PART IV.

OF ELOCUTION.

CHAP. I. General Considerations relative to Elocution.

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On the importance of this branch, it is hardly necessary to offer any remark. Few need to be told that the effect of the most perfect composition may be entirely destroyed, even by a Delivery which does not render it unintelligible; - that one, which is inferior both in matter and style, may produce, if better spoken, a more powerful effect than another which surpasses it in both those points; and that even such an Elocution as does not spoil the effect of what is said, may yet fall far short of doing full justice to it. "What would you have said," observed Eschines, when

his recital of his great

rival's celebrated Speech on the Crown was received with a burst of admiration, "what would you have said, had you heard him speak it?"

The subject is far from having failed to engage attention. Of the prevailing deficiency of this, more than of any other qualification of a perfect Orator, many have complained; and several have labored to remove it: but it may safely be asserted, that their endeavors have been, at the very best, entirely unsuccessful. Probably not a single instance could be found

of any one who has attained, by the study of any system of instruction that has hitherto appeared, a really good Delivery; but there are many, — probably nearly as many as have fully tried the experiment, - who have by this means been totally spoiled; who have fallen irrecoverably into an affected style of spouting, worse, in all respects, than their original mode of Delivery. Many accordingly have, not unreasonably, conceived a disgust for the subject altogether; considering it hopeless that Elocution should be taught by any rules; and acquiescing in the conclusion that it is to be regarded as entirely a gift of nature, or an accidental acquirement of practice.

It is to counteract the prejudice which may result from these feelings, that I have thought it needful to profess in the outset a dissent from the principles generally adopted, and to lay claim to some degree of originality in my own. Novelty affords at least an opening for hope; and the only opening, when former attempts have met with total failure.*

Elocution.

2.

The requisites of Elocution correspond in Requisites of great measure with those of Style: Correct Enunciation, in opposition both to indistinct utterance, and to vulgar and provincial pronunciation, may be considered as answering to Purity, Grammatical Propriety, and absence of Obsolete or otherwise Unintelligible words. These qualities, of Style, and of Elocution, being equally required in common conversation, do not fall within the proper province of Rhetoric. The three qualities, again, which have

* This is, in substance, one of Bacon's Aphorisms.

been treated of, under the head of Style, viz. Perspicuity Energy, and Elegance, may be regarded as equally requisites of Elocution; which, in order to be perfect, must convey the meaning clearly, forcibly, and agreeably.

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Reading and Speaking.

Before, however, I enter upon any separate examination of these requisites, it will be necessary to premise a few remarks on the distinction between the two branches of Delivery; viz., Reading aloud, and Speaking. The object of correct Reading is, to convey to the hearers, through the medium of the ear, what is conveyed to the reader by the eye; - to put them in the same situation with him who has the book before him; to exhibit to them, in short, by the voice, not only each word, but also all the stops, paragraphs, italic characters, notes of interrogation, &c.* which his sight presents to him. His voice

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* It may be said, indeed, that even tolerable Reading aloud, supplies more than is exhibited by a book to the eye; since though italics, e. g. indicate which word is to receive the emphasis, they do not point out the tone in which it is to be pronounced; which may be essential even to the right understanding of the sentence. E. G. in such a sentence as in Genesis i. "God said, Let there be light; and there was light:" here we can indicate indeed to the eye that the stress is to be upon "was;" but it may be pronounced in different tones; one of which would alter the sense, by implying that there was light already.

This is true indeed; and it is also true, that the very words themselves are not always presented to the eye with the same distinctions as are to be conveyed to the ear; as, e. g. "abuse," "refuse," "project," and many others, are pronounced differently, as nouns and as verbs. This ambiguity, however, in our written signs, as well as the other, relative to the emphatic words, are imperfections which will

seems to indicate to them," thus and thus it is written in the

book or manuscript before me."

Impressive

reading.

Impressive reading superadds to this, some degree of adaptation of the tones of voice to the character of the subject, and of the style. What is often termed fine Reading seems to convey, in addition to these, a kind of admonition to the hearers respecting the feelings which the composition ought to excite in them: it appears to say, "This deserves your admiration ;- this is sublime; this is pathetic, &c."

Speaking.

But Speaking, i. e. natural speaking, when the Speaker is uttering his own sentiments, and is thinking exclusively of them, has something in it distinct from all this: it conveys, by the sounds which reach the ear, the idea, that what is said is the immediate effusion of the Speaker's own mind, which he is desirous of imparting to others. A decisive proof of which is, that if any one overhears the voice of another, to whom he is an utter stranger

suppose in the next room without being able to catch the sense of what is said, he will hardly ever be for a moment at a loss to decide whether he is Reading or Speaking; and this, though the hearer may not be one who has ever paid any critical attention to the various modulations of the human voice. So wide is the difference of the tones employed on these two occasions, be the subject what it may.*

not mislead a moderately practised reader. My meaning, in saying that such Reading as I am speaking of puts the hearers in the same situation as if the book were before them, is to be understood on the supposition of their being able not only to read, but to read so as to take in the full sense of what is written.

* "At every sentence let them ask themselves this question; How should I utter this, were I speaking it as my own immediate senti

Attention connected with Sympathy.

The difference of effect produced is proportionably great the personal sympathy felt towards one who appears to be delivering his own sentiments, is such, that it usually rivets the attention, even involuntarily, though to a discourse which appears hardly worthy of it. It is not easy for an auditor to fall asleep while he is hearing even perhaps feeble reasoning clothed in indifferent language, delivered extemporaneously, and in an unaffected style; whereas it is common for men to find a difficulty in keeping themselves awake, while listening even to a good dissertation, of the same length, or even shorter, on a subject, not uninteresting to them, when read, though with propriety, and not in a languid manner. And the thoughts, even of those not disposed to be drowsy, are apt to wander, unless they use an effort from time to time to prevent it; while, on the other hand, it is notoriously difficult to withdraw our attention, even from a trifling talker of whom we are weary, and to occupy the mind with reflections of its own.

Of the two branches of Elocution which have been just mentioned, it might at first sight appear as if one only, that of

ments?—I have often tried an experiment to show the great difference between these two modes of utterance, the natural and the artificial; which was, that when I found a person of vivacity delivering his sentiments with energy, and of course with all that variety of tones which nature furnishes, I have taken, occasion to put something into his hand to read, as relative to the topic of conversation; and it was surprising to see what an immediate change there was in his Delivery, from the moment he began to read. A different pitch of voice took place of his natural one, and a tedious uniformity of cadence succeeded to a spirited variety; insomuch that a blind man could hardly conceive the person who read to be the same who had just been speak ing." Sheridan, Art of Reading.