5.

Quick! man the life-boat! see yon bark that drives before the blast! There's a rock a-head, the night is dark, and the storm comes thick and fast.

6.

They did not legislate, they did not enact, but they ordained that the people of these United States should be free.

7.

Happy, proud America! The lightnings of heaven yielded to your philosophy; the temptations of earth could not seduce your patriotism.

8.

As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him. There are tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor; and death for his ambition.

Strike!

9.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turned in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while

All the world wonder'd:

Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian

Reel'd from the sabre-stroke

Shatter'd and sunder'd.

Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred

10.

as said the anvil to the hammer

Strike! and never let your iron cool!

Up head, my boy; speak bravely-never stammer,
For fear the world will set you down a fool!

We have no time allowed for shilly-shally,

But seventy years allotted to the best:

Down with the rock; plough up the fruitful valley;
Work out your purpose-leave to God the rest.

You have a purpose-should have-then begin it;
An honest, manly purpose is a power,
Which, if you straightway seize the minute,
Will make its progress surer every hour.
Build up your fortunes by it; lay them deeply;
Make your foundations sure; then, day by day,
Rear the great walls—a fortress- -never cheaply-
Good purposes demand the great outlay.

Strength, faith, devotion-thought and resolution!
These make your capital-these freely spend !
Once sure of your design, the execution

Needs all that you can give it-to the end!
Oh! boy-man! what a world is in the keeping
Of him who nobly aims and bravely toils;
Wake to great deeds! we'll all have time for sleeping,
When we have shuffled off our mortal coils."

BREATHING EXERCISES.

Deep breathing with the lips closed, inhaling as long as possible, and exhaling slowly, is very beneficial.

Having inflated the lungs to their utmost capacity, form the breath into the element of long o, in its escape through the vocal organs. This exercise should be frequently repeated, as the voice will be strengthened thereby, and the capacity of the chest greatly increased. Do not raise the shoulders or the upper part of the chest alone when you breathe. Breathe as a healthy child breathes, by the expansion and contraction of abdominal and intercostal muscles. Such breathing will improve the health, and be of great assistance in continuous reading or speaking. Great care is necessary in converting the breath into voice. Do not waste breath; use it economically, or hoarseness will follow. Much practice on the vocal elements, with all the varieties of pitch, then the utterance of words, then of sentences, and finally of whole paragraphs, is necessary in learning to use the breath, and in acquiring judgment and taste in vocalizing. Never speak when the lungs are exhausted. Keep them well inflated.

SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR BREATHING.

1. Place yourself in a perfectly erect but easy posture; the weight of the body resting on one foot; the feet at a moderate distance, the one in advance of the other; the arms akimbo; the fingers pressing on the abdominal muscles, in front, and the thumbs on the dorsal muscles, on each side of the spine; the chest freely expanded and fully projected; the shoulders held backward and downward; the head perfectly vertical. 2. Having thus complied with the preliminary conditions of a free and unembarrassed action of the organs, draw in and give out the breath very fully and very slowly, about a dozen times in succession.

3. Draw in a very full breath, and send it forth in a prolonged sound of the letter h. In the act of inspiration, take in as much breath as you can contain. In that of expiration, retain all you can, and give out as little as possible, merely sufficient to keep the sound of h audible.

4. Draw in a very full breath, as before, and emit it with a lively, expulsive force, in the sound of h, but little prolonged, in the style of a moderate, whispered cough.

5. Draw in the breath, as already directed, and emit it with a sudden and violent explosion, in a very brief sound of the letter h, in the style of an abrupt and forcible, but whispered cough. The breath is, in this mode of expiration, thrown out with abrupt violence.

Each of the above exercises should be repeated often, by the student, in his room, or while walking; and may be given with the gymnastic exercises previously introduced.

Utter this couplet as many times as possible, with one breath:
Come one- come all! This rock shall fly

From its firm base, as soon as I.

THE ORGANS OF SPEECH. - HOW TO USE THEM.

