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5. He who is inured to reflection, will carry his views beyond the present hour; he will extend his prospect a little into futurity, and be disposed to make some provision for his approaching wants; whence will result an increased motive to industry, together with a care to husband his earnings, and to avoid unnecessary expense. The poor man who has gained a taste for good books, will in all likelihood become thoughtful, and when you have given the poor a habit of thinking, you have confered on them a much greater favor than by the gift of a large sum of money, since you have put them in possession of the principle of all legitimate prosperity.

6. Ignorance gives a sort of eternity to prejudice, and perpetuity to error. When a baleful superstition, like that of the church of Rome, has once got footing among a people in this situation, it becomes next to impossible to eradicate it; for it can only be assiled with success by the weapons of reason and argument, and to these weapons it is impassive. The sword of ethereal temper loses its edge, when tried on the scaly hide of this leviathan. No wonder the church of Rome is such a friend to ignorance! it is but paying the arrears of gratitude, in which she is deeply indebted. How is it possible for her not to hate that light which would unveil her impostures and detect her enormities?-Rev. R. Hall.

The Rev. Robert Hall, from one of whose sermons the above excellent remarks in favor of intellectual culture, are extracted, was born at Arnsby, near Leicester, on the 2d of May, 1764, and died on the 21st of February, 1831. Mr. Hall admired, as I do, Plato's definition of education, as "that which qualifies men to be good citizens, and renders them fit to govern or to obey." Mr. Hall was a finished preacher, and an exquisite and tasteful writer.

CORRECT READING.

1. Every person feels the power of a good reader, or I should say, would feel this power, if every body could be so fortunate as to hear good reading. Faults disagree. able to both the reader and hearer, abound. They result

from carelessness, and ignorance of very simple and intelligible principles, on which excellence in reading depends. Many read as if they thought the nose was the principle organ of speech, and that nothing could be said well, unless it were delightfully twanged through the nostrils.

2. Many never vary the tones of their voice more than three or four notes of the musical scale, and yet while they wonder why their reading is dull, they, at the same time, praise up the reading of those whose only excellence is that they run their voices through an octave. Almost every person can do this, and give vivacity to their reading if they only try.

3. Many will bring out their voices with so great a degree of aspiration, that they seem to have struck a medium between whispering and speaking aloud. Many others, it would seem from their fondness for music, will add a musical note to the aid of a speaking one, at regular intervals or on favorite words; and by trying to combine speaking and singing, they are sure to spoil both.

4. Many seem to be afraid of hearing their own voices, and afraid that listeners may hear them. To make sure of not being heard, they will avoid laying any stress upon their words, especially upon words which it is most important to emphasize, in order to be understood, and hurry onward as if a reader was to be approved of like a horse, according to the speed with which they can get along.

5. Others, on the other hand, intending to be sure to be heard, raise their voices to the highest possible pitch, with the strongest possible stress upon almost every word; and thus by trying to make every word emphatic, they destroy the power of the really emphatic words. By straining their voices on one key, they deprive themselves and their hearers of the luxury of varied pitch and force; and they soon ruin their lungs if they read or speak much, and sooner still ruin their reputation with all sensible people, as good readers.

6. Some never use any other inflection than the risinga practice which imparts much dignity and strong emphasis in reading. Others use scarcely a single rising inflec tion; this is, however, not so common. The effect is good

in reading grave passages, but in other cases, the practice will turn a lively sentiment into a kind of rediculous, mock solemnity. Some use only the semitonic movement of the voice, like the mourning dove and owl; and the effect of their reading on the feelings, is not a little like the notes of those birds-pleasing to a person disposed to cherish melancholy-but inasmuch as mankind are usually of a more cheerful disposition, or at least would be glad to be, such habits of voice are generally disagreeable, and attributed to a whining, petulent temper.

