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very. But we shall now consider only the more important--the signi ficant inflections; those upon the correct use of which the meaning and force of composition depend-leaving the learner, unincumbered by rules which perplex rather than instruct, to make a practical applica tion of them to the less important parts of composition as his judgment may direct.

Falling Inflection.

The falling inflection is used where the language is bold and ener getic; where a positive assertion is made; or where an indirect ques tion is asked.

EXAMPLES.

Who first seduced thern to that foul revolt 1

The infernal serpent.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded.

But Jesus said, why tempt ye me, ye Hypocrites!

I insist upon this point; I urge you to it; pièss it; require it; nay, demand it of you.

What, Tubero, did that naked sword of yours mean, at the battle of Pharsălia ? At whose breast was it aimed? What was the meaning of your àru vour spirit, your eyes, your hands, your ardor of soul?

Rising Inflection.

The rising in lection accompanies the weaker emphasis, where the enunciation of thought is tender, conditional, or incoinpkte.

EXAMPLES.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son and said, is this your younger brother of whom you spake unto me?

If some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafte in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tre; boast not against the branches.

The beauty of a plai, the greatness of a mountain, the ornaments of a building, the expression of a picture, the comp sit on of a discourse, the conduct of a third person, the prope ties of different quantities and numbers,--all the ge neral subjects of science and taste,--are what we and our companions regard, as having no peculiar relation to either of us.

This inflection is also used with the direct question, or that which admits of yes or no for the answer; as,-Are you going to Genéva? Do you go to-day ?-But if the same question be repeated, as if at first not heard or understood, it takes in the repetition the more forcible emphasis of the falling in lcction; as-Are you going to Genéva? Are you going to Genèva?-Is this your book?" Sir ?"Is this your book?

When the disjunctive or connects words or phrases, it has the rising inflection before, and the falling after it.

EXAMPLES.

Did he act courageously, or cowardly?
Do you go to New Vỏ k, or to Bòston 1
Would you be happy, or unhappy?

Is it awful on the sabbath day to do gồod, or to do evil?-to save life, or to dostidy it?

Has God forsaken the works of his own hands or does he always gracious y preserve, and keep, and guide them ?

1

But when or is used conjunctively, it has the same inflection after as before it; as,

Would a belief of divine revelation contribute to make rulers less tyrannical, or subjects less governable?—ile is a man of wisdom; or, at least, of great learning.

When affirmation and negation are opposed to each other, that which affirms has generally the falling, and that which denies the rising inflection.

EXAMPLES.

I spoke of his intègrity, not of his talent.

I am going to Rochester, not to Búdalo.

He was not esteemed for his wealth, but for his wisdom.

1 have not been reading Milton, but Ediner.

Think no that the influence of devotion is confined to the retirement of the elset, and the assembly of the sai.ts: Imagine not, that, unconnected with the duties of life, it is suited only to those enraptured souls, whose feelings per haps you der.de as romantic and visionary :-It is the guardian of innocenceit is the instrument of virtue-it is a mean by which every good affection may be formed and improved.

The Circumflex.

The circumflex is used to express ideas ironically, hypothetically, or comparatively; or when something is rather insinuated than strongly expressed.

EXAMPLES.

They tell us to be moderate, but they, they are to revel in profusion.

If men see our faults they will talk among themselves, though we refuse to let them talk to us.

He has more art than science.

You were paid to fightgainst Alexander, not to rǎil at him.

It may teach us prudence, if we derive from it no other benefit.

Were we to ask a physician concerning a sick person, and receive in reply" He is better" we might suppose him to be yet danger. ously sick, the circumflex giving us an idea only of a slight, or com par tive amendment, but were he to say--He is better-our anxiety for his safety would be at once removed.

