beautiful as well as the most effective in attaining the result aimed at; and as a general rule, for your own sake and also that of your hearers, avoid all long, cumbrous, and involved sentences. Perspicuity is one of the greatest charms of a speech. The meaning of the speaker should be as visible to the audience whom he is addressing, as the landscape without is apparent through the clear polished glass of the window to the spectator who is viewing it from within; and everything in a public address, if it is desired to be effective, should be sacrificed rather than perspicuity.

The peroration, or closing words of a speech, ought, if possible, always to be its most powerful and impressive part. Many of our best orators in the Pulpit, the Senate, and at the Bar, have not scrupled to leave on record that they have written and rewritten the perorations to their most celebrated or most important speeches, until they had as far as possible satisfied their minds with them, and then as diligently and carefully committed them to memory, as a great actor would who was desirous of making a powerful impression in the chief character of some tragedy. In fact, such memorable perorations (the late Lord Brougham's, for instance, in his famous speech on behalf of Queen Caroline) have been acted. If there is any part of a regular set speech that it is desirable to write out, it is certainly this; and high authority, moreover, sanctions the practice on great occasions. The peroration (to use a homely metaphor) should be the driving to the hilt of the various weapons you have used in the course of your career. It should not be merely a general summary of the argument, but the directing it, sending it home to the minds and hearts of your audience by vivid language and, when fitting, impassioned appeals to the sentiments, feelings, and emotions of your hearers, so as in the most powerful manner to persuade or convince them of the truth or importance of the conclusions to which you have arrived. As soon as this end seems to you to be attained—and to judge of the time rightly is a most valuable gift-close your speech and sit down. To know when the time for the peroration has arrived, and when to end it and sit down, contributes in no small degree to a speaker's success.

LECTURE XXII.

The subject of Public Speaking and Reading considered in detail, and in reference especially to the various Professions where it is more particularly required-The Clergyman-The Church Services-The Art of Preaching-Construction of a Sermon-Thoughts-Sources of Information-Four principal modes of Sermon Construction-The Narrative-The Textual-The Logical-The Divisional-The Delivery of a Sermon-Delivery as important in its Immediate Effects as Composition-Styles of Preaching in other Countries-Suggestions in reference to the Delivery of Sermons-Proper use of Gesture in the Pulpit.

AVING now briefly treated of the art of making public addresses in general, I propose in these, my concluding Lectures of our introductory course, viewing the subject more in detail, and inquiring a little into the various requisites which are most demanded and called into action in professional and public life. As first in importance to his fellow-creatures, I take the ministerial public duties of the clergyman.

In all that relates to the proper reading of the Liturgy and other Services of the Church of England, I know no better work, none in fact more practically useful in every way to the young clergyman or theological student, than the last and enlarged edition of that entitled "Instruction in Reading the Liturgy," by the late Rev. John Henry Howlett, formerly Chaplain of Her Majesty's Chapel, Whitehall, of which I have already made mention in my previous Lecture. I heartily commend the whole work to the careful attention of all persons who appreciate the innate beauty of our Church Services, and are desirous that that beauty should be made apparent to others, but more especially do I commend it to young clergymen and candidates for Holy Orders.

I had the advantage of enjoying the friendship of the late Mr. Howlett for many years, and derived many valuable hints in my vocation from his suggestions and experience. There is so much practical good sense in his introductory remarks, and he points out so ably the principal faults in the manner of reading our Liturgy, and the reason why such faults should be avoided and corrected, that I am sure I am doing a service to many persons in giving the substance of Mr. Howlett's observations. In effect he says:

"The members of the Church of England justly boast of their Liturgy, and affirm that no Service has a greater tendency to answer the purposes of Public Worship. It is, however, certain that this tendency is very much strengthened by means of a good delivery. But that our admir

able Ritual is not thus enforced so frequently as it ought to be, is a complaint which has been long heard even among the sincere and zealous friends of the Established Church, and which has now been brought prominently into public notice. It may therefore be useful, especially to the candidates for the sacred office, to enumerate the faults which most commonly prevail, to mention the causes to which those defects may be reasonably ascribed, and to suggest some means of removing them. The student, thus instructed, may be induced to pay more attention to the proper manner of officiating; so that he may individually vindicate the profession from reproach, and, through the Divine blessing, may, by his ministering, powerfully support the cause of true religion.

"But here an objection will be urged by the advocates for intoning the Service. They contend that the word 'say,' used in the Rubric, means 'intone.' They also state that a large portion of the Service is devotional, and that a plaintive monotone is best suited for expressing prayer. Undoubtedly a mournful modulation is very agreeable to many auditors; still, a constant monotony is apt to become wearisome and soporific; and when accompanied, as it very frequently is, by a rapid, indistinct utterance, the reader is unintelligible to the distant portion of the congregation. But though much of the Service is devotional, i.e., expressing prayer to the Supreme Being, yet many other parts are of a different character. First come the Introductory Sentences, which are mostly declaratory, and, according to the Rubric, are to be 'read in a loud voice.' The Exhortation is to be 'said,' but the character of it is such as to be much less suited to mournful monotone than to plain reading, varied according to the sense, or rather to an extemporaneous way of speaking. In the General Confession, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creeds -those parts of the Services in which the congregation is directed to accompany or follow the Minister, it is better for both parties to pronounce in unison, so as to avoid that confused and discordant gabble which is frequently heard. The Absolution is to be 'pronounced.' The nature of the subject seems to require, not melancholy intoning, but a solemn, dignified delivery. The practice of reading, instead of chanting the Psalter, has been adopted in many Churches during the last two hundred years, probably under the authority of the 'ORDER' inserted in the 'PREFACE to the Prayer-Book.' That 'Order' seems to have been intended for the direction of 'places where they (do not) sing.' The 'people' hurry and gabble through the alternate verses, allotted to them by custom, and the effect is neither solemn nor devotional. In some Churches, however, the congregation agree to read in a measured and simultaneous manner. All admit that the Lessons, Epistles, and Gospels are directed to be read with an audible voice.' The Ten Commandments are to be 'rehearsed.' This must surely mean a dignified, authori tative style of reading, rather than melancholy intoning. But as the Prayers and Collects are to be 'said by the Minister alone,' certainly that mode of delivery will be best which makes the deepest impression on the understanding and hearts of the hearers. Least of all is there any sufficient reason for 'intoning' the Grace, or the Lord's Prayer before the Sermon, or the concluding Blessing.

