The Canadian Elocutionist

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Canadian Elocutionist, by Anna
Kelsey Howard
Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the
copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing
this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
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
0. 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