Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

more he opened his eyes, and was able to be carefully lifted into daylight, there arose such cheers from the throats of those dirty, grimy mates as never greeted taking of city or sinking of fleet.

The story is briefly chronicled in the log of the Castine, and Huntley simply claims that he "did his duty." But while the United States remains a nation, so long as the banner bearing the silver stars on the field of blue, above alternate stripes of red and white, remains the symbol of purity, bravery, and patriotism to American hearts the whole world over; so long, when her heroes are spoken of, one name should never be omitted, — that of Boilermaker Huntley, of Norfolk, Virginia.

SECTION II. DEGREE

Degree of Force in Elocution is the amount of power with which sounds are sent forth from the vocal organs, and therefore represents the vital nature of man. Though this is a very simple element, a mastery of it is essential, since the entire audience, large or small, must at least hear the speaker in order to understand or appreciate his speech.

1. Scale of Force.

There are three divisions of Degree, — (1) Subdued, (2) Moderate, and (3) Energetic, which may be further divided, each into three degrees as represented in the following diagram:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

The first degree of Subdued Force may be the faintest utterance audible to an audience, while the last degree of Energetic

Force may represent the most impassioned emotion of the speaker. This, like all scales in Elocution, is not absolute but relative, and is dependent upon (1) the individuality of the speaker, (2) the acoustic properties of the auditorium, and (3) the thought or emotion to be expressed.

(1) Each individual has a natural or acquired range of vocal strength which is measured by his own scale of Degrees of Force. A weak-voiced person should not strain to the scale of a more vital speaker; nor should the strong-voiced speaker fall into the habit of reducing his Force to a weak, timid

utterance.

(2) Acoustic conditions are dependent first, upon the size and shape of the auditorium, and second, on whether or not it is filled with an audience. The speaker must at the start observe the size of his auditorium and adjust his scale accordingly. He must overcome echo, due to the shape of the room and to its furnishings, by a proper scale of Degrees, remembering always to adapt his scale to the audience, large or small.

(3) The scale thus established, the speaker must remember that the different Degrees of Force express differing intensities of thought and feeling. These may be determined by observing the analogy between the three Forms of Force and the three Degrees of Force as indicated by the above diagram. To illustrate the gentler emotions, such as timidity, tranquillity, pathos, reverence, or veneration, are given in Subdued or Moderate Degrees; those states of mind expressed in ordinary conversation, didactic thought, gladness, patriotism, amazement, scorn, or hate, range through the last of Subdued, the Moderate, and a part of Energetic; while the more intense passions, such as ecstatic joy, defiance, alarm, terror, or rage, require the strongest Degree of Moderate and the Energetic Degrees of Force. By further associating Quality, Form, and Degree of Force, the student may easily determine the proper expression of all the sentiments he may wish to interpret.

2. Illustrative Selections.

(1) For Subdued Degree.

NOTE. While Subdued Force is in general appropriate to these selections, the student should take into account the range of Subdued and Moderate explained above, and change those Degrees to suit the sentiments. Nothing would be more monotonous than to use one Degree of Force through an entire selection.

CROSSING THE BAR

ALFRED LORD TENNYSON

Sunset and evening star,

And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar.

THE GRIEF OF OPHELIA

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
Th' expectancy and rose of the fair State,
The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
Th' observed of all observers,

quite, quite down!

And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,

That sucked the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
O, woe is me,

T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

(2) For Moderate Degree.

NOTE. Observe the range as well as the limitation of Moderate Force, and vary its degrees to suit the demands of the following selection. The figure (p. 118) shows that all three of the Forms may be found in the Moderate Degree of Force.

DEDICATION OF GETTYSBURG CEMETERY

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting-place of those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far beyond our power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here; but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work that they have thus far so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

(3) For Energetic Degree.

NOTE. But a few words given in the strongest Degree of Energetic Force will be quite sufficient for expressive purposes. The extreme degrees of any element are used less frequently than the moderate ranges.

THE GARDEN SCENE FROM "MARY STUART"

SCHILLER: Translated by Joseph Mellish

Mary of Scotland pleads with Elizabeth, Queen of England, to spare her life; failing in her plea she gives vent to fiercest wrath.

Elizabeth.

How, my Lords!

Which of you then announced to me a prisoner
Bow'd down by woe? I see a haughty one,

By no means humbled by calamity.

Mary. Well, be it so: to this will I submit.
Farewell high thought, and pride of noble mind!
I will forget my dignity, and all

My sufferings; I will fall before her feet,

Who hath reduced me to this wretchedness. -
The voice of Heaven decides for you, my sister.
Your happy brows are now with triumph crown'd;
I bless the Power Divine which thus hath raised you:
[Kneeling] But in your turn be merciful, my sister;
Let me not lie before you thus disgraced:

Stretch forth your hand, your royal hand, to raise

Your sister from the depths of her distress.

Eliza. You are where it becomes you, Lady Stuart;
And thankfully I prize my God's protection,
Who hath not suffered me to kneel a suppliant
Thus at your feet, as you now kneel at mine.

Mary. Think on all earthly things, vicissitudes.
O! there are gods who punish haughty pride:
Respect them, honour them, the dreadful ones
Who thus before thy feet have humbled me!
Before these strangers' eyes, dishonour not
Yourself in me: profane not, nor disgrace

« VorigeDoorgaan »