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 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
 ENDOWED BY 
 
 JOHN SPRIINT HILL 
 CLASS OF 1889 
 
 C378 
 UK3 
 
 1832E 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
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 THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION 
 
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^-^ I! 
 
 LECTURR ON ELOCtJTION, 
 
 PARTICULARLT WITH BEPERENCE TO 
 
 THE ART OF READING; 
 
 DELIVEREP, 
 AGREEABLY TO APPOINTMENT, 
 
 BEFORE 
 
 THE NOfeTH CAROLmA 
 INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, 
 
 AT THEIR 
 
 ANNUAL MEETING, 
 June 20th, 1832. 
 
 BY HENRY S. ELLEN WOOD, ESQ. 
 
 NEWBERN: 
 
 PRIliTED BY JOHN I. PASTEUR, 
 
 1832. 
 

LECTURE ON ELOCUTION, 
 
 PARTICUI:ARLY WITH REFERENCE TO 
 
 THE ART OF READING; 
 
 DELIVERED, 
 AGREEABLY TO APPOINTMENT, 
 
 BEFORE 
 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA 
 INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, 
 
 ) AT THEIR 
 
 ANNUAL MEETING, 
 June 20th, 1832. 
 
 BY HENRY S. ELLEVWOOD, ESQ, 
 
 NEWBERN: 
 
 PRINTED BY JOHN I. PASTEUR. 
 1832. 
 

 LEC TUUE, «fcc. 
 
 — @©©— 
 
 It is hoped, INlr. President, lliat few persons liavc come 
 Iiitlier, on liiis occasion, for liie solo purpose of being enter- 
 taini'd. Tlie affairs of scliool masters are ahv.iys of a grave 
 cliaracter ; and llie business of instruction is calculated, per- 
 haps, least of all, to aft'urd amusement. In the very humble 
 part, vvliicli, by liie invitation of our Committee, I am now 
 called upon to enact, it is felt that much indulgence ought to 
 be bespoken for want of due preparation, as well as much 
 patiencfi solicited for unavoidable dulness. Our aut'.iiors 
 should bear in mind, that in the circle in which an instriicier 
 figures, he is an undoubted despot, whose nod is law, and 
 wliose edicts are ineversible. Respect and obedience wait 
 upon his commands. His opinions are never disputed, nor 
 is the profundity of his wisdom and knowledge ever su[)posed 
 to be fathomable. The homage which is freely tendered, or 
 rigidly exacted from his subjects, inspires him with lofty no- 
 tions of his own sufFiriency; 
 
 " While still they gaze, and still tlie wonder grows, 
 " That one small head can carry all he knows." 
 But, rem.ived, as he now is, from his appropriate sphere; 
 his biichen sceptre temporarily laid aside, and no longer talk- 
 ing and acting as one having authoiily ; but, on the contraiy, 
 hiujself subject to the scrutiny of his equals, perhaps his 
 superiors; the novelty and awkwardness of his situation may 
 be imagined to be somewhat oppressive. In this presence 
 he resembles the student who is undergoing an examination ; 
 has all his hopes and apprehensions ; and, like him, depre- 
 cate* the severity of criticism, and invokes kindness of 
 judgement. In this trial, however, he is supported by two 
 considerations : 1st. that he shall soon return to his (onse- 
 quential domination, which has been suspended only, not 
 
abanrloned ; and 2cl!y, thai they, who now preside as his 
 jud'' s, having il.nnM'lves 07ice ticnihi.'d before a sinjjle 
 teirtier, can hnrdly bo eniindy divested of awe, while behold- 
 ing, as here, a congiegntion of pedagogues. 
 
 The subject assigned to niP by the Commitlee, it will be 
 remembered, is " E!ocuiion, with p<inicuhu refprence to the 
 teai liing of Reading." There seems to be no necessity ihat 
 the word be here ;!ny further defined than has already been 
 done for me; r nd it iiiav be expected that I confine myself 
 chiefly to that part of ihe subject which especially re! iies to 
 the proper utterance of wo.ds, oi to the manner ir» which 
 thi'y should be delivered in sentences. 
 
 For the sake of convenience, sir, the importance of a cor- 
 rect manner of reading will be first considesed. 
 
 2dly. The presrnt condition of the art of Elocution, and 
 the manner of teaching it. 
 
