Class ±1 Book. i - GopigM COPYRIGHT DETOSm CHOICE READINGS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTERTAINMENT, ARRANGED FOE THE EXERCISES OF THE School, College and Public Reader, WITH ELOCUTIONARY ADYICE. EDITED BV Robert McLain Cumnock A. M. PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC AND ELOCUTION, NORTHWESTERN UNlVERSIlYj EVANSTON, ILL. CHICAGO : JANSEN, MCCLUEG & CO. 1878. < ■^ A \ COPYRIGHT. JANSEN, McCLURG & CO. A. D. 1878 rEREOTYPED ANO FBINTED 1CAGO LEGAL NEWS CO. PEEFACE In this book are contained selections from a very wide range of English authorship, such as are thought to be the best suited to the purposes of Elocutionary training, and public reading and declamation. An endeavor has also been made to give such specific directions as will aid the intelligent student to acquire a just conception of their sentiment. The great wrong practiced upon our youth, is that they are led to imitate an interpretation given to them by some person whom they admire, rather than to ascertain and apply the principles which govern the vocal expression of all sentiments and emotions that are conveyed by words. The great danger of such a course of training might be averted, in a measure, if every teacher of Reading were an artist; but, unfortunately, few have the time or aptitude for such high attainments. The only safe course is to ascertain the principles of vocal expression by careful observation of nature in its best moods and manifestations; and to apply the rules thus obtained to such portions of our Literature as may be easily classified with reference to the sentiment or passion they chiefly express. Great care has been exercised in excluding all selections of an inferior order of literary excellence, however popular in exciting momentary laughter or sensation, while, on the other hand, all pieces, however elegant in style, yet not adapted to the purposes of Reading and Speaking, have been rejected. !V PREFACE. The variety of the selections, added to the fact that each has been chosen with reference to its effectiveness and avail- ability, will furnish material for every possible exercise in the ordinary requirements of school life, as well as the more formal exercise of Public Reading and Declamation. The elocutionary suggestions will appear as introductions to the various classes of selections in their respective orders: First. — Pathos. Second. — Solemnity. Third. — Serenity, Beauty, Love. Fourth. — Common Reading, Narrative, Descriptive and Didactic Styles. Fifth. — Gayety. Sixth. — Humor. Seventh. — Grand, Sublime and Reverential Styles. Eighth. — Oratorical Styles. Ninth. — Abrupt and Startling Styles. Tenth. — Miscellaneous Selections. In each class of selections an endeavor has been made to secure just as pleasing and effective pieces as though the choice were unrestricted, and, at the same time, the import- ance of choosing pieces that would serve as types of the sentiment or passion they were intended to illustrate, has been duly considered. If, in some cases, selections do not sustain throughout the sentiment which they are intended to illustrate, they are placed where the leading, or most characteristic sentiment of the piece would require, and it is thought that, in most cases, the selections are nearly perfect specimens of the sev- eral classes in which they are placed. The compiler acknowledges, with thanks, the kind permis- sion of Messrs. J. R. Osgood & Co., Hurd & Houghton, and D. Appleton & Co., to use the poems of Longfellow, Whit- tier, Holmes, Cary, Bryant, etc., that are in this volume, and of which they hold the copyright. R. McL. C. Evanston, III., Jan., '78. CONTENTS PAGE Expression 11 PART I. PATHETIC SELECTIONS. Pathos 13 Death of Paul Dombey Charles Dickens 15 Tears, Idle Tears Alfred Tennyson 17 Pictures of Memory Alice Cart 18 Little Jim Anonymous 19 Those Evening Bells Thomas Moore 20 The Isle of Long Ago Benjamin F. Taylor . . 