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that, in order to be well heard, the speaker, before he begins, should fix his eye on some of the most distant persons in the assembly, and consider himself as speaking to them; since we naturally and almost mechanically give to our words such a pitch and force, as we think will make them heard by those to whom we address ourselves. This rule is indeed so far just, that it is necessary that every speaker should, before he begins, make an estimate (as far as possible) of the quantity and quality of voice which the size of the place and the number of his audience will require; but he should, in the beginning of his discourse, endeavour to make himself heard rather by loudness of tone than by a high pitch of voice, and rather by distinctness of enunciation than by loudness of tone. If he begin in a loud and vociferous tone, and in a high key, (as he will be strongly tempted to do, if he fix his eye on the farthest part of the audience,) he will exhaust his strength before he comes to the main body of his disconrse; and (what is, perhaps, worse) he will give his hearers the idea, that he is endeavouring to compel their assent by mere vehemence and force of sound, instead of by cogency of argument. The beginning of a discourse, in delivery as well as in style, ought to be calm and dispassionate; and the speaker should reserve his strength, till he has won the convictions of his hearers by the force of his reasoning and the pertinency of his illustrations.

If, in the course of reading, the voice should rise too high, care must be taken to bring it down, by dropping it to a lower key on the end of one sentence, and beginning the next on the same low note, with which we concluded the former; and, in order to acquire the power of doing this, it would be well to select passages where this mode of delivery is eligible, and to practise upon them. When we are speaking extempore, and have carried the voice to its utmost extent, in a high key, in order to bring it down to a lower, we ought, if possible, to adopt some passion, which requires a lower key, such as shame, scorn, admonition, &c., as in the speech of the Angel to Satan, in Milton :

Think we such toils, such cares disturb the peace
Of heav'n's blest habitants? Alike I scorn
Thy person and imposture.

The former part of this speech raises the voice to the highest pitch, and is finely relieved and contrasted by the low tone, which scorn requires in the conclusion.

Such passages as that just quoted from Milton require a considerable variety in the pitch of voice, with which they are spoken; but the number of notes on the musical scale, through which the human voice ranges in speaking, is in general exceedingly limited,* and nothing can

"In a common voice there are about nine notes between its highest and its lowest tones; the most extensive voice

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be more unnatural than to be continually varying the tone from low to high, and from high to low, where there is nothing in the subject corresponding to such sudden and violent transitions. Above all things should be avoided that singsong style, that perpetual alternation of high and low notes on every two or three words, which is as injurious to the sense as it is wearisome to the

ear. 1

In the conclusion of every sentence, terminating with a downward inflection, the voice falls necessarily into a somewhat lower tone; but great care should be taken to prevent its falling too low, and at the same time becoming softer, and consequently less audible. This is what is called dropping the voice; and it is one of the most common defects of young speakers. One principal means of avoiding it, is to introduce a pause as near the end of the sentence as the sense will admit. This will prevent the voice being exhausted, and will enable it to give force and fulness to the last words.

The voice of every public speaker ought to fill the place in which he speaks, without, at the same time, being either so loud or so high as to offend the ears of the audience; it ought to fill it, and no more. To adapt the voice to the place in which it is used, is one of the most essential qualifications of a speaker; but it is an art which

does not much exceed two octaves in full and well-formed sounds."- Art of Improving the Voice and Ear, p. 64.

young speakers scarcely ever possess. Much may be done towards acquiring it, by making trial of different degrees of pitch and loudness in the same place-by trying the same degree of pitch and loudness in places of different size and construction, and by taking advantage of the criticism of friends; for, although there are not many persons qualified to give instruction in other parts of elocution, there are few who are not able to judge, whether the voice of the speaker be too high or too low, too loud or too soft.

The following judicious observations on this subject are taken from the Art of Improving the Voice and Ear, p. 117:

"The speaker may readily discover, whether his voice has filled the room, by the return of its sound to his own ear; and if this returned sound appear strong and forcible, his voice must be too loud for the auditory. The powers of the voice may be estimated, from its capability of filling a room of any particular size by a proportional effort of the lungs.

"The attention of the audience is by far the best criterion both of the audibility of the speaker, and of the interest which he awakens; so much so, indeed, that when the hearers are observed to listen with indifference, or to shew marks of impatience, the speaker should either change his tone, his manner, or his sentiments, or conclude as speedily as he can."

CHAPTER XII.

MANAGEMENT OF THE VOCAL AND ENUNCIATIVE ORGANS.

As audibleness is the first requisite in a speaker, it is important to inquire, how it may be attained.

The organs of speech may be divided into two classes, the vocal and the enunciative. The vocal organs are those by which we produce voluntary and tunable sounds; these are the larynx and glottis, assisted by the muscles of the chest. The enunciative organs are those by which we add to the tunable impulses of the voice the specific modifications of literal and verbal utterance: these organs are the tongue, the teeth, the lips, the uvula, and the palate.* The air of the lungs, forcibly emitted through the throat, produces voice; and this, modified by the enunciative organs, becomes speech.

From this description of the mode in which speech is produced, it is clear that no one can make himself well heard, when addressing a large assembly, unless he give full play to all his vocal and enunciative organs. In order to do

* See Thelwall's Illustrations of English Rhythmus, P. xxviii.

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