THE READER. CONTAINING 1. THE ART OF DELIVERY-ARTICULATION, ACCENT, A SELECTION OF LESSONS IN THE VARIOUS KINDS OF PROSE. II. POETICK NUMBERS. STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH VERSE- A SELECTION OF LESSONS IN THE VARIOUS KINDS OF VERSE. BEING THE THIRD PART OP A COLUMBIAN EXERCISE. THE WHOLE COMPRISING An easy and systematical Method_ of Teaching BY ABNER ALDEN, A. M. Fourth Edition. BOSTON : PUBLISHED BY THOMAS & ANDREWS, J. T. BUCKINgham, prinTER. DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT : .BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the thirteenth day of May, in the thirty-second year of the Independence of the United States of America, THOMAS & ANDREWS, of the said district, have deposited in this Office the Title of a Book, the Right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the Words following, to wit: "THE READER: containing 1. The Art of Delivery—articulation, accent, pronunciation, emphasis, pauses, key or pitch of the voice, and tones. A Selection of Lessons in the various kinds of Prose. 2. Poetick Numbers. Strutture of English verse-feet and pauses, measure and movementmelody, harmony and expression. Rules for reading verse. A.Selection of. Lessons in the various kinds of Verse. Being the third part of a Columbian Exercise. The whole comprising an easy and systematical method of teaching and of learning the English Language. By Aber Alder, A. M. Third edition-corrected and im proved." In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, intitled, "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and also to an Act intitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act intitled An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending the Benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving and Etching Historical and other prints." WM. S. SHAW, Clerk of the District of Massachusetts. PREFACE. THE design of this Third Part of the COLUMBIAN EXERCISE, is to furnish Schools and Academies with a volume calculated to improve children and others in the Art of Reading. Every one who has taught reading properly, must be sensible how much inclined children and youth are to read too fast, and consequently, with but little variation of voice. Nor will all that can be said to them, avail auy thing, unless the instructer stop them at the end of every sentence which they do not read properly, and make them repeat the same after he has read it, observing the same pauses, and giving the same tones that he gave. Nor should they be affered to pass on to the next sentence, until they can pronounce the laget exactly in the same way that the instructer pronounced it.. la order to this, it is necessary that a reading book should consist principally of such lessons as will admit of the greatest and most frequent variations of the voice. Selections which consist mostly of narrative pieces are extemely improper; for nothing has a greater tendency to lead cldren into monotonous manner of reading, chan the Frequent reading of stories. Such books, by affording matter of instruction and entertainment, may be very serviceable to those who have alreadyearited to read with propriety; but inust be extremely injuricus to those who have not. Jearners ought to begin with short sentences, and those principally which contain a contrast or comparison. They may then proceed to read one lesson or more which consists of an enumeration of particu lars; next, one in which the sense is delayed or suspended; then, one which contains parentheses; next, one of questions; then, one of climax; then, they may read a short story or narrative piece, particularly such a one as admits of a variety of expression. Such lessons, read alternately, will prevent any one from running into a dull monotony, so disgusting to every judicious ear. A propensity to read tco fast, and with a consequent monotony, is so general, that too much pains cannot be taken to counteract it. It destroys all-proportion and harmony; and is like precipitating a melodious tune into one continued hum. For In most schools, children are taught to read by classes. To accommodate such, it is necessary that a Reading Book should consist of lessons numbered and nearly of an equal length, so that one child may have an opportunity to read about as much as another. Selections which consist of some long pieces and some short, notwithstanding each paragraph may be numbered, are nevertheless, found to be very inconvenient. They cause considerable trouble to the teacher, as well as to the learner. Such paragraphs are generally too short for lessons, as well as very unequal in length. If the class have time to read two or three times round, they will probably be carried through one piece or |