7. "Well, then," continued the old man, "if you see these things so clearly, I hope you can see, too, that knowledge, to be a good thing, must be rightly applied. God's grace in the heart will render the knowledge of the head a blessing; but, without this, it may prove to us no better than a curse."-"I see! I see! I see!" said the little man; "I see !" CXLIV. ON READING WELL. 1. IN the delivery of their own feelings, opinions and wishes, by speech, in their ordinary intercourse with one another, all men are elocutionists. In earnest conversa tion, we all feel what we say; and, consequently, even the most ignorant person may at times so emphasize his words, or elevate and lower the tones of his voice, as to produce some of the effects of cloquence. 2. It is when people begin to read aloud the sentiments and opinions of others, that they depart from this natural eloquence, and sink into a listless, monot'onous drawl, without grace, modulation, emphasis, or energy. 3. The first requisite for good reading, therefore, is to feel what the author says. If you will labor to understand his meaning, and then articulate distinctly, and bestow your pauses and emphasis aright, you will conquer nine tenths of the difficulties in the way. 4. A person may, however, fully comprehend the meaning of what he is to read, and yet, from a bad mode of managing his voice,— from an impure articulation or inaccurate pronunciation,- he may fail to please, or even to be understood. 5. Good reading or speaking may be considered as that species of delivery which not only expresses the sense of the words so as to be merely understood, but, at the same time, gives them all the force, beauty and variety, of which they are susceptible. 6. The best posture for reading aloud is an upright, standing one. In sitting, the muscles of the chest cannot work so freely. If your posture is a sluggish, unhandsome one, your reading will be likely to resemble it. A reader must be in earnest, and must show it by his attitude. 7. I hope you will not undervalue the importance of reading and speaking well. It is by the power of speech that we are mainly distinguished from the brutes. How important to cultivate a faculty so noble and so powerful for good uses! How important to acquire in early youth an accurate habit of articulation, and lay the foundation for those graces of elocution, which, under good instruction, practice will supply! 8. To read and speak with elegance and ease Are arts polite that never fail to please; Yet in those arts how very few excel ! Ten thousand men may read - not one read well. PART III. ΑΝ EXPLANATORY INDEX OF WORDS MARKED FOR REFERENCE WITH THE INITIALS EI IN THE AC-COD'TRE (ac-coot'er), to dress. ACTION. A person is said to bring an ac- AD'AGE, an old saying; a proverb. ALLAH, the Arabic name of the Supreme ALPHA-BET, the letters of a language. The two letters. AMERICA, THE DISCOVERY OF, page 96. AR'MOR-ER, on board of a ship, the person ATE, the preterite of the verb to eat. It is BAG'DAD, a city of Asiatic Turkey on the BOTANY BAY, a bay of the Pacific Ocean, BOU-AKAS. Pronounced Boo-a'kas; the BRAKE, a place overgrown with shrubs and* - BRU'IN, a familiar name given to the bear; Bror (bwoy), a floating mark. On ship- CADI (ka'de), a Turkish judge. CHAMBERS, ROBERT, a Scottish writer and CHANT-I-CLEER, a cock; a loud crower. CHILD, MRS. L. M., an American writer. writer. COL'ONISTS, a body of people who go from CON-STAN-TI-NO'PLE, the capital of the Turk- CowPER, WM., one of the best of English CRI-ME'A, a peninsula in the southern part me-a. CRIT'I-CIZE, to judge; to play the critic. several varieties, yellow, white, purple and blue. It is very hardy, appearing in spring soon after the snow has melted. CROTCH, a hook; the fork of a tree. CUB, the young of a bear or fox. CUL/PRIT, an offender against the law. CUTH (koot), a village in the north of France. DAGUERRE (dah-gair'), a Frenchman; one of the inventors of the daguerreotype. DAISY (da'ze), a spring flower, called by the old English poets day's eye, whence its present name. DARLING, GRACE. See an account of, page 62. DER'VIS, a Turkish monk. DES-POT'IC, absolute; arbitrary. DIPHTHONG (pronounced dif'thong by Webster, dip'thong by Walker), a union of two vowels in one sound. DIS-IN-GEN'U-OUS-NESS, unfairness ; mean cunning. DI-VERGE', to tend various ways from one point. DOCILE (dos'sil; though Webster says do'sil), teachable. Dock, the place where a criminal stands in court. DODDRIDGE, PHILIP, an