Man, only, mars kind Nature's plan, 23. Dear Brothers, who sit at this bountiful board, That, in newspaper phrase, 't would undoubtedly groan, Which it isn't-and therefore, by sympathy led, The table, no doubt, is rejoicing instead; Dear Brothers, I rise-and it won't be surprising If you find me, like bread, all the better for rising- In our cordial reünion this glorious night! 24. Have you ever seen a cactus growing? What a dry, ugly, spiny thing it is! But suppose your gardener takes it when just sprouting forth with buds, and lets it stand a week or two, and then brings it to you, and lo! it is a blaze of light, glōrions above all flowers. So the poor and lowly, when God's time comes, and they begin to stand up and blossom, how beautiful they will be! 25. How beautiful this night! The balmiëst sigh, Which vernal zephyrs breathe in evening's ear, Were discord to the speaking quietude That wraps this movelèss scene. Heaven's ĕbon vault, Studded with stars unutterably bright, Through which the moon's unclouded grandeur rolls, To curtain her sleeping world. Yon gentle hills, A metaphor of peace;-all form a scene Her soul above this sphere of earthliness; Where silence, undisturbed, might watch ǎlōne, 26. O Time, who knowest a lēnient hand to lay, Softest on sorrow's wounds, and slowly thence I And think when thou hast dried the bitter tear, Thick clustering orbs, and this our fair domain, Oh, listen, ye, our spirits; drink it in From all the air! "Tis in the gentle moonlight; As one vast mystic instrument, are touched By an unseen, living Hand, and conscious chords Quiver with joy in this great jubilee. The dying hear it; and as sounds of earth To mingle in this heavenly harmony. IV. MODULATION. ODULATION is the act of varying the voice in reading and speaking. Its general divisions are PITCH, FORCE, QUALITY, and Rate. Moodulation Fitch Force Quality The four general divisions, or modes of vocal sound, presented in this section, are properly the elements of expression; as, by the combination of the different forms and varieties of these modes, emphasis, slur, monotone, and other divisions of expression are produced. I. PITCH. ITCH' refers to the key-note of the voice-its general degree of elevation or depression, in reading and speaking. We mark three general distinctions of Pitch: HIGH, MODERATE, and Low. High 1 Exercise on Pitch.-For a general exercise on pitch, select a sentence, and deliver it on as low a key as possible; then repeat it, gradually elevating the pitch, until the top of the voice shall have been reached, when the exercise may be reversed. So valuable is this exercise, that it should be repeated as often as possible. 2. High Pitch is that which is heard in calling to a person at a distance. It is used in expressing elevated and joyous feelings and strong emotion; as, 1. 2. Go ring the bells, and fire the guns, If I may trust the flattering eye of sleep, And, all this day, an unaccustomed spirit Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts. 3. Ye crags and peaks, I'm with you once again! 3. Moderate Pitch is that which is heard in common conversation and description, and in moral reflection, or calm reasoning; as, 1. The morning itself, few people, inhabitants of cities, know any thing about. Their ideä of it is, that it is that part of the day that comes along after a cup of coffee and a beef-steak, or a piece of toast. 3. And musing there an hour alone, I thought that Greece might still be free; The seas are quiet when the winds give ō'er; The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed, As they draw near to their eternal home: Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view That stand upon the threshold of the new. 4. Low Pitch is that which is heard when the voice falls below the common speaking key. It is used in expressing reverence, awe, sublimity, and tender emotions; as, 1. 'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now 2. Is brooding, like a gentle spirit, o'er The still and pulseless world. Hark! on the winds Softly woo away her breath, Gentle Death! Let her leave thee with no strife, Tender, mournful, murmuring Life! She hath seen her happy day: She hath had her bud and blossom; Now she pales and sinks away, Earth, into thy gentle bosom! 3. Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking! Dream of battle-fields no more, Days of danger, nights of waking, |