 3dly. Such impiovements will be suggested as appear to 
 be practicable, and to be demanded by our present warns. 
 
 With res'iect to the importance of good reading, there is 
 probably only one opinion; but, so great is ilie variety of 
 tastes, to say what it really is, and what constitutes it may not 
 be so easy a matter. It is rare to find a person who can lead 
 at all, that does not conceive himself to read well ; though it 
 Somilimes happens otherwise ; nnd in general ii will be found, 
 thai s'Jth even as are unable to articulate their syllables dis- 
 tinctly ; such as stammer or stnMer, or have some other im- 
 pediment, are most addicted to read aloud, from a vain desire 
 of exhibiting their supposed ability in this matter. A good 
 reader we may with piopriety considei him who is deemed to 
 b<' such by others, rather than by himself; for it may he 
 doubted if we are able to determine tiie existence or non- 
 existence of this capacit} in ourselves, any more than whether 
 we possess a musical voice, agreeable manners, or personal 
 beauty. 
 
 The good reader, like the correct and forcible speaker, is., 
 then most eloquent, when, engrossed by his subject, and intent 
 only upon the sentiments he delivers, he forgets himself, and 
 has not leisure to lutn his thoughts upon the operations ol" his 
 OWii luin , and far less t.pon hisexteinal n aimers. The bad 
 reader, with his finger on the lint-, and his head moving from 
 
the beginning to the end of it, is wltnlly cmplovod upon tiie 
 W'irfN. M>> (Milns not into t!ie t'eclins/s ..u'i '|>mm ot liiv ;iu- 
 tlior. To iiim tiie commonest lemaik, and llic iinl.dcsi bdist 
 of eniluisiMsm, are ihe same ihin),% and nre bnih pronounced 
 in the same dull and mono'onDiis m mni i. Ho »^xliil;iis no 
 vaiiety in eni|. basis or cadence, in lone or infleclioii ; and at 
 th(! close of his labour, which cm be asciMtained only by ids 
 cb-'siiig the book, has neither communicated nor re<:eived m- 
 struciion or entertaiiimeni. Good reading may be compared 
 to certain matliema.ical diagrams, which, by means of curves 
 and anyles tasiefully combined and coniinually varying, de- 
 light the e\' ; a delivery of an opposite kind, to the direct 
 line, whicli a singli- glance is sufficient to appichend, and 
 which is not the more agieeable wlien infinitely extended. 
 
 To remark, sir, that speech is a distinguishing characteris- 
 tick of the imman species, were lo express a mere triii>m. 
 Bii' It may i>ot be considered quite so commonplace to ohsei ve, 
 thai by nothina is the degree of mental culiure more distiiicly 
 evidenced, ihan by the tones of the voice, and ihe peculiar 
 manner of utterance. Who, that should listen lo the conver- 
 sations of a well-educated citizen, anth an uniutoied rn^ii< k, 
 could mistake the one tor the oi'iei ? And whai isjnorant or 
 hall-insti ucted person would fail to exjiose himself, in good 
 company, by reading aloud even a half column Irom a news- 
 pa pei 1 
 
 But, sir, a correct and agreeable manner of reading is of 
 far less im(>oria!>ce, in relation to others, ihan to the indiviu'ual 
 reader himself. A person may be physically incapable of a 
 distinct and proper utteiance ; and yei he mt^y have a mind 
 susceptible of hisih culiivatioii, ami be as much advantaged as 
 oiheis by judicicjus inslruclion in Elocution. The l<;st pur- 
 pose, sir, for which any branch of literary knowledge should 
 be either communicated or sougul, would appear to l3e iliat 
 of mere display. Uiiiily ougiit to be the end kept in vitvv; 
 and the question to b' pi opcised to ourselvt^s, vviien engaged 
 in the study of any art orscieme, should be, what solid good 
 is lo be derived from this? rather than, How will it nic.kc us 
 apptar lo advantage 1 
 
 It ii IS been tciu iiknl that the ability to read well is (f more 
 impoi'lance to its possessoi than to others, in general, such 
 
