They were so queer, so very queer,
I laughed as I would die;
Albeit, in the general way,
A sober man am I.

11. Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five;-
Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

12. Around I see the powers that be;

I stand by Empire's primal springs;

And princes meet in every street,

And hear the tread of uncrowned kings!

13. Mrs. Siddons once had a pupil who was practicing for the stage. The lesson was upon the "part" of a young girl whose lover had deserted her. The rendering did not please that Queen of Tragedy, and she said: "Think how you would feel under the circumstances. What would you do if your lover were to run off and leave you?" "I would look out for another one," said that philosophic young lady; and Mrs. Siddons, with a gesture of intense disgust, cried out, "Leave me!" and would never give her another lesson.

14. READING AS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.

We had rather have a child 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.

IV. LOUD FORCE.

Loud force is the term used to express courage, boldness, defiance, anger, grandeur, and sublimity. It is used by the public speaker in addressing a large audience, or when speaking under the sway of strong emotion.

This degree of force requires full and deep breathing, and a vigorous use of the vocal organs.

The middle pitch is the appropriate key of loud force. A high pitch weakens the effect of forcible reading or declamation.

EXAMPLES.

1. Joy! Joy! Shout, shout aloud for joy. 2. Hark to the brazen blare of the bugle!

Hark to the rolling clatter of the drums.

3. Not in vain the distance beacons. Forward, forward, let us range;

Let the great world spin forever down the ringing grooves of change.

4. ALEXANDER'S FEAST.

Now strike the golden lyre again;

A louder yet, and yet a louder strain.

Break his bands of sleep asunder,

And rouse him, like a rattling peal of thunder.

5. REVENGE.

And longer had she sung-but, with a frown,
Revenge impatient rose.

DRYDEN.

He threw his blood-stained sword in thunder down,
And, with a withering look,

The war-denouncing trumpet took,

And blew a blast, so loud and dread,
Were ne'er prophetic sounds so full of woe:
And ever and anon, he beat

The doubling drum with furious heat.

COLLINS.

6. MILTON'S "PARADISE LOST."
Now storming fùry rose,
And clamor such as heard in heaven till nów
Was never; arms on armor clashing, brayed
Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
Of brazen chàriots raged: dire was the noise
Of cònflict; overhead the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flèw,
And flying vaulted either host with fìre.
So under fiery cópe, together rushed
Both battles màin, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage. All heaven
Resòunded; and had earth been then, all earth,
Had to her cènter shook. What wonder? where
Millions of fierce encountering angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their règions.

7. THE BELLS.

Hear the loud alarum bells

Brazen bells!

What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night

How they scream out their affright!

Too much horrified to speak,

They can only shriek, shriek,

Out of tune,

In the clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire.
Leaping higher, higher, HIGHER,

With a desperate desire,

And a resolute endeavor,

Now, now to sit or never

By the side of the pale-faced moon!

POE.

V. VERY LOUD OR DECLAMATORY FORCE.

Very loud force prevails in oratorical declamation before large audiences. It is also heard in the tones of anger, of passion, of command, in calling or shouting, and in intensely dramatic reading.

1. Now for the fight! now for the cànnon peal,

Forward! through blood and tòil, and cloùd, and
fire!

Glorious the shout, the shock, the crash of steel,
The volley's roll, the rocket's blasting spìre.

2. To àrms! they còme! the Grèek! the Grèek!
3. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dèad.

4. Thy threats, thy mercy I defŷ,
I give thee in thy teeth the lie.

5. He raised a shout as he drew on
Till all the welkin rang again:
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

6. From every hill, by every sea,
In shouts proclaim the great decree,
"All chains are burst, all men are free!"
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

7. SPARTACUS TO THE GLADIATORS.

[Radical and vanishing stress, and strongly marked circumflex inflections.]

Ye stand here now like giants, as ye àre. The strength of brass is in your toughened sinews; but to-morrow some Roman Adonis, breathing sweet perfume from his curly locks, shall with his lily fingers pât your red brawn, and bet his sèsterces upon your blood. Hàrk! hear ye yon lion roaring in his dén? "Tis three days since he tasted flèsh; but to-morrow he shall break his

fast upon yours, and a dainty meal for him ye will bè. If ye are beasts, then stand here like fat oxen, waiting for the butcher's knife! If ye are men, follow me! Strike down yon guàrd, gain the mountain pàsses, and thère do bloody work, as did your sires at old Thermopyla! Is Spárta dead? Is the old Grecian spírit frozen in your véins, that you do crouch and cower like a belabored hound beneath his master's lash? Oh, cômrades! warriors! Thracians! if we must fight, let us fight for ourselves! If we must slaughter, let us slaughter our oppressors! If we must díe, let it be under the clear skỳ, by the bright wàters, in nòble, hónorable battle.

KELLOGG.

8. CATILINE'S DEFIANCE.

Conscript fáthers,

I do not rise to waste the night in words:
Let that plebeian talk; 't is not my trade;
But here I stand for right!-Let him show pròofs!
For Roman right; though none, it seems, dare stand
To take their share with mè. Ay, clùster thère!
Cling to your màster, jùdges, Ròmans, sláves!
His charge is false. I dâre him to his proofs.

9. RICHELIEU.

Who spake of life?

I bade thee grasp that treasure as thine hônor—
A jéwel worth whole hêcatombs of lives!

Begone! redeem thine hònor! Back to Màrion-
Or Bàradas-or Orleans-tràck the ròbber—
Regain the packet-or crawl on to àge-

CROLY.

Age and gray hairs like mine—and know thou'st lost That which had made thee great and saved thy country. See me not till thou'st bought the right to seek me. Away! Nay, chèer thee! thou hast not fail'd yết— There's no such word as fàil.

BULWER.