The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-11-12

attention to the books that bv~0
stood the test of time, and praroS
their right to immorta itv NsnN
ind plenty of time to read the l. tos.
novel, whose characters and sutboS
will be fogotten five years henoa, Int
neglect utterly the great masters
the Bible, Shakespeare, Bunvao
Milton, Scott, Bacon, Tennyson
Carly e, Lamb, Ruskin, and u own
Hawthorne, Irving, Cooper, Ener,
sou, Lowell, L~ongfellow, HoImes
Poe and other-whOse works will
be read by the thoughtful and dis.
corning "when you and l behind chs
veil have past" Why not read these
works of known value instead of
giving our time exclusively to Che
works, of which a recent
writer has said
ssThere are not less than 2O.OOO
novels written yearly. OF these
some 5000 probably are printed,
OF these possibly % r above the
ordinary and have merit There ara
probably 10 that deserve much Of
the praise that rejecting and honest
critics accorded them. Of all, not
more than two are of positive nigh
merit. Not more than one in five
years is so excellent, so strong, 90
original, so pure and admirable as to
style, of such moral tone and Gle.
waited conceptions of duty and char.
acter and of such oonsu nmate
workmanship as to give it entrance
into the community of the success.
full ictive writer's.
Last winter one of THE PRoGREs.
sIvE FARMER correspondents asserted
that one # the prime oauses of our
non appreciation of good literature
is that not one person in fifty knows
how how TO read aloud properly.
And I fear that among us this fire
art is truly much neglected. Would
it not be good training If in each
family this winter some of the best
works of the authors I hav We named
should be selected and one hour or
more each night given to reading
selections aloud? Writing of this
subject-reading aloud recently,
Hiram COrsOn said:
"Hhe reading voice demands at
least as much cultivation "a the sing.
ing voice. Perhaps, in IN )st cases, a
five years judioiOus training of the
singing voice would result in greater
excellence than a five years equally
judicious training of the reading
voice. But what a ridiculous Con-
trast is presented by the methods
usually employed for the training Of
the speaking voice, and those en-
plOyed for the training of the sing
ing voice! If any one would sing,
Ware, he attends a master, and
is drilled in the very elementary
principles and only after MOST labO-
rious process, dares to exercise his
voice in public. If he is even learn.
ing TO play on the flute for public
exhibition, what hours and days
would he spend, in giving facilityto
his fingers, and attaining the power
of the sweetest, and most expressive
rx~cuti n. Ii were devoting himself
to the organ, what months and years
would he labor that he might master
it's richness and delioaoy of expires
ion )"
And in this booklet, too, Dr..
Corson poin S cut what l regard Us
our most common mistake in read.
ing aloud. I will let the Doctor tell
it in his own words:
Emphasis is regarded by many
readers as the all-important thing
but it is really the least important
Any unframed voice a emphasize
The difficult thing to do we'll is the
opposite of emphasis-the sighting
certain subordinate parts of the
discourse. Whatever is sufficiently
implied, or should be taken for
granted, or has been anticipated,
and, in short, all the outstanding re-
of the main movement OF
5hought and feelig, require to be
'lighted in expression, in order that
they may not unduly reduce the
prominence and distinctness of the
main movement"
But am not an authority on 5his
subject, and have mentioned It
to get others to thinking OF
It and of DIR. Corson's views. !