Year: 1860

Reading aloud is one of those exercises
which combines mental and muscular effort.
and hence has double advantage. 1t is an
accomplishment which may be cultivated alone,
perhaps better alone, than. under teacher,
for then a naturalness of intonation will be
acquired from instinct rather than from art
the most that is required being that the per-
son practicing should make an effort to com.
mand the mind of the author, the sense of
the subject. To read aloud well, q person
should not only understand the subject, but
should hear his own voice, and feel within him
that every syllable was distinctly enuuciated,
while there is an instinct presiding which mod,
ulates the voice to the number and distance
Of the hearers. Every speaker ought to be
able to tell whether he is n5tnctly heard by
the farthest auditor in the room if he is not,
it is from want Of proper judgmen: and OBJ.
serYation.


Reading aloud helps develop the lungs Just
as singing does, if properly performed. The
effect is TO induce the drawing of a long
breath once in q while, oftener and deeper
than of reading without enunciatag. These
deep inhalations never fail to develop the ca
paci;y Of tie lungs in direct proportion to
their practice.


Common consumption begins uniformly with
imperfect, insufficient breathing it is the char
acteristc Of the disease that the breath be-
comes shorter and shorter through weary
months, down TO the close of life, and whateV-
er conuteractS that short breathing, whatever
promotes deeper inspirations, is curative to that
extent, inevitably aud under all circumstances
Let any person make the experiment by read
ing this page aloud, and in less than three min
utcs the Instinct Of long breath will show


itself. This reading aloud develops a weak
voice, and makes it s0noroas. 1t has great ef-
hciec-v, also, in making the tones clear and
distinct, freeing them from that annoying
hOarseness which the uuaCcustomed reader ex-
hibtS before he has gone over half o page,
when he has to stop and hem, and clear away,
TO the confusion Of himself as much as that of
the subject


This loud reading, when properly done, has
a great agency in inducing vocal power, on the
same principle that all muscles are strength
ened by exercise, those of voice making organs
being no exception to the general rule Hence
in many cases, absolute silence diminiShes the
vocal power, Just as the protracted non-use Of
the arm of the Hindoo devotee at length paral-
Yves it forever. The general plan, in appro,
pirate cases, is TO read aloud in a conversation
al tone, thrice day, for q minute or two, or
three at a time, Increasing minute every 9TH
er day. until half an hour is thus spent at
time, thrice a day, which is to be continued
until the desired object is accomplished Man
aged thus there is safety and efficiency as
uniform result.


As Means, then, of health, of averting
consumption, OF being universal and entertain
ing in any company, as a means of showing the
quality of the mind, let reading aloud be con-
sdered an accomplishment far more ndispeu-
sable than that Of smattering French, lisping
Latin, or dancing cotiIlions, gaIlopades, polkas
and quaGrilles.-HalPS Journal Of Hcalh