Why action is generally disused. speaking. This is supposed to be, and perhaps is, the more rational and dignified way of speaking: but so strong is the tendency to indicate vehement internal emotion by some kind of outward gesture, that those who do not encourage or allow themselves in any, frequently fall unconsciously into some awkward trick of swinging the body,* folding a paper, twisting a string, or the like. But when any one is reading, or even speaking, in the Artificial manner, there is little or nothing of this tendency; precisely because the mind is not occupied by that strong internal emotion which occasions it. And the prevalence of this (the artificial) manner may rea sonably be conjectured to have led to the disuse of all gesticulation, even in extemporary speakers; because if any one, whose delivery is artificial, does use action, it will of course be like his voice, studied and artificial; and savoring still more of disgusting affectation; from the circumstance that it evidently might be entirely omitted.† And hence, the practice came to be generally disapproved and exploded. It need only be observed, that, in conformity with the principles maintained throughout this Book, no care should, in any case, be taken to use graceful or appropriate action; which, if not perfectly unstudied, will always be (as has been just *Of one of the ancient Roman Orators it was satirically remarked, (on account of his having this habit,) that he must have learned to speak in a boat. Of some other Orators, whose favorite action is rising on tiptoe, it would perhaps have been said, that they had been accustomed to address their audience over a high wall. + ". Gratas inter mensas symphonia discors, Et crassum unguentum, et Sardo cum melle papaver HORACE, Ars Poet. remarked) intolerable. But if any one spontaneously falls into any gestures that are unbecoming, care should then be taken to break the habit; and that, not only in public speaking, but on all occasions. The case, indeed, is the same with utterance: if any one has, in common discourse, an indistinct, hesitating, provincial, or otherwise faulty delivery, his Natural manner certainly is not what he should adopt in public speaking; but he should endeavor, by care, to remedy the defect, not in public speaking only, but in ordinary conversation also. And so also, with respect to attitudes and gestures. It is in these points, principally, if not exclusively, that the remarks of an intelligent friend will be beneficial. If, again, any one finds himself naturally and spontaneously led to use, in speaking, a moderate degree of action, which he finds from the observation of others not to be ungraceful or inappropriate, there is no reason that he should study to repress this tendency. $6. Action natuprecedes rally the words. It would be inconsistent with the principle just laid down, to deliver any precepts for gesture because the observance of even the best conceivable precepts, would, by destroying the natural appearance, be fatal to their object: but there is a remark, which is worthy of attention, from the illustration it affords of the erroneousness, in detail, as well as in principle, of the ordinary systems of instruction in this point. Boys are generally taught to employ the prescribed action either after, or during the utterance of the words it is to enforce. The best and most appropriate action must, from this circumstance alone, necessarily appear a feeble affectation. It suggests the idea of a person speaking to those who do not fully understand the language, and striving by signs to explain the meaning of what he has been saying. The very same gesture, had it come at the proper, that is, the natural, point of time, might, perhaps, have added greatly to the effect; viz. had it preceded somewhat the utterance of the words. That is always the natural order of action. An emotion,* struggling for utterance, produces a tendency to a bodily gesture, to express that emotion more quickly than words can be framed; the words follow, as soon as they can be spoken. And this being always the case with a real, earnest, unstudied speaker, this mode of placing the action foremost, gives (if it be otherwise appropriate) the appearance of earnest emotion actually present in the mind. And the reverse of this natural order would alone be sufficient to convert the action of Demosthenes himself into unsuccessful and ridiculous pantomime. "Format enim Natura prius nos intus ad omnem Post effert animi motus interprete lingua.” HORACE, Ars Poet. APPENDIX. [A]. Pages 25, 187, 375. OMNINO hoc volumus, locos omnes, quorum frequens est usus (sive ad probationes et refutationes, sive ad suasiones et dissuasiones, sive ad laudes et vituperia spectent) meditatos jam haberi, eosque ultimis ingenii viribus, et tanquam improbe, et prorsus præter veritatem, attolli et deprimi. Modum autem hujus collectionis, tam ad usum, quam ad brevitatem, optimum fore censemus, si hujusmodi loci contrahantur in sententias quasdam acutas et concisas; tanquam glomos quosdam, quorum fila in fusiorem discursum, cum res postulat, explicari possint. Ejus generis, cum plurima parata habeamus, aliqua ad exemplum proponere visum est. Ea autem ANTITHETA rerum nominamus. [It is worth observing that several of these commonplaces of Bacon have become PROVERBS; and others of them are well calculated to become so. And most of the Proverbs that are in use in various languages are of a similar character to these. and Considering that Proverbs have been current in all ages countries, it is a curious circumstance that so much difference of opinion should exist as to the utility, and as to the design 447 of them. Some are accustomed to speak as if Proverbs contained a sort of concentrated essence of the wisdom of all Ages, which will enable any one to judge and act aright on every emergency. Others on the contrary represent them as fit only to furnish occasionally a motto for a book, a theme for a school-boy's exercise, or a copy for children learning to write. To me, both these opinions appear erroneous. That Proverbs are not generally regarded, by those who use them, as, necessarily, propositions of universal and acknowledged truth, like mathematical axioms, is plain from the circumstance that many of those most in use, are, - like these commonplaces of Bacon,-opposed to each other; as e. g. “Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves;" to "Be not penny-wise and pound-foolish ;" and again, “The more haste the worse speed; or, "Wait a while, that we may make an end the sooner; to "Take time by the forelock," or "Time and tide for no man bide," &c. It seems, I think, to be practically understood, that a Proverb is merely a compendious expression of some principle, which will usually be, in different cases, and with or without certain modifications, true or false, applicable or inapplicable. When then a Proverb is introduced, the speaker usually employs it as a Major-premise, and is understood to imply, as a Minor, that the principle thus referred to is applicable in the existing case. And what is gained by the employment of the Proverb, is, that his judgment, and his reason for it, are conveyed through the use of a well-known form of expression, clearly, and at the same time in an incomparably shorter space, than if he had had to explain his meaning in expressions framed for the occasion. And the brevity thus obtained |