The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-20
STUDYING ELoCUTION.
People Unable to Read Attempt to Fit
Themselves for the Stage.

People Unable to Read Attempt to Fit
Themselves for the Stage.
From the Milwaukee Sentinel
"Elocution is an art which may be said
TO be universal in its extent, being studied
in all parts of the world, though in no
country is it 50 popular as in the United
States, said popular Milwaukee elocu-
ZIONIST.
zone OF the greatest difficulties have
with my pupils Is making them read cor
rectly. The majority of the people,
1t is surprising to say, have little
or no idea OF punctuation, and skip
over their lines without regard TO COM
mas, colons, semi-colons and periods. /
have had people come to me for lessons
who had naturally fine voices, but never
succeeded in making elocutionists OF them
selves on account of their inability to
punctuate. They would go through
whole page speech without any infections
or meditation, and the consequence was
that their delivery became not only mo-
notonous, but grating and repulsive.
There are others who have some idea OF
punctuation, but who have no voices and
whose attempts at gesticulation are worse
than the gyrations Of Quixoie's windmill.
1T would surprise you to see the num-
her and different sorts of people who come
TO me to find out il there is any hope OF
their becoming fine eocutionsts. Men
and women from all stations in life come
for the purpose. Many of them are stage
struck. and want TO study eloCution simply
as preparatory step to going on the stage.
Others are prompted simply by desire to
become elocutionists and have no particu-
lar end in view other than to be fitted to
give paTlor Rotations and take part
in amateur theatricals. A few come TO
me and want TO study elocution for the
benefit Of their lungs. it being an old
theory that exercises OF that sort strength
ems the lungs. 1t is rather odd that all the
people who want to study elocution are
afraid to recite when they first come here.
have had young men and women, whom
i have known TO declaim in public on
more than one occasion, come here and
get all excited and unstrung when | would
ask them to recite something, so as TO
show me what they could do. II seems
10 trouble them much more 10 recite be-
fore one person than before q multitude.
Zone OF the most amusing cases | ever
had was that OF young girl who came in
one day and announced that she wanted
TO learn to speak asked her why she
wished TO learn elocution, and she said
that she had decided TO 90 on the stage
and wanted 10 talk like the stage people.
After talking TO her awhile handed her
book, and, pointing out a certain passage,
asked her TO read il for me. You NAV im-
agine my surprise when she looked up
and said: All, marm, | can't read She
seemed somewhat disappointed when /
told her she must learn 10 read before she
could become an elocutonist and an
actress. She went away asserting
that she was going TO learn TO
read right away, and sure enough
she did. Almost year after she came
in one day and announced that she had
learned to read and was ready 10 take les
sons from me- / did not recognize her at
first, but rs soon as she recalled the incl
dent / knew who she was. gave her the
same passage which / had asked her 10
read on her former VISIT and she read II
oil with ease and iluency. found her TO
be very bright, and she promised TO be-
come an unusually good elocutionist. She
took lessons from me only a short while,
and then went oil, saying she was going
20 Chicago TO get on the stage. have not
heard OF her since. and she may by this
time be a leading iootlight iavorle.
zone OF the best pupils ever had was
interior country town. lie looked seedy
and worn and was long and lanky, and !
had serious misgivings about him when
he told me what he was after ! asked him
TO Tecile something aud in response hc de-
lvcrcd Tho Dream of Eugene Aram q.
well rs / had ever heard il recited by
nm amateur. ! Immediately became
interested in him, aud found before long
that he was naturally an orator. lie had
splendid voice, which he controlled
10 nicely, he read correctly, and
his gcsiculattiOns were almost per.
feet. Ills great trouble WIS extreme
dihidcncc, and nothing would induce him
20 get up aud doclaim before q crowd. lie
would have made a capital actor, and adj
viscd him 90 go on the stage. but he could
not get mis- courage up sufficiently to make
the attempt, aud when he left me It was I,
return 10 his country home and clerk IN q
store. Every time think OF that younl
man selling dry goods over the counter o.
country store feel that there Is talent
being thrown away. ! meet oil sorts o
people. and sometimes find the beet cl0cu
iOnists where | expect the worst