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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 consequent ly, with but little variation of voice. Nor will all that can be said to them, avail any 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 suffered to pass on to the next sentence, until they can pronounce the last exactly in the same way that the instructer pronounced it. In 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 children into a monotonous manner of reading, than the frequent reading of stories. Such books, by affording matter of instruction and entertainment, may be very serviceable to those who have already learned to read with propriety; but inust be extremely injurious to those who have not. For learners 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 particulars; 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 too 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.

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 considèrable 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 of

story, and into the middle of another; so that the teacher will be put to some trouble to find where to begin at the next reading!

To the following Lessons in Prose, are prefixed rules for modulating the voiee, which may be very serviceable to teachers, and will undoubtedly be so to learners, after they have arrived to an age capable of understanding them. But they will by no means, be sufficient, of themselves, to make a reader. The instructer must have an accurate ear, and be capable of modulating his voice; and it must be his business to make the learner take the tones from him. No one who is not thus qualified, ought ever to attempt to reach reading.

After a child has learned to read Prose well, and not till then, he must be put upon the more difficult task of reading Verse. In order to which it is absolutely necessary that the teacher, at least, should be well acquainted with the structure of English Verse, and the rules for reading The same If he be not acquainted with the different kinds of feet used in English Verse, he will be in danger of reading all verse as if it were of the Imbick movement; that is, having the accent on every second syllable. If he do not understand, the nature of the musical pauses, he will either let his voice fall where he ought not, or he will be likely to run one line into another, and so turn Verse into Prose. If he be not acquainted with the rules for reading Verse, he will not always be kely to lay so forcible emphasis zɔ he ought, or to make use of the proper tones.

To the following Lessons in Verse, is prefixed a short treatise on the Structure of English Verse, which every teacher ought to understand, and every learner ought to be made acquainted with, as soon as his age will admit. Provided the teacher understand the structure of verse, and can read it with propriety; the learner may be allowed to read it before he is made acquainted with its structure; but he ought never to read a single verse, unless it be in the presence of his instructer, or of some one who is capable of correcting him, and who will invariably do it, whenever he perceives him to misplace the accent, lay too much stress upon unimportant words, neglect the musical pauses, by a wrong emphasis or no emphasis at all, or when he does not give the proper tones. Without attention to these articles, he will most assuredly run into a sing song mode of reading.

Whether the following Selection be calculated to answer the end for which it is designed, is submitted to the candid decision of judicious instructers. If they, after sufficient experiment, shall decide in its fayour, the author will receive the highest satisfaction in reflecting that he has done a little towards alleviating their laborious task, as well as contributed one mite towards improving the youth of our country, in so important an article as that of reading.

JANUARY 1, 1802.

BOOK I.

INSTRUCTIONS AND EXAMPLES FOR READ.

ING PROSE.

A

OF THE ART OF DELIVERY.

[Chiefly abridged from Sheridan's Lectures on Elocution.]

JUST delivery depends upon a due attention to the following articles: Articulation, Accent, Pronunciation, Emphasis, Pauses or Stops, Key or Pitch of the Voice, and Tones.

ARTICULATION.

A good articulation consists in giving every letter in a syllable its due proportion of sound, according to the most approved custom of pronouncing it; and in making such a distinction between the syllables of which words are composed, that the ear shall, without difficulty, acknowledge their number; and perceive at once to which syllable each letter belongs. Where these points are not observed, the articulation is proportionably defective.

Distinctness of articulation depends, primarily, upon being able to form the simple elements or letters, by the organs of speech; and in the next place, in distinguishing properly the syllables of which words are composed, from each other; which can be done only by a just pronuncia

tion.

The chief source of an indistinct articulation, is, too great a precipitancy of utterance. To cure this, the most effectual method will be, to lay aside an hour every day, to be employed in the practice of reading aloud in a manner much slower than is necessary. This should be don

in the hearing of some person, whose office it should beto remind the reader, if at any time he should perceive him mending his pace, and falling into his old habit.

There is one cause of indistinct articulation, which operates very generally, and which arises from the very genius of our tongue; so that, unless great care be taken, it is scarcely possible to escape being affected by it. Every word in our language, composed of more syllables than one, has one syllable accented, and thus peculiarly distinguished from the rest; and if this accented syllable be properly articulated, the word will be sufficiently known, even though the others are sounded very confusedly. This produces a negligence with regard to the pronunciation of the other syllables; which, though it may not render the sense obscure, yet destroys all measure and proportion, andconsequently, all harmony in delivery. This fault is so general, that it is recommended to all who are affected by it, to pronounce the unaccented syllables more fully than is > necessary, till they are cured of it.

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ACCENT.

Accent is a certain stress of the voice upon a particular letter of a syllable, which distinguishes that letter from the rest, and, at the same time, distinguishes the syllable itself to which it belongs, from the other syllables which compose the word. Accent is made two ways; either by dwelling longer upon one syllable in a word, than the rest, or by giving one syllable a smarter stroke, of the voice in utterance. When the accent is made by dwelling on a sylla ble, it is on a vowel, as in favour, comple'te, inqui'ry, glo'rious, assurance. When the accent is made by a smart stroke of the voice, it is on a consonant, and the preceding vowel is always short; as in hab'it, compel', deliver, moderate, concur". Every word in the English language, consisting of more syllables than one, has one syllable distinguished by accent, and every monosyllable a letter. In words of many syllables, there are commonly two accents perceived, the onestronger, the other fainter; as in literature, as'certa"in, im'portu"ne, au "ditor'y.

PRONUNCIATION.

Pronunciation may be considered in a two fold light; ist, with regard to propriety; secondly, with regard to

elegance. With regard to propriety, it is necessary, that each word should have its due accent, and each syllable and letter in it, its proper sound, according to the most approved custom of pronouncing it. That manner of pronouncing words, which is usual at court, and which prevails among the polite and learned in the metropolis, is considered, in every country, the standard. With respect to elegance, besides propriety, proportion of sound also is to be taken in ; and this regards the delivery of words as arranged in sentences. That which gives delight to the ear in the utterance of articulate sounds, is founded upon the same principle as that which pleases in musical compositions, I mean proportion; and this has a two fold reference to time, and sound. The former of these is called quantity, the latter, quality.

Some sounds, both vowels and consonants, are, in their own nature, short, that is, whose sound cannot possibly be prolonged; and these are the sounds of e', i", and u11, (as in bet, bit, but,) of vowel sounds; and three pure mutes, k, p, t, of the consonants. The sounds of all the other vowels, and of the consonant semivowels, may be prolonged to what degree we please; or they may be uttered in as short a space of time as those which are naturally short.

It has been said, that in pronouncing words, when the accent is on the vowel, the syllable is long; when on the consonant, short. By which is meant, that the reader should dwell on the vowel when accented, in order to make it long; and pass rapidly over it, giving a smart stroke on the following consonant, when the accent is on that. But this rule is so far from being attended to, that most people pronounce the accented vocal syllables, in as short a space of time as they do the accented consonants. By which means all proportional quantity in our tongue is utterly destroyed, and the whole appears a rapid gabble of short syllables.

To obviate this, it is recommended to every one to pay a particular attention to every vocal accented syllable, and to dwell upon it so long as to make it double the quantity of the short ones. Without this, speech must be deprived of all smoothness and harmony.

It has been said, that when the accent is on the consonant, the syllable should be sounded short. And this rule in general holds good; yet there are cases, in which the sound

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