The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-20
STUDYING ELOCUrION.
People Unable to Read Attempt to Fit
Themselves for the Stage
From tie Milwaukee Sentinel

From the MttudlGtee 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 couu-
try is it so popular as in the United States"
said a popular Milwaukee elocutionlst
"Oae of the greatest d faculties l have
with my pupils is making them read cor
rectly. The majority OF the people, it is
surprising to say, have little or no idea of
punctuation aud skip over their lines with
out regard TO commas, col0ns, seml-colons
and periods. | have had people come to me
for lessons who had naturally fine voice
but never succeeded in making olOcutionists
of themselves on account Of their inability
to punctuate. They would go through
whole page speech without any infections
n meditation, and the consequence was
that their delibery became not only monoto-
nous. but grating and repuls.ve. There are
others who have some idea of punctuation,
but who Rave no voice and whose attempts
at gestculation are worsA than the gyra-
tions of Quixotes windmill.
ut would surprise you to sac the number
and different sorts of people who come to
no to Fl d out if there is any hope of their
becoming fine elocutionists. Men and
women from all stations in life come for
the purpose Many of them are stage
struck, and want to study elocuion simply
as a preparatory step to going on the stage.
Others are prompted simply ny n desire to
become elocutioniSts, and nave no particular
ead in view other than to be fitted to give
parlor recitations and take part in amateur
theatricals A few come to me and want
to study elccution for the benefit of their
lungs, it being an old theory that exercise
of that sort Strengthens the lungs. 1t is
rather odd that ali tle people who want to
study elocution are afraid to recte when
they first come herr. | have had young
men and women, whom | have known to
declaim in public on more taan one occa-
sion, come here and get all excited and I'M
strung when | would ask them to recite
something SO as to show me what they could
10. 1t seems &c trouble them much more
to reclte before one pei son than before a
multitude.
lone of the most amusing cases ever
had was that Of young girl who came III
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 go on the stage and
wanted to talk like the stage people. After
talking to her awhile handed her book,
and, pointing out a certain passage, asked
her to read it for me. You may imagine
my surprise when she looked up and said:
All, marin. l can't read She seemed
somewhat disappointed when | told her she
must learn to read before she could
become an elocutionist 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 aud announced that she had
learned to read and was ready to take les
sons from me. l did not recognize her a.
first, but as soon as she recalled the Incl
dent knew who she was / gave her the
same passage which | had asked her to read
on her former visit, and she read it Off with
ease and fluency. / found her to be very
bright and she promised TO become an
unusually good elocutionist. She took les
sons from me only short while and then
went off, saying she was going to Chicago
to get on the Stage. l have not heard of
her since, and she may by this time be a
leading footlight favorite.
"Ole Of the best pupils ever had was
youth who came in here from some little
interior country town. He looked seedy
and was long and lanky, aud had seri Gus
mlsgivings about him when he told me what
he was after. l asked him to recite some
thing, and in response he delivered The
Dream of Eugene Aram' Us well as / ever
heard 1t recited by an amateur. | imme-
diately became interested in him, and found
before long that he was naturally an orator.
He had splendid voice, which he con-
trolled to nicely, he read correctly, and
his geSticuations were almost per-
feet. His great trouble was extreme dbl
dence, and nothing would induce him to
get up and declaim before a crowd. He
would have made capital actor, and | adj
yised him to 60 on the stage, but he could
not get his courage up sufficiently to make
the attempt, and when he left me it was to
return to lis country home and clerk in a
store. Every time think OF that young
man selling dry goods over the counter Of
n country store | feel there is talent being
thrown away. | meet all sorts of people,
and sometimes find the best elocuiionists
where | expect the worst"
Irata Eathnr Ito ,,nnrnr RinLsN- Snn hare