utterance, without which even the most plain and calm delivery will be lifeless and uninteresting.

For the sake of rendering the study of elocution as simple and easy as possible, we shall not in this chapter consider the forms of stress, and the different ways of managing the slide, by which such kinds of expression are given as are classified in