English clergyman, born 1702; died 1751. Poetry by, p. 69. DRAMA, or drăm'a, a theatrical entertainment. DROUGHT (see paragraph 65, page 21), dryness; want of rain. EL-O-CUTION, the power of speech generally; pronunciation or delivery. ELWOOD, poetry by, page 180. EP'I-CURE, a person fond of luxurious living. ERE (pronounced are, rhyming with care), before sooner than. This word, being pronounced like e'er, a contraction of ever, is sometimes confounded with it. EX-TRAOR'DI-NA-RY (eks-tror'de-na-re), not ordinary; unusual. FA-CE'TIOUS, witty; lively. properties of measured space. It lite rally means the art of measuring the earth. GERHARDT, a German writer. Poetry by, 113. GILFILLAN, R., a Scottish poet. See his Hymn to the Setting Sun, page 198. GILPIN, WILLIAM, an English clergyman, born 1724; died 1803. Extract from, 87. GOLDSMITH, OLIVER, a favorite writer, born in Ireland in 1731; died 1774. Extract from, p. 175. GoULD, HANNAH F., an American writer. HAM'MOCK, a swinging bed. HAYLEY, WILLIAM, an English poet, born in 1745, died 1820. He was the friend and biographer of Cowper. See verses by him on page 66. HEBER, REGINALD, Bishop of Calcutta, was born in England in 1783, died in 1826. The Spring Journey, by, p. 57. HEIGHT, Summit, ascent. The word is spelled hight by Webster. HERB. This word is pronounced erb by Walker and Webster; herb by Smart, Sheridan, and others. IIOмI-CIDE, a man-slayer; also the killing of a man by the hand of man. Homicide may be legally justifiable, as where a man slays another in self-defence; but homicide with premeditated malice is mur der. HOWITT, MARY, an English lady, who has written much, and well, for the young. For poems by her, see pages 49, 63, 90, 96. HOWITT, Wм., an English writer, the husband of Mary. The Wind in a Frolic, by, 82. IIULK, the body of a ship; an old vessel. HUM'BLE. Both Webster and Worcester are in favor of sounding the h in this word. But some authorities drop it. The best modern usage retains the sound of the h. IIU'MOR. Webster and Enfield retain the sound of the h in this word; Walker and Worcester pronounce it yu-mur. IM-PE'RI-AL, relating to an empire or an emperor. FAIN, glad, or gladly. It may be either an IM-PER-TURB'A-BLE, that cannot be dis adjective or an adverb. FAIR, a stated market. FIRTH, a frith or strait of the sea. FRANC, a French coin, the value of which is E-OM'E-TRY, the science which treats of the turbed. IMPORT (im-port), to bring from abroad. IN-GE'NIOUS, skilful; able. IRVING, WASHINGTON, a distinguished Amer- | MON'O-SYL-LA-BLE, a word of only one sy ican writer, born in the city of New lable. York, in 1783. Scott and his Dogs, by, MORE, HANNAH, an English authoress 88. Early Habits of Washington, 188. born 1744; died 1833. See pp. 144, KAM-TSCHATK'A, a peninsula projecting a LACEDEMONIANS (las-se-de-mo'ni-anz), LA'MA, a South American quadruped, used LAMB, MISS, an English writer. The Blind LEA (18), a meadow; a pasture. LIEGE (lē-azh'), a city of Belgium. LIEUTENANT. Pronounced lü-ten'ant, lef- PARDOE, MISS, an English writer. See p. ten'ant, or lěv-ten'ant. LU'NAR, relating to the moon. From the LYTTON, SIR E. BULWER, an English poet, 151. PARK, MUNGO, a celebrated Scottish travel- 1644, and died 1718. He attached himself early in life to the society of Friends, or Quakers. From him the State of Penn sylvania has its name. See a dialogue, extracted from an account of his life, page 162. He was kept in prison six months for preaching on the occasion referred to. PET'AL, a flower-leaf, as distinguished from the leaf of the plant. PIERRE LA RAMEE. Pronounced Peer-lah- born in Athens, 429 years before Christ. PLOUGH. This word is often spelled plow. PORTUGUESE (por-tu-geez'), belonging to Portugal. PRE-SERVES', places set apart for the preservation of game. MAN DI-BLE, the jaw; a term applied to the PLATO, a celebrated Greek philosopher, upper pair of jaws in insects. MANŒUVRE (ma-nū'ver), a stratagem. MAN'U-SCRIPT, a written book or paper. MARRYAT, CAPTAIN, an English nautical writer. Extract from, page 147. MENAGERIE (men-azh'er-e), a collection of foreign animals; a place for them. ME-THOUGHT, an old phrase for I thought. MIN'IS-TER. In England the high oflicers of the government are called ministers. MITFORD, MISS, an English writer, born 1785; died 1855. Poem by, 86. MOD-U-LATION, the regulation of the voice. MONK (můnk), a religious recluse. PRIOR, the head of a monastery, or place PUN-CHI-NEL'LO, a buffoon; a punch. |