The fixed look of the eye, the sympathizing attitude, and the significant presentation of the open palm, likewise contribute to the effect. So also do the free and yet steady stretching forward of the right arm, and the significant gesticulations, which, while it is thus extended, are made by the wrist.

Accompanying these instinctive movements of voice and gesture, the speaker feels in his mind a certain consciousness of a natural power of holding the attention of his fellow beings. He leads their understandings along, step by step and word by word, so as to make it impossible for them not to understand the ideas he presents to them in the precise way that he wishes.

Especially does he feel confident, that the lively and yet deliberate flexibility, and significant precision, which he intentionally gives to his enunciation, cannot fail of accomplishing the same object.

These efforts are such as we instinctively make in deliberate conversation, when we make a definite effort to prevent any possible misapprehension of our meaning. It is therefore extremely easy to apply them in public speaking. Nothing more is necessary to enable even juvenile speakers to do so, than an intelligent conception of the object to be attained, and a sufficient degree of steadiness and collectedness of mind.

On some occasions in public speaking, it is scarcely possible to employ them too strongly. On others, grace and propriety require more or less relaxation in reference to them, lest the delivery become too precise and not sufficiently sentimental. But let it be again enjoined, that no composition that is addressed to others, either by reading or speaking, should be entirely destitute of the peculiar significance bestowed upon delivery by the efforts just described.

The tones employed for clothing words with emphatic force and significance, must likewise be expressed with sharply defined outlines. When the voice skips up or down, the change must be bold and striking, and the tone prolonged with such steadiness as prevents all uncertainty and indefiniteness. Emphatic tones must have a clear and precise meaning, which no one can possibly mistake.

Though instinct and impulse furnish us with the weapons of oratory, these alone are never sufficient. The higher powers of the speaker's mind must make an intentional use of them, as instruments for effect. It is neither blind impulse nor deliberate intention, that singly and by itself will produce a good delivery. Much less will artifice or cunning. Nor can hypocrisy be made successfully effective. For the time at least, a really good speaker puts forth those efforts which characterize a sincere and earnest man. He may indeed be morally a hypocrite, but if he is so as a successful orator, he is a profound one. His hypocrisy is of that deep kind, that in moral actions makes use of his own good and honest impulses, for a selfish or a wicked end. The ancients said that an orator must be a good man. They probably meant that mere art or cunning could never by imitation of external acts, succeed in employing those weapons which are furnished only by sincere feeling,

CHAPTER VII.

RHYTHM AND CADENCE.

THE subjects to be considered in this chapter, need to be studied, not so much with reference to significance, force and earnestness of delivery, as to ease, beauty and agreeable effect.

The qualities of delivery which we are now to describe, are indeed equally natural with those which we have considered in previous chapters, and in this respect equally important; for in nature, grace and strength, significance and agreeableness, cannot be wholly separated from each other. Yet in different circumstances, one set of qualities may be more important than another, and hence require a more peculiar attention.

The rhythm of prose is easier to practise than to explain; and most treatises on elocution wholly omit the consideration of it. In other works, on the contrary, it has been made the foundation of all elocution. We shall employ our best efforts to give an intelligible and useful account of it, so far as this can be done by pursuing the same plan of treatment as in the rest of the work. A strictly scientific description can be given only by means of the notation of music. Even the doctrines of modern music, however, would not be sufficient to explain thoroughly the subject of the rhythm of speech. It would be necessary, in addition, to adopt the distinctions recognized by the ancients in their metrical systems. They considered the subject of far greater importance than the moderns, and carried their investigations of its principles to an extent that the latter find it difficult not only to adopt, but even to understand. In fact, much of the knowledge of rhythm which was familiar to the ancients, has been lost, and is not yet rediscovered.

RHYTHM.

Speech consists of a flowing series of words, expressed by successive efforts of the vocal organs. These efforts are of two kinds-first, the primary and stronger ones, which take place upon accented syllables; and secondly, the weaker ones upon the unaccented syllables.

There is also a third and intermediate kind of effort, by which we utter syllables that have what is called secondary ac

cents. In practice, however, it is not in most cases necessary to pay particular attention to these. When suitable exertions are made on the primary accents, the secondary ones will not often fail of being correctly given.

It is a law of our mental and physical organization, that any series of repeated efforts inclines to be made with uniform regularity. This regularity of succession

is called rhythm.

Its necessary existence in speech, as in other bodily effortsto say nothing of it as a law of the mind-has been strangely overlooked by a considerable proportion of the writers on physiology, on language, and on elocution. It is interesting to watch the rhythmical succession of the strokes made by a blacksmith, carpenter, or other mechanic. The bells on a horse keep as correct time (i. e. rhythm) as is beat by the conductor of a concert or leader of a choir. If we watch any muscular labor or exercise whatever, we shall observe that those who are most skillful and can endure it the longest, are the most regular and uniform, or in other words, the most rhythmical in their movements. Stammering consists in a total want of rhythm in speech, and is cured almost solely by means of rhythmical exercises. Stammerers find no more difficulty than others in singing, because music is distinguished by a rhythm so definite and invariable as to be instantly apprehended, and at the same time so strongly marked, as to lead the mind onwards with uniform regularity.

The rhythm of poetry is the same as that of music, and is determined by meter. That of prose is perpetually changing, and proceeds according to no unvarying

law.

The latter differs from the former, in the same way as the varied motions of running and leaping in some active sport, do

from the regulated and definite movements of dancing. In uttering prose, the rhythm must be regular for short passages at a time, but will perpetually vary as the discourse proceeds.

A fluent, easy and varied rhythm is indispensable for a speaker, in reference to keeping up an animated delivery, without incurring unreasonable fatigue. If his rhythm is bad, he must either discontinue his endeavor to be animated, or speedily become exhausted.

It is of equal importance for the audience. They receive a greater amount of quiet satisfaction from this, than from any other quality of good reading or speaking. Nothing else will prevent their becoming weary and restless under the very excitement of earnest address.

Rhythm is measured by time. When it is perfectly regular, the efforts which produce the accents succeed each other at equal intervals. In music and dancing, the observance of regular time is carefully studied; but it is not generally known, that if we watch a fluent and graceful extemporaneous speaker, we can readily beat time to his accents, during the continuance of short passages unbroken by a pause. It is the frequency and irregular occurrence of pauses in the delivery of prose, that prevents its rhythm from being as noticeable as in poetry. In the latter, however, still greater regularity results from the uniform number of syllables.

It is well known that the varieties of style in composition, differ from each other as much in their harmony, that is, in their rhythm, as in any other quality, and that this is an important subject of attention for those who wish to write well. Though this quality of style belongs rather to rhetoric than to elocution, yet as the more rhythmical the style, the easier is the exhibition of rhythm in delivery, we shall select our examples