Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-10-05
miscellaneous Etfms.
READ ALOUD.

Reading aloud is one of those exercises
which combines mental and muscular effort,
and hence has a double advantage. 1t is an
accomplishment which may be cultivated /
lone, perhaps better alone, than under teach
er, for then naturalness of intonation will
be acquired from instinct rather than from
art; the most that is required being that the
person practicng should make an effort to
command the mind Of the author, the sense
of the subject.
To read aloud well, person should not
only understand the subject, but should hear
his own voice, and feel within his that every
syallable was distinctly enunciated, while
there is an instinct presiding which modu-
lates the voice to the number and distance of
the hearers. Every public speaker ought to
be able to tell whether he is iudistinctly heard
by the farthest auditor in the room; if he is
not it is from want of proper judgment and
observation.
Reading aloud helps develop the lungs
just as singing does, if properly performed.
The effect is to induce the drawing of long
breath every once in while, oftener and
deeper than Of reading without enuncating.
These deep limitations never fail to develop
the capacity of the lungs in direct proportion
to their practice.
Common consumption begins uniformly with
imperfect, insufficient breathing it is the
characteristic of the disease that breath be-
comes shorter and shorter through weary
months, down to the close of life, and what
ever counteracts that short breathing, what
ever promotes deeper aspirations, is curative
to that extent, inevitably and under all cir
cumstances. Let any person make the expert
ment by reading this page aloud, and in less
than three minutes the instinct Of long
breath will show itself. This reading aloud
develops weak voice, and makes it sonorous.
1t has great efficiency, ALSO in making the
tones clear and distinct, freeing them from
that annoying hoarseness which the unaccus.
toned reader exhibits before he has gone over
half page, when he has to stop and hem
and clear away, to the confusion Of himself
as much as TO that of the subject.
This loud reading, when properly done,
has great agency in inducing vocal power,
on the same principle that all muscles are
strengthened by exercise, those of voice-malk-
ing organs being no exception to the general
rule. Hence, in many cases, absolute silence
dminishes the vocal power, Just as the pro
traeted non-use Of the arm of the HindoC
devotee at length paralyzes it forever. Tn,
general plan, in appropriate cases, is to read
aloud in a conversational tone, thrice day
for minute or two, OF three at time, in
creasing minute every other day, until hall
an hour is thus spent at time thrice day
which is to be continued until the desired OBJ.
ject is accomplished. Managed thus there i,
safety and efficiency as a uniform result.
As means, then, of health, of ayertinI
consumption, Of being universal and enter
tanning IN any company, as means Of show
ing the quality Of the mind, let reading a
loud be considered an accomplishment ia
more indispensable than that of smatterin,
French, lisping Italian, or growing Dutch
or dancing eotillions, gallopades polkas, anC
quadrilles journal of Health.