BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the eighth day of August, in the fifty. [L. S.] fourth year of the Independence of the United States of America, Messrs Goodwin & Co., of the said District, have deposited in this office the title of a Bock, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: "The National Preceptor, or Selections in Prose and Poetry; consisting of narrative, descriptive, argumentative, didactic, pathetic, and numorous pieces together with dialogues, addresses, orations, speeches, &c.; calculated to improve the scholar in reading and speaking, and to impress the minds of youth with sentiments of piety and virtue. Designed for the use of schools and academies. By J. Olney, Author of 'A practical system of modern Geography and Atlas.'" In conformity to the act of Congress of the United States, entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors. of such copies, during the times therein mentioned."-And also to the act, entitled, "An act supplementary to an act, entitled, 'An act for the en couragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,' and extend ing the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." CHARLES A. INGERSOLL, Clerk of the District of Connecticut. A true copy of record, examined and sealed by me. CHARLES A. INGERSOLL, Clerk of the District of Connecticut. PREFACE. THE art of reading well, is a highly valued accomplishment, and in all our schools should be considered of the first importance; it is not only the foundation of good speaking, but it may be termed the basis of a finished education. Experience has convinced me that it may be easily taught, by beginning with such lessons as are intelligible and interesting to the learner, and making each selection with reference to the natural progress of the mind. Where emotions are excited, there is little need of rules for their expression. Questions like the following are often asked:-Why do children and youth more frequently fail in good reading, than in any other branch of education? Why do we often hear a youth, whose tones in conversation are varied and agreeable, read in a dull, monotonous manner? Why are there so few good readers in society? We believe a correct answer will be found in the fact that bad habits have been formed by a practice of reading uninteresting if not unintelligible exercises. Let any competent judge examine the books used in teaching this valuable art, and he will see that their compilers have hitherto but little known or regarded the taste, wants and capacities of those for whom they have laboured. The following work is designed for the middle and higher classes in our Academies and Schools. In preparing it, great care has been taken to select such lessons, as are calculated to give exercise to the various emotions of the mind and the corresponding tones and inflections of the voice. It will be found to contain a greater quantity of interesting and useful matter than any other similar work; and the different selections are so arranged as to give the learner a knowledge of reading the various kinds of style, from the simple narrative to the lofty epic. The compiler flatters himself that the work is such an one as has long been needed; and in the earnest hope that it may be found useful to the young in improving their style of reading, and in exciting them to virtuous action, Humbly submits it to the candor of an enlightened public. Hartford, April, 1831. WQR 19 FEB '36 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 read. ing 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." ELEMENTS OF ELOCUTION. 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 following, till he can easily distinguish one from the other. RISING INFLECTION. Will you ride Will you read Did he act properly Is he rích Is he learned Will you gó You must not say nó Is he stúdious? Does he stúdy? Is he rich ? Does he ride? Will you walk? FALLING INFLECTION. -or walk? -or spell? -or improperly? -or poor? -or ignorant? -or his brother? -or blame? -or read? -but nò. I am poòr. 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 nóDid you rún Will you write -or yès ? or walk? -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 speak? I dìd. 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 leàrn. What is your name? A good scholar 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 mine. He did not say younger-but older. Rule 5. Commands, denunciation, reprehension, generally require the falling inflection; as, Give me the book. Hence! begone! away! 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 temperance, 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 hy. pothetic 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 of 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 gram matical relation would allow no visible punctuation; as Hypocrisy is a homage that vice pays to virtue. Homer was the greater génius; Virgil the better àrtist. 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. The young-are slaves to novelty; the old-to custom |