6 
 
 as iiiav be deiiominatncl reading persons, peruse volmno jiftcr 
 volume in siieiicc aiuJ i(".irem>;ni. rSul a wliispcr is lienrd, 
 nor ii luovpmcnt of the lips discovered. Yet, wlien thus em- 
 ployed, tlieir mental utterance (if tiie expression be allow- 
 able) exactly resembles tiiai which is aiidihlr. They seem to 
 hear the precise pronuricialion, tones, emphasis and cadences 
 which would have been given lo the same words if read 
 aloud: and this readinc: is performed with vastly more rapid- 
 ity than that which reqtiircs liu^ voice ; because the mind 
 can conceive more expediiiously than the or<rans of s[)ercli 
 can express. Is it not then a matter of importance hoiv this, 
 by far the greatest quantity of all reading and study, is [)er- 
 fornied ? 
 
 Books, sir, constitute the great reservoir of all the learning 
 that has ever existed ; and they are destined to keep in store 
 the discoveries of all the times to come. They serve also 
 as imperishable memorials of the illustrious instructers and 
 benefactors of our race. Various as are the lanijuasres in 
 which they are written, they furnish to the able reader, and 
 to him only, the means of understanding them. And the 
 subjects upon which they treat, include every thing that can 
 concern us as intellectual, moral, and immortal beincs. To 
 have an adequate idea, therefore, of the immense number, and 
 inestimable value of books, is to be able lo appreciate justly 
 the ability to read them with ease and propriety. 
 
 With respect, sir, to the way in which young persons are 
 now taught the art of Reading (wlsich is what we proposed 
 next to consider,) it is to be regretted that nothing favourable 
 can be alleged. As far as can be known, even children are 
 permitted, in this particular, lo be their own instru< ters, 
 without much interference on the part of teachers. The 
 opinion of the erudite Mr. Cade, that, while " eating and 
 drinking are acquired abilities, reading and writing are gifts 
 of nature," seems, in a great degree, to have obtained. Or- 
 thography, (such as it is,) receives eveiy where, if not so 
 much as it deserves, at least a liberal share of attention. By 
 some means or other, the most unlettered have imbibed a pro- 
 found respect for the mysterious art of spelling ; perhaps 
 because, as it happens to be the first step on the ladder of sci- 
 ence, it is the only one with which they have the honour of 
 
an acqiiaiiitancc. This tospi^ct is peculiarly loi tuiiate ; for 
 tliere is no tcllinrr w!ia! vvouUi brcoine of us if we could not 
 spell. lu reading lessons, it is rare tiiat the teacher feels 
 himself called u])Oii to do more than to clierk a too rapid 
 manner, to correct a word miscalled, and to insist upon a loud 
 voice; and their pupils t;row up under the impression that 
 nothing further is requisite. He inav possibly require them 
 to take mote jj(7<HS in their lessons, to study «'itb more care, 
 to endeavour to improve themselves ; but he furnishes no 
 means for this purpose; he ^ives no intelligible directions ; 
 lie sets no example ; nor arc; lliey able to discover what is meant 
 by good reading. To tiie school books, also, we may lof)k, for 
 _Vei another cause of the little progress in this branch of learn- 
 ing. These are generally purchased at the neatest village, o'" 
 store, with very little regard to their fitness, so they be cheap, 
 and embellished with ridiculous pictures. The proper selec- 
 tion of books is of much more importance than is commonly 
 thought. They teacli the teachers; they are always conceiv- 
 ed to be correct ; and Irom the book there is no appeal. 
 Webster's famous "standard of pronunciation," was obliged, 
 long ago, to give place to beitei competitors, in all the 
 northern cities, and every where else, when people have in- 
 vestigated its demerits. Bui, like the inhabitants of its native 
 region, being endued with the spirt of emigration, it has pro- 
 bably established itself forever in the Stjuih. Nor is there, 
 among us, any lack of works more particularly indigenous, 
 which, though compiled by persors notoriously destitute of 
 qualifications to direct even the first footsteps of children, are 
 yet forced into fashion by recoinm("ndation>, co-erced by im- / 
 
 pv)rtunity or pity, from such as occupy the iiigh places of / 
 
 learning ! 
 
 It was proposed, sir, to suggest, in the third place, such / 
 
 improvements as seemed to be at once j^racticable and adapted 
 to our wants. 
 