The lungs constitute the bellows of the speaking apparatus. The larynx, the pharynx, the soft palate, the nasal passage, and the mouth, modify the breath into the elementary sounds of speech.

DIAGRAM OF THE ORGANS OF SPEECH.

The lungs are enclosed within the chest; and, in healthful respiration, they are acted on chiefly by upward pressure of the diaphragm, or midriff, which separates the chest from the abdomen, and this upward pres

sure is caused by the contraction of the abdominal and dorsal muscles. (Notice the breathing of a healthy child.)

In faulty respiration, the sides of the chest are drawn in upon the lungs, to force out the breath, and the natural action of the diaphragm is reversed. This is exemplified by stammerers.

The breath, driven from the lungs, ascends the wind-pipe; and its emission is rendered audible only by the resistance which it meets with in the throat, the nostrils, or the mouth.

At the top of the wind-pipe, is the larynx-the seat of the voice. The larynx is, practically, a box, the cavity of which is susceptible of a multitude of modifications, affecting the pitch, force, and quality of the voice; though these may be modified, also, by the tongue, teeth, and lips. The orifice of the larynx, the glottis, may be perfectly closed, fully expanded, or contracted in any degree, by the different muscles and the elasticity of its different coats.

When the whole of the guttural passage is fully expanded, the passing breath creates no sound; but when the glottis, or aperture of the larynx, is definitely narrowed, by the action of the will, its edges vibrate, and produce the sound which is called voice.

VOICE is thus the result of vibration of the edges of the glottis, caused by the air being propelled through by the propelling power below.

The edges of the glottis have been named "vocal ligaments." Above the glottis, and forming part of the larynx, is what may be considered as a pair of lips, the aperture between which is called the "superior," or "false glottis.' The latter, and the passage between the larynx and the mouth, are susceptible of a variety of changes of shape and expansion.

The passage between the larynx and the mouth is called the pharynx. This cavity is susceptible of various degrees of expansion and contraction; and these modifications of the pharynx, assisted by the position of the pendulous soft palate, play an important part in the formation of the elements of speech and expression.

The percussive effect of consonants results mainly from the elasticity of the muscles of the pharynx, which compress the breath behind the articulating organs, in proportion as the latter restrain its issue through the mouth. In forming the vowels, the pharynx is for one set of sounds partially, and for another set fully, expanded.

In front of the pharynx, is the mouth; and at the top of the pharynx, behind the soft palate, is the entrance to the nasal passages. When the soft palate is raised, it prevents the breath from passing into the nose; and when it is depressed, the breath flows through the nostrils, as well as into the mouth. The soft palate acts the part of a double valve, closing

the nasal passage by upward pressure, and closing the mouth by downward contact with the tongue. Both passages are shut in this manner, by forming the consonant "k." The oral passage is closed, and the nasal passage open, in forming “ng.” Both passages are open in forming the French " "in," ""on," etc. And the oral passage is open, and the nasal passage shut, in forming the vowels.

The roof of the mouth is an arch; and the tongue, as its various parts the back, the front, or the point-are presented to the back, the front, or the rim of the palatal arch, or the upper gum, gives a great variety of configurations to the channel of the mouth. (See cut.)

1. Back.

2. Front.

8. Point.

From each of these configurations the passing breath or voice receives an audibly different effect, of vowel or of consonant quality. Further modifications result from the degree of contraction of the lips, the teeth, and the condition of the guttural passages.

To give the voice the full effect of round, smooth, and agreeable tone, the free use of the cavity of the mouth is indispensable; the whole mouth must be thrown open, by the unimpeded action and movement of the lower jaw.

A smothered, imperfect, and lifeless utterance, is the necessary consequence of restraint in the play of this most effective implement of speech. A liberal opening of the mouth is the only condition on which a free and effective utterance can be produced.

The teeth. These instruments, by their hard and sonorous texture, serve to compact and define the volume of the voice, while they aid one of the important purposes of distinct articulation in the function of speech. Used with exact adaptation to their office, they give a clear and distinct character to enunciation; but remissly exerted, they cause a coarse hissing, resembling the sibilation of the inferior animals.