This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 edition. Excerpt: ... OF ELOCUTION BY ALFRED AYRES.c-.y-.-.. AUTHOR OF "l'HE ORTHOEPIST," "THE VERBALIST' 11 THE MENTOR, ' ETC. 44 Art is the perfection of nature."--Sir Thomas Browne. "The perfection of art is to conceal art."--QuiNTILIAN. FUNK & WAGNALLS NEW YORK 1386 LONDON IO AND 12 DRV STREET 44 FLEET STREET All Rights Reserved. Entered, according to Act ot Congress, in the year 1886, by FUNK & WAGNALLS, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C, PREFACE. This is the shortest treatise on the Art of Reading that has ever been written in the English language; yet, short as it is, it is of more practical value than are all the others--which is not saying much in its praise, for all the others are of no practical value whatever. The mode of procedure herein recommended, in order to become skilled in elocution, is wholly unlike anything that has hitherto found its way into print. Yet what is here is older than the oldest of the venerable " systems " that have come down to us from former generations, for what is here dates back to the time when men began to exchange ideas by means of a spoken language. Then, as ever, the sensible man--spoke he his own language or that of another--spoke naturally, and not as the elocution of the books, and of most teachers of the art, would have us speak, for that tends to make only bow-wowers and sing-songers. New York, March, 1886. Alfred Ayres. THE ESSENTIALS OF ELOCUTION. Elocution is the art of speaking language so as to make the thought it expresses clear and impressive. This is best done by speaking the language as we should speak it if the thought were ours, and the language came to.us as we givTe it utterance. If the thought were ours, and we extemporized the language to express it, we should...