TIME.

'Time' has the same general and relative use as 'Force.'

PRINCIPLE FOR STANDARD TIME.

Determine the standard time' by the general spirit' of the piece.

If the general spirit is unemotional,' the standard time is naturally moderate.'

If the general spirit is animated or joyous,' the standard time is 'fast.'

If the general spirit is

grave,'' subdued or pa

thetic,' or noble,' the standard time is slow.'

PRINCIPLE FOR RELATIVE OR EMPHATIC TIME.

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Taking the standard time' for the unemphatic words, give additional time to the emphatic ideas, according to their relative importance.

EXPLANATION.

'Emphatic time' has two forms.

1. That of actual sound, or 'quantity.' 2. That of rest, or 'pause.'

When an emphatic idea is found in a word whose accented syllable is long, give most of the emphatic time in long quantity, with only a short pause after the word. When the syllable to be emphasized is short, give to it only so much quantity as good taste in pronunciation will allow, and the residue of the required time in a pause after the word; thus holding the attention of the mind on the idea for the full time demanded by the principle.

When extraordinary emphasis of time is required, long pauses must be added to long quantity.

Thus far, 'time' harmonizes with force' in principle and practice. But 'time' is of additional value to us. It furnishes one of the primary requisites to all intelligible reading, viz:

APPROPRIATE PAUSES.

The first and great use of 'pauses' is to separate the ideas from each other, so as to preserve distinctly to the eye on the written page, and to the ear in reading, the individuality of each, together with its relation to those before and after it.

Second, pauses are necessary to give the reader frequent opportunities for inhaling.

The grammatical pauses only imperfectly answer these purposes. But the additional elocutionary pauses which the spirit and sense may demand, are anticipated by our "Principle for relative or emphatic time," which makes pauses a natural part of expressive emphasis in reading.

PRINCIPLE FOR STANDARD PAUSES.

Determine the standard pause' by the 'general spirit' of the piece.

If the general spirit is unemotional,' the standard pause is moderate.'

If the general spirit is animated or joyous,' the standard pause is 'short.'

If the general spirit is grave,' or 'subdued or pathetic,' the standard pause is long.'

PRINCIPLE FOR RELATIVE PAUSES.

Give the standard pause' after each distinct, unemphatic idea, and give additional time to the pauses after the emphatic and independent ideas, according to their relative importance and independence.

EXPLANATION.

As the standard time' for the movement and pauses is usually the same, let one perpendicular line | be the mark for both. Let any additional number of lines indicate additional time, or emphatic quantity' or 'pauses.' Let the half line indicate a time less than the standard. This time is needed in reading properly all parenthetical clauses,

which are, from their very nature, less important even than the unemphatic parts of the principal sentences.

'Unemotional' examples for moderate' standard time.

1. "The young man, it is often said, 'has genius || enough,| if he would only study. Now the truth is, as I shall take the liberty to state it, that the genius || WILL ||| study; || it is that in the mind | which does || study: | that is the very nature || of it. | I care not to say that it will always use books. All study || is not reading, || any more than all reading || is study. || ATTENTION ||| it is, though other qualities belong to this transcendent power,-'ATTENTION|||| it is, that is the very SOUL ||| of genius; || not the fixed eye, || not the poring over a book, || but the fixed THOUGHT." |||

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ANALYSIS.

The piece is unemotional,' and should be read, therefore, with moderate''standard time' for movement' and 'pauses.' The young man " is unemphatic, and should be marked and read with the standard time.' The clause, "it is often said," is really parenthetical: it forms no essential part of the sense or construction of the principal sentence. It is for that reason of less importance than the unemphatic words of the principal sentence. It should therefore be read with less than moderate' or 'standard time.' The idea in " genius" is emphatic, and should be read with enough more time (as well as force) than “ young man" to express its greater relative importance. The accented syllable is long in "genius." The emphatic time may be given, therefore, mostly in quantity, with a short pause after the word. 'Enough" needs only the moderate pause after it, to separate it from the conditional idea, "if he would only study.' Study " is as emphatic as "genius," but the accented syllable is short; hence, the emphatic time on this word must be given in short quantity, and a longer pause after it to fill out the time. the truth is," requires moderate' time, as it is unemphatic. "As I shall take the liberty to state it," requires less tnan moderate time and force, as it is of less importance, being parenthetical. "That the genius" is emphatic, and demands more than moderate time. Will" is still more important,

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and demands three lines to mark its relative time in reading. Study" is emphatic in the first degree, and needs only two lines to mark its time. Thus analyze all the following ideas and selections; and mark, in reading them, the relative importance or emphasis of each, by the 'time' as well as by the force' of the voice. Further on in the piece above, we come to the great positive idea, "attention," which must be doubly emphasized; and as it is repeated for emphasis, it then demands four lines to mark its superlative importance.

There are few readers or speakers who make as good use of 'time' as of force.' Yet time' gives as expressive lights and shades as 'force,' and should be varied as much, according to the same principle. In reading 'grave,' subdued or pathetic,' and noble' sentiments, time is far more prominent than force, and is thus a nobler element of emphasis. Let the example be read many times, to fix in the reader's mind the principle, and the habit of applying it correctly.

2. "What polish is to the diamond, manner is to the individual. It heightens the value and the charm. The manner is, in some sense, the mirror of the mind. It pictures and represents the thoughts and emotions within. We cannot always be engaged in expressive action. But even when we are silent, even when we are not in action, there is something in our air and manner, which expresses what is elevated, or what is low; what is human and benignant, or what is coarse and harsh.

"The charm of manner consists in its simplicity, its grace, and its sincerity. How important the study of manner!"

This example demands 'slower' standard time than the one above, because the 'general spirit' is nobler. The emphatic quantity and pauses are proportionately longer.

3. "Such was Grace Darling, || one of the HEROINES ||| of humanity, whose name is destined to live || as long as the sympathies || and affections || of HUMANITY || endure. || Such calm | HEROISM ||| as hers, || so generously || cxerted for the good of others, —|| is one of the NOBLEST ||| attributes of the soul || of man. It had no alloy of blind | animal ||

passion, like the bravery of the soldier || on the field of battle, but it was spiritual, || CELESTIAL, and we may reverently add, | GODLIKE." ||||

Examples of the animated or joyous' kind, for 'fast' standard time, and 'short' standard pauses.

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[THE VOICE OF SPRING."]

I come! || I come! ||| ye have called me | long! ||
I come | o'er the mountains || with light and song! ||
my step | o'er the wakening | earth, ||

Ye may trace

By the winds

which tell | of the violet's || birth, |
{
By the primrose stars || in the shadowy grass, ||

By the green leaves || opening || as I pass. ||

"From the streams and founts I have loosed the chain,

They are sweeping on to the silvery main,

They are flashing down from the mountain brows,

They are flinging spray o'er the forest-boughs,
They are bursting fresh from their sparry caves;
And the earth resounds with the joy of waves!"

2. "Then fancy || her magical | pinions | spread wide, ||
And bade the young dreamer | in ecstasy || rise; ||
Now, far, far behind him || the green waters || glide, [
And the cot of his forefathers || blesses || his eyes. |

"The jessamine || clambers | in flower | o'er the thatch, | And the swallow || sings sweet || from her nest | in th

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wall; |

All trembling with transport, || he raises the latch, |
And the voices | of loved ones || reply to his call." ||

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every

Every one is doubtful what course to take, one || but Cæsar ! || He || causes the banner || to be erected, || the charge | to be sounded, the soldiers at a distance | to be recalled, all in a moment. He runs from place to