 That the duty of an instructor comprises something more j 
 
 than the mere hearing of a les on, " without note or com- J 
 
 nient," will not be here denied : and yet we have asserted i 
 
 that this is nearly all which is done in most of our common 
 scliouls. In the other depaitments of learning, such as 
 Grammar, and Geography, and Arithmetick, were he thus a 
 
8 
 
 speclator only, a mere " looker on in Venice," a§ respects 
 tin; ie'<-uns, ii would be «liffieiiil to conceive how iie "very 
 rcv(rMiui and lionoui-ible fraiernity of Sciiooltna:Uer*," as 
 Ml. Diiwortii quite civilly denoniinntetli tlivMii, could be 
 otiiervvise efficient, ilitn as valiint wielders of the ferula dud 
 the rod, for the punisliment and reclamation of refractory 
 spirits. 
 
 Thf; first object that demands the attention of parents and 
 teiiciiers, when a child is M-nt to schdol, is the seleciion of a 
 primer, or first book. This should be of a small slzf, ihat 
 the piijjii ivcty hn\c the giatificdtion of soon geiting tiiioiigli 
 it; ■u\d l'.-a;iUly printed, on jroofl paper, ih^it e.ich letter may 
 di>viiM ily ippear. Tiie spelliiig lessons slioohi, of coiiise, 
 be, Ii fiist, as sim|ile -\nd easy as possible, and increased in 
 diffiruhy by s ow degrees; Hnd till the present lesson is mas- 
 teied, anoihe; should not be reqviired of liim. Rending es- 
 sons -ij^iit by al! nieims to accompany the spelling ones, 
 begioning ivuh syllables nf uvo leif^rs <jn)y, and inking care 
 to graduate the one by the other. In this way, may reading 
 be taught along with orthography wiih manifest advantage to 
 boili ; rind if the teacher will condescend to take part in these 
 les> iits, i. e. 10 read and spell them himself, at least occa- 
 sitiualiy, liis little charge will be much encouraged in his pro- 
 gress. To supervise these first ende:>vours of a child in the 
 acquisition of knowledge; to adapt one'^ stride to /lis slow 
 and hoiibling step over thr- threshold of learning, is unq <es- 
 tionably on the oart of some insirurters, a descent from high 
 things to low. But it is as possible to stoop with dignity, as 
 to rise vvitu feeling : and " teacher even of irabes" will be 
 less likely to provoke the contempt if liberal philosophers 
 than of such as are themselves profound in little that is be- 
 yotid the alphabet. 
 
 The primer having been gone through, the next may be 
 the spelling book; and in this, as in the preceding, the read- 
 ing lessons must go in iiand with the spelling. Tiiey should 
 be repeated again and again, and not left for those in advance 
 till ihey become easy, and well understood. Whenever 
 a word is misaccentuaied, whenever the proper emphasis is 
 onnru'd. or i>isp' iCi .i, the insti j^ier, h_v his own examr.Iej 
 should set the matter right. Lpon his entrance into this 
 
Second book, the pupil should be taught the peculiar forms 
 of 'lif six si «ps, or points, and their ust*; and he shouJiJ be 
 required to name ilu-m, as ihey occur in his lessons fiom 
 tinir- to time, till they b(;come as familar to him as any of the 
 letters. When it is considered that these stops meet ns in 
 every sentence that we peruse, it cannot but be thought sur- 
 prisinisf, that the great majority, even of good readers are 
 not ashamed to be totally ignorant of punctuation. Because 
 these stops are small things, they are erroneously supposed 
 to be insignificant. The blame of this should be shared 
 between the school books and the teachers : for when the 
 former asserts that a comma requires a patise while wc may 
 count one ; a semicolon while we count two ; it conveys but 
 litiln useful information. The naming of the stops in read- 
 ing will mike them, after a while, thorf)Ughly intelligible; 
 and will b.sides, coerce the student to moderate his course, 
 if he incline to read loo fast — the most common, as w. II as 
 the most difficult fault into which learneis fall. 
 
