The following extract from the North American Review is inserted here for the benefit of teachers and others interested in the education of youth. "It ought to be a leading object in our schools to teach the art of reading. It ought to occupy three-fold more time than it does. The teachers of these schools should labor to improve themselves. They should feel, that to them, for a time, are committed the future orators of the land. We had rather have a child, even of the other sex, return to us from school, a first-rate reader, than a first-rate performer on the piano-forte. We should feel that we had a far better pledge for the intelligence and talent of our child. The accomplishment, in its perfection, would give more pleasure. The voice of song is not sweeter than the voice of eloquence. And there may be eloquent readers, as well as eloquent speakers. We speak of perfection in this art; and it is something, we must say in defence of our preference, which we have never yet seen. Let the same pains be devoted to reading, as are required to form an accomplished performer on an instrument; let us have our phonasci, as the ancients had, the formers of the voice, the music-masters of the reading voice; let us see years devoted to this accomplishment, and then we shall be prepared to stand the comparison. It is, indeed, a most intellectual accomplishment. So is music, too, in its perfection. But one recommendation of the art of reading is, that it requires a constant exercise of mind. It demands continual and close reflection and thought, and the finest discrimination of thought. It involves, in its perfection, the whole art of criticism on language.”

SIMPLIFIED FROM THE WORKS OF

PORTER, WALKER, AND RUSH.

All who attentively observe the movements of the voice in reading or in speaking, will perceive that it rises and falls as in singing. Let any one count slowly, and he will easily discover these variations of the voice, as, one, two, three, foùr, five, six ;-here it will be seen that the voice varies in its tones. Let these words drawl off the tongue and these slides of the voice will be still more apparent. In the question and answer,-Will you go to-day? No—any one will easily perceive that the voice is inclined upwards on the word day, and downwards on no. These movements, or slides of the voice are called inflections, which include all those gradual waving variations which are heard in good reading, or in animated conversation.

The modifications of the voice are four-viz. The rising inflection, which turns the voice, upwards, marked thus ()—the falling inflection, which turns the voice downwards, marked thus ()-the circumflex, which is a union of the falling and rising inflections, marked thus (~)—and the monotone, which is a sameness of sound, marked thus (-). That the learner may acquire a practical knowledge of these inflections, it is important that he should be exercised on examples like the foilowing, till he can easily distinguish one from the other.

Will you walk?

So am I.
I am ìdle.

I am poòr.
I shall walk.
I shall ride.

Rule 1. When interrogative sentences, connected by the disjunctive or, succeed each other, the first ends with the rising inflection, the latter with the falling; as,

Did you say nó-
Did you rún-

-or yès ?

-or walk?

Will you write

-or read?

Rule 2. A direct question, or that which admits the answer of yes or no, has the rising inflection, and the answer has the falling; as,

Did you say fáme? Nò. I said name.

Did you speák? I did.

Will you ride? I will walk.

Rule 3. The indirect question and its answer, has the falling inflection;

Why are you idle? I have no book.

Why do you study? That I may learn.

What is your name? A good scholar.

The following extract from the North American Review is inserted her the benefit of teachers and others interested in the education of yout "It ought to be a leading object in our schools to teach the art of r ing. It ought to occupy three-fold more time than it does. The teac of these schools should labor to improve themselves. They should that to them, for a time, are committed the future orators of the land. had rather have a child, even of the other sex, return to us from scho first-rate reader, than a first-rate performer on the piano-forte. We sh feel that we had a far better pledge for the intelligence and talent of child. The accomplishment, in its perfection, would give more pleas The voice of song is not sweeter than the voice of eloquence. And t may be eloquent readers, as well as eloquent speakers. We spea perfection in this art; and it is something, we must say in defence of preference, which we have never yet seen. Let the same pains be d ted to reading, as are required to form an accomplished performer o instrument; let us, have our phonasci, as the ancients had,—the for of the voice, the music-masters of the reading voice; let us see y devoted to this accomplishment, and then we shall be prepared to s the comparison. It is, indeed, a most intellectual accomplishment. S music, too, in its perfection. But one recommendation of the art of 1 ing is, that it requires a constant exercise of mind. It demands conti and close reflection and thought, and the finest discrimination of thou It involves, in its perfection, the whole art of criticism on language."

Rule 4. When a sentence is composed of a positive and negative part, which are opposed to each other, the positive must have the falling inflection and the negative the rising; as,

He did not say yours-but minè.

He did not say younger-but older.

He will not go to-day-but to-morrow.

Study not for amusement—but for improvement.

Rule 5. Commands, denunciation, reprehension, generally require the falling inflection; as,

Give me the book. Hênce! bêgone! awày!

Stand! the ground's your own, my bràves.

Wo unto you Pharisees! Why tempt ye me.

Rule 6. When two members consisting of single words commence a sentence, the first has the falling, the second the rising inflection; as,

Idleness and ignorance are inseparable companions.

Rule 7. The final pause, or that which denotes the sense to be finished, requires the falling inflection; as,

Love, joy, peace; long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith', meekness`, and temperánce, are the fruits of the Spirit.

Rule 8. Tender emotions require the rising inflection; as,

Jesus saith unto her, Máry.

You too, Brútus.

Rule 9. The circumflex is generally applied to phrases that are of a hypothetic nature, and to negations contrasted with affirmations; as,

If ye love mé, keep my commandments.

The kingdom of God is not in words, but in power.

PAUSES.

Pauses are distinguished into two kinds; viz. The Grammatical Pause, designated by points, and addressed to the eye; and the Rhetorical Pause, dictated by the sense, and therefore addressed to the ear.

It is taken for granted that the learner is already acquainted with the first, which renders it unnecessary to give any explanation of it here.

The Rhetorical Pause is that cessation of the voice which the reader or speaker makes after some important word in a sentence, and upon which he wishes to fix the attention of the hearer.

When a proper name, or a word which stands for the subject of a discourse, begins a sentence, it requires a pause after it, although the grammatical relation would allow no visible punctuation; as

Hypocrisy is a homage that vice pays to virtue.
Prosperity gains friends; adversity tries them.

Homer was the greater génius; Virgil the better artist.

Here, although the grammatical relation would admit no visible pause after the words in Italic, yet the ear demands one, which no good reader would fail to make. The following examples are marked to show more fully the use of this pause.

Some place the bliss in action, some—in ease;

Those call it pleasure, and contentment—these.
Thou art the man.

The young are slaves to novelty; the old-to custom.