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Show SIXTH AIM: THE IMPORTANT IDEA 99 sentence any more than there can be two right solutions to a mathe matical problem. There out the 4 thought." be can Many only one reading that fully brings reading give altogether too teachers of much lee-way to any meaning the student may suggest. I cannot urge too strongly that the class dig out the meaning of the author, and stick to it. Any other method will produce slipshod readers. Interpretation from Books. Reading cannot be taught from books. Correspondence courses in public speaking are a joke. If you, fellow teachers, do not know how to read, you will not be able to teach reading. A very prominent professor of public speaking the brought up point that he could not agree with Mr. Ayres' read of the line of the Mercy Speech. I began to argue with first ing he retorted when, "The him, by reading, quality of mercy is not strained," falling imperatively, conclusively, upon the last word. It was as far as "Heaven is from Vaux-hall" from Ayres' reading. Ayres read "strained" with such subtle, delicate differentiation from the rest of the line, which he tripped over very lightly, that it was ecstasy to listen to him. He contrasted "strained" with "what of compulsion" Shylock's previous speech. Such marvelous skill as as the touch of Paderewski upon the piano. This WaS thrilling of peculiar way bringing out the important idea cannot be conveyed cold The by print. printed page can only serve to recall what has been heard or what we have the possibility of imagining. And just so this chapter, and in fact the entire book, will have to be in to hear the terpreted through your ability printed page in terms of your own knowledge and experience. Do not allow your pupils to underline emphatic words or im portant ideas. When they see such underlining they come down heavily upon the words, using only Force. Such mechanical props make it practically impossible to revivify the sentence. Moreover, free normal impulse, which cannot help giving the emphatic idea, is hindered by underlining. Through paraphrasing, get the author's sense, and if you have the skill, which will come by trying, your reading cannot 'but be right. Subordination. This chapter would be incomplete without call ing attention to the correct method of reading ideas set off by ' 4 Essentials of Elocution. |
