catch and discriminate closely the short and delicate steps which a cultivated voice takes in the accentuation of a word of several syllables.

Sheridan further says that the difference between our accent and that of the Greek depends upon its seat, which always occurs on a vowel in the latter, while ours may be either on a vowel or a consonant, and that the reason why the Greek accent was placed over the vowel was "that, as their accent consisted in a change of notes, they could not be distinctly expressed but by the vowels, in uttering which the passage is entirely clear for the issue of the voice without interruption or stop, as in pronouncing the consonants."

But the fact that consonants follow a vowel in a syllable should make no difference in the change of notes, for the vowel-sound ceases as soon as it has performed its mission; and it should be sounded fully and musically, whether it ends a syllable or is followed by a consonant. This surely can in no way effect a change of note, for the sound has to be commenced anew, so that the next vowel-sound can take another note just as easily as it can resume the same sound. Besides, the musical effect of speech depends much upon the purity of the vowel-sound, and the modulation of voice which the change of pitch in accent gives.

Read the following with due attention to accent and articulation. Do not leave out any letter that is not silent, but give the accented ones their time and pitch:

DEATH OF MORRIS. BY WALTER SCOTT.

It was under the burning influence of revenge that the wife of Macgregor commanded that the hostage, exchanged for her husband's safety, should be brought into her presence. I believe her sons had kept this unfortunate wretch out of her sight, for fear of the consequences; but if it was so, their humane precaution only postponed his fate. They dragged forward, at her summons, a wretch, already half-dead with terror, in whose agonized features I recognized, to my horror and astonishment, my old acquaintance Morris.

He fell prostrate before the female chief, with an effort to clasp her knees, from which she drew back as if his touch had been pollution; so that all he could do, in token of the extremity of his humiliation, was to kiss the hem of her plaid. I never heard entreaties—for life poured forth with such agony of spirit. The ecstasy of fear was such that, instead of paralyzing his tongue, as on ordinary occasions, it even rendered him-eloquent; and with cheeks as pale as ashes,-hands compressed in agony,-eyes that seemed to be taking their last look of all mortal objects, he protested, with the deepest oaths, his total ignorance of any design on the life of Rob Roy,-whom he swore he loved and honored as his own soul. In the inconsistency of his terror, he said

he was but the agent of others; and he muttered the name of Rashleigh. He prayed but for life; for life—he would give all he had in the world;—it was but life he asked;—life, if it were to be prolonged under tortures and privations; he asked only breath, though it should be drawn in the damps of the lowest caverns of their hills.

It is impossible to describe the scorn, the loathing and contempt, with which the wife of Macgregor regarded this wretched petitioner-for the poor boon of existence.

"I could have bid you live," she said, "had life been to you the same weary and wasting burden-that it is to me that it is to every noble-and generous mind. But you,-wretch! you could creep through the world unaffected by its various disgraces, its ineffable miseries, its constantly-accumulating masses of crime and sorrow;-you could live and enjoy yourself, while the noble-minded are betrayed,-while nameless—and birthless villains tread on the neck of the brave and long-descended;—you could enjoy yourself, like a butcher's dog in the shambles,—battening on garbage, while the slaughter of the brave went on around you! This enjoyment you shall not live to partake of; you shall die,base dog, and that before yon cloud has passed over the sun."

She gave a brief command, in Gaelic, to her attendants, two of whom seized upon the prostrate suppliant and hurried him to the brink of a cliff which overhung the flood. He set up the most piercing and dreadful—cries that fear ever uttered;-I may well term them-dreadful, for they haunted my sleep for years afterward. As the murderers, or executioners, call them as you will, dragged him along, he recognized me, even in that moment of horror, and exclaimed, in the last articulate words I ever heard him utter, "O Mr. Osbaldistone, save me!-save me!"

I was so much moved by this horrid spectacle that, although in momentary expectation of sharing his fate, I did attempt to speak in his behalf; but, as might have been expected, my interference was sternly disregarded. The victim was held fast by some, while others, binding a large heavy stone in a plaid, tied it around his neck, and others again eagerly stripped him of some part of his dress. Half-naked, and thus manacled, they hurried him into the lake, there about twelve feet deep,-drowning his last death-shriek with a loud halloo of vindictive triumph, over which, however, the yell of mortal agonywas distinctly heard. The heavy burden splashed in the dark-blue waters of the lake; and the Highlanders, with their pole-axes and swords, watched an instant, to guard lest, extricating himself from the load to which he was attached, he might have struggled to regain the shore. But the knot had been securely bound; the victim sank without effort; the waters, which his fall had disturbed, settled calmly over him; and the unit of that life for which he had pleaded so strongly was forever withdrawn from the sum of human existence.

Inflections embrace the concrete or continuous movements of voice on a single word; but cadence has reference to the fall or proper closing of sentences. The cadence which is most pleasing to the ear is the fall of a triade, or regular gradation of three notes, from the prevalent pitch of voice. Therefore these two movements

of voice should never be confounded. Cadence never occurs properly in the middle of a sentence, nor should a sentence ever end with a feeble and depressed utterance. All the slender characteristics of voice are embraced in inflections.

Inflection and emphasis are closely related; in many respects they seem to mean so nearly the same thing that it is quite difficult to treat them as separate subjects. We can scarcely give a decided inflection to a word without its becoming, in consequence, more or less emphatic. Nor can a word receive important emphasis without taking an inflection. Yet each has its own specific function, notwithstanding both are required to give a full expression of the thought.

