CHAPTER XVI.

The Stroke and Time of Gesture.

THE HE arm, the hand, and the fingers united in one flexible line of several joints, which combine together their mutual action, form the grand instrument of gesture, or as Cicero calls it," the weapon of the orator.' of the orator." The centre of motion of this compound line, is the shoulder, which does not move all together in the manner of an inflexible line; but each separate joint becomes often a new centre of motion for the portion between it and the extremity. Accordingly, in directing the gesture towards any particular point, the upper arm first arrives at its proper position, then the fore arm, turning on the joint of the elbow, and lastly the hand moving on the joint of the wrist and in some cases there is a fourth motion of the

M. Engel, in his Letters upon Gesture says, a certain German writer, Mr. Loewe, quotes Riccoboni's Art du Théatre, in which he gives rules for the motions of the arm, and which appear to him too minute. To me they appear very correct.

(See similar instructions of Mr. Rollin in a note, chap. 18.)

Lorsqu'on veut lever un bras, il faut que la partie supérieure, c'est-à-dire, celle de l'épaule au coude, sc detache du corps la première, et qu'elle entraine les deux autres pour ne se mouvoir que successivement et sans trop de précipitation. La main ne doit douc agir que la dernière; elle doit être tournée en bas jusqu'à ce que l'avant bras l'ait portée à la hauteur de la coude; alors elle se tourne en haut, tandis que le bras continue son mouvement, jusqu'au point où il doit s'arrter. Idées sur le Geste, Lettre 7. Though Mr. Loewe disapproves of this precision of instruction, I cannot. I would add to this observation of Riccoboni (whose work I have not seen, that the stroke of the gesture is made at this point, where the hand arrests its motion, either in ascending or in descending.

fingers from the knuckles next the palm, as in the gesture Fig. 49 and 50 from Quintilian; in which the last motion is the expanding of the collected fingers. The other joints of the fingers have in this case also their peculiar motions, but they are so inconsiderable, that however contributing to grace, they do not require to be particularly noticed in this place.

The construction of the arm and hand together, in the adjustment of the number and nature of the joints, is such as to allow almost as much variety of motion as if they formed a pliant chain, whilst at the same time they possess as much firmness and decision as if they consisted of an inflexible line, or were an instrument with a single joint, like a flail. The admirable variety of the motions of the hand, depends partly on the power of the fore arm, which can turn at the wrist nearly a complete revolution, and partly upon the joint of the wrist itself, which is capable of moving both upwards and downwards, and also to either side, with equal facility.

This compound instrument, the upper arm, the fore arm, and the hand with the fingers, in gesticulation seldom continues long, either in one direct line or in any particular flexure, but changes every moment the angles formed by the different joints; adding at once grace and variety to the motions. The farther any portion of the compound line formed by those parts is from the centre of motion, the greater space does it pass through. The least motion therefore is that made by the upper arm, and the greatest of course, that made by the hand; so that from this circumstance alone its gestures must be conspicuous. But in performing the different gestures, the hand

has not only the advantage of being placed at the extremity of the line farthest from the centre of motion; but by means of the joint at the wrist it can reserve to itself the power of springing with encreased velocity as from a new centre on its approach to the point, to which its gesture is directed. In this manner the hand often finishes its gesture and marks its complete termination. This action is termed the stroke of the gesture; and should be marked by different degrees of force according to the energy of the sentiment expressed; being sometimes in high passion distinguished by a strong percussion, and again in the more moderate state of the speaker's feelings being distinguished, merely by a turn of the hand, by a change of position or elevation of the arm, or by a momentary arrestation of the motion of the gesture in its transitions: but whenever gesture is used, the stroke in its proper force is indispensably required to mark it with precision.

The stroke of the gesture is analogous to the impression of the voice, made on those words, which it would illustrate or enforce; it is used for the same purposes and should fall precisely on the same place, that is, on the accented syllable of the emphatical word; so that the emphatical force of the voice and the stroke of the gesture co operate in order to present the idea in the most lively and distinguished manner, as well to the eye as to the ear of the hearer. The stroke of the gesture is to the eye, what the emphasis and inflexions of the voice are to the ear, and it is capable of equal force and variety.

When gesture is used and not marked by the precision of the stroke in the proper places, the arms seem to wander about

in quest of some uncertain object, like a person groping in the dark; and the action is of that faulty kind, which is called sawing the air; which though suitable for some particular expressions (as doubt or general rejection of means proposed),

is

very offensive when frequently and injudiciously used. Even graceful motions, as they may sometimes be seen, particularly among singers on the stage, unmarked by the precision of the stroke of the gesture, lose much of their force and effect; and their soft flowing quickly ceases to afford pleasure. Gesture used for the mere display of the person without reference to any other particular or decided meaning in its movements and changes, very soon disgusts. The gesture of a serious dancer in a pas seul, by its vanity and affectation soon fatigues all, who are not enamoured either of the dancer or of the art. It is perhaps in order to do away this incongruity that ballets are invented and accommodated to some story, so as to create an interest in the gestures of the dancers by their imagined situation, and to give them the variety arising from the passions they are supposed to feel as love, jealousy, hope, fear, disappointment and joy. But all the unmeaning and unmarked motions of public speakers whether on the stage or elsewhere, are attended with the same ill effect, as a mouthing and canting tone of declamation, which lays no emphasis with just discrimination, but swells and falls with a vain affectation of feeling, and with absolute deficiency both of taste and judgment.

There are also other points of analogy in the management of the voice and gesture, which merit consideration. In the simple and narrative parts of a discourse, there is little effort