experience, pronounced to be more.

And what part of Delivery he considered of the first importance, his own procedure showed, -articulation, distinctness, fluency, energy of utterance. How very small a part of oratory Inflexion is, and how small a part of a speaker's study it is worthy to be, cannot fail to be felt by every practical orator at the present time, as it undoubtedly must have been by the matchless "thunderer" of ancient Greece.

The leading error of Elocutionists consists in this, that, overlooking the paramount importance of general principles, they enter at once on a series of rules for the minutiae of Elocutionary study. Thus, without any explanation of the mechanism, extent, or general functions of the inflexions, they begin at once to teach their application to sentences of various construction: and in laying down rules, they seem more desirous to teach their pupils to inflect, than to reflect. The principles which regulate the application of inflexions are so simple, so natural and consistent, that no reflecting pupil can fail to apprehend and apply them, almost immediately, when intelligibly explained. On the proper mechanism of the inflexions depends much of the melody and variety, as well as the appropriate expressiveness to sense and sentiment of the voice.

It has been well remarked of the system of Mr Walker,—the founder of the Inflexion School of Elocution,-that "no system could have been invented better adapted to please all parties; as every one is at liberty to make use of those intervals which habit has rendered easy to him in his common accent. Thus the teacher residing in Cork, or Dublin, or Belfast, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, or Inverness, in the East or in the West, the North or the South of England, can use the system of Walker, read according to his rules, though not one of them may agree with another in regard to the interval or the extent of the inflexion; and while, in fact, they are merely teaching their own manner to the pupil.”

Attempts have been made to reduce the inflexions of the speaking voice to accurate musical measurement, and to form a system of notation to enable one to read the tones, as well as the words of an author, as is done in singing; but no success has hitherto attended these systems, nor do we think it ever can. Twenty good readers may each differ from the others in their delivery of a selected passage, in regard to the extent, and often, even, the direction of the inflexions; and yet all bring out the full expressive

but

ness of the words. There must be points in which all coincide; such a latitude of inflexion may there be, and so much of habit and idiocrasy is there in the wavings of the voice, that, even were it possible to note the evanescent sounds with sufficient accuracy, no good speaker could be fettered to the precise tones of another, perhaps of opposite temperament, without losing the higher guidance of his own mind. His thought and utterance are so associated, that, if he think, he cannot attend to a close uniformity of tones; and if he follow a minute directory for his voice, he will be unable to think. We do not, therefore, propose to enter into a minutely musical analysis of inflexions, but to speak of their mechanism, extent, and application, on proportional and very general principles, and with reference, chiefly, to their association with particular states of mind and feeling.

MECHANISM OF THE INFLEXIONS.

The tones of the speaking voice are, we have said, always in acute or grave progression: they do not dwell monotonously on any note. There are but two modes of vocal progression,-namely, upwards and downwards in the musical scale,--and, consequently, there are but two simple inflexions. Each inflexion has an opening force and fulness, from which it tapers softly to its acute or grave termination. The beginning of the inflexion is therefore the emphatic part, that which strikes the ear most forcibly and, as the inflexions are named "rising" or "falling," from their progression upwards or downwards, without reference to the pitch of their commencing note, some confusion often arises at first between the name and the sound, from their apparent opposition, in abrupt and emphatic inflexions. For, the more emphatic an inflexion is, the lower it begins when it is called rising, and the higher it begins when it is named falling.

To illustrate this, let us assume a scale of 7 points from which inflexions may be pitched. A cultivated voice will be capable of a much greater variety, but these will be sufficient for our illustrations. Let us represent these 7 radical points by a notation in the spaces of a staff of 8 lines. Thus,

No. 1, represents the lowest tone from which a rise can be made: No. 7, the highest from which a fall can be commenced; and No. 4, the middle tone of the voice.

To make an extended rising inflexion, as in the indignant utterance of the pronoun I,-"I-an itching palm!" the voice must begin considerably below the middle tone, to prevent its squeaking and cracking beyond manageable limits as the inflexion rises; and to form an emphatic falling inflexion, as in the strongly assertive, boastful utterance of the same word,—“Be buried quick with her, and so will I,"-the inflexion must begin considerably above the middle tone, or it will not have space to descend without croaking hoarsely beyond vocalizing limits.

