while they illustrate this subject, will give the learner the command of quantity, and lay a foundation for general, improvement in all the vocal powers.

Radical Stress.-This is the kind of stress heard in the successive strokes upon the keys of a piano. It may also be given by the voice, on both the long and the short vowels; and is the only kind of stress which the Immutable syllables can take. The exercise, however, on sounds or syllables of short quantity, we shall reserve for another section; and here use only such as combine both stress and quantity. And we shall use, for this purpose, the simple elements, and the simplest combinations; because, though we might employ short words, we could scarcely find words embracing all the various elementary sounds, and thus the learner would lose the improvement in articulation, which we purpose to combine with the exercises of this and several of the following sections. Let the learner then refer to Table I; and striking each of the long vowels successively full at the opening, let the voice gradually die away till it becomes inaudible. This will exhibit the simplest modification of quantity; and may perhaps be represented with sufficient accuracy to the eye thus:

Let this exercise be continued till the learner has acquired perfect smoothness of voice, and the command of the equable movement which decreases gradually till it dies away in silence. When all the beauties of this vanishing movement are developed in execution, the ear is scarcely less delighted than in listening to the higher excellences of music. This function of the voice should then be carefully cultivated; and to aid in its further training, and at the same

time to cultivate other excellences of the art of speaking, we propose the following additional tables of exercise.

whoo shoo choo

koo poo too foo hoo SOO thoo koy poy toy foy hoy soy thoy whoy shoy choy

* NOTE TO THE TEACHER. This and the four following Tables are carried out so as to embrace all the possible combinations, for the purpose of detecting in the learner any defects of articulation, should such exist. On any combination which proves difficult of. utterance, the practice should be continued till the sound is perfectly familiar to the organs of speech.-For the mere purpose of exercise in regard to stress or quantity, where no such difficulty of articulation presents itself, a few only of the most common and agreeable combinations may be used.

For practice on these Tables,

1. Let each of the consonant sounds be successively taken and fully uttered; but without prolonging them, let the voice abruptly burst upon the vowels, taken one by one, which are to be protracted as in the exercise recommended on Table I.

2. Repeat the combinations in Table IV, protracting the sound of both the consonants and vowels.*

атн атн äтн ётн ітн

отн

йтн OUTH

оотн оутн

azh azh äzh ēzh izh

ōzh uzh ouzh oozh oyzh

In the practice on the foregoing Table, let both the vowels and consonants be protracted as much as possible, consistently with a neat pronunciation.

*Though this exercise of the vocal organs is here recommended, the learner should be cautioned against habitually protracting the initial consonants in ordinary delivery. When thus prolonged, the enunciation becomes disagreeable and affected. This is sometimes heard in the pulpit; and Dr. Rush speaks of having heard this defect in the pronunciation of the following words of Macbeth, by a distinguished actor

Canst thou not m-inister to a m-ind diseased;
Pl-uck from the m-emory a rooted s-orrow, &c.

ooch oych

äch ach äch ěch ich ōch üch ouch

In the practice on the foregoing Table, let the vowels be protracted as much as possible; but the consonants only enough for distinct utterance.

* Oo before k is always short; also before the atonics Р in the words hoop and foot.

and t,

†The short sound represented by oo is heard only before the tonic consonants d, g, 1, and m, as in the words should, sugar, full, and woman; nor has oo this sound before the tonic consonants, except in the five words good, hood, stood, wood, and wool. In all others it is long.

In the foregoing Table the vowels are to receive short quantity, while the consonants are lengthened as much as possible. In this, as in the VIth Table, the learner will find the consonant elements b, d, and g more difficult of prolongation than the others, and more difficult than in the other exercises; but the ability to extend the quantity of these elements is so desirable, that the practice on them as well as on the others is here recommended.

In all these exercises, the learner should be careful to exhibit a distinct articulation of the elements, composing the syllabic combinations, to give the usual relative quantity to these elements, and carefully to execute the delicate vanish which should terminate the vocal movement. Most of the combinations thus formed, however strange to the ear they may sound on receiving this separate pronunciation, actually occur in the regular flow of ordinary speech; and he who leaves these exercises, either from their inherent difficulty of execution or from disgust, leaves them but to find them again, where, from inability to execute them, he may experience the chagrin of a failure, for having avoided the trouble of a preparation.

Median stress.-This is designated in music by the term swell; and in works of music is represented to the eye by the following sign :

The sound here indicated gradually swells to a full volume, and then gently subsides, exhibiting all the charm connected with the vanishing movement as before described. It is suited only to syllables of long quantity, and therefore the long vowels of Table I, and Tables IV, V, VI, and VII, are all that can be used for exercise on this form of stress;