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PAUSES.

The meaning determines the Pauses. First. The pauses are for the purpose of making the ideas distinct. If I have a sentence with four ideas, making four thought-phrases, I have four pauses. Try this sentence: The good, the great, the noble and the brave, all slumber here.

Here we have five ideas, and five words emphatic, five strong inflections and five Pauses. These Pauses give the auditors time to associate new ideas with the preceding ones. Then, the more similar the ideas, the shorter the pauses.

Again the more important the meaning, the longer the pauses.

There is always a pause between ideas.

Second. Any change of words from their natural order, demands a pause. This gives the auditors time to arrange the words in proper order. Try this

sentence:

Ay, call it holy ground,

The spot where first they trod.

Here we have a pause after "ground," but if the sentence were read: Ay, call the spot where first they trod holy ground,-then this pause is not needed. A number of like examples may be found in sentences under Emphasis.

Third. Pauses are needed for any omissions of words or ideas. This gives the auditors time to supply such words or ideas. In this sentence:

His hair is crisp and black and long,
His face is like the tan.

If you omit the conjunctions of the first line, you must give still longer pauses than are required as the line is written. In the second line, there is a pause after "face," a word is omitted. The full sentence is:

His face is brown, like the tan.

Fourth. There are pauses for emotion. These know no rule, no limit. Impulse and emotion do not stop for reason. In quick, sudden anger, the ideas may be fairly heaped one upon the other, phrase following phrase without pause or break. While in sorrow, grief, surprise, wonder, &c. there may be a pause after each word. But as a principle, it will be observed, the greater the emotion the more frequent and longer the pauses. Try this sentence: "The miserable highland drover-bankrupt, barefoot, stripped of all, hunted down, because the avarice of others grasped at more than his poor all could pay,-shall burst upon them with an awful change." Here the pauses are quick, sharp, frequent. Try this, also: "It may not be much to you, my friend, it may not be much to you, but all the joy of my life lies pine box. I loved her, and she earth who loved me.”

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Here the pauses are frequent and long. A pause may be after almost every word.

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

A simile or metaphor is a picture and when we introduce it into a sentence it demands a pause both before and after its utterance. One word is the basis of the picture and that word is always emphatic. This word is sometimes omitted and then a pause denotes both the omission and the emphasis. As in the following.

Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come, like the benediction
That follows after prayer.

Here after "come" a word is omitted; the word is an adverb, such as "softly" or "soothingly." There should be long pause after "come." So in the following:

I. Read from some humble poet

Whose songs gushed from the heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start.

2. And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

3. The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold, And the sheen of his spears was like stars on the

sea

When the blue waves roll mightly on deep Galilce.

The simile must be read as one idea. In the last, for instance, there must be no pause after "sea." Join the words of the simile closely, making à pause before and after it, but none in the middle of the simile.

4. Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen; Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

MOVEMENT.

GESTURE-GYMNASTIC EXERCISES.

Movement is not Gesture, but Gesture includes Movement. The object of these exercises is not so much the acquisition of muscular power, as to gain freedom and elasticity of action. They rid the pupil of the restraints of habit and timidity, inspire him with confidence and render his body capable of Gesture-action.

VALUE OF PRACTICE.

Do not take for granted that you will do these things as soon as you understand and approve them. They all demand practice. Even the most natural movement may be most difficult for you because of habits of movement. To test this, you only need try a single lesson in fencing, dancing, military drill, and you will find that after each movement has been most fully explained to you, that you must try it many times before you can execute it correctly, and then many times more before you do it as if it were a "natural" action for you. And yet in all these exercises, the movements are such as years of experience have proven to be best suited for the complete and fullest action of the body. And the best use of the body is the natural use you wish to acquire.

Therefore, we practice movements of the body as a drill for Voice and Gesture. For, it will be generally observed that speakers who have good action, make by far the best use of their voices and those who have poor action, though they may have tolerable voices, seldom use them well. And should anyone wish to

discard Gesture, it should at least be for a better reason than that he is ignorant of its use and power. Persons are apt to mistake the term Gesture. If an orator delivers his sentences without use of hand or arm, they are ready to exclaim, "He never used a gesture!," when perhaps every sentence was given with excellent Gesture. Gesture is bodily action responding to the impulses of the mind and soul. It may have been the contraction or relaxation of muscles of foot, or limb, or waist, or neck, or of all these, making the sum of all members of the body for expression. May not the cheek flush or grow pale, the body relax or be firm, and the hands be at the sides? And is not this Gesture? We should develop and train the body that it may not hinder our work of expression, but give full play to all members when impulse calls.

For convenience we make three divisions.

1. BELOW THE WAIST.

2. ABOVE THE WAIST.

3. MOVEMENT OF ENTIRE BODY.

I am convinced that the movements below the waist, though least noticeable to the audience, are of most importance. Any awkward or constrained movement or position of the feet or lower limbs will be plainly indicated by a counter movement and position of the head, shoulders, or trunk. All these upper parts of the body take position corresponding to the movements and position of the lower limbs and feet. Therefore, that the head and trunk may move in harmony with movements of the feet, we first give exercises to impart freedom and elasticity to the muscles of the neck and waist.

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