Goethe says, "All art must be preceded by a certain mechanical expertness."

You find it so in the art of playing the piano: the fingers must be made nimble, and the wrists elastic, before any thing else can be well done. In the art of singing you have to exercise the voice in many ways to get command of it. So, in the art of elocution, it is necessary to practise the mechanics of physical and vocal culture, that you may be prepared to express properly your thought and feeling.

You need first a healthy body, elastic and strong in muscles, and especially in those muscles used in the production of voice. For this latter purpose I will describe as clearly as I can Monroe's system of gymnastics, and for the former recommend any other gymnastics that will give health, strength, and especially elasticity.

ATTITUDE.

1. Standing Position.—Hamlet, so Shakespeare tells us, ends a letter to Ophelia thus:—

"Whilst this machine is to him, Hamlet."

Your body is the machine by means of whose working you express your mind and feelings. If you were to run a steam-engine, you would be very careful to place the machine in such a position, that it would do the most work with the least wear and tear. You must do the same with this machine, your body. To get a correct standing position, place yourself with back against a smooth wall in the room, with shoulders flat, your back as nearly straight as you can make it, and every part, from head to heel, touching the wall. This gives you an upright position, but feels uncomfortable, because the weight is too much on the heels. Sway the whole body in its upright position forward, so that the weight will come mostly on the balls of the feet; and, in doing so, do not bend any part except at the ankles. You are now in a proper position for speaking. The head is erect, shoulders thrown back, chest expanded, back nearly straight, the weight of the body is about equal on ball and heel of the feet, and your poise of body as it would be naturally in the act of taking a step forward. This puts every part of your body in the best condition for easy speaking.

2. Speaker's Position.—This position should be assumed before an audience when some other position is not required for dramatic expression. It is the standing position, with the weight upon one foot, and the other advanced. Let the advance foot be about a heel's distance from the middle of the foot behind, and form a right angle with it.

3. Sitting Position.—When you read in a sitting position, the body should be as in speaker's position, and feet also, the poise of body being forward.

4. Change of Position.—You sometimes wish to turn to address your audience at one side. To change gracefully from the speaker's position, turn the foot in advance on the ball, outward, until it becomes parallel with the foot behind; then take the weight on it, and turn the other foot till you have correct speaker's position. If, as you stood at first, facing the audience, your weight was on the right foot, you will find yourself facing to the right; if the weight was on left, you will face left. When facing the audience, to change the weight from one foot to the other, take one short step either forward or back.

5. Poise of Body.—To get steadiness of body, to keep a correct poise, and to prevent all unseemly swaying, when standing to read or speak, assume standing position, and, keeping feet flat on the floor, sway forward until the weight comes entirely on the ball of the feet. Don't bend the body. Then sway back to standing position. Then sway backward, keeping feet flat on the floor and the body straight, until the weight is entirely on the heels; from that sway forward to position.

6. Rise upon the Toes.—For the same purpose as the above. Assume standing position, and rise as high as possible on the toes very slowly; then sink slowly so as to come back to standing position. Be very careful not to sway backward in coming down, and you will find yourself in the exact poise of standing position. Also do the same from speaker's position, rising on one foot.

7. Holding the Book.—Hold your book in the left hand, on one side of the body, so that your face will not be hid from the audience. The top of the book should be about even with the shoulder. Many, in reading, hold the book in front of them; but that is not so pleasant to an audience, and leads to a stooping position, a contracted chest, and ill health.

Note.—All the foregoing exercises relate to position of body necessary for the most powerful, and at the same time the easiest, action of the vocal organs; also to the attitudes most pleasing to an audience when they look upon a reader or speaker. Practise them until they become habits, and so unconsciously you will assume correct position when you stand.

CHEST EXPANSION.

For purposes of speech, you need to use more breath than for ordinary breathing or conversation. You therefore need to make as much room as possible for good fresh air by exercise to expand the chest. Elocution is beneficial to health for this reason.

