to boys." The teacher, as the living model, and the spontaneous feeling of the speaker, with such hints as have been given and as the teacher may add, may be considered the best guides. GENERAL REMARK. The following suggestions are found, in substance, in a work by James Sheridan Knowles, an English author of distinction: THE HEAD.-Assent is indicated by nodding; dissent, by tossing back; dislike and horror, by averting; attention, by leaning forward; diffidence, by inclining; pride and courage, by holding it up; grief and shame, by hanging down. THE EYES.-Anger is denoted by flashing; prayer, by raising; anxiety, by rolling; thought, by looking on vacancy. THE ARMS.-Disappointment is denoted by a sudden dropping; imploring, by stretching forward; admiration, by extending them spread; authority, by projecting one forward THE HANDS.-Prayer and affliction are denoted by clasping; friendship, by holding one forward; appeal to conscience and desire, by placing on the breast; distress, on the head; shame, on the eyes; silence, the finger on the lips. THE BODY.-Courage and firmness are denoted by an erect or advancing body; pride, by throwing it back; aversion and fear, by retiring; reverence and compassion, by bending forward; terror, by starting. Ac QUESTIONS.-What does gesture include? What is attitude? tion? What is said of being in earnest? Of position and its change? Of shaking the head? Of the eyes? Of the arms? Of the hand? The 9th? The 10th? What is said of What is the 8th remark? selecting a piece? (Rem. 11.) self? Of practice? Of plates? luding remark? McGUFFEY'S NEW ECLECTIC SPEAKER. EXERCISE I.-ADVANCE. GOD bade the Sun with golden step sublime, He whispered in the listening ear of Time, He bade the guiding Spirit of the Stars, Advance! Sun, Stars, and Time obey the voice, and all The river at its bubbling fountain cries, The clouds proclaim, like heralds, through the skies, Throughout the world, the mighty Master's laws Unto the soul of man the same voice spoke, Advance! Go, track the comet in its wheeling race, Advance! (45) All heard, and some obeyed the great command, Advance! The strong grew stronger, and the weak grew strong, Awake, ye nations, know your powers and rights, Knowledge came down, and waved her steady torch, Advance! As rapid lightning leaps from peak to peak, Advance! And earth grew young, and caroled as a bird, Advance! 11.-ELOQUENCE.-No. I. This extract, and the following one, may be spoken as one piece, or as two. THE labors requisite to form the public speaker, are, by no means, duly appreciated. An absurd idea prevails among our scholars, that the finest productions of the mind, are the fruits of hasty impulse, the flashings of intuition, or the gleamings of fancy. Genius is often compared to lightning from the cloud, or the sudden bursting out of a secret fountain. And eloquence is regarded as a kind of inspiration. When a man has made a happy effort, he is next possessed with an absurd ambition, to have it thought that it cost him nothing. Now it is not enough to maintain that nothing could be more injurious to our youth, than this way of thinking. The truth is, that nothing can be more false. The mistake lies, in confounding with the mere arrangement of thoughts, or the manual labor of putting them on paper, the long previous preparation of mind. It has taken but a few hours, perhaps, to compose an admirable piece of poetry, or a fine speech. But the reflections of years, may have been tending to that result. To give the noblest thoughts the noblest expression to stand up in the pure light of reason: to put on all the glories of imagination, as a garment: to penetrate the soul, and to make men conscious of new powers and a new being to exercise, in the loftiest measure, the only glorious and godlike sway, that over willing minds: to fill the ear, the eye, the inmost soul, with sounds, and images, and holy visions of beauty and grandeur: to make truth and justice lovely and majestic: to charm, to fascinate, to win, to arouse, to calm, to terrify, to overwhelm: this is the work of eloquence; and it is a glorious work. The great object of all the liberal arts is to exhibit the mind; to exhibit character, thought, feeling, in their various aspects. In this consist all their power and sublimity. For this, the painter spreads upon the dull canvas the breathing forms of life. For this, the sculptor causes the marble to speak. For this, the architect models the fair and majestic structure, with sublimity, beauty, and glory written upon it. For this, the poet builds his lofty rhyme; and the eloquent in music, orders his movement and combination of sweet sounds. Eloquence is the combination of all these arts, and it excels them all in their separate powers. Nor is it confined to the mere taste. The great and ultimate object of social existence, is for man to act on man. And eloquence is the grandest medium of this action. It is not only the highest perfection of a human being, (for "the orator must be a good man,") but it is that perfection in act. It is sublimity, beauty, genius, power, in their most glorious exercise. III.-ELOQUENCE.-No. II. IMAGINE to yourselves a Demosthenes, addressing the most illustrious assembly in the world, upon a point whereon the fate of the most illustrious of nations depended. How awful such a meeting! how vast the subject! Is man possessed of talents adequate to the great occasion? Adequate! Yes, superior. By the power of his eloquence, the augustness of the assembly is lost in the dignity of the orator. The importance of the subject, for a while, is superseded by the admiration of his talents. With what strength of argument, with what powers of the fancy, with what emotions of heart, does he assault and subjugate the whole man; and at once captivate his reason, his imagination, and his passions! To effect this, must be the utmost effort of the most improved state of human nature. Not a faculty that he possesses, is here unemployed. Not a faculty that he possesses, but is here exerted to its highest pitch. All his internal powers are. at work. All his external testify their energies. Within, the memory, the fancy, the judgment, the passions, are all busy. Without, every muscle, every nerve is exerted. Not a feature, not a limb, but speaks. The organs of the body, attuned to the exertions of the mind, through the kindred organs of the hearers, instantaneously vibrate those energies from soul to soul. Notwithstanding the diversity of minds in such a multitude, by the lightning of eloquence, they are melted into one mass. The whole assembly, actuated in one and the same way, becomes, as it were, but one man, and have but one voice. The universal cry is: LET US MARCH AGAINST PHILIP; LET US FIGHT FOR OUR LIBERTIES; LET US CONQUER, OR DIE ! IV. DENUNCIATION OF CATILINE. CATILINE, a Roman Senator, had conspired with others to subvert the Republic, and to assassinate Cicero the Consul and other distinguished men. By the exertions and eloquence of Cicero, the plot was defeated and Catiline banished. How far, O Catiline, wilt thou abuse our patience? How long shalt thou baffle justice in thy mad career? To what extreme wilt thou carry thy audacity? Art thou nothing daunted by the nightly watch? Nothing, by the city guards? Nothing, by the rally of all good citizens? |