EXAMPLES. 1. 3. 5. They were content in either place. The severest storm that lasts till morn. 2. The severes torm that last still morn. { 4. { The magistrates ought to arrest the man. 1. The biggest beams bend beneath their burden. 2. The lame, lazy lad limps on languidly. 3. They shot sharply into the ship's shrouds. 4. The wind whistles through the thistles. 8. Deep toned notes rolled over the wide waters. 13. The roaring lion leaves his lonely lair. 14. When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw. 15. And in soft silence shed the kindly shower. * In the Greek and French languages, a sub-vocal or aspirate is frequently inserted prevent the meeting of two vocals. QUESTIONS. What is the error in the first example? In the second, &c.? What is note second, or the note for the immediate succession of similar sounds, &c. ? What sounds are similar in the first example? In the second, &n. ? B 16. The man of talents hates stupidity, and struggles through difficulties severe. [stray, 17. And where the finest streams through the tangled forests E'en there the wildest beasts steal forth upon their prey. 18. Amidst the mists he thrusts his fists against the posts, and still insists he sees the ghosts. 19. The ragged rascal ran round and round the rough and rugged rocks that rear their hoary heads high in the air. 20. Tho' oft the ear the open vowels tire. NOTE 3. The remoteness of accent sometimes occasions difficulty in giving the correct pronunciation of polysyllables. EXAMPLES. In-con-sid'-er-a-ble-ness. In-hos'-pi-ta-ble-ness. Dis-in'-terest-ed-ly. Dis-in'-te-gra-ble. Dis-ap'-pro-ba-to-ry. Com-men'su-ra-ble-ness. In-im'-i-ta-bly, Ad-min'-is-tra-tive. Per-mea-bly. Per-fo-ra-tive Ex'-e-cra-to-ry. Per-i-to-ne'-um. GENERAL EXERCISE. THE PLEASURES OF LEARNING.* [In this practical exercise on the preceding tables, especially the first and fourth, the class may be required to give the elementary sounds of the letters printed in italics, as they occur in the different words, and also the names of the different elements which they represent.] 1. There is implanted in the human bosom a desire for reputation, a love of Fame; but, of all reputations, that of the scholar and good author is the most permanent and satisfactory. The scholar alone is in the possession of a substantial * The reading lessons in Part First are introduced for the purpose of making a practical application of the rules and principles of elocution, and also to suggest QUESTIONS. What is note third? Pronounce the examples. How may the exercise be studied? What is the letter a in the word implanted in the first line? What sound has it? Give its clement. What is b in the word bosom? Give its element. What is in the word desire? What element does it represent? good in his well-disciplined intellect, which can never be wrested from him in time, and is proof against the fluctua tions and changes which characterize all other temporal means of happiness. 2. In whose praise is the historian most eloquent and fervid? The name of Erasmus,a the scholar, has come down to us, through the lapse of many years, laden with honor; and Milton b and Shakspeare will live, aye, live forever! while the sovereigns whose courts they adorned, will be remembered only as their patrons. 3. The life of the student, however, is not one of ease; and he who expects the paths to science to be smooth and beauti ful, and adorned solely with bright flowers which continually spread their fragrant forms before him, must not enter it; for though there may be many roses, still there are harassing thorns; and though gorgeous prospects shine in the distance, rocks must be scaled before they can be reached. Thus, it was a happy conceit of some old master, in representing the temple of science imbosomed among lofty cliffs and precipices, to indicate the difficulty of access. There is, however, attendant upon the acquisition of knowledge, and in its possession, the most refined pleasures. 4. Tully,d in his eloquent defense of the poet Archias,e makes mention of his pleasures in letters, and says, "They the manner of teaching Part Second. A part of each lesson is marked, to show the application of the rule under which it occurs, and a part is left unmarked, for the purpose of exercising the judgment of the pupils in making the application for themselves. Erasmus, a distinguished scholar of the fifteenth century. He was born at Rotterdam, Holland, in 1467, and died in 1536, aged sixty-nine. Milton, one of the greatest English poets. Shakspeare, the greatest dramatic poet, not only of England, but of the world. He was born at Stratford, England, in 1561, and died on the anniversary of his birth, 1616, aged 52. d Tully, (Tullius Cicero,) the most distinguished of the Roman orators, born 107, B. C. Archias, a Grecian poet, who flourished about 716, B. C. give strength in youth, and joy in old age; adorn prosperity and are the support and consolation of adversity at home they are delightful, and abroad they are easy; and in our rural retirement they do not forsake us." 5. These pleasures are continually increasing as the sensibility becomes refined, and the fields of investigation widen before the student. A man of good reading, whose mind is well-disciplined, is never in want of occupation, though he may be in a bustling city or a sterile desert. 6. It is related of Mungo Park,' that having traveled over the parched sands of Africa for several successive days, without food to nourish his body, or water to cool his burning thirstwearied and faint, without sufficient energy to endure his oppressive journey-he fell on the ground exhausted, expecting death as a relief. At this moment a small cluster of rare and beautiful flowers attracted his attention; the pleasure of this discovery gave him new strength, and busied in a botanical analysis of the plants, he forgot his sickness and fatigue, and much refreshed, he bent his steps to the diamond spring, of the existence of which the flowers were indicative. 7. Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the brightest ornaments of Queen Elizabeth's court, experienced the consolations of study when, through the machinations of his enemies, he was imprisoned. This chivalric knight, scholar, and patron of the arts and sciences, wasted twelve years of his life in a dungeon! During that time he gave himself to literary pursuits. 8. He wrote a volume of his history of the world, a work Mungo Park, an enterprising traveler, who fell a victim to his repeated attempts to explore the interior of Africa. Sir Walter Raleigh, a distinguished warrior, statesman, and writer of England, in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. Queen Elizabeth, one of England's most celebrated sovereigns. She reigned forty-four years, or from 1558 to 1602. She was the daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. of much erudition. He studied the writings extant on the subject of chemistry and natural history, and composed several treatises on navigation. At times, also, he gave himself to the delights of poesy and polite literature. Thus, though his body was confined, his spirit was free; and, though the iron pierced his physical frame, it wounded not his soul. 9. You, then, who are deluded from the paths of science and literature, by the glory and advantages of the world, remember, that his fame is noblest "whose works, like the precious life-blood of some master-spirit, are embalmed and treasured up for a life beyond life." CHAPTER II. ACCENT. ACCENT is a forcible utterance of some one syllable in a word, so as to distinguish it from others. It is marked thus ('); as in merchant. The beauty and harmony of pronunciation depends very much upon accent; hence, however perfect the articulation may be, if the accent is misplaced, an unpleasant harshness is produced which detracts from the beauty of expression. In the correct application of accent, the sense requires a greater or less degree of force, and a greater or less prolongation of sound, on the accented syllable. The following explanations under the head of Quantity, are introduced, in order to present these characteristic modifications of accentuation more fully. QUESTIONS. What is accent? How is it marked? What depends very much apon it? What does the sense require in the correct application of accent? |