 At the h izard of being tedious, sir, I will dwell a moment 
 longer U|)on the subject of punctuation ; because a risrht 
 understanding of it is conceived to be an almost indispen"?iable 
 requisite in a correct style of reading. Ii;stead of requiring 
 mere p mses, then, the principal use of the stops is, to mark 
 the places at wliich simple sentences terminate, and the clau- 
 ses of compound ones diverge ; and they dv-mand rather 
 appropriate tones or inflections of voice. These infle( tions 
 are but two in number, the rising and the falling, and ihey 
 are indicated by the acute and grave accents. When ex- 
 plained and illustrated, experience has proved that these are 
 not beyond the understanding even of children. Nearly as 
 soon as the leirner is abb- to comprehend that a number of 
 words may be so arr-uiged as to make sense, he will per- 
 ceive or can be m tde to perceive, the frequent recurrence ot 
 the stops. If at this time his attention be not drawn to them ; 
 if ihey are permitted to be habitually skipped^ as the school 
 phrase is, will he be likely afterward to look upon them as 
 worthy of notice ? Bui if ihey are called by their names ia 
 reaiiing, if they ate properly remarked on and explained, he 
 will always remember, ihat, like every other ihing in. his 
 book, they are not without use and significancy. In this 
 
 B 
 
19 
 
 way to leach punctuation, togothpr with reading:, may possi- 
 bly m;ike thf lai;r-r sorDowliaf more laborious ; but not so 
 much more so as at first would seen). And the instrutler 
 who shall m ikp the experiment, will find, even in a short 
 time, abundant encuurij^ement to ailopt the practice. 
 
 Of the six stops, three of them, viz: ihe semicolon, colon, 
 and period, require ahvf»ys the fnlling inflection ; which is 
 that peculiar tone of the voice denoiing a sentence to be 
 finished. To this rule, at once simple and comprehensive, 
 the exceptions, in books correctly priiifed, are surprisingly 
 few ; ,ind it would be difficult to point out one, the obser- 
 vance of which would contribute more to the facility of de- 
 livery and to the perspicuity of sentences. 
 
 Of the comma, which is the stop in most frequent use, 
 the iHHrner should be lold that ii can never, with propriety, 
 have the falling inflection. It indicates only a suspension, 
 or diversion of the sense ; and sometimes requires a short 
 pause. 
 
 Tlie note of exclamation, and the interogativo point) 
 challpnge, in their management, much more care and jodg- 
 men(, since thev can'iot be brougln within the operation of 
 few rules, but require many. These meet us in reading more 
 seldom than the others; and as learned doctors themselves 
 raitjlit disagree in matters involving much discrimination, any 
 positive directions iu these premises, will not be expected. 
 
 Leaving now the dull, and seemingly trivial subject of 
 stops and marks, wi'h which the student may be supposed to 
 be tolerably aiquainted, we may next put into his hands a 
 book of promiscuous Reading Lessons, and a Diction iry. 
 Ami here, if the poor fellow have been drilled according to 
 Wi-bsler's rules for new recruits, which are found in no books 
 but Webster's, his progress in learning must inevitably be 
 " an advance backwards ;" in other words, he must unlearn 
 a considerable part of what he has been taught,- both in or- 
 thoepy and spelling. His chambers must be changed to 
 chambers ; his angels must be iiurled from their splieres; iiis 
 banished ^ must ue recalled to the publick; and U, sii, be 
 brought back again to honour and favour. 
 
 The subject of modern school hooks would not again be 
 advened to, were it not for the multitudes of them that are 
 
