Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Aids to Self-Culture.

THE ART OF READING.-RHETORICAL PUNCTUATION OR PAUSATION.

HAVING given a short summary of the general principles of punctuation,* we next proceed to a consideration of that part of the subject which naturally depends upon it, namely, pausation. And here, as in the former article, we shall give merely an outline; leaving the studious pupil to his own ingenuity and observation to fill in the details. The industrious and earnest can scarcely fail of success; always remembering that "the sense of the writer is of the first importance." Do not fail to bear in mind also, that a good reader tries to set the merits of the author palpably before his listeners, and that it argues bad taste to strive to make that author simply a pedestal whereon to perch, peacock-like, his own conceit. If the author is worth reading at all, he can dispense with your "dumbshows and mouthing." I need not, perhaps, remind my readers there is such a thing as "Hamlet's instructions to the players." Every one should read it carefully. A word or two regarding manner may perhaps, with advantage, be offered here. It is not enough to know when and where to pause, how to inflect and emphasize your words, it is also desirable to read in an easy, fluent manner, not stilted as though you were being jolted in a coal cart. Right angles are not required in this art-acute ones may sometimes be tolerated, as it is necessary in some compositions to give a strong, quick emphasis to the words. But what I mean by reading at right angles, is taking so much notice of your rules that you lose the spirit and harmony of the thoughts you are vainly trying to represent. I grant that to study the rules and to put them into practice will require much consideration, much reading and re-reading. This should be: practise at one pause till you get precisely the right amount of time you desire; then go on and read over again and again till you get the whole done to your satisfaction. I may just say, en passant, that I think Knowles's "Elocutionist" the best book I have seen for the student, there is in it such a nice selection of pieces for practice.

In reading aloud, as in speaking, it is very necessary to avoid a long monotone, or that dreadful habit of lowering the voice at the end of every sentence, even if an interrogative one, as though you had caught the "falling sickness." We need scarcely mention that miserable affectation that obtains among none but dandies, who pronounce all they say in a light frivolous tone, who perhaps were never guilty of uttering a serious sentence in their lives. Let me say, I sincerely believe that no ENGLISHMAN could do it. No man who has ever felt his blood tingle at the remembrance of his ancestors-no man who has thought of the genius-the strong energetic character of our language, can possibly so forget himself as to cultivate a flippant style of expression; for, of all affectations, this is the most detestable.

This is said, more to guard the unwary, who may possibly have connected elocution with stage ranting or with the genteel, silvery, mellifluous falsettos of nice men in faultless, cream-coloured smalls.

*

Generally called grammatical punctuation, which is an error; it might more appropriately be called logical punctuation.

Having discharged so much at the reader, by way of a battre la générale, we will at once proceed to give a series of rules, as simple and as intelligible as the nature of the subject and our powers will admit.

We shall depart from ordinary usage as little as possible; and, therefore, take as the groundwork of our operations, the nine parts of speech, known by every schoolboy. It is true that we shall class many words together as though one, yet this need not in the least degree confuse, but will be found to make the subject far more easy of comprehension.

We need not, perhaps, be at any great pains to impress upon the reader, after what we have said on punctuation, the fact that, if an article be properly punctuated, where there is a point there should also be a pause. We wish this general rule to be borne in mind, as it will save much repetition. We commence with the article; of course, definite or indefinite it follows the same rule. It will be seen that the "rules" will consist of affirmation and negation. We think it not important to give them any preeminence in the order, as it does not at all affect the subject.

66

eye," "the

[ocr errors]

We cannot pause between an article and the noun to which it belongs, as the sea""an eye." We could not read thus, an sea," leaving a great gap by pausing between them. They should read so, aneye," "thesea," giving each syllable its proper intonation.

[ocr errors]

Each syllable of a word, as each word of a sentence, should be clearly and distinctly uttered.

We must not pause between the adjective and the noun to which it belongs, nor between the article and the adjective—so that the following, would read as one word,—

"Thesoundingsea.”
"?*

These three words are all closely connected, so that no pause can be admitted. The same holds good if an adverb be added

[ocr errors][merged small]

When two adjectives are connected to one noun, and they themselves are joined by a conjunction, we may pause slightly after, or rather we may dwell upon, the first; what we mean by dwelling upon is not pausing; but merely lengthening the word you are speaking: -thus, in the following lines, it would destroy the unity if a pause were admitted after "on," whereas by dwelling upon the word itself, or making it rather longer, it takes away the angularity or squareness, so to speak.