21 The Bridge of Sighs Thomas Hood 22 Break, Break, Break Alfred Tennyson 25 Bingen on the Rhine Caroline E. Norton . . 25 How Sleep the Brave William Collins 27 The Banks o' Doon Robert Burns 28 A Death-Bed James Aldrich 28 We Watched her Breathing Thomas Hood 29 "Rock of Ages " Anonymous 29 Old Ralph Hoyt 31 The Song of the Camp Bayard Taylor 33 The Lost Steamship Fitz- James O'Brien. . . 35 T is the Last Rose of Summer Thomas Moore 37 Death of Poor Jo Charles Dickens 38 The Volunteer's Wife M. A. Dennisgn 41 Our Folks Ethel Lynn 42 The Landlady's Daughter (Tr.) Uhland — J. S. Dwight, 44 Auld Robin Gray Lady Anxe Barnard . . 45 John Anderson, my Jo Robert Burns 46 VI CONTENTS. PAGE PART II. SOLEMN SELECTIONS. Solemnity 47 The Old Clock on the Stairs Henry W. Longfellow 47 The Last Leaf Oliver W. Holmes 49 Thauatopsis William C. Bryant ... 51 The Rainy Day Henry W. Longfellow 53 The Blue and the Gray F. M. Finch 53 The Day is Done Henry W. Longfellow 55 The Bridge — Henry W. Longfellow 56 Sorrow for the Dead Washington Irying. . . 58 Funeral Hymn James Montgomery ... 60 PART III. SELECTIONS OF SERENITY, BEAUTY, LOVE. Serenity, Beauty, Love 61 Endymion Henry W. Longfellow 61 The Vale of Cashmere Thomas Moore 62 The Bells of Shandon Francis Mahony 63 Drifting T. Buchanan Read. ... 65 Dickens in Camp Bret H arte 67 Evangeline on the Prairie Henry W. Longfellow 69 The Soldier's Dream Thomas Campbell 70 The Reaper's Dream T. Buchanan Read 71 Passing Away John Pierpont 74 Sleep s E. B. Browning 76 Sandalphon Henry W. Longfellow 77 When the Kye Come Hame James Hogg 79 PART IV. NARRATIVE SELECTIONS. Narrative, Descriptive and Didactic Styles 81 A Child's Dream of a Star Charles Dickens 82 Trial and Execution of Charles I Oliver Goldsmith . . . ; 85 Execution of Mary Queen of Scots John Lingard 89 The Pilot ' John B. Gough 91 Hannah Jane D. R. Locke 93 Connor .Anonymous 97 CONTEXTS. PAGE DESCRIPTIVE SELECTIONS. The Cheap Jack Charles Dickens 103 Farmyard Song J. T. Trowbridge 106 Scene at Dr. Blimber's Charles Dickens 108 The Child- Wife .Charles Dickens Ill The Charcoal Man J. T. Trowbridge 116 Scene at the Natural Bridge Elihu Burritt 118 DIDACTIC SELECTIONS. Hamlet's Instructions to the Players. ..William Shakespeare 121 Happiness Walter Colton 122 Come it will Thomas Chalmers 123 Books Francis Bacon 124 The Sky John Ruskin 125 PART V. GAY AND ANIMATED SELECTIONS. Gatett 127 Daffodils Willtam Wordsworth 127 The Fairies - William Allingham . . 128 Fezziwig's Ball Charles Dickens 129 Kissing 's no Sin Anonymous 131 SoDg of the Brook'. Alfred Tennyson 132 The Boys Oliver W. Holmes 133 Praise of Little Women (Tr.) De Hita — Longfellow 135 Cupid Swallowed Leigh Hunt 136 PART VI. HUMOROUS SELECTIONS. Humor 137 A Senator Entangled James De Mille 137 The Gridiron Samuel Lover 141 The Stuttering Lass John G. Saxe 144 Henry V. 's Wooing William Shakespeare 145 The Charity Dinner Litchfield Mosley . . . 149 Irish Astronomy Charles G. Halpine . . 155 Widow Malone " Charles Lever 156 Words and their Uses Frank Clive 157 The One-Hoss Shay Oliver W. Holmes 159 The Canal-Boat Harriet B. Stowe 162 Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE Sam Weller's Valentine Charles Dickens 167 The Ballad of the Oysterinan Oliver W. Holmes 172 The Low-Backed Car Samuel Loyer 173 Kitty of Coleraine Charles D. Shanly . . . 