11 
 
 almost daily obtruded upon us, their general worthlcssness, 
 
 ani wi, .1 .;j.i, .;liii.M llll,)udeace (it' lii'-ii pifuiisiu ij. i lie 
 niLTf liik'S of the works on education, even ol Ainciican 
 niJiiiuf.icmre, which modesilv arroj^-ite to tiiemselves the nitrit 
 of SLi, (plying im[ji)rt.int desiderata, would fill volumes. vVe 
 liiivc " Suro Giiidns," .ind " GcogiMphies Mnde Easy," and 
 " Ri-idy Rpckooers," and " lnif)roved Granimais," and 
 " National Readers," world without end ; every one of which 
 is vastly preferable to all others on tiie subject thai the vvxrld 
 has seen, as is fully proved by certificates of recommenda- 
 tion from scores of sapient Divines and Professors, Gov- 
 ernors and Judges, Squires of high and low degree, most po- 
 tent erave and Reverend Preceptors of Academies, and par- 
 ticularly by those most ca()able of forming a just judgement, 
 the learned and disinterested authors thentselves! The grand 
 stimulus to such stupendous itiempts to enlighten and benefit 
 the age, is unquestionably /jecM/n'ary /jrq^^; but this is not the 
 only stimulus. There is, sir, in many minds, possibly in all, 
 a covetous desire of everlasting fame, a "yearning after im- 
 mort^ility," a propensity to cast " longing, lingering looks 
 behind." One's name on the title page, even of a mere se- 
 lection or spelling book, has an imposing appearance, and 
 may be read tu one's honor and glory, a hundred years 
 to lome. There is no telling how various are the paths 
 by which " low ambiiion" travels to petty lUstinction ; nor 
 wo'ilu his career be worthy of the least regard, were he n<)t 
 busv in elbowing his belters out of theii places. [t may 
 well be questioned, sir, if the mordern elementary fonnida- 
 ries and text books can justly claim superiority to those in 
 vogue fifty years ago. In these, alteration has pressed upon 
 the heels of alteraiion, wiiih- improvement has rarely been 
 obtained. The works of Mr. Lindley Murray, a countryman 
 of our own, and an honor both to his own and to his adopted 
 country, are certainly meant to be ex-rapied trom any shaie of 
 that rebuke which some other publications m ly be ihougiit to 
 de-e' ve. His ernrnmar owes, prtjbably, whatever deficiency in 
 method, and incompleteness in execution may be supposed 
 to I haracterize it, as much to the extent and diffiruliy of the 
 subject as io his w int of ability ; and is, on tiie whole, the 
 
 best practical treatise extant. The English Header, which 
 
13 
 
 liRS lon^ had a \v\Ap cirnilaiion in both hpniisphercs, still 
 retaiits its iinpi eiedpnted popularity in nil places wl!(it= no 
 little great man's selection supplants ii, ihrouglioui ilu im- 
 mense space, perhaps, of a whole county! The niatpiial,> if 
 the Reader, having been drawn from the purest fountains of 
 English literature, vvith such delicacy as in no degieo to dis- 
 turb the sedimeni, may be presented to the young without 
 danger of vitiating the taste, or intoxicating the brain ; and 
 how often soever they tre used, they seem to have always 
 a new and agreeable flavour. It would noi be easy, eiihcr to 
 assign sufficient reas ms f'oi the exclusion of this book liom 
 our schools, or to prove, satisfactorilx , ihat a better substi- 
 tute, in tile main, can be a-lopled. Wlien there is no obvi- 
 ous and certain advantage to be gained by the change of 
 one class book for another similar in kind, the old <aight 
 noi to be discarded, if for no better reason, because the 
 insidicter, being more familiar with its contents, vmII be 
 better qualified to rectify any mistake into wbnh tlie student 
 may hill. There is no doubt, thai from the w(>ik>- ol the 
 most eloquent English writers, a hundred volumes mighi be 
 compiled, in all respects as well calculated for proper lessons 
 in elocution as those of the Reader. But we have no i.eed 
 of them. Being well provided for we can more pi oft ably 
 avail ourselves of the facilities we have, than spend onr time 
 in noliing else but to discover and adopt " son)e new thing." 
 U,.on liis entrance into the Reader, the student should, 
 fiom time to time, be refened to the excellent directions 
 found in tlie introduction. These were taken, chiefly, liom 
 Sheiidan's Lectures on Elecuiion, and are divided into >liort 
 secjions, embracing " proper loudness of voice, distinctness, 
 due decree of slowness, propriety of pronunciation, empha- 
 sis, tones, pauses, and the manner of reading verse. The 
 limits of a single lecture will not permit that these matters 
 be M-parately considered, as theii importanie justly deseives. 
 It must, herefore, suffice merely to refer to them, and to 
 lament that they have been able, hitherto, to attract, in so 
 small a degree, the careful attention of teachers. In a n.-te 
 app. nded to the first chapter of the Reader, the author in- 
 foims us that he has there " exhibiied sentences m a ^reat 
 variety of construction, and in all the diversity of punctuation;" 
 
13 
 
 which, " if well practised i)p(»n, he presumes will fully pre- 
 pare iIk^ voiing I O'tdtM" tor the v;irioiis pnusi ^■, "irillei ;ions anu 
 nindiilaiions, that (lie succpediiiu; pieces requirt." 
 
