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PROGRESSIVE EXERCISES

IN

RHETORICAL READING.

PARKER'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE.

"Mr. Parker's Compendiums have been some time before the public, and we are glad to have reason to opine that they are favourably thought of. We hope Mr. Parker will have even increased success with these Manuals; they are well adapted to Youth."-Educational Times.

English Composition. Progressive Exercises in English Composition, by R. G. Parker, A. M. Published at 1s. 6d.

Mechanics. An illustrated Elementary School Treatise on Mechanics, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 1s.

Optics. An illustrated Elementary School Treatise on Optics, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 1s.

Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, and Pneumatics; an illustrated Elementary School Treatise, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 1s.

Electricity and Magnetism: an Elementary illustrated School Treatise, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 1s.

Astronomy: an Elementary illustrated School Treatise, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 1s. Natural Philosophy: an Elementary illustrated School Treatise on Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Acoustics, Pyronomics, Optics, Electricity, Galvanism, Magnetism, ElectroMagnetism, Magneto-Electricity, and Astronomy, with Questions for Examination, by R. G. Parker, A.M. Published at 4s.

LONDON: ALLMAN AND SON, 42, HOLBORN HILL.

IN

RHETORICAL READING.

PARTICULARLY DESIGNED TO

Familiarize the Pounger Classes of Readers

WITH THE

PAUSES AND OTHER MARKS IN GENERAL USE;

AND TO INTRODUCE THEM TO THE PRACTICE OF

MODULATION AND INFLECTION OF THE VOICE.

BY

R. G. PARKER, A.M.

AUTHOR OF "PROGRESSIVE EXERCISES IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION;" "SCHOOL
COMPENDIUM OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY," ETC.

66 NATURA DUCE."

NEW EDITION.

LONDON:

ALLMAN AND SON, 42, HOLBORN HILL.
1857.

PREFACE.

THE principal difficulty in teaching the art of Reading, lies in conveying to the pupil a clear idea of tone, modulation, and inflexion of the voice. If the teacher can induce the pupil to inflect his voice at all, he will find little difficulty in teaching him to modulate it rightly. Nature directs every one in this, in common conversation, with unerring precision. It is only therefore by "holding the mirror up to nature," that the teacher can expect to see her as she is. All teachers must have noticed the animation and correctness with which even young children will modulate the colloquial parts of their story books. But the same children almost invariably fall into a lifeless monotonous manner, when performing the tasks assigned to them in their reading-books at school. This arises from no want of excellent selections for exercises in Reading. But a wide distinction is to be drawn between a lesson and an exercise. We have many selections and compilations, abounding in all the beauties of taste, learning, and judgment; which may, with great advantage, be put into the hands of the pupil, after he has been taught the art of reading; but I have met with none, designed for the younger classes of learners, which have combined instruction with practice. It has been thought that directions for the management of the voice in reading, would be lost upon young learners, and that they are suitable for those only, whose riper powers and more matured intellect better fit them for their reception. But it seems to have been forgotten, how easily children are taught to imitate. If, in connexion with some colloquial sentence, another of less obvious import is given, requiring the same modulations and inflections of the voice, the child naturally catches the true manner of modulating the latter from the former. It is upon this principle of imitation and analogy

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