While treating upon accent, we demonstrated that it has its own specific mission; which is to give character to a word, or rather individuality, by throwing more stress and prolongation on one syllable than on others, the accented syllable being uttered on a different pitch of voice from the rest.

Inflection gives character and expression to the thought by pointing out all the delicate shades of meaning contained in the word. The true meaning of words, from the lips of the person pronouncing them, can never be misunderstood if the proper inflections are given— whether of pleasure or contempt, fact or irony, love or hate, truth or falsehood.

INFLECTIONS are the subtle exponents of the state of feeling expressed in speech.

It has been said that human speech was invented for the purpose of hiding our thoughts. This statement need not be taken as correct by any means; for, although human speech conveys many falsehoods which we receive and believe, it is only so because we have not learned to hear correctly. When we have learned what certain intonations express, we can not well accept a falsehood from human lips. Truth and falsehood can not be represented alike by vocality. Each uses unconsciously its own tell-tale inflection, for each has a way of expression peculiar to itself. Our business is to learn how things express themselves. (See GESTURE AND DEPORTMENT.)

The modifications of inflections are four; viz., the rising, falling, the wave or circumflex, and the intense monotone. These will be

marked in the following examples by these signs:

The rising inflection turns the voice upward on a word or sentence; as, Are you going West? All direct questions that can be answered by yes or no take this inflection. Indeed, nearly all simple questions take it.

as,

In addressing individuals or an audience use the rising inflection; "Miss Smith;" "Mr. Brown;" "Ladies and gentlemen." 'Fellow-citizens, I am here to defend this cause." In this example the sense is continuous to the close of the sentence. But if we say, "Fellow-citizens, I am here to defend this cause," the falling inflection before the sense is complete makes a meaningless expression. "I am here to defend this cause" sounds as if a new sentence had been commenced. Besides, the falling inflection used in addressing a person is expressive of contempt, more or less, according to the amount of circumflex used in the downward pointing of the voice; as, "Mr. Brown-Mr. Brown-Mr. Brown." If the desire is to express contempt for persons, then this inflection is appropriate; but never give the falling inflection to a name you desire to present respectfully.

EXERCISES.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen! Lend me-your ears. Cæsar, not to praise him."

"But thou, O Hope! with eyes so fair,

What was thy delighted measure?"

"Kind friends, at your call

I'm come here to sing,

Or rather to talk, of my woes."

"Fathers, we once again are met in council."

I come to bury

"Mr. Chairman-I trust, that I shall be indulged in a few reflections on the danger of permitting the conduct-upon which it has been my painful duty to animadvert-to pass without a solemn expression of the disapprobation of this house."

"Falstaff. Master Brook, you shall hear. As good luck would have it, comes in one Mrs. Page, gives her intelligence of Ford's approach, and by her invention, and Ford's wife's direction,—I was conveyed into a buck-basket. A buck-basket?

"Brook.
"Fal. Yea;-buck-basket."

Great care should be observed lest in reading the voice acquire the habit of taking the full falling inflection in the middle of a sentence. Such a practice produces a very monotonous effect, and makes it difficult for the listener to follow the chain of thought. Many speakers fall into this error in their endeavor to obtain a solemn, impressive manner. Another equally pernicious habit is a sort of rainbow style, or reading on a curve. This is equally solemn, and quite as somnolent as the other-is much employed in reading hymns and poetry generally.

EXERCISE.

thine,

Sleep on! no dreams of care are
No anxious thoughts, that may not rest;
For angel arms around thee twine,
To make thy infant slumbers blest.

The voice here rises in the middle of the lines, and falls at each end. It is well to respect the ear and good sense of an audience; and the above style of reading any composition can only be used with propriety and effect when the speaker wishes to soothe listeners into a quiet slumber. It is meaningless, and of course can excite no attention. The proper use of inflections is to give expression to the thought. Affectation has its own inflection, which is easily detected; therefore beware of the misuse of these delicate and truthful exponents of thought and feeling.

RULES FOR THE FALLING INFLECTION.-Falling inflection is a turning of the voice downward on a word, lower than it began. It is always heard in the answer to a question; as, "Yes; I shall go next week." Also in affirmative sentences; as, "I shall do so." And in the language of authority; as, "Back to thy punishment, false fugitive, and to thy speed add wings." Also of terror; as, "The light burns blue." In the surprise of indignation; as, "Go, false fellow! and let me never see your face again." In contempt; as, "I had as lief not be as live to be in awe- of such a thing-as myself." And of exclamation; as, "O heaven! O earth!" And always in the final pause (not the interrogative form) where the sense and sentence are completed. All general rules have some exceptions.

EXAMPLES IN RISING AND FALLING INFLECTIONS.

"Are they ministers of Christ? Are they Jews?" "They are."
"Did you not speak to it?" "My lord, I did."

"Armed, say you?” Armed, my lord."

In conversation people are nearly always right in their use of inflections. In reading or reciting they are usually wrong. Therefore it is well to train the ear to colloquial language by close attention; also to cultivate the voice by breaking up sentences wherein difficulties occur, putting them in colloquial form for the practice of inflection. They who do this will soon see how foolish and unnatural has been their use of what should be delicate exponents of feeling. Of course it will be understood that there is a great difference between