 The orilioep)', or proiuinciation of woids, introduced by 
 Walker, has becDfDe standard in all our iiieher instiliilions, 
 and sjididd be liie only one acknouledeed as authority in com- 
 mon schools. This pronunci.iiion, iiowever, hnving not yet 
 been adopted by the gn-al mass of unlettered people, reqi ires 
 for that reason, tlie particular attention of the instrurter. 
 The studeni ou^ht frc-quMitly to be sent to his dictionary, 
 with tiie key to which, as well as wiih all llip vowel marks 
 and accents, h^ shoidd bo made tiioront^ldy acquainied. The 
 authoriiy and consequent usefidness of this ulmir.dilp work 
 are sometimes considerably itnpaired by the leachf-r's non-con- 
 formiiv wiih a few of its peculiarities. lie abides by Walker 
 in lue main, but does noi approve of him in some insiam-i s ; 
 he t annul bring liimMdf to pnfci sA_y and leisure and jjonr, 
 to sky and leisure -tntl pour. Tlure may be a spice ot v.iii- 
 ty iu iiiis independence of opinion, and there can be liiile 
 qut'siion lh;it, on the wiiole, it were better in all cises to 
 sub nil implicitly to good authoriiy tlian to " be carried about 
 witli every wind of doctrine." 
 
 It would -etMi), sir, that the hearing of lessons in reading 
 indivulually, raihei than by classes, mii'hi be attended with 
 advantage. Let the s udent, who is sofficit-nily advanced, 
 be alliwed tlie privilege too, of selecting his own bsson. 
 Tins should be read near the teacher's table, imhiss 
 his voice be low and faint: in which case, the most distant 
 pari lif the school room will be his proper place. In choosing 
 his h'sson, it will soon be discovered, that he has his favourite 
 pit'Ces, wiiich he will natur dly endeavour to prououm-e in 
 the best uianner he is able; : And if he often choose the same 
 piece, his increasing acquaintance witti it, will cause it to be 
 somewhat improved upon every repetition. It were better, 
 also, that a considerable proportion of tlu- reading lessons be 
 in verse; and better still, il, being committed to mfmorv, 
 they bo read or spoken occasionallv, at least, without liook. 
 
 With regard to declamatory exercises in school, unlh^ss 
 judiciously adapted to the capacities of young persons, or 
 permitted to the best readers only, they had better be seldom 
 
14 
 
 introduced, or wholly omintnl ; unlfiss, as rarely happens, 
 thf' ic:ichpr hn }((•. ill ulv q'Miified to insiriin in such mwiprs. 
 And it is especially doubllnl if tht? spouiing of humorous 
 pieces, for which most dechiimcrs h;ive a his^h relish, is, in 
 ai.y frood decree, aiixiiiiiry to tlie acquirements of a correct 
 and tastet'ul Elocution. 
 
 I will trouble you, sir, with but one sii^trestion more on 
 the subject of improvinc; the present methods of leaching the 
 art of Reading ; and ihis is, that tiie insirucier liimself read 
 daily, a short lesson at least, and a long one if ho can, to 
 his pupils; while they shall be required to supervise him, and 
 correct his mistakes. A schoolboy is always delighted to 
 have the power of retorting upon his teacher ; and to acquire 
 this power, he will look over him, while reading, with atten- 
 tion and vigilance. By this plan, an excellent opportunity is 
 offorded for exemplifying, not only what is considered good 
 reading, but also all the faults and blunders, into which the 
 heedless are apt to i<\\\. ^'^Iter est breve jicr exempla,^^ said 
 Seneca long ago ; and the truth is corroborated by all experi- 
 encp. I am confident, tliat whoever shall attempt to reduce 
 this iiint to pr;iciice will have reason to be pleased with his 
 success. Indeed it seems to me there is no way bv wiiich 
 a siiident may be more fhoroi'ghly, and expeditiously, and 
 agreeably instructed, than by his teacher's participating with 
 him, as far as possible, in all his pursuits; sympathizmg with 
 liiu) in all his difficuliies, enterine into all his feelings, and 
 amalgamating, as it Wi-re, Ins own mind wiiii that of his pupil. 
 
 I will delay you, sir, but a moirient longer. 
 
