He thinks the whole world sees it in his face, reads it in his eyes, and almost hears its workings in the very silence of his thoughts. -DANIEL WEBSTER

This is an excellent example of a concluding series of phrases. The first phrase, ending with "face," requires the falling inflection; the second, ending with "eyes," requires the rising inflection; the third, ending with thoughts," requires the falling inflection.

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SERIES OF CONTRASTS

What is series of contrasts? A series of contrasts is where there are at least three contrasts arranged in the form of the series; as,

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.* - THE BIBLE

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The series consists of the three phrases, and the series must be brought out by giving the first phrase the falling inflection, the second phrase the rising inflection, and the third phrase the falling inflection; and as there are three contrasts, "ask" being contrasted with "given,' seek" with "find," and "knock" with "opened," we must, in order to retain the concluding series, give "ask" the rising inflection, "knock" the falling, "seek" the falling, "find" the rising, "knock" the rising, and "opened" the falling.

If the contrasts form a commencing series, the inflections should be applied according to the rules regarding the series; as,

*St. Matthew, vii:7.

Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and heart to this vote. -DANIEL WEBSTER "Sink" should be given the rising inflection, "swim" the falling, "live" the rising, "die" the falling, "survive" the falling, and "perish" the rising, for by so doing the contrasts will be marked and the series retained. The series consists of "sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish," and as it requires "I give my hand and heart to this vote" to complete the sense, it is a commencing series.

MODULATION

What is modulation? Modulation, in a broad sense, is coloring the voice so as to make it explain by its tones. the meaning of the spoken words. It consists principally of inflection and pitch, but the elements of emphasis also enter into it. By means of modulation action is given to the voice-it rises, it falls, it glides, it leaps, it bounds; all sounds are described - the moaning of the winds, the rush of waters, the tramp of marching armies; all emotions are expressed-the shout of joy, the cry of pain, the huzza of victory. The inflection of the voice. interprets its meaning-whether it is negative, positive, conditional, etc.; the pitch of the voice expresses the emotion—whether it is joyous, sad, indifferent, etc. The speaking voice is divided into three registers, the medium, the upper, and the lower. The tones of the middle register are the customary tones of the voice, and they are used for giving expression to anything that is ordinary. They are expressive of unemotional thoughts; as,

Some persons, for example, tell us that the acquisition of knowledge is all very well, but that it must be useful knowledge meaning thereby that it must enable a man to get on in a profession, pass an examination, shine in conversation, or obtain a reputation for learning.

-ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR This is a plain, simple statement, spoken without emotion of any kind, and therefore should be pitched in an ordinary key. The matter need not necessarily be unimportant to be spoken in the medium register, but it must be simple in its character and unimpassioned in its nature, and for these reasons it is spoken in the ordinary tones of the voice.

The lower register is expressive of solemnity, sorrow, and all deep-seated emotions; as,

If the spirits of the illustrious dead participate in the concerns and cares of those who were dear to them in this transitory life, Oh, ever dear and venerated shade of my departed father, look down with scrutiny upon the conduct of your suffering son, and see if I have, even for a moment, deviated from those principles of morality and patriotism which it was your care to instil into my youthful mind, and for which I am now to offer up my life!

- ROBERT EMMET

The upper register is used for expressing the emotions of a light and a joyous nature; as,

Advance, then, ye future generations! We would hail you, as you rise in your long succession, to fill the places which we now fill, and to taste the blessings of existence where we are passing, and soon shall have passed, our own human duration. We bid you welcome to this pleasant

land of the fathers. We bid you welcome to the healthful skies and the verdant fields of New England. We greet your accession to the great inheritance which we have enjoyed. We welcome you to the blessings of good government and religious liberty. We welcome you to the treasures of science and the delights of learning. We welcome you to the transcendent sweets of domestic life, to the happiness of kindred and parents, and children. We welcome you to the immeasurable blessings of rational existence, the immortal hope of Christianity, and the light of everlasting truth! - DANIEL WEBSTER

Some of the stronger emotions, such as anger, defiance, and grief, when not deeply felt, are expressed on the upper register; as,

We do not come as aggressors. Our war is not a war of conquest; we are fighting in the defense of our homes, our families and posterity. We have petitioned, and our petitions have been scorned; we have entreated, and our entreaties have been disregarded; we have begged, and they have mocked when our calamity came. We beg no longer; we entreat no more; we petition no more. We defy them. -WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

The following vivid description of the delivery of the Blind Preacher, by the orator William Wirt, is a splendid example of modulation in a comprehensive sense, because it depends on the distinctive colors that are placed in the voice, as well as on inflection and emphasis, for its effective presentation.

It was some time before the tumult had subsided, so far as to permit him to proceed. Indeed, judging by the usual, but fallacious, standard of my own weakness, I began to be

very uneasy for the situation of the preacher. For I could not conceive how he would be able to let his audience down from the height to which he had wound them, without impairing the solemnity and dignity of the subject, or perhaps shocking them by the abruptness of the fall. But, no! the descent was as beautiful and sublime as the elevation had been rapid and enthusiastic.

The first sentence, with which he broke the awful silence, was a quotation from Rousseau: Socrates died like a

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philosopher, but Jesus Christ, like a God."

I despair of giving you any idea of the effect produced by this short sentence, unless you could perfectly conceive the whole manner of the man, as well as the peculiar crisis in the discourse. Never before did I completely understand what Demosthenes meant by laying such stress on delivery. You are to bring before you the venerable figure of the preacher; his blindness, constantly recalling to your recollection old Homer, Ossian, and Milton, and associating with his performance the melancholy grandeur of their genuises; you are to imagine that you hear his slow, solemn, well-accented enunciation, and his voice of affecting, trembling melody; you are to remember the pitch of passion and enthusiasm to which the congregation were raised; and then the few minutes of portentous, death-like silence which reigned throughout the house; the preacher removing his white handkerchief from his aged face (even yet wet from the recent torrent of his tears), and, slowly stretching forth the palsied hand which holds it, begins the sentence, "Socrates died like a philosopher," then, pausing, raising his other hand, pressing them both clasped together with warmth and energy to his breast, lifting his "sightless balls" to heaven, and pouring his whole soul into his trembling voice-" but Jesus Christ, like a God!" If he had been indeed and in truth an angel of light, the effect could scarcely have been more divine.