of the voice as may enable the reader to express that one meaning, to the exclusion of all other possible meanings. For every cluster of words is like a many-sided crystal, which may be made to throw light from any of its facets, according as one or another of them is presented uppermost. The most prominent word in the utterance or sentence is not necessarily the most important grammatical word, but that which is new in reference to the context; and such words as are already before the mindwhether directly stated, inferentially included in former expressions, or otherwise implied-are pronounced with subordinateness of manner. Thus, the following lines :

"The quality of mercy is not strained:

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes."

If the first line were read independently, it would be emphasised as follows:

"The quality of mercy is not strained;'

but if read in connection with the preceding context, the emphasis must be different. Thus :

66

"Portia. Then must the Jew have mercy.

Shylock. On what compulsion must I? Tell me that.'

"Mercy" and the "compulsion" of mercy being thus already before the mind, the chief forms of Portia's reply will now be:

"The quality of mercy is not strained,

It droppeth," &c.

[Here, we think, the writer has misplaced the emphasis. Shylock having asked, "On what compulsion?" Fortia replies, that mercy should not depend on compulsion, but be freely exercised-"the quality of mercy is not strained."]

But as to "drop" is the natural characteristic of "rain," and as rain always falls" from heaven," and necessarily "upon the place beneath, these implied words will be pronounced subordinately; thus:

"It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath.'

Bearing in mind, further, that mercy is of necessity "blessed," the reader will proceed :

"It is twice blessed."

And as the object of the speech is to solicit mercy, he will give prominence to the word that advances his suit; thus:

"It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes."

On this principle the reader shows that he has, in his own mind, performed the writer's process of thought, and so made the language which he interprets virtually his own.

We may add to these judicious remarks a few illustrations of the different kinds of emphasis to which it is important to give attention. In some cases, where a contrast of sense is involved, emphasis is equivalent to strongly accented syllables; but generally it is laid on words to indicate the full meaning of the sentence. Take the following samples of what are termed

SINGLE EMPHASIS.

Neither justice nor injustice has anything to do with the question.

It is enacted in the laws of Venice,
If it be proved against an alien
That by direct or indirect attempts
He seek the life of any citizen, &c.

I shall judge of your parts by your speaking gracefully or ungracefully.

There is also what is called the emphasis of sense, where the stress or force which we give to words is in contradistinction to other words expressed or understood. Such, for

instance:

It is a custom more honoured in the breach than the obser

vance.

And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man.

You blocks! you stones! you worse than senseless things! Greece, in her single hero strives in vain,

Now hosts oppose thee, and thou must be slain.

These governments which curb not evils, cause !

Cæsar, who would not wait the conclusion of the Consul's speech, generously replied, that he came into Italy not to injure the liberties of Rome and its citizens, but to restore them.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Must we in your person crown the author of the public calamities, or must we destroy him?

The following are examples of what are termed

DOUBLE EMPHASES.

I would rather be first man in that village than the second in Rome,

To err is human-to forgive, divine.

Business sweetens pleasure, as labour sweetens rest.
The prodigal robs his heir, the miser robs himself.
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.
His years are young; but his experience, old.

Grief is the counter passion of joy. The one arises from agreeable, and the other from disagreeable events; the one from pleasure, and the other from pain; the one from good, and the other from evil.

The following are examples of what are called

TREBLE EMPHASES.

The difference between a madman and a fool is, that the former reasons justly from false data, and the latter erroneously from just data.

Passions are winds, to urge us o'er the wave;

Reason the rudder, to direct and save.

A friend cannot be known in prosperity; and an enemy cannot be hidden in adversity.

He raised a mortal to the skies,

She drew an angel down.

It will thus be seen that, as a general rule, wherever there is contradistinction in the sense of the words, there ought to be emphasis in the pronunciation of them. Unless this is done, it will be impossible to convey the exact meaning of the author, or to produce the proper effect on the mind of the hearer. If no emphasis is placed on any words, the words will be without life or power; while, if the emphasis be wrongly placed, the meaning will be perverted, if not altogether changed. Rightly, therefore, has Sheridan remarked, "Emphasis discharges in sentences the same office that accent does in words. As accent dignifies the syllable on which it is laid, and makes it more distinguishable by the ear than the rest, so emphasis ennobles the word to which it belongs, and presents it in a stronger light to the understanding."