"As it much easier to intone the Service tolerably than to read it tolerably, many young clergymen attempt to intone. The result frequently is a great deal of harsh, dissonant sound, very annoying to those among the congregation who are gifted with musical ears. It should be remembered that intoning is an accomplishment which, like reading, is not generally to be acquired without instruction and practice.

"Another objection requires to be noticed. It is asserted by some persons that to read the Prayers of the Liturgy in the manner best calculated to convey the meaning and keep up the attention of the congregation, is preaching the Prayers. They say that the Minister is the mouthpiece of the congregation, and that the mere utterance of the words is sufficient, because Almighty God does not need to have their meaning enforced by the variety of manner and intonation which is adopted when a petition is addressed to a fellow-mortal. This is true, but it is equally true that unless the congregation accompany the Minister's words with their hearts and minds, they do not render acceptable service. It is universally admitted that the constant repetition of the same form of words naturally produces inattention in the hearers. This will be increased by a monotonous, unmeaning delivery; whilst, on the contrary, a significant manner, varying according to the sentiment, is found to rouse the drowsy hearer, and to excite him to real and fervent devotion.

"These remarks may suffice to obviate some objections which may be urged against the present work. In proceeding to enumerate some of the causes which produce an inefficient manner of performing the Church Service, may first be mentioned the incorrect notion which many clergymen entertain on the subject of public reading. They conceive that as everybody can read, it is not necessary to take previous care to qualify themselves for the effective discharge of this part of their official duties. They themselves may perfectly understand what they read; but they are little aware that to make the congregation, especially if it is numerous, hear and understand, is a task of considerable difficulty. Distinct and impressive reading is an accomplishment not usually attained without submitting to the methods by which superiority is commonly acquired in any of the arts and sciences. It is true, indeed, that some persons are better gifted than others for acquiring excellence; and with regard to reading, some naturally possess so much ease of utterance, so musical a voice, so correct an ear, that it seems as if they could not avoid reading well. But, allowing a few exceptions, it is certain that, in general, instruction, study, and practice are requisite for the acquisition of a discriminating and impressive delivery. It is likewise important to be remembered that this acquirement can generally be attained only in the early part of life, when the ear is quick in perceiving, and the voice is capable of adopting, any suggested variation of tone.

"2.-A second erroneous opinion frequently prevails, that seriousness and piety are alone wanted, and that if a clergyman is earnest in the discharge of his duty, he cannot fail being an impressive reader of the Church Service. A serious and solemn manner is certainly indispens

able, but when it is applied with little meaning and with no variation of manner to a Service so varied in its subjects, the congregation may be fully convinced of the piety of the Minister, but the monotonous solemnity of voice will inevitably prevent emotion and produce drowsiness. And even if this heaviness of manner be avoided, still it sometimes happens that either through defect of early instruction, or entire inattention to the subject, a clergyman, though possessing undoubted piety and considerable talents, may have acquired, in his mode of reading the Service, such a peculiarity as not unfrequently causes painful regret in the minds of the serious and devout hearers.

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"3.-The fear of being thought affected or theatrical must be mentioned as a third cause which tends to produce inefficient readers. though everything that savours of affectation is highly disgusting, still the dull and feeble, or the hurried and irreverent, manner is not less injurious in its effects on the congregation. If in the one case they are displeased with the Minister, in the other they become wearied with the Service.

"4.—A fourth cause why an indifferent manner of reading is prevalent in the Church may be found in the difficulty of retaining a good manner. To repeat the same words over and over again without insensibly falling into some improprieties, without acquiring peculiar tones and inflections, which either convey no meaning at all, or a wrong meaning, requires constant and close attention. Hence it happens that those parts of the Service are generally recited best which occur least frequently; hence the Lessons are commonly better read, and the Lord's Prayer worse read, more hurriedly and less reverently than any other part. Some defects arising from the same cause may also be frequently observed in the delivery of the Grace and the final Blessing.' Hence also the number of preachers possessing a good delivery is found to be much greater than that of good and impressive readers. Indeed, such is the effect of frequently repeating the same words, that the best readers need the utmost watchfulness, lest in the course of years they fall into strange peculiarities and improprieties; and happy is the man who has friends possessing the kindness, as well as the judgment, to point out these defects as they arise. Archbishop Whately justly observes (in his Rhetoric,' p. 310): The difficulty of reading the Liturgy with spirit, and even with propriety, is something peculiar, on account of the inveterate and long-established faults to which almost every one's ears become familiar, so that such a delivery as would shock any one of moderate taste in any other composition, he will in this be likely to tolerate and even to practise.'

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"5.-A fifth and a very usual defect in the reading of young clergymen is rapidity and, its natural consequence, indistinctness. It is take to suppose that the smooth but quick delivery which is very audible and very agreeable in a room of common size, can with propriety be adopted in reading the Service in a church which is of considerable dimensions, and is often very badly constructed for public speaking. Louder tones are in such places absolutely necessary; to maintain which, a more thorough respiration is required; and to render the words