7. Some, by using the unequal wave of the voice in every long syllable, will express a sovereign contempt of their hearers or of what they read. Such readers may think them. selves dignified; but the only reason they have for thinking so is, that they can give themselves a seeming elevation, by treating all around them with utter disdain. Others, attempting to be very winning and good natured, will drawl their voices upon every important word, and with the equal wave or circumflex. The words, oh yes, for example, are drawled and waved by such persons, into o-ho ya-as. The effect of this mode of reading is to destroy all dignity, force and manliness. It is a habit which marks either extreme silliness, clownishness, or affected good nature. I might add many other faults of readers, particularly of those ridiculous habits in reading poetry, which are of so frequent occurrence.

8. These, however, are some of the principal faults of readers and speakers, which I shall at present describe. Many of these are frequently combined in the same person, and make him an insufferable bad reader. Perhaps the most common and the worst qualities are drawling, want of variety in the pitch, a failure in giving due time to emphatic syllables, the nasal twang, which is very common, the habit of reading with a feeble voice, a habit which a little effort in exercising and bringing out the voice, will overcome, and mixing singing with reading.

9. Let every one who is desirous of reading well, examine his own peculiar habits of reading, and get the assistance of others in this thing. A bad voice is usually nothing but a bad habit of bringing out sounds.

No per

son is obliged to twang sounds in the nose-it is a mere habit. Every person may run through an octave in the pitch of his voice, and thus avoid the sleepy monotony which is common. So of almost every bad quality of voice, by trying with proper rules, and the judicious criticisms of others to assist our own ears, we may very soon, from a very poor voice, manufacture, or get up a good one; or if we have good qualities of voice already, greatly increase our skill in using them.-Western Observer.

ORATORY.

1. The cause of our not generally excelling in oratory, is our neglecting to cultivate the art of speaking-of speaking our own language. We acquire the power of expressing our ideas, almost insensibly; we consider it as a thing that is natural to us; we do not regard it as an art. It is an art-a difficult art-an intricate art, and our ignorance of that circumstance, or our omitting to give it due consideration, is the cause of our deficiency.

2. In the infant, just beginning to articulate, you will observe every inflection that is recognized in the most accurate treatise on elocution-you will observe, farther, an exact proportion in its several cadences, and a speaking expression in its tones. Select a dozen men, men of education, erudition: ask them to read a piece of animated composition;. you will be fortunate, if you find one in a dozen, that can raise or depress his voice, inflect or modulate it, as the variety of the subject requires.

3. What has become of the inflections, the cadences, and the modulation of the infant? They have not been exercised; they have been neglected: they have never been put into the hands of the artist, that he might apply them to their proper use; they have been laid aside, spoiled, abused; and, ten to one, they will never be good for any thing!

4. Oratory is highly useful to him that excels in it. In

common conversation, observe the advantage which the fluent speaker enjoys over the man that hesitates and stum. bles in discourse. With half his information he has twice his importance; he commands the respect of his auditors; he instructs and gratifies them. In the general transactions of business the same superiority attends him.

5. He communicates his views with clearness, precision, and effect; he carries his point by his mere readiness; he concludes his treaty before another kind of man would have well set about it. Does he plead the cause of friendship? how happy is his friend! Of Charity? how fortunate are the distressed! Should he enter the senate of his country, he gives strength to the party which he espouses, Should he be independent of party, he is a party in himself.

Knowles.

James Sheridan Knowles, the writer of the "Debate on the Character of Julius Cæsar," from which the above most excellent extract is taken, was born at Cork, in Ireland, in 1787. He is considerably distinguished as a dramatie writer,

THANATOPSIS.

1. To him who in the love of nature, holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language. For his gayer hours
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile,
And eloquence of beauty; and she glides
Into his dark musings, with a mild
And gentle sympathy, that steals away
Their sharpness, ere he is aware.

2.

When thoughts Of the last bitter hour, come like a blight Over thy spirit, and sad images

Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,

And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,
Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart,—
Go forth into the open sky, and list

To Nature's teachings, while from all around

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