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rangues, anniversary orations, and even from didactic compositions originally delivered from the pulpit. These are the productions of mature minds, and may form very good speaking exercises for adults; but boys can never practise them without contracting false or affected tones.

The constant use of the 'circumflex,' or 'wave,' seems, as already mentioned, to mark universally the local tone of emphasis in New England, as contradistinguished from the customary mode of utterance in all other parts of the world in which the English language prevails. Accidents of local usage are necessarily entailed on the youth of a community, in the intercourse of domestic and social life. A good education, however, should always secure an exemption from local peculiarities of intonation. Hence the importance of an early formation of correct habit, in this as well as in other departments of elocution.

The most efficacious practice for removing the fault complained of above, is to revert to the tones of question and answer for illustrations of simple inflection, and to repeat one or more examples, throwing the first part of each into the shape of a question; thus, "Was Abel a keeper of sheep?" and the latter into the form of an answer to a question such as "What was Cain?"-thus, "Cain was a tiller of the ground."

The wrong inflection having been thus displaced, the simple inflections should be reduced from the peculiar notes of question and answer to the appropriate moderate slides of contrast.

9

Concluding Remarks on the Theory of Inflection.

The work of Dr. James Rush on the Philosophy of the Voice, gives a masterly analysis of the vocal phenomena denominated by him the 'slide' and the 'wave,' and by previous writers on elocution usually designated as 'inflection' and 'circumflex.' But Dr. Rush's object being an exhibition of the philosophy of the voice, and not of the practical rules of the art of reading, the teacher will still derive important aid from Mr. Walker's treatise entitled Elocution, as well as from his Rhetorical Grammar.

The rules laid down in these works by that eminent authority, however, will be found, in the department of inflection, both complex and artificial. This part of Mr. Walker's system of instruction, has been justly complained of by subsequent teachers. Mr. Sheridan Knowles, in his Elocutionist, speaks of a clearer and simpler view of this subject as one of the most desirable aids to instruction in reading; and he has himself successfully attempted a great reduction of the number of rules on the rising inflection. The late Rev. Dr. Porter of Andover, has, in his Analysis of Rhetorical Delivery, very justly indicated the unnecessary complexity of Walker's rules of inflection, applied to the reading of series of words and clauses, and has, in his own treatise, given to the principle of the falling inflection more prominence and simplicity of exposition, than any preceding writer on the subject of elocution.

The views of inflection which have been submitted in the present work, under the head of 'rules on the falling inflection' will be found, it is hoped, to place the subject in a clearer light than hitherto, by tracing rules to principles, and thus simplifying the theory of elocution, and facilitating the processes of instruction and practice. The student who is once put in possession of a principle, soon acquires a perfect facility in applying it as a rule, and is enabled to dispense with special instruction and directions.

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The two great principles which seem to regulate the

application of the falling inflection, or downward slide of the voice, are force and completeness of expression. From these are deduced all special rules of reading, in given passages; and, with a right apprehension of these, the student will, in a short time, acquire a perfect facility, as well as precision, in all the uses of this slide, so as to be able to read, extempore, with propriety and effect, all sentences which derive their charac er or significance from this modification of the voice.

Teachers who have made themselves familiar with Walker's exposition of inflections, will perceive that the author of the present work has omitted the arbitrary distinction enjoined in the reading of the 'simple' and the 'compound series.' Walker's direction is to read the former with a certain arbitrary variety of inflection on its component members, for the sake of harmony in sound. Such a mode of reading seems to be utterly at variance with the great principle that the meaning of a passage is the key to its intonation.

A series is a succession of particulars, grouped by close connexion in sense, and possessing a temporary. correspondence and unity. Unity of inflection, therefore, must be the natural indication of the unity of thought. Variety may, to a mechanical ear, seem, in such cases, an ornament; but true taste would reject it as inappropriate, and as interfering with the higher claims of meaning. It is the writer, and not the reader, who is responsible, in such circumstances, for the comparative want of variety and harmony in sound.

There seems to be, however, a positive objection to variety of inflection on the successive members of the series; and it is this. To read a long series with the variety prescribed by Walker, it is necessary that the reader should know beforehand the exact number of words contained in it, that he may give the right inflection to each, according to its numerical position. But how can this be done without stopping to count them? If such a rule is to be observed, there can be no such thing as correct unpremeditated reading.

The following may be taken as a specimen of the

application of the arbitrary rules to which these objections have been made.

"Mr. Locke's definition of wit comprehends métaphors, enigmas, móttoes, pàrables, fàbles, dreams, vísions, dramátic writings, burlésque, and all the methods of allusion."

Studied variety, and artificial beauty, are no part of true refinement: they spring from the pedantry of

taste.

Dr. Porter, in his Analysis, verý justly observes: "All Walker's rules of inflection, as to a series of single words, when unemphatic, are worse than useless. No rule of harmonic inflection that is independent of sentiment, can be established without too much risk of an artificial habit; unless it be this one, that the voice should rise at the last pause before the cadence, and even this may be superseded by emphasis."

The following passage from Mr. Walker, furnishes a striking instance of the inconsistencies into which the mind is sometimes betrayed by an overweening attachment to system. "These rules" (on inflection) "might be carried to a much greater length; but too nice an attention to them, in a long series, might not only be very difficult, but give an air of stiffness to the pronunciation, which would not be compensated by the propri ety." But in the very next sentence "It may be necessary, however, to observe that, in a long enumeration of particulars, it would not be improper to divide them into portions of three," "and this division ought to commence from the end of the series!"

EXERCISES ON INFLECTION.

TABLE OF INFLECTIONS USED IN CONTRAST.*

1. Does he mean hónestly, or dishonestly? 2. Did he say húmour, or hùmour?

*The above table is designed to facilitate the acquisition of the two principal slides. The exercise should be practised till the

3. Was he to say amber, or amber? 4. Ought he to say ocean, or ocean? 5. Did you say eel, or èel?

6. He does not mean dishonestly, but honestly.
7. He did not say húmour, but humour,
8. He was not to say amber, but amber.
9. We ought not to say ocean, but ocean.
10. You did not say eel, but eel.

11. He means honestly, not dishonestly.*
12. He said humour, not húmour.
13. He was to say amber, not amber.
14. We ought to say ocean, not ocean.
15. You said eel, not éel.

16. You are not wood, you are not stónes, but mèn. 17. Not that I loved Caesar léss, but Róme more. 18. You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, But speak all good you can devise of Cæsar. 19. Mark Antony shall not love Cæsar dead So well as Brutus living.

20. I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general.

21. It was an enemy, not a friend, who did this. 22. This is the argument of the opponents, and not of the friends, of such a measure.

23. Lady, you utter madness and not sorrow.
24. I am glad rather than sorry that it is so.
25. I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.
26.
-I rather choose

To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.

student can discriminate and apply them with perfect exactness. Young learners will be aided by the practice of marking, with a pencil, those of the examples which are left unaccented, previous to which exercise it may be useful to review Rule II. on the falling, and Rule I. on the rising inflection.

* Some learners, in practising this class of examples, may need to be guarded against the fault of turning the last inflection of these sentences into a circumflex, in the mode of New-England

accent.

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