No

"But nothing he'll reck if they let him sleep on

In the grave where a Briton has laid him."

pause between "in" and "on."

Thus then; "The great AND invincible Alexander," where we may dwell upon “great,” but scarcely pause.

The possessive case of a noun or pronoun is taken as an adjective.

We may pause after the subject or nominative case, especially if that nominative consist of more than one word; as "The great and invincible Alexander Darius."

wept for the fate of

* For more adjectives than one connected to one noun, see " Punctuation," p. 283, è 4.

No pause can be admitted

"where a Briton has laid him.

between the objective case and that which governs it—as: Here the transitive verb "has laid" governs "him."

If a new sentence be added, or there be two verbs (transitive) to one object, then a pause and a point may be admitted, as

"With fruitless labor Clara bound,

And strove to staunch, the gushing wound."

The same rule is true of two nominatives or subjects to one verb.

66

The same is true of prepositions. We have before said that prepositions may be as well called post-positions, only that they generally govern what comes after; and are only connected with what goes before. There are three kinds of prepositions. One showing the position of one thing with regard to another, as my pen is on the paper." "On" shows the position of the "pen" with regard to the "paper." The next shows a relation or connection with the two, rather than the position: as—“You are playing for me, you are playing music for me." Here it will be seen that though we may put a noun after the verb, yet, that the true connection is between the verb and the preposition, or, the noun which it (the preposition) governs. The other kind of preposition is chiefly confined to the preposition "of," and shows the possessive case: thus, "the Queen of England "—is equal to "England's Queen." "Ye storm winds of Autumn," or, as it might read, "Autumn's storm winds." From what has been said then, it will be seen that we may not pause between the objective case and the preposition which governs it, any more than we may between the transitive verb and its object. Thus; "Across the ever sounding sea.' It will be seen at once that every word in that sentence is so closely connected as to admit of no pause.

We may as well mention a common fault, which occurred to us as we wrote the two lines quoted above; namely of the hop, skip, and jump style of reading, or rather of the undulating movements which some people are guilty of, as if we were to write the lines thus

[blocks in formation]

As we have said there can be no pause admitted between the preposition and the objective, it will be well to say, that the connection between the preposition and that which goes before being not quite so strong, it is possible at times to pause between the two.

The same holds good of the conjunction, where we may pause before it, but not after it: though the common practice is in direct opposition to that; especially when the conjunction marks a consequence. As-"I eat, that I may live." Here, as Dr. Latham observes, the word that "denotes that one act is done for the sake of supplying the power or opportunity for the performance of another."

The same rule still holds with regard to the relative and antecedent-as will be seen in the following.

[blocks in formation]

where a pause should be used after "He" and before "who."

The word that is used also as a demonstrative pronoun (or adjective) and follows the same rule in that case. When it is used as a relative, it of course requires the same treatment as a relative, as will be seen by altering the above line, thus:

"He that hath bent him," &c.

An adverb should never be separated from a verb by a pause, except when there are more than one, as

[ocr errors][merged small]

It will be found here that the compound word "what" sometimes requires a pause, however slight, before it, even after a transitive verb; the reason of this is twofold; at least in the above sentence; first as it is used as a compound including the antecedent and relative, as, "Lightly quit that (thing) which lightly came." Secondly, the quantity of the word "quit" being short, it is scarcely possible to dwell upon it, which in other instances would save the pause.

With regard to the interjection, we can give little rule for its use; as it seems to compose the sum and substance of some people's existence. The pause to be given in this instance is indefinite-it depends upon the amount of effeminacy there is in the composition of those who use them; if they belong to that class who would be likely to "die of a rose in aromatic pain," then who shall arrange it "according to Cocker."

E. B.

Politics.

OUGHT THE UNIVERSITIES OF OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE TO BE THROWN OPEN AS NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR BRITISH SUBJECTS OF ALL RELIGIOUS OPINIONS?

AFFIRMATIVE ARTICLE.-III.

