The Canadian Elocutionist

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Title: The Canadian Elocutionist
Author: Anna Kelsey Howard
Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8093]?[This file was first posted on June 14, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
? START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE CANADIAN ELOCUTIONIST ***
E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Jerry Fairbanks, Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
THE CANADIAN ELOCUTIONIST
DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF?Colleges, Schools and for Self Instruction?TOGETHER WITH A COPIOUS SELECTION,?IN PROSE AND POETRY, OF?PIECES ADAPTED FOR READING, RECITATION AND PRACTICE
BY
ANNA K. HOWARD, LL.B.,
[MISS ANNA HALLECK KELSEY].
Teacher of Elocution and English Literature.
"The manner of speaking is as important as the matter."--CHESTERFIELD.
PREFACE.
The principal object the author had in view in the preparation of this work, was to place in convenient form for the use, both of teachers and others, the principles, rules, illustrations and exercises, that she has found most useful and practical for the purpose of instruction, and best calculated to make good readers, and easy, graceful and correct speakers.
For this purpose the rules and advices have been simplified and divested, as much as possible, of all abstruse scientific terms, and made as simple and plain as could be done, having a due regard to the proper explanations requisite to make them easy to understand and not difficult to practise.
It is hoped that this system of instruction, which has been for some years very successfully employed by the compiler in her own practice, may prove a valuable aid to those who wish to pursue the study of the art.
The examples chosen to illustrate the rules have been taken with a due regard to their fitness to exemplify the principles involved, and to show the various styles of reading, declamation and oratory, and the selections have been made in such a manner as to adapt them for use in schools, colleges and for public reading.
TORONTO, September_ 24_th, 1885.
INTRODUCTION.
Of the importance of the study of Elocution as part of a good education there can be no question. Almost every one is liable to be called upon, perhaps at a few minutes notice, to explain his views and give his opinions on subjects of various degrees of importance, and to do so with effect ease in speaking is most requisite. Ease implies knowledge, and address in speaking is highly ornamental as well as useful even in private life.
The art of Elocution held a prominent place in ancient education, but has been greatly neglected in modern times, except by a few persons--whose fame as speakers and orators is a sufficient proof of the value and necessity of the study. The Ancients--particularly the Greeks and the Romans--were fully conscious of the benefits resulting from a close attention to and the practice of such rules as are fitted to advance the orator in his profession, and their schools of oratory were attended by all classes; nor were their greatest orators ashamed to acknowledge their indebtedness to their training in the art for a large portion of their success. The Welsh Triads say "Many are the friends of the golden tongue," and, how many a jury has thought a speaker's arguments without force because his manner was so, and have found a verdict, against law and against evidence, because they had been charmed into delusion by the potent fascination of some gifted orator.
As Quintilian remarks: "A proof of the importance of delivery may be drawn from the additional force which the actors give to what is written by the best poets; so that what we hear pronounced by them gives infinitely more pleasure than when we only read it. I think, I may affirm that a very indifferent speech, well set off by the speaker, will have a greater effect than the best, if destitute of that advantage;" and Henry Irving, in a recent article, says: "In the practice of acting, a most important point is the study of elocution; and, in elocution one great difficulty is the use of sufficient force to be generally heard without