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Show FUNDAMENTAL VISUALIZATIONS 25 but not a pistol, a ring, notepaper, handkerchief, fan, or a dish of food." Another member declared, "I may use a chair, I may change my facial expression, I may roll my hair, but Lord forgive me for kneeling or wallowing on the floor or kissing the hand of a lady impersonating tooth impersonating them? mistake of trying to come down make the readers Ideals. Many difficult be to find an audience, even in the It will to their audience. in rapt attention to a reading listen not "western wilds," who will didactic of The Doll's House, a reading. To be sure, they will not elaborate on the dress and beauty of the reader, or on his fine voice and graceful manner, but they will get the message of the author; who is not there." less old men." Another abhorred "women What about men The and this is the purpose for which all readers should aim. reader is such a audience can rapt pay compliment that an highest attention that the slightest slip or break in the reader's honesty and sincerity would dispel the atmosphere. One does not educate the mathematical faculty by training it in dancing or acrobatic stunts, and -yet teachers would have us train audiences to appreciate "King Lear" by presenting to them bugle tones, bird notes, and imitations of musical instruments. Purpose of the Teacher. It should be clear to every teacher of speech that his province is to train for appreciation and the ability to interpret the printed page, and not to furnish entertainers for commercial lyceums. If any of your students read a selection well in class, nothing will be more encouraging than to suggest that this pupil give the selection to the entire school or in some town enter tainment. But no more effort should be made to polish the reading than merely to make the pupil feel more sure of himself by hearing the effort once and giving some helpful suggestions. But there Let the reading or speech be the result of the must be no coaching. pupil's own effort. Judicious appearance before the public will give if the work courage and power to high school and college students of mere result the If the is work own. is honestly their coaching, it the to afterwards is almost impossible pupil really to study get Such public fundamentals. to down to get reading or to be willing mere but with of the efforts are the work puppetry nothing teacher, I have known high school pupils who were on the part of the pupil. |
