trate, the blood of his gallant heart pouring out of his ghastly wound, but moving resplèndent over the field of hònor, with the rose of heaven upon his cheèk, and the fire of liberty in his eyè ?

"But when shall we be strònger? Will it be the next week, or the next year?"

This reading, with the falling slide on "year," changes the sense, as it makes one idea positive, and the answer must be "next week," or "next year." But both ideas are negative in Henry's speech; both must have the rising slide, then, according to the principle.

"Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disármed, and when a British guárd shall be stationed in every house?"

"Is this a time to be gloómy and sád,

When our mother Náture laúghs around;

When even the deep blue heavens look glád,

And gládness breathes from the blossoming ground?"

“Will you ríde, in the cárriage, or on horseback?' 'I fer to walk.""

I pre

"Will you reád to us, a piece of próse, or poetry?' 'Allow me to sìng instead.'"

"Will you study músic, or Frénch?”

All the ideas are negative in the last questions. Change the sense, and make one idea positive in each question, and we have one falling slide in each.

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Will you ride in the cárriage, or on horseback?

"Will you read to us a piece of próse, or poetry?"

"Will you study músic, or French ?”

INDIRECT QUESTIONS.

"When are you going to Europe?"

The prominent idea in this, is not the real interrogative, the idea of time in "when," but the positive idea, “You are going to Europe." Hence this, and all such questions must be read with the falling slide.

But if the interrogative is made the prominent and emphatic idea, (as when, the answer not being heard, the question is repeated,) the rising slide must be given.

"When are you going to Europe?'

ADDRESS.

The address also is positive or negative. It is negative, and read with the rising slide or suspension of the voice, when it is only formal and unemphatic, as Friends, I come not

here to talk."

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When emphatic it is positive and demands the falling slide, as in the respectful opening address to any deliberative body or public assembly. “ Mr. Prèsident,” “Ladies and Gèntle.

men."

POSITIVE ADDRESS AND QUESTIONS.

“Tell me, man of mìlitary science, in how many months were the Pilgrims all swept òff by the thirty savage tribes, enumerated within the early limits of New England? Tell me, politician, how lòng did this shadow of a colony, on which your convéntions and treaties had not smíled, lànguish on the distant coast? Student of history, compare for me the baffled projects, the abandoned adventures of other times, and find a paralle! of this."

"Was it the winter's stòrm beating upon the houseless heads of women and children; was it hard labor and spare meals; was it disease, was it the tòmahawk, was it the deep

malady of a blighted hope, a ruined enterprise, and a broken

d

heart, aching in its last moments at the recollection of the loved, and left beyond the sca; was it sóme or all of these united that hurried this forsaken company to their melancholy fate?"

These questions must be read with the 'falling' slide, to give the idea positively that each one of the enumerated causes was sufficient to produce the supposed result. The surprise is thus made all the greater in the next sentence, which must be read as an earnest negative with the long rising' slide.

And is it possible that néither of these causes, that not áll combined, were able to blást this bud of hópe? Is it possible that from a beginning so fèeble, so fràil, so worthy not so much of admirátion as of pity, there has gone forth a prògress so steady, a growth so wonderful, an expansion so àmple, a reality so important, a pròmise yet to be fulfilled, so glòrious!"

When surprise thus deepens into astonishment, as it frequently does in its climax, the interrogative form should be changed to the exclamatory, which demands the falling slide.

“Partakers in every peril, in the glory shall we not be permitted to participate? And shall we be told as a requital that we are estranged from the noble country for whose salvation our life-blood was poured out!"

CONTRASTED SLIDES.

When ideas are contrasted in couples, the rising and falling slides must be contrasted in reading them. Contrasted slides may also sometimes be used for greater variety or melody.

1.

EXAMPLE.

"Sínk or swim, líve or dìe, survive or pèrish, I give my hand and heàrt to this vote."

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But, whatever may be óur fate, be assured, be assured that, this declaration will stànd. It may cost treasure, and it may cost blood; but it will stànd, and it will richly compensate for both."

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Suppose that you see, at once, all the hours of the day

and all the seasons of the year, a morning of spring, and a morning of autumn, a night brilliant with stars, and a night obscure with clouds; - you will then have a more just notion of the spectacle of the universe. Is it not wondrous, that while you are admiring the sun plunging beneath the vault of the west, another observer is beholding him as he quits the region of the east, in the same instant reposing, weary, from the dust of the evening, and awaking fresh and youthful, in the dews of morn!"

CIRCUMFLEX SLIDES.

Straight means right, crooked means wrong: hence right ideas demand the right or straight slides, while wrong or crooked ideas demand the crooked or circumflex slides.'

PRINCIPLE.

All sincere and carnest, or, in other words, all upright and downright ideas demand the straight, or upright and downright slides.

All ideas which are not sincere or earnest, but are used in jest, or irony, in ridicule, sarcasm, or mockery, in insinuation or double-meaning, demand the crooked or circumflex slides.'

6

The last part of the circumflex is usually the longer, and always the more characteristic part. Hence when the last part of this double slide rises it is called the rising circumflex; when the last part falls, it is called the falling circumflex.'

The rising circumflex' should be given to the negative, the 'falling circumflex' to the positive ideas of jest, irony, &c. When these ideas are coupled in contrast, the circumflex slides must be in contrast also to express them.

Example of jest.

MARULLUS. Yòu, sir; what trade are yoù ?

2D CITIZEN. Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.

MAR. But what trade art thou? Answer me directly. 2D CIT. A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a měnder of bad sôles.

MAR. What trade, thou knàve? thou naughty knave, what trade?

if

2D CIT. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet, you bê out, sir, I can mend you.

MAR. What mean'st thou by that? Ménd me, thou saucy fellow ?

2D CIT. Why, sir, côbble you.

FLAVIUS.

Thou art a còbbler, árt thou?

2D CIT. Truly sir, åll that I live by is with the awl. FLAV. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

2D CIT. Truly, sir, to wear out their shôes, to get myself into more work. But, indeed, sir, we make holiday, to see Cæsar, and to rejoice in his trìumph."

In the last sentence, the citizen drops his jesting, and speaks in earnest and therefore with the straight slides.

Examples of sarcasm and irony.

2. "Now, sir, what was the conduct of your own allies to Poland? Is there a single atrocity of the French in Italy, in Switzerland, in Egypt if you please, more unprincipled and inhuman than that of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, in Poland ? “Ŏ, but you 'regrêtted the partition of Poland!' Yês, regrêtted!—you regrêtted the violence, and that is àll you

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did."

3. They boast they come but to improve our state, enlârge our thoughts and frêe us from the yoke of êrror! Yês, they will give enlightened freedom to oûr minds, who are themselves the slaves of passion, avarice, and pride! They offer us protêction! yês, sûch protection as vûltures give to lambs covering and devouring them! Tell your invaders we seek nò change and least of all such change as they would bring us!"