EXAMPLES.

1. Uprightness is a habit, and, like all other habits, gains strength by time and exercise. If then we éxercise upright prínciples (and we cannot have them, unless we éxercise thém), they must be perpetually on the increase.

2. "And this," said hé-putting the remains of a crust into his wallet-" and this should have been thỳ portion," said hè, "hadst thou been alive to have shared it with me."

3. To my mind-though I am native here,

And to the manner bórn-it is a custom

More honored in the breach than the observance.

SHAKESPEARE.

SUMMARY OF INFLECTION.

1. The stronger the emphasis, the longer the slides. 2. In unimpassioned reading, the emphasis is slight and the slides are short: in bold and dignified composition, the emphasis is stronger and the slides are longer: and in highly impassioned or dramatic reading, the emphasis is strongest and the slides are longest.

3. The general principle that underlies all the rules of inflection is as follows: The rising inflection in general denotes incompleteness of statement, comparatively unimportant statement, interrogation, or negation; the falling inflection denotes completed or emphatic statement.

GENERAL INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sing the scale, upward and downward.

2. Substitute in place of the note names the long vocals, thus: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ā, ē, ō.

3. Sound the third, fifth, and eighth notes of the

scale; then substitute for the note names the following: ē, ä, σo.

4. Give the long vowel sounds, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, (1) with the rising "second;" (2) with the rising "third;" (3) with the rising "fifth;" (4) with the rising "eighth."

5. Give the long vowel sounds, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the falling "second," "third," "fifth," and "eighth."

6. Give the long vowel sounds, a, e, i, o, u, with the rising wave of the "third;" of the "fifth;" of the "octave;" the falling wave with the same degrees.

IV. THE CIRCUMFLEX INFLECTION. The circumflex, or wave, is a combination of the rising and falling inflections on the same word or sound.

The rising circumflex ends with the rising inflection, and is denoted thus (); the falling circumflex ends with the downward slide, and is marked thus (^).

The circumflex is more emphatic than the direct rising and falling inflections. The circumflex may be divided into the distinctive and the emotional.

I. THE DISTINCTIVE CIRCUMFLEX OF THE THIRD. The distinctive, or unimpassioned, circumflex occurs when the voice rises or falls through the interval of the third. It is the characteristic inflection of good-natured raillery, of humor, and of wit. It is used in expressing a pun, or a play upon words. It expresses a double meaning, or a double relation. It carries the mind back to something that has been said, or forward to something to be said. This form of circumflex is a delicate wave of the voice, and is very expressive; but great care should be taken not to overdo it. Carried to excess, it becomes ridiculous.

II. INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sound the long vocals, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the slight rising circumflex of the third; with the slight falling circumflex.

2. Count from one to twenty, with the slight rising circumflex; with the falling wave of the third.

3. It is n't the secret I care about, Mr. Caudle. It's the slight.

4. Do you hear the rain, Mr. Caudle?

5. When lawyers take what they would give,
And doctors give what they would tǎke.

6. I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honorable měn.

7. Men, indeed! call themselves lords of creătion! Pretty lords, when they can't even take care of an umbrella!

8. Let any man resolve to do right now, leaving then to do as it can; and if he were to live to the age of Methuselah, he would never do wrong. But the common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or after dinner, or to-morrow morning, or next time. But now, just now, this once, we must go on the same as èver.

III. EMOTIONAL CIRCUMFLEX.

The emotional circumflex occurs when the voice rises or falls through an interval of the fifth or the eighth. It is the wave of irony, sarcasm, scorn, contempt, hatred, revenge, astonishment, or amazement. It is the inflection of very strong emphasis.

The rising circumflex occurs where, otherwise, the direct rising inflection would be used; and the falling wave where, otherwise, the falling slide would be applied.

IV. INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sound the long. vocals, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the rising circumflex of the fifth; with the falling circumflex.

2. Repeat, five times, with surprise, the words, “ǎh! indeed!" with the rising circumflex of the fifth.

3. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace! 4. Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?

5. Repeat, with irony and the falling wave of the fifth, the expression, "I told you sô."

6. Sound the long vocals, ā, ē, I, ō, ū, with the rising wave of the eighth; the falling wave of the eighth.

7. Repeat, five times, with the greatest possible astonishment, the following: ah! indeed! is it true!

8. O noble judge! O excellent young man!

9. No! by St. Bride of Bothwell, no!

10. Soars thy presumption then so high,
Because a wretched kern ye slew,
Homage to name to Roderick Dhu?

V. EXAMPLES OF THE DISTINCTIVE CIRCUMFLEX.

The distinctive circumflex is the delicate wave of the voice, generally of the rising or falling third, indicative of mirth, fun, wit, humor, and good-natured raillery. In the following examples, be careful not to overdo the inflection or the emphasis.

EXAMPLES.

1. THE DEBTOR.

A debtor is a man of mark. Many eyes are fixed upon him; many have interest in his well-being; his movements are of concern; he can not disappear unheeded;

his name is in many môuths; his name is upon many books; he is a man of nôte—of promissory note; he fills the speculation of many minds; men conjecture about him, wonder about him-wonder and conjecture whether he will pay. He is a man of consequence, for many are running after him. His door is thronged with dûns. He is inquired after every hour of the day. Judges hear of him and know him. Every meal he swallows, every coat he puts upon his back, every dollar he borrows, appears before the country in some formal document. Compare his notoriety with the obscure lot of the creditor of the man who has nothing but claims on the world; a landlord, or fûnd-holder, or some such disagreeable, hard character.

2. FALSTAFF'S INSTINCT.

Why, I knew ye as well as he that made ye. Why, hear me, my masters: was it for mě to kill the heirapparent? Should I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hércules; but beware înstinct; the lion will not touch the true prince; instinct is a great matter; I was a coward on instinct. I shall think the better of myself and thee during my life; I for a valiant on, and thou for a true prince.

3. FALSTAFF'S HONOR.

How then? Can honor set a leg? Nô. Or an ărm? Nô. Or take away the grief of a wound? Nô. Honor hath no skill in surgery, then? Nô. What is honor? A word. What is that word? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? Nô. Doth he hear it? Nô. Is it insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it; therefore I'll none of it.-Hónor is a mere 'scutcheon and so ends my catechism.