175 Jupiter and Ten James T. Fields 175 The Courtin' James Russell Lowell 176 Misadventures at Margate Richard H. Barham. . . 179 The Lost Heir Thomas Hood 183 Our Guide in Genoa and Rome Samuel L. Clemens. . . 185 The Subscription List Samuel Loyer 189 The Spectre Pig Olivjer W. Holmes 196 Darius Green and his Flying-Machine. J. T. Trowbridge 200 A Frenchman on Macbeth Anonymous 207 The White Squall William M. Thackeray 207 Nocturnal Sketch Thomas Hood 211 French and English Thomas Hood 212 Prince Henry and Falstaff .William Shakespeare 214 Pyramus and Thisbe John G. Saxe 217 Handy Andy at the Post Office Samuel Loyer 219 The Aged Stranger Bret Harte 223 PART VII. GRAND, SUBLIME AND REVERENTIAL SELECTIONS. Ototund Voice 225 Effusive Orotund 226 Hymn to Mont Blanc Samuel T. Coleridge. 227 The Burial of Moses Mrs. C. F. Alexander. 229 Apostrophe to the Ocean Lord Byron 231 The Lost Chord Adelaide A. Procter. 233 Hymn to the Night Henry W. Longfellow 234 PART VIII. ORATORICAL SELECTIONS. Expulsive Orotund 235 South Carolina Robert Young Hayne. 236 New England Caleb Cushing 237 South Carolina and Massachusetts Daniel Webster 239 Crime its own Detecter Daniel Webster 240 Extract from Oration on O'Connell Wendell Phillips 242 CONTENTS. IX PAGE Webster's Speech in Reply to Hayne . .Charles W. March 245 Eulogy on Charles Sumner Carl Schurz 24S Idols Wendell Phillips ... 250 Toussaint L'Ouverture Wendell Phillips 252 Impeachment of Warren Hastings Edmund Burke 254 Character of Washington Edward Eyerett 256 Eulogy on Lafayette Edward Everett 259 Grattan's. Reply to Mr. Corry Henry Grattan 262 Spartacus to the Gladiators Elijah Kellogg- 263 Address at Gettysburg Cemetery Abraham Lincoln 266 PART IX. SELECTIONS OF BOLD ADDRESS, ANGER, HURRY AND COMMOTION, ETC. Explosive Orotund 267 Marmion and Douglas Sir Walter Scott 268 The Battle of Beal' an Duine Sir Walter Scott 269 The Burial-March of Dundee William E. Aytoun. . . 272 Standish's Encounter with the Indians. Henry W. Longfellow 275 The Battle of lyry Lord Macaulay 278 Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Tennyson 280 Battle of Fontenoy Thomas Davis 282 Herve Riel Robert Browning 284 Warren's Address John Pierpont 289 The Seminole's Reply George W. Patten 289 PART X. MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. King Robert of Sicily Henry W. Longfellow 291 Horatius at the Bridge Lord Macaulay 297 The Vagabonds J. T. Trowbridge 304 Rivermouth Rocks John G. Whittier 307 The Face against the Pane Thomas B. Aldrich. . . 310 Catiline's Defiance George Croly 313 McLain's $hild Charles Mackay 314 Rienzi to /the Romans Mary Russell Mitford 317 Lochinvar Sir Walter Scott 318 Charlie Machree William J. Hoppin 319 The Picket Guard Mrs. Ethel Lynn Beers 321 X CONTENTS. PAGE The Execution of Montrose William E. Aytoun. . . 322 For a' That and a' That Robert Burns 325 Magdalena, or the Spanish Duel J. F. Waller 326 The Three Bells John G. Whittier. . . . 334 The Main Track Walter Colton 335 Mona's Waters Anonymous 336 Annabel Lee Edgar Allan Poe ..... 340 The Slave's Dream Henry W. Longfellow 341 The Launching of the Ship Henry W. Longfellow 342 Old Chums Alice Cary 345 The Prisoner of Chillon Lord Byron 347 Abou Ben Adhem Leigh Hunt 350 The Wreck of the Hesperus Henry W. Longfellow 351 John Burns of Gettysburg Bret Harte 353 Extract from Morituri Salutarnus Henry W. Longfellow 356 An Order for a Picture Alice Cary 358 How they Brought the Good News Robert Browning .... 361 The Gambler's Wife Reynell Coates 362 Shainus O'Brien J. S. Le Fanu 363 The Glove and the Lions Leigh Hukt 369 A Legend of Bregenz Adelaide A. Procter. 370 The Schoolmaster's Guests. Will Carleton 375 Aux Italiens R. Bulwer Lytton 380 Count Candespina's Standard George H. Boker. .... 