The following example will more clearly show the controlling infiuence which the inflection has upon the sense, without changing the seat of the emphasis:

-

In church I am unable to suppress evil thoughts. The idea, which this sentence is intended to convey, is, that the person making the assertion is subject to evil thoughts, which, not only most places of resort but even the sacredness of a church does not enable him to suppress. Hence it should be read with the strong emphasis and the falling infection upon church; thus-"In church I an anable to suppress evil thoughts.' -But if the circumflex be used with the emphasis, a different idea will be conveyed, it will be, that the person, although in most places not subject to evil thoughts, is in church peculiarly afflicted by, and unable to suppress them; thusIn church I am unable to suppress evil thoughts.-We will take an other example. Horatio in the Fair Penitent says:

--

"I will not turn aside from iny loose pleasure, though all thỷ force be armed o bar my way."

The circumfex upon thy implies thet Heretic leeked upen the op posing force with contempt; and is equivalent to sing "richt turn aside for a respectable opposition. but thy force is net worth regarding." But place the falling infection on thy, and it makes it a matter of greater mon ent:—while it complin ents the opposing force, it declares a detern.ination to resist it, great as it is.

In exan.ining the principles of vocal infection. the ingenious scho lar will find both amusement and instruction. Without being understood, they are practised by all, intuitively, when the stronger en o tions are excited; and if persons could strictly pursue the dictates of nature in these res eets, they would never err.* Fut the force of habit is almost irresistible; and when this is for ed on the side of error, nothing but the strongly excited emotions can disengage its bonds. It will be in vain, therefore, to dej end up on the dictation of these emotions; for they will be found unerring only in the expressions of cr ginal thought—and then only under cirem: stances as above described. It becomes necessary, then, that the doctrine of infections be studied, that they may be applied in unimpassioned discourse, and to the coin position of cthers-studied, not under the impression that the princi ples of nature are to be subverted, but discovered, and strictly followed, Porter, in speaking of the importance of a knowledge of the prin ciples of infection, says: "Analysis of vocal infections bears the same relation to oratory, that the tuning of an instrument does te music. The rudest perform er in this latter art knows, that his fin business is to regulate the instrument he uses, when it is so derange as to produce no perfect notes, or to reduce others than these which he intends. The voice is the speaker's instrument, which, by neglec or mismanagement, is often so cut of tune as not to chey the will of him who uses it. To cure bad habits is the first and hardest tesk in elocution. Among instructors of children, scarcely one in fifty thinks of carrying his precepts beyond correctness in uttering words, and a mechanical attention to pauses; so that the child who speaks the words of a sentence distinctly and fuently, and "ninds the stops," as it is called, is without scruple pronounced a good reader. Hence, among the multitude who consider themselves good readers, there are so few that give by their voice that just expression of sentiment, which constitutes the spirit and soul of delivery."

V. Monotone.

MONOTONE is a sameness of sound upon a succession of syllables, like the repeated strokes upon a hell. It has the peculiar property of rendering composition either sublime or ridiculous, according as it may be judiciously or injudiciously used. Nothing is more disgusting than a dull repetition of sounds upon the same pitch of the voice, resulting from a dullness in the reader or speaker, and applied in common discourse. It is notwithstanding used with the most happy effect, in grave delivery, in the expression of sublime and reverential emotions, and in elevated description. The following examples will illustrate it as used with propriety:

• If a man should discover his own bonse on fire, he would not, like a dis tant and disinterested observer, cry, fire! firé! firé!--but we should hear his more expressive exclamation of fire! fire! fare'

But when or is used conjunctively, it has the same inflection after as before it; as,

Would a belief of divine revelation contribute to make rulers less tyrannical, or subjects less governable-He is a man of wisdom; or, at least, of great learning.

When affirmation and negation are opposed to each other, that which affirms has generally the falling, and that which denies the ri sing inflection.

EXAMPLES.

I spoke of his intègrity, not of his talent.

I am goig to Rochester, not to Budalo.

He was not esteemed for his wealth, but for his wisdom.

1 have not been reading Milton, but Ediner.

Think no that the influence of devotion is confined to the retirement of the oloset, and the assembly of the sai.ts: Imagine not, that, unconnected with the duties of life, it is suited only to those enrapted souls, whose feelings per. haps you der.de as romantic and visionary :-It is the guardian of innocenceit is the instrument of virtue-it is a mean by which every good affection inay be formed and improved.