[blocks in formation]

Truth in general is of two kinds, natural and moral. Of the former kind of truth we shall have but little to say, as we opine that if truth of this degree had been all that the universities contemplated, the present question had never arisen. It is truth of the subjective sphere, or moral truth, which claims our attention. The obviously supreme importance of this degree of truth, which relates to the soul and its immortality, with those who believe in these attributes of man, has very properly resulted in the subordination of merely secular truth to it in all educational processes carried out under such auspices; and it was probably the desire to secure the highest and purest theories on these all-important subjects which originally led to the adoption, in some instances, of a creed or analogous formula, as a test whereby a pledge of conformity to certain

dogmas might be obtained from all who would avail themselves of the advantages held out. Now, as the required subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles, by all who would matriculate at Oxford or Cambridge, constitutes a test which excludes a large portion of "British subjects," whose "religious opinions" will not allow them to make this subscription, from the benefits of these institutions, the question, to our mind, turns upon the wisdom of tests in general, and, in consequence, of this test in particular; and we think we shall be able to show, from a consideration of the nature of truth as it exists for man, that they are most prejudicial to its interests. Not, be it understood, that we would be altogether without a pledge that the neophyte student recognizes those moral facts upon which moral truth is based; but this pledge, we conceive, should be of a most general character; and, indeed, nothing more nor less than a recognition of the Scriptures as a Divine revelation, and the rule of faith and life. For this would imply a belief in the Lord, in his triune characters of Creator, Redeemer, and Regenerator; the soul and its immortality; in a word, all the moral facts of Christianity. This, we contend, is all that Truth requires to form her best, her most intelligent and devoted adherents. To require a pledge of absolute faith in anything more specific than this; thus, in any document of man's invention or evolution-is, we hold, a "presumptuous sin;" for, practically, it is to elevate a merely human composition to the position and authority of holy writ, for which position we will proceed to show it is necessarily unfit, and therefore impious in its nature, and injurious in its effects.

It

that is to say, they are changed in a relative sense; hence result different, higher ideas. It is easy to see that this must ever be the quality pertaining to all human ideas-always changing-possibly progressing-for the Infinite can never be attained to, or exhausted, consequently the quality of relativeness can never be superseded; and happy for man that it is so, since he is thereby for ever secured in the possible enjoyment of the highest and purest of human delights-the pursuit and attainment of wisdom, which delight would no longer exist for him could he ever reach the ultimatum of wisdomthe Infinite. Hence progress is an essential element, alike in human happiness as in human wisdom; and whatever of human contrivance or theory professes to be final and absolute is, by that very sign, false in position, and injurious in its tendencies. is plain that creeds, formulas, and "articles" of faith, when used in the character of tests, do practically assume this character of being absolute; and in that position they are manifestly opposed to that progress which, we have seen, is an essential feature of the truth which is proper to humanity. But we must here meet an objection, which many, who may agree in our opinion as to human truth in general, will still make against it,— rectness in regard to religious or revealed truth in particular. They will probably urge that the Scriptures, as being inspired by the Lord, are a record of divine ideas, and thus contain absolute truths; and that therefore a creed which embodies these is unobnoxious to our strictures. To this we answer, that the Scriptures, as the veritable word of God, must indeed embody absolute truth; that they are in some respects analoReminding our readers that our remarks, gous to the works of God in nature, which, though to some extent applicable to natural while they present an outward manifestation truth, have more especial reference to truth adequate for human use and comprehension, of the moral sphere, we proceed to remark that are yet inwardly full of mysteries which will, this truth, as it exists for man, is relative to all eternity, engage human investigation, merely in its quality: absolute truth is none and which in their inmost nature are "past other than truth as it exists in the Divine finding out." We regard the Scriptures as mind. Now, the human mind is obviously the connecting link between heaven and man inadequate to Divine ideas. The ideas, there--the medium wherein divine truth is finited fore, of which it is the subject, are relative, -relative to its position and powers, such ideas being only the transcripts of things as they appear. On the attainment, by the human mind, of a high position, the forms and relations of things appear to be changed,

-cor

and made adequate to the lowest human apprehension. It is a book which "the simple may understand in simplicity, the wise in wisdom"-which possesses an external sense suitable for men, an internal sense adequate to angelic apprehension, and a su

« AnteriorContinuar »