Those who find difficulty in pronouncing long words having many syllables should practice upon the above list until an easy enunciation is secured.* GENERAL EXERCISES. I. 1. He uttered a sharp, shrill shriek and was lost in the shroud of shifting mists. 2. He burst his bonds and sprightly sprang upon the furious foe. 3. His hand in mine was fondly clasped as we stiffly stood and gasped for breath. 4. He twists his texts to suit the sects. 5. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. 6. As a man thinketh, so is he. 7. Why did the fly fly? Because the spider spied her. 8. The cross old dog sat on a log and watched the frog as he croaked in the bog. * A convenient little volume, entitled "Handbook of Pronunciation," published by The Penn Publishing Company, Philadelphia, will be found helpful in determining the pronunciation of the unusual words in the foregoing lists. 9. His song was strong though not very long, and then it grew soft and was lost in the loft. 10. The stupid duke grew enthusiastic over the superficial gewgaw. II. 1. The superintendent presented the juvenile students with tulips and chewing gum. 2. The jubilant suitor played his lute under the spreading juniper tree. 3. The dubious duke duped the tuneful junior and created a ludicrous tumult. 4. The hurrying current furrowed a path through the slumbering borough. 5. Jack Strapp took Jack's strap to mend Jack's trap. 6. It will pay nobody. It will pain nobody. 7. Deep in unfathomable mines He treasures up his bright designs. 8. Goodness centers in the heart. Goodness enters in the heart. 9. His cry moved me. His crime moved me. 10. That morning, thou that slumber'dst not before, Nor sleep'st, great Ocean, laid'st thy waves at rest, And hush'dst thy mighty minstrelsy. III. 1. The advancing lance chanced to glance and passed the panting mastiff's head. 2. The dancing lass quaffed off her glass, and danced and pranced to the entrancing lute. 3. This shaft was grasped by the gasping class, who passed the flask and quaffed a draught. 4. The learned hermit stirred the herbs with certain earnestness. 5. He read the thirty-third chapter and the first verse with earnest fervor. 6. The nervous merchant served the thirsty Jerseyman with gherkins, perfumes, sperm-oil and thermometers. 7. The universal verdict was first rehearsed by the nervous clerk. 8. The turbulent furrier burst the bars and hurled his purse into the seething surge. . 9. The dauntless captain of the staunch and jaunty launch laughed at his wrathful aunt, twirled his mustache and proceeded to take his bath. 10. The last stanza, describing the severest storm of the season, was the best. VISIBLE EXPRESSION OR GESTURE "Her flesh was the soft, seraphic screen of a soul."-ROBERT BROWNING. Visible Expression is that which addresses itself to the eye. It mirrors thought and feeling in attitudes of the body, directions of the arm, positions of the hand, and expressions of the face. In a sense, it is a universal language, and although the characteristic manifestations may differ among different nationalities, the spirit thereof cannot be mistaken. What is true regarding nationalities is also true of the individual. Heredity, temperament, and environment may, and do modify the mode, but every human being expresses himself by the same Natural Laws. The mode may be finished, easy, and artistic, or it may be crude, faulty, and ungraceful, while not infrequently, in those who have little command of muscle or nerve force, it degenerates into meaningless motions and grimaces, so that the entire tract of visible expression, like an "unweeded garden," is in need of cultivation. True, one with an untutored manner, possessing a keen, analytic mind, a kind and generous heart, and a finished rhetoric, may convince and please his hearers; but if his expressive powers are made commensurate with his other gifts he will not only satisfy his audience, but by this added irresistible force, will turn conviction and pleasure into entrancement and delight. Expression, both visible and vocal, has attracted the attention of many minds since it became one of the lost arts of the Greeks. By some it is regarded as belonging only to the stage; by others as a spontaneous outgrowth of instant thought or feeling, and consequently not susceptible of being taught. On the contrary, it is not restricted in any sense to the public platform, but enters into all life everywhere, whatever its con 171 dition or surroundings. Consciously or unconsciously, it is the factor in the majority of our impressions of others, and its powers may be greatly enlarged and enriched and made highly demonstrative. In cultivating the Physical part of our Being so as to reflect the thought and feeling, it is needful, first, to acquire command of muscle and nerve force; second, to understand the Principles or General Laws controlling Expression and, third, to apply these principles in exercises for practice, allowing the speaker to express the varying degrees which belong to the different conditions and emotions, according to his conceit or fancy. All art is more or less imitative; yet, after certain mechanical processes have been learned, the speaker should cease to think of principles and allow his mind and feeling to play at will, for he has become strong in his own liberated powers. GYMNASTICS "All means that conduce to health can neither be too painful nor too dear." -MONTAIGNE. Valuable as is physical exercise for every one, it becomes especially so, for all who aim to move the masses, by the power of thought and feeling, as it is manifested through grace, eloquence, and potency of expression. It is through the outward or physical nature that the inner part of the being manifests itself, and whatever can be done to render the outer more pliable and more responsive is preparing the way to free and effective delivery. In no way can this be done so well as through physical training-not indeed, through growth of powerful muscle but through the education and mastery of muscle and the training of nerve force. Gymnastics as now taught in this country, under the |