Having completely mastered the words and ideas of the author so that you feel sure of your ground in each particular, you will then be prepared to take another important step, and that will be to

3. PLACE THE PROPER EMPHASIS ON SUCH WORDS AS SPECIALLY NEED IT.—This, again, is no easy matter, and is not to

be acquired without great care and perseverance. In many cases the great difficulty will be to unlearn rather than to learn. This will arise from bad habits acquired in early youth, and sometimes even from defective systems of instruction. Many persons have, perhaps unconsciously, acquired the habit of mumbling their words, instead of speaking out clearly, while many others have dropped into provincial methods and even tones of the voice, which require specially to be guarded against. The only safe cure for this is to frequently and carefully practise the reading of elementary words, so as to acquire a ready and distinct articulation. Without this both prose and poetry will be marred, and the rhythm and metre of the verse completely destroyed. Seek to realise the importance of DISTINCT UTTERANCE and PROPER PRONUNCIATION, and if you do so, you will be prepared to give all the time and effort needful to acquire these indispensable qualifications for public speaking and reading, inasmuch as it will be self-evident that without doing so you can never hope to succeed.

To secure these two things, DISTINCT UTTERANCE and PROPER PRONUNCIATION, it is of the utmost importance that special care be taken to cultivate clear ARTICULATION of each word. Indeed, it is absolutely needful if we wish to carry home the words we utter to the hearts or minds of the hearers. Without it neither prose nor poetry will have its proper meaning, and, indeed, in many cases will not be even understood, and consequently its beauty, truth, or lessons be completely lost; while, with it, the mind will be enlightened, the heart moved, and the lessons carried home to all with the greatest success. Remember, noise, even though much greater, does not travel so far as a pure and musical sound. A clear, distinct utterance will be heard in a large building, even though it be given with a moderate voice, better than a shout. The one will carry conviction to the minds of those who hear, while the other will arouse annoyance in the minds of those who do not.

A good articulation (says Mr. Sheridan, in his Lectures on Elocution), consists in giving every letter in a syllable its due proportion of sound, according to the most approved custom of pronouncing it; and in making such distinction between the syllables of which words are composed that the ear shall, without difficulty, acknowledge their number, and perceive, at once, to which syllable each letter belongs. Where these points are

not observed the articulation is proportionally defective. A good articulation is to the ear, in speaking, what a fair and regular hand is to the eye, in writing; and exactness in sounding the words rightly corresponds to propriety in spelling.

Let us, therefore, take a glance at a few of what we may call the VICES OF SPEECH which are to be met with most frequently, so as to put you on your guard, and also to illustrate the importance of every care being needful to avoid dropping into them, inasmuch as even the best of speakers are apt at times to fall into one or the other, without in the slightest degree being aware of it.

The substitution of th for s, as thailor for sailor, &c.

vewy dwoll for very droll, &c.

k for g, as kate for gate, &c.

f for v, as firtue for virtue, &c.
v for f, as vather for father, &c.
z for s, as Zomerset for Somerset, &c.
v for w, as vater for water, &c.

w for v, as wirtue for virtue, &c.

4. BEWARE OF FALSE ACCENTUATION OR MAL-PRONUNCIATION.-Among the most common examples, which it is of great importance to correct, are the following:

Comin for coming.

Speakin for speaking.
Insis for insists.

Persis for persists.

Aro'ma for aroma.

As'pirant for aspi'rant.

Fi'nance for finance'.

Mische'vious for mis'chievous.

Prece'dent (n.) for precedent.

Pre'cedent (adj.) for prece'dent.

Perfume (v.) for perfume'.

i

Perfume' (n.) for perfume.

In'-ter-dict for in-ter-dict'.

O'-ver-throw for over-throw'.

It is not only needful to put the proper accent upon the words, but it is specially important to notice that, by the simple change of the accent to another part of the word, the