The Art of Expression

From the INTRODUCTION. Many of the most notable achievements of mankind have been the result ot the power of oratory. Its field has been the pulpit, the political platform, halls of legislation, courts of justice, and wherever the minds of men were to be influenced to action. With the growth of the newspaper and the magazine oratory has seemed to decline; yet never was there a time when it had greater opportunity. Many excellent books on this subject have been written. It is not the author's purpose to add to this number, but rather to furnish a book for the help of pupils and teachers, which aims to simplify and condense the subject of Expression in order to make it adaptable to the limited amount' of time which must necessarily be given to this subject in the schools. It is a too common experience that pupils entering the high schools read aloud poorly. The reason for this is not so much that reading has been poorly taught, but in most cases, owing to the crowded curriculum of the lower grades, little or no attention has bee*n given to reading with a view to good expression. Hence it is necessary to give the subject more attention than heretofore. Instruction in this subject should be gradual, progressive, and systematic. It should be an important part of the course, beginning with the first year and continuing until graduation. To overcome bad habits of reading, stress must be laid on the principles of oratory until they are thoroughly understood, and much practice in the application of principles of oratory must be insisted upon. The test of good reading is the ability to interpret justly and adequately the author's meaning. The notion that one is "speaking a piece" or reciting "words" that he has learned, must be eradicated. He is not a machine, made merely to imitate. He must read and speak with thought and feeling. There is no merit in any work of art that is not the result of thought and feeling. The artist paints, the musician plays, and the poet writes, to give expression to his soul. We can read an entire story by looking at certain pictures, we are deeply affected by the touch of the musician on the keys of the piano, and many times have we been moved to tears and smiles by the reading of a poem. If these various works of art had not been the true expression of the artist, they never would have inspired response in us. So must the speaker give expression to his thoughts and feelings, by painting pictures, composing music, and telling stories with words spoken aloud; or, to sum up the thought, as a recent writer has said: "Expression is a matter of mind and the voice is the index of the soul. The person who understands what he reads and through whom emotion spontaneously plays has a fine, expressive, and vibrant voice. It is tone that tells, not words...".