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THE

SCHOOL READER.

FOURTH BOOK.

PART FIRST.

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES.

INTRODUCTION.

1. TO be able to read well, is a valuable accomplishment. 'The art does not consist in giving rapid utterance to words and sentences as they occur on the printed page, but in expressing them with that distinctness, variety, and force, best calculated to convey the sentiments of the writer to the understanding of the bearer.

2. A good reader expresses, both in the tones of his voice and manner of delivery, all the feeling, zeal, and pathos, which would be manifested by the author himself in reading the same. Skill in the proper management of the voice, is as requisite in reading as in singing. And, as rules and illustrations are essential in acquiring a knowledge of the science of music, they are equally so in acquiring a knowledge of the principles of good reading. These principles will be considered in their order under the four following heads, viz. ARTICULATION, INFLECTION, EMPHASIS, and MODULATION.

QUESTIONS.-1. What can you say of the art of reading well? 2. What does a good reader express? 3. What is as requisite in reading as in singing? 4. What are essential in acquiring a knowledge of the principles of good reading? 5. Mention the four general heads under which these principles are classed.

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LESSON I.

ARTICULATION.

ARTICULATION may be defined, distinctness

of utterance.

1. Nothing can compensate in Elocution the want of a clear and distinct articulation. However well one may read or speak in every other respect, he will not be listened to with pleasure, unless every syllable uttered can be fully understood, without the least effort on the part of those that hear.

2. We have all heard speakers, who, without endeavoring to speak loud, rendered themselves clearly understood by a large audience; while the remarks of others, although they screamed and vociferated so as to cause pain to their hearers, were wholly unintelligible. A clear and distinct articulation on the part of the former, and the want of it in the latter, is the cause of this difference,

3. The importance of a correct enunciation, will be better illustrated by the following examples:

1. The culprits ought to be punished.

2. He can debate on either side of the question.

3. The soldiers skilled themselves by practice.

By an indistinct utterance of these sentences, they might be, understood to mean as follows:

The culprit sought to be punished.

He can debate on neither side of the question.
The soldiers killed themselves by practice.

4. To guard against a faulty Articulation, observe the following,

GENERAL RULE.

Ev-e-ry syl-la-ble and word should be distinctly uttered, and every vowel and consonant, not silent, should receive its appropriate sound.

5. The principal causes of a violation of this rule, arise, 1st. from reading too fast, or with too much indifference; and 2nd. from the difficulty of uttering consonant sounds, and a succession of similar sounds.

6. The principal faults, occasioned by these circumstances, are as follows:

1st. The suppression of a syllable; as, intrest for interest,

evry for every, particlar for particular, histry for history, considrable for considerable, uttrance for utterance, reglar for regular.

2nd. The suppression of a vowel or consonant sound; as, prevent for prevent, lat'n for latin, readin' for reading, precincs for precincts, goverment for government, aford for afford, persis for persists, commanments for commandments.

3d. The change of a vowel sound; as, und for and, sepe rate for separate, superintendunt for superintendent, hundurd for hundred, sizuble for sizable, uppear for appear.

4th. The blending of the termination of one word with the beginning of another. This especially occurs when the same consonant sound ends the former, and begins the latter of two words; as,

1. The blast still blew, and the ships sunk.

2. The steadfast stranger through the forest strayed.

In all cases, the close of each word should be distinctly marked by the voice.

QUESTIONS.-1. What is Articulation? 2. What can you say of its importance? 3. Why are some speakers better heard than others who speak louder? 4. How is the importance of a correct enunciation illustrated? 5. What general rule is given to guard against a faulty articulation? 6. What are the principal causes of a violation of this rule? 7. How many faults, occasioned by these circumstances, are mentioned ? 8. Repeat the first, and its examples. 9. The second. 10. Third. 11. Fourth. 12. How may the last fault be remedied?

LESSON II.

ARTICULATION-continued.

NOTE I.-The difficulty of giving a correct articulation in reading, arises chiefly from the utterance of consonant sounds.

1. Of these, the sounds of the mute consonants occasion the greatest difficulty. The vowel sounds are uttered with comparative ease. It is by swelling these sounds, that public criers are able to give that fullness to their voice, by which they are enabled to be heard at so great a distance. The same may be said in regard to singing. Every one knows that the entire sound must be expressed by dwelling on the vowel sounds, in pronouncing such words as end with a mute consonant, as, d, k, p, and the like—the voice being entirely interrupted by their intervention

NOTE II.-An immediate succession of simi lar sounds, occasions much difficulty in giving a clear and distinct articulation.

EXAMPLES.

1. Still struggling, he strives to stand.

2. Up the high hill he heaves the huge round stone.
3. Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves.

2. It is to prevent this succession of similar sounds that n is annexed to a before words beginning with a vowel, as, an apple, instead of a apple. To promote this euphony of sound the Greeks made many changes of this character. But in our language none are made save this, and hence the importance of much care and practice on the part of the beginner in this branch of Elocution.

3. It is therefore particularly recommended, that the class, and even the whole school, be frequently exercised in uttering the elemental sounds in concert. It is undoubtedly the most efficient means for improving their voices, and securing a full and clear enunciation. For this exercise, in the annexed list, are presented in their order the elemental sounds in the English Language, being forty-one in number—sixteen vowel, and twenty-five consonant sounds.

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4. For a similar exercise in articulation, a list of words, containing some of the most difficult combinations of these sounds, is here presented.

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5. In uttering the following examples, in which occur singly and successively, difficult sounds, it is hoped much practice will be given, until they can be pronounced distinctly, and without hesitation.

1. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father.

2. Thou hast received gifts for men.

3. Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

4. I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way which thou shall go. 5. Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,

Shrunk to this little measure?

6. In the calmest and most stillest night.

7.

meet it is, I set it down,

That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.

8. Thou smil'd'st and smil'st no more.

9. He saw'd six sleek slim saplings for sale.

10. Peter Prangle, the prickly prangly pear picker, picked three pecks of prickly prangly pears, from the prangly pear trees, on the pleasant prairies.

11. Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb; now, if Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb, see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb. Success to the successful thistle sifter.

6. The practice of allowing scholars to spell long words, without pronouncing the syllables, as they proceed, in a full and deliberate manner, tends very much to produce a faulty enunciation.

7. Reading in concert, to a limited extent, will promote distinctness of utterance; yet there is danger of falling into a disagreeable and affected manner. On the other hand, care should be taken to avoid a heavy, unnatural, protracting manner.

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