In proportion, then, to the emphasis of an inflexion, will be the distance of its radical point above or below the middle tone of the vocal register. An ordinary and unimpassioned inflexion may be carried to as high or low a vanishing point as the most emphatic and passionate; but the actual length of inflexion will generally be greater according to its passionate force; the increase being produced by elevation or depression of the intensive part,—the beginning of the inflexion.

This principle is of much importance to public speakers, whose general ignorance of it, evidenced by their strained voices screaming up an inflexion to the cracking point, or falling into voicelessness or whisper, is, doubtless, in great part, owing to the almost universal silence of Elocutionary books upon the subject.

In very short syllables, the terms "Rising" and "Falling" seem at first sight to be completely misapplied; for, as the quantity cannot be increased to accommodate the inflexions, the voice is strongly depressed, with a barely perceptible succeeding elevation, when the inflexion is emphatically rising; and it is abruptly elevated, without material on which to descend, when it forms an emphatic falling inflexion.

Our notation of the Inflexions is founded on this principle :The Rising Mark (~ ) we place below the accented vowel; which indicates to the eye that the inflexion is commenced below the middle tone and the Falling Mark ( - ) we place above the accented vowel, to denote that the inflexion is commenced above the middle tone:

In some cases the inflexions do not range from below above, or from above below the middle tone; but are confined in their whole extent above or below it. The falling inflexion must very frequently be thus performed below the middle tone, to give perfect completeness and conclusiveness to an utterance that is not emphatic. The notation of these inflexions is envy, enmity, &c., envy, enmity, &c., pronounced,

When a speaker's inflexions are habitually confined below the middle tone, we say his voice is "low set;" when above the middle tone, we say he has a high voice. An effective reader or speaker should be able to take a varied range both above and below the middle tone.

Let the student exercise his voice in forming the simple inflexions with as much variety as possible. Let him produce at least three or four degrees of pitch, above and below the middle tone, and carry each inflexion to different degrees of acuteness or gravity. The long vowels and diphthongs

1

3-1 e, a,

eh, ah, i, ou, ir, ur, aw, oi, ore, oh, 00. and syllables compounded of any of the vowels with the liquids L, M, N, ng, will furnish the best inflective material for this exercise.

The student will be assisted in acquiring a natural flexibility of voice by noting that the rising turns are expressive of uncertainty, interrogation, surprise, or plaintive exclamation: and that those of the falling formation are of a positive, dogmatical, mandatory nature. If therefore habit, or a defective ear, render the mechanism of the inflexions difficult, let the student throw passion into them, and nature will help him out with the strong inflexions, which he has only to soften and reduce, in order to make all the lesser degrees.

The tables of syllabic quantities (pages 67 to 69) should now be practised with these two inflexions, beginning with the longest syllables, and taking the shortest last, because their abruptness

renders their inflection difficult of execution as well as observation. By reading each syllable with both inflexions in contrast-the rising first-full command over them will soon be attained.

The table of words at pages 70-72 should next be inflectively practised. Being all accented on the first syllable, they are of the easiest class. The practice of them for a short time should render the ear and organs sufficiently accustomed to the principle of simple inflexion, to enable the student to take his next exercise on words of various accentuation.

In order to acquire the great charm of a melodious variety of inflexion, let the following principles be carefully attended to.

The emphatic part of each inflexion must be thrown on the accented syllable of the word: and in order to give it the more obvious elevation or depression, as well as for the sake of a melodious intonation, any unaccented syllable before the accent must be pronounced with a preparatory opposition of inflexion. Material for practice will be found in the columns of verbs at page 223. To give these words the rising inflexion, begin the unaccented syllable on or above the middle tone; and to give them the falling inflexion, pronounce the unaccented syllable below the middle tone: the accented syllable being then struck forcibly in the opposite direction,-to the point from which it is to proceed upwards or downwards-the words will have their highest inflective effect. Thus :

Rising.

Marked away, accord; extremes, decidedly.

The words containing two or more accents, tabled from page 224 to 226, should now be practised on the same principle. When the