such as gravity, depth of tone, volume, fulness of sound, smoothness, sweetness, and strength. If the mind were a pure intellect, without fancy, taste, or passion, the abovenamed function of the voice, which may properly enough be termed the signature of expression, would be uncalled for But the case is widely different. The impassioned speaker, overpowered by his subject, and at a loss to find words to express the strength of his feelings, naturally holds on to and prolongs the tones of utterance, and thereby supplies any deficiency in the words themselves. 55. 56. Examples in Quantity. "With woful measures, wan Despair - "Thou art, O God! the life and light Of all this wondrous world we see; 57. "Spirit of Freedom! when on Phyle's brow 58 Thou satt'st with Thrasybulus and his train, "The stars shall fade away, the sun himself The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. 59. It is apparent that one predominating sentiment pervades the whole of the above extracts. They are of a solemn, sublime, and dignified description; and a gracefully-extended quantity diffused over the whole with evenness and continuity, will bring out that sentiment in the most impressive manner. 60. Quantity is employed in giving utterance to feelings of malignity and emotions of hatred; also in cases of irony and in those of affected mawkish sentimentality; and when so managed that the clear lessening vanish shall blend with the full opening of the succeeding word, it will give a fine effect to that morbid sensitiveness which exaggerates every feeling. 61. "O, you are well tuned now! But I'll set down the pegs that make this music, 62 "That lulled them as the north wind does the sea. 63. "And do you now put on your best attire ? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strow flowers in his way, 64. "The languid lady next appears in state, Who was not born to carry her own weight; RATE OR MOVEMENT OF THE VOICE. 65. The term rate or movement of the voice has reference to the rapidity or slowness of utterance. In good reading, the voice must be adapted to the varying indication of the sentiments in the individual words, and the rate must accommodate itself to the prevailing sentiment which runs through the whole paragraph. 66. Every one must perceive that the rate of the voice, in the utterance of humorous sentiments and in facetious description, is vastly different from that which is appropriate on occasions of solemn invocation. 67. The rates of movement, which are clearly distinguishable in varied sentiment, may be denoted by the terms slow, moderate, lively, brisk, and rapid. SLOW MOVEMENT. 68. Slow movement is exemplified in the expression of the deepest emotions; such as awe, profound reverence, melancholy, grandeur, majesty, vastness, and all similar sentiments. 69. In exercising the voice on the rates of movement, the examples illustrating the extremes should be read consecutively, for reasons which must be obvious to the teacher. 70. As several constituents of expression are frequently blended, especially in the utterance of dignified and impres sive sentiments, it may not be amiss to take the same example to illustrate the separate functions of the voice. Thus the passage from the book of Job, which we have already used to exemplify the principles in pitch and monotone, may serve to illustrate the lowest and deepest notes, long quantity and slow movement, because all these are blended in giving force and true expression to the sentiment. ILLUSTRATIONS. 71. "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof. An image was before mine eyes. There was silence; and I heard a voice-Shall mortal man be more just than God?'"* 72, "Thy awe-imposing voice is heard - we hear it! The Almighty's fearful voice! Attend! It breaks the silence, and in solemn warning speaks." Melancholy. 73. With eyes upraised, as one inspired, 74. Pale Melancholy sat retired, And from her wild, sequestered seat, Poured through the mellow horn her pensive soul. "The hills, Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun, the vales, Of the great tomb of man." and, poured round all, Grandeur. Vastness. 75. “Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain." Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form Calm or convulsed-in breeze, or gale, or storm,- 4 Dark heaving,-boundless, endless, and sublime,- Of the Invisible, -even from out thy slime The monsters of the deep are made. Each zone MODERATE MOVEMENT. 77. Moderate movement is the usual rate of utterance in ordinary, unimpassioned narration, as in the following ex tract. 78. "Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which neeus Experience more than reason,- that the world Is full of guilt and misery, and hast known To tire thee of it,-enter this wild wood, LIVELY MOVEMENT: 79. This rate of the voice is exemplified in giving utter ance to a moderate degree of joyful and vivid emotions, as in the following extracts: "Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile, Hath not old custom made this life more sweet Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head |