 If, in what ha^ been thus imperfectly advanced, there shall 
 have been discovered nothing thai is new, no feeling, sir, of 
 regiPt or mortification will be indulged. The path in which 
 th<" flowers and the thorns of knowledge are to be n^et with, 
 having been trodden for thousau'ls of years, must necessirily 
 be rite: but it is the old way, the tried way, the safe way; 
 and ihey may assuredly be suspected ot' presumption, who 
 would block it up, and allure our feet into new directi'.ns. 
 At this seat of science, it is giaiifviiie to enter a firm, thmigh 
 humble protest, against, not only those innumerabh- eiuca- 
 tion-l hooks whi. inno\ 'w upon ■■Ui- established theories of 
 teaching; but against all those time-saving plans, schemes 
 
15 
 
 and systems of iiislniction, to whid! these times liavo given 
 bir'i), ;ui(l wliicli Imvo noiliiiiij to lecomincml 'licm ''Ui tjiat 
 tiK'V art; of yt'-'it'i day. AtiHs ago it was derlait-d, lliai there 
 is no sl'.ort road to kiiowU'dge ; yet how niany are now d lys 
 waadfiing ovit of their way in search of ii ! Arc we not now 
 fold that English Grammar may be thoroiieldy learned in 
 seven weeks? Astronomy in a couple of lectures ? Penn:an- 
 ship in three days? And as for Arithmetick, the modern 
 inductive method dispenses with all rules, and declares a war 
 of extermination even against slates and pencils ! 
 
 Bui, with all these boasted improvements, will it be pre- 
 tended, sir, that ijenuine learning is really in a more prosperous 
 condiiion? Are we indeed belter penmen and grammarians 
 and geogsaphers and arithmeticians than were our fathers? 
 or may we not say, with reference to these things, " that the 
 former times were better than these V 
 
 II is perhaps a good rule, to look with suspicion npon all 
 attempts to substitute, for what has been long known and ap- 
 proved, any new and untried scheme. The tests of experi- 
 ence, and the sanctions of time, are not to be disregarded. 
 Important discoverii-s may, it is true, yet be made; btit this 
 by no means pioves, ihit every thing is floating in uncertainty; 
 thai nothing ha^ reached its acme ; that all the antecedent ge- 
 nerations of men weie fools. After all, there is not commonly so 
 much iill'Mt-nce in systems, paiticularly in those liiat concern 
 education, as is sometimes imagined. Often iiave we detect- 
 ed an old tiling, under the guise of a novel and high-sounding 
 name ; and there are doubtless many people of refinement 
 among us, too proud to take lessons in Reading and Writing, 
 who would nevertheless jump at an opportunity to learn 
 Chirography and Elocution ! 
 
 No new idans, of teaching or of learning how to read, are 
 now submitted to you, Mr. President, for ilie very plain reason, 
 that the old ones are judged to be all-sufficient, and no better 
 can be conceived of, Tbrre will be little need of further 
 discoveries in this art, if insttucters will faithfully avail them- 
 selves of means which have been long provided ; if they 
 will but aspire to be " teachers of words, and not hearers 
 onl\." By precept and by example, mu(h mav be accora- 
 plished in this^ as in all other departments of learning, nor 
 
16 
 
 sliould the younji; be consi'^ered more competont to instruct 
 themselvfis in Elocution, than in Grammar and Aiithmotick. 
 
 Not all persons, it may bo confessed, are " apt to teach;'''' 
 but all persons may be taught. The insiructer who occa- 
 sionally reads to bis pupils, will find himself in the way of 
 improvement. By exposing himself to their obseivation and 
 criticism, in this way, he will be stimulated to greater exer- 
 tions, and aim at his/her qualifications. " Thou that teachest 
 another, teachest thou not thyself 1" 
 
 li was no part of the plan adopted in this brief lecture, 
 Mr. President, to treat, even were the ability not wanting, 
 of 'he hiiifher matters which relate to Elocution. These in- 
 volve coiisideratioris of sufficient importance to demand a 
 more elaborate treatise from an abler hand. To commence 
 Willi the foundation, and to lay one stone upon another, till 
 the edifice, how humble soever, should be complete, was the 
 object kept steadily in view, rather than exterior embellish- 
 ment and fanciful decoration. What is merely or.'iamental 
 and "iliowy, will piss nwiv : wiiai is of siihsiami .1 advantage, 
 and ot practical utility, may be expected to endure. 
 
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