383 Her Letter Bret HarTe 386 The Bugle Song Alfred Tennyson 388 The Revolutionary Rising T. Buchanan Read. . . . 389 My Pipe James W. Watson 391 The Death of Marmion Sir Walter Scott 394 William Tell among the Mountains SheridanKnowles. . . . 396 The Dying Christian to his Soul Alexander Pope 397 The Scholar of Thebet Ben Khorat Nathaniel P. Willis. 398 The Death of the Owd Squire Anonymous 402 The Dream of Eugene Aram Thomas Hood 405 The Polish Boy Ann S. Stephens 411 The Brookside. « Lord Houghton 415 Ye Mariners of England Thomas Campbell 410 Battle Hymn of the Republic Julia Ward Howe 417 High-Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire . Jean Ingelow 418 Index of Authors 423 CHOICE READINGS EXPKESSIOX. It is taken for granted that those who make use of this book will, at least, have attained correct and definite notions of English Phonation; also that all the difficulties of conso- nantal articulation will have been mastered, so that the Reader, with perfect control of his tongue, teeth and lips, and his ear trained to accuracy in English vowel sound, may come directly to the more difficult, as well as the more pleas- ant subject of Expression. By Expression we mean the utterance of words with their accompanying emotions. We do not develop the full thought of an emotional selection by the mere repetition of the words. If we did, the tenclerest pathos and the sublimest passion would alike sink to the level of the most common talk. The temper or emotion which is the life of the thought, and which seeks conveyance in the words, must be expressed before the meaning of the author can be made known. A knowledge, then, of the laws of Expression is necessary to the proper interpretation of thought. The method pro- posed in this book for the attainment of such knowledge has taken shape in my daily experience as a Teacher, and has no geater merit than its practicability. No merely 12 EXPKESSIOtf. arbitrary rules are of value here. Nature must ever ]pe the great Teacher, and he who observes most clearly her best manifestations must be, of necessity, the best fitted to deduce the laws that underlie and control those manifes- tations. It is, however, of great importance to the student of Elo- cution to remember that there is a certain best way to render every emotion, and having mastered one selection of a great class, the power has been acquired to render all selections of that type. By pursuing such a method, the Reader will be lifted from the contemplation of a single piece to the class of which it is a specimen, and eventually to a classified knowledge of the laws that develop every sentiment and passion of the human soul. I. PATHOS. The proper rendition of all pieces of pure pathos, de- mands chiefly three conditions: First, Natural voice. Second, Effusive utterance. Third, Slide of semitone. First. — By natural voice we mean the conversational voice, or the voice we all have by nature. Great care should be taken to secure the purest tone, free from all nasal, gutteral and pectoral qualities of voice. A clear, pleasant and musical tone is indispensable in securing the best effects. Second. — The utterance must be effusive, i. e., flowing from the mouth in a continuous stream of sound. If a staccato or commonplace style of utterance is indulged in, the reading will necessarily degenerate into mere talk, and crush oat all sympathetic feeling. Third. — In ordinary, unimpassioned speech, the voice passes through the interval of one tone on the musical scale, in the utterance of each word, thus: "That quarter most the skilful Greeks an - noy, •* arf «e a* * m C — V ■■ 9 ©? | w