ORAL GYMNASTICS IN INFLECTION. THERE are some persons who, from bad habit or from tradition, use the rising inflection in sentences which require the falling-and contrariwise. Such persons require a special course of training in inflection; that is to say, they require to be more specially trained in the reading of affirmative statements and of interrogative statements. The following exercises are specially designed for their behalf. But it must not be forgotten, either by teacher or by pupil, that a conscious attention to the inflection of the voice while reading is a vital mistake; and that the consciousness and the whole mind of the reader must always be entirely immersed in the sense and feeling of what he is reading. I. PRONOUNCE THE FOLLOWING WORDS WITH A DOWNWARD ACCENT. John-Mary-water-wisdom-willingly-garden-city-friend ship-compàssion-còntrite. II. PRONOUNCE THE FOLLOWING WORDS WITH AN UPWARD ACCENT. Whén? Whére? Thómas? William? To-mórrow? Réally? III. PRONOUNCE THE FOLLOWING WORDS ALTERNATELY WITH AN UPWARD AND DOWNWARD ACCENT. Jóhn and Mary. Gárden and city. Thómas and William. Réally and truly. Needles and thread. Hoóks and eyès. Hámmer and tongs. A'pples and peaches. Peás and beans. Wisdom and fòlly. Light and darkness. IV. READ THE FOLLOWING WITH THE TONE OF AFFIRMATION, THAT IS, WITH THE DOWNWARD INFLECTION, AT THE END. 1. The lion is called the king of beasts. 2. The tiger is more fierce than the liòn. ORAL GYMNASTICS IN INFLECTION. 3. The eagle is a bird of prey. 4. A peninsula is a piece of land almost surrounded with water. 5. A cape is a piece of land stretching out into the seà. 87 6. William, called the Conqueror, ascended the throne of England in the year 1066'. 7. An old hound had become worn out with wòrk. One day he was hunting the wild boar with his màster. He seized the beast by the ear; but his teeth could not hold him fàst. His master, therefore, began to beat hìm. Spare your old servant, said the dòg. It was my teeth, and not my will, that fàiled me. 8. Earth has not anything to show more faìr. 9. Be wise to-dày; 'tis madness to defèr. V. READ THE FOLLOWING IN THE TONE OF AFFIRMATION, PRECEDED BY A PAUSE. 1. Twilight begins when the sun sets. 2. When the sun séts twilight begins. 3. That you have wronged mé doth appear in thìs. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. O, mortal man who livest here by toíl, he crops the flowery foód, 'Twas hard to eárn,-but never mind ìt; Hope reared the sheaf, and peace shall bind ìt. Our life is but a lengthened week, Through which with toil for rest we seèk. And he, whose labour well is pást, A joyful Sabbath finds at làst. VI. READ THE FOLLOWING WITH THE UPWARD INFLECTION. 1. Do you like this book ? 2. Shall we have a holiday to-day? 3. Are there many boys in the schoolroom ? 4. Will you please to tell me what that means ? 5. Well, said Master Squeak, taking out another biscuit, are you bétter? Yes, I said softly. 6. Will you tell me whether, when I speak, you can understand what I say? 7. Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clíme; 8. DIALOGUE BETWEEN HENRY AND WILLIAM. Hen. Look-do you see? Will. See what? Hen. Do you not see that bird's nest ? Will. Yes-and I wish you joy at the discovery. Hen. Do you think then that I want to keep it all to myself? Will. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Do you suppose that there are any young birds in ít ? Hen. Yes; and I mean to put them in a cage. Will. And let them starve thére? Hen. Oh no! cannot we hang the cage out of our window and feed them thére? or cannot we let the old ones feèd thém? Will. Do you suppose they will come and do s'o? Hen. Why not; the tree is close by'. Will. Will it give you any pleasure to watch them do so? Hen. Certainly. Will. Would it give us any pleasure if we were put into prison, and our parents had to feed us every day through the bárs ? Hen. No; but do you suppose that we are birds? Will. True, we are not birds; but do you think that it is right to torment birds or any other animals, for your own amusement ? Hen. Do you suppose I mean to torment them ? or that I mean ORAL GYMNASTICS IN INFLECTION. 89 to tie a string to their legs, and drag them about, or do any thoughtless act of this kind? Will. No. But don't you think that the imprisonment and the separation from their parents is sorrow enough? Will you not be sorry to see the young ones pining and the old ones fluttering in grief at the bars of the cage? Can you be so hardhearted as to take pleasure in this ? Hen. Well! well! I cannot possibly withstand your moving appeal. And so, little birds, you may live on quietly with your parents, and when you grow up you can sing us a song from the top of the tree. 9. But, when an affirmative statement-implied or other-is introduced at the end of a question, then the question may have a falling or downward inflection. The following are examples :— 1. Where are you going this afternoon? 2. Why do you stand idle all the day lòng? 3. When is William coming back to school? 4. A very fine story, exclaimed the merchants, but where are the ewels he carried in his leather bag? 5. Frederick the Great of Prussia paid so much attention to his regiments of guards, that he was personally acquainted with every one of his soldiers. Whenever he saw a new recruit, he was accustomed to put three questions to him; "How old are you? How long have you been in my service? Are you satisfied with your pay and treatment ?" It happened that a young Frenchman, who did not understand three words of German, enlisted into the Prussian service, and Frederick, on seeing him, put the usual questions. The soldier had learnt the answers, but in the order in which the king generally asked the questions. 66 It chanced on this occasion, that Frederick unfortunately began with the second question, “How long have you been in my service? "Twenty-one years," replied the Frenchman. What!" said the king, "how old are you then?" "One year,” was the reply. "Upon my word," said Frederick, "you or I must be mad." "Both," replied the soldier. "Well," said the astonished monarch, “this is the first time I was ever called a madman by one of my guards; what do you mean by it, what do you mean, sir?" The poor fellow, seeing the king in a great rage, told him, in French, that he did not understand a word of German. "Oh, is that so?" said Frederick: "well learn it as soon as you can, and I have no doubt but you will make a very good soldier." CHAPTER XVIII. RECAPITULATORY. Ir will now be seen from a careful perusal of the preceding chapters what it is that a good reader has to do, and what the means are which enable him to produce his results. His aim is to give through the ear of the listener as full a possession of the sense of the writer, as can be gained by reading with the eye. Nay, he may do more than this: he may give to the listener a fuller and deeper appreciation of the feeling of the author, than the listener could himself receive were he merely an eye-reader of the passage. The means toward this end are very simple. The reader must know three things, and only three things: 1. The meaning of what he is reading; 2. What are the emphatic words in the passage; and, 3. Where the right pauses come between the groups of words. Clear and distinct articulation is, of course, a precondition which must of necessity exist in the reader. All reading must be bad and disagreeable where this is not. This condition is as much a matter of course as that our books and newspapers should be clearly printed, or that a picture should not be blurred in the engraving. If a pupil has a thick or defective articulation, he should spare no amount of pains to repair the defect. It will probably be found, upon examination, that most cases of defective articulation arise from weakness of the muscles of the lips, or from a weak and careless employment of them. But this can easily be overcome, and the muscles of the lips enormously strengthened, by much and constant exercise. Care |
