The eye is particularly effective in expression, as there the emotion first shows itself; and by it you can get and keep the attention of your audience. In reading, keep your eye off the book as much as possible, and on your audience. In recitation or extempore speaking, look at your audience. The eye leads in gesture, and, in many cases, looks in the direction of the gesture. In personation of character, as in dramatic scenes, your eye must look at those to whom you are supposed to be speaking, as, in common conversation, you usually look at the person to whom you speak. Never look in an undecided way, as if you did not have a purpose in looking, but look in the face and eyes of your audience when emotional expression does not require you to look elsewhere.
Gesture.
When you don't wish to use your arm for gesture, let it hang naturally at the side. When the emotion calls for gesture, make it with decision, and let the gesture continue as long as you utter words explaining the meaning of the gesture. Gesture always comes before words, more or less quickly, as may be the kind of emotion. Usually, if the words are quickly spoken, the gesture will be quickly made, and the words will be spoken almost at instant of the gesture. If the words move slow, the gesture will move slow, and there may be a perceptible pause between the gesture and words. | No rules for gesture.| No stated rules for gesture can be given; for they are as infinite in number and variety as the emotions they express. You will find, however, that gesture may be regulated, as emotional expression of voice is, by means of your intensity of thought and feeling, guided by common sense, and aided by genius. Gesture is a science and art, which, as in speech and song, has elements of emotional expression; and these elements correspond in each. You have in gesture (as said of the others) quality or kind of gesture, force or intensity in gesture, time or the degree of movement in gesture, and pitch, or relative height and depth; and all these have a meaning something like the corresponding elements of song, or speech, or other arts. Long and hard study and practice will be necessary to perfection in this, as in all arts. A graceful habit of gesture, an appropriate expression of eye and face, united to a voice full-toned, musical, and varying in all shades of emotional expression,—what is there more captivating to eye and ear, more pleasing to the senses, more instructive to the mind, more moving to the emotions, if only it is, as Mendelssohn says of all art, expressive of lofty thought? "Every art can elevate itself above a mere handicraft only by being devoted to the expression of lofty thought."
DEFECTS OF SPEECH.
Defects of speech cannot be spoken of at great length in this book. A thorough study of articulation in Parts One and Two will cure any of them where there is no defect in the mouth. The letter s is more often defective than any other letter, it being pronounced like th in thin, or whistled. In the first the tongue is too far forward: in the last it is drawn too far back. Cure by imitating somebody who makes it correctly. R is often defective by substituting w for it; as, wun for run. Sometimes it is defective by being made with the whole tongue, something as y is made; as, yun for run: and cure may be had by imitating the correct sound. Other defects of letters or elementary sounds are less common, and need not be mentioned here.
Too precise speech.
Too precise speech is a defect, and results from trying to give too much force to the consonant sounds, and not a due proportion to the vowel sounds. It sounds like affectation on the part of the speaker, and may be corrected by giving more force to the vowels, and particular attention to phrasing. (See "Articulation," Part Three.)
Slovenly speech.
Slovenly speech is a defect, and is opposite in kind and effect from the above. The consonants are not pronounced; and, to remedy it, practise to give consonants more force and precision, and pay attention to phrasing and emphasis.
Too rapid speech.