1. Active and Passive Chest.—Your chest in its ordinary position is what, in elocution, is called passive chest. The active chest is that assumed in the standing position, where the chest is raised up slightly and expanded, with the shoulders drawn back. Practise as an exercise the active and passive chest, alternating from one to the other without breathing, or moving the shoulders. The active chest must be kept in all the physical and vocal gymnastics, and at all time during speech. With practice it will soon become established as a habit; and your every-day attitude will be more erect as a consequence.

2. Arms at Side.—Place your arms at the side, with elbows bent, so that from elbow to hand the arms are horizontal, and parallel with each other. Draw the elbows back, clinch the fist with palms up, and make chest active, keeping the back straight. Take a full breath, and hold it (see "Breathing"); then carry the arms at full length in front of you, your hands open and as high up as the shoulders; then bring them back to the position you started from, with hands clinched, palms up, and pull back with all your strength, raising the chest slightly more; then give out the breath. After some practice you may do it twice upon one breath, being sure to keep the arms as close to the body as you can; for, if you spread your arms, you will strain the muscles.

3. Fore-arm Vertical.—Assume standing position, and bend the arms, placing them vertically, and parallel with each other, at the side, with clinched hands as high as the shoulder; turn the fist out from the shoulder, raise the chest as much as you can, and, taking a full breath, hold it; bring the arms forward so as to touch the elbows together, if you can; then draw them back to first position, and pull downward and backward as hard as you can; then give out the breath. After some practice, do this twice on one breath, being sure to keep the arms and hands close to the body.

4. Full-arm Percussion.—In ordinary breathing, it is seldom you fill your lungs to their fullest capacity; and some of the air-cells are not filled, especially those at the extreme edges of the lungs. This and the following exercise are for the purpose of sending air into those portions of the lungs not ordinarily filled. Assume standing position; take a full breath, and hold it; then strike with the right hand upon the top of the left chest a very quick and very elastic blow, striking with fingers, and swinging the arm freely from its position at the side; then strike with left hand on right chest in same manner; repeat with each hand, and then give out the breath. Never strike with the flat palm or clinched fist, as that is very injurious and unhealthy.

5. Hand Percussion.—Assume standing position, and place your hands on your chest, with elbows as high as the shoulders; make chest active; take a full breath, and retain it while you strike alternately eight light elastic blows with each hand; then give out the breath.

BODY MOVEMENTS.

The muscles of the waist are the front or abdominal, the side or costal, the back or dorsal muscles. These muscles are very important in speech; and upon the strength and elasticity of these, and the inner muscles acting in connection with them, depend the force and strength of your voice. Three very simple movements are here given, which will give some measure of strength and elasticity to these muscles.

1. Body bend Forward and Back.—From standing position bend forward, keeping the back straight, and bending only at the hip-joints; touch the floor with your hands, if you can; then assume upright position, and bend back as far as you can.

2. Bend Right and Left.—From standing position, bend to right side as far as possible, bending only at the waist, and stretching the costal muscles; then assume upright position, and bend to left in same manner.

3. Turn Right and Left.—From standing position turn the body on the waist, keeping the hips still, and twisting the waist-muscles, first to the right, then to the left.

NECK MOVEMENTS.

The neck movements are necessary, because many of the disagreeable qualities of the voice are due to inelasticity of the muscles of the neck. The movements are in the same directions as for the body.

1. Bend forward and back.

2. Bend right and left.

3. Turn right and left.

It is not necessary to describe them at length: but, in bending right and left, be careful to keep the head from bending slightly backward or forward at the same time; and, in the turning of head, keep it erect.

Note.—This completes the physical gymnastics. Practise them until the purpose for which they are intended has been accomplished, and afterwards occasionally, to keep what you have gained. Take each exercise two or three times in succession. When thoroughly learned, this will not take more than five minutes. Practise them five minutes at morning and night.