The Circumflex.

The circumflex is used to express ideas ironically, hypothetically, or comparatively; or when something is rather insinuated than strongly expressed.

EXAMPLES.

They tell us to be moderate, but they, they are to revel in profusion.

If men see our faults they will talk among themselves, though we refuse to let them talk to us..

He has more art than science.

You were paid to fightgainst Alexander, not to rail at him.

It may teach us prudence, if we derive from it no other benefit.

Were we to ask a physician concerning a sick person, and receive in reply" He is better"-we might suppose him to be yet danger. ously sick,-the circumflex giving us an idea only of a slight, or com parative amendment, but were he to say--He is better-our anxiety for his safety would be at once removed.

The following example will more clearly show the controlling infiuence which the inflection has upon the sense, without changing the seat of the emphasis:-

In church I am unable to suppress evil thoughts.

The idea, which this sentence is intended to convey, is, that the person making the assertion is subject to evil thoughts, which, not only most places of resort but even the sacredness of a church does not enable him to suppress. Hence it should be read with the strong emphasis and the falling inflection upon church; thus-" In church I an unable to suppress evil thoughts."-But if the circumflex be used with the emphasis, a different idea will be conveyed,-it will be, that the person, although in most places not subject to evil thoughts, is in church peculiarly afflicted by, and unable to suppress them; thusIn church I am unable to suppress evil thoughts.-We will take another example. Horatio in the Fair Penitent says:

"I will not turn aside from iny loose pleasure, though all thỹ force be armed 10 bar my way."

Another great defect in modulation arises from an unskillful effort avoid the monotone. It consists in a periodical elevation of the voice, both in pitch and volume, on one or more words in every sentence; while it gently undulates upon the rest, varying but little from the monotone. Let the words in small capitals in the following example, be pronounced with a fuller voice, and on a higher key than the rest, and this manner of reading will be exhibited.

"Our sight is the MOST perfect, and most delightful of all our senses, It fills the mind with the largest VARIETY of ulas, converses with its objects at GREATEST distance, and continues the longest in action without being TIRED OF satiated with its proper enjoyments"

It

There is one other manner of reading deserving of notice. is sometimes adopted in the pulpit, from the mistaken notion that it adds solemnity to the subject matter. It consists in adopting two tones of voice, generally two or four notes distant from each other, and pronouncing every word upon these notes, changing alternately from one to the other. The difference between this manner, and that exhibited in the last example, is, that in this, several words are often sounded upon the higher note in succession, and on the remaining words there is no variation from the monotone. This manner may be ex hibited by reading the words in Roman letters, in the example following, in a strictly monotonous manner, and the words in Italic a minor third, or tone and semitone above them :

"I tell you though you, though all the world, though an angel from heuren, should declare the truth of it, I would not believe it."

The learner will find much benefit in practicing upon examples like the foregoing: by doing it understandingly, he will be led to the discovery of his own peculiarity of manner, if he have any, and be able to apply the corrective.

VII. The reading of Verse.

The same rules may in general be observed in the reading of verse, that apply to prose. There is, however, a peculiar charm in poetry, which entitles it to a few additional remarks.

First-Although the beauty of poetry consists in the smoothnessand harmony of its numbers, the poetic measure should not be permited to destroy the sense by usuring the proper emphasis or accent. We sometimes hear sentences like the following, read thus:

"False elo-quence, like the prismatic glass,

Its gaudy colors spreads on every place."
"And felt, from lov'd ones far away,

An exile from Ameri-ca."

In some cases, when the metrical and the customary accent do not anite upon one syllable, they can both be indulged, as in the followmg:

"Our su-preme foe in time may much relent."

It is a general rule, however, that neither the rights of the customary accent, nor the emphasis, should be infringed.

There are two kinds of pauses which belong to poetry: the casuzal pause, which falls about the middle of the line, and the pause at the end of it. In poetry in which the casural pause unites with a diTion made by the